Based on Pastor Steve Robinson’s message “You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Have Purpose.”
I don’t write this as a distant observer—I write as a man who failed in marriage and needed God to rebuild what I helped break. My moral failures wounded the person I love most and threatened the life established in love and trust in God. Shame told me I had forfeited my future. But God’s mercy met me in the rubble, and through repentance, counseling, hard conversations, and time, He restored our marriage and renewed my calling. If you’d like the full story, you can read my testimony.
So when I hear Pastor Steve Robinson talk about Samson—this man who “missed it big time,” as he said—I lean in. Because Samson’s story isn’t just about a man’s strength; it’s about a God who doesn’t give up on His people, even after we’ve failed Him, ourselves, or others.
“We can all miss it—but by God’s grace, He can pick us up and give us another chance.”
Pastor Steve opened with humor—a story about people on an airplane where the “smartest man alive” accidentally jumped out wearing a backpack instead of a parachute. His point was clear: we all miss it sometimes.
Samson missed it in monumental ways. Set apart as a Nazirite from birth (Judges 13:5), he was blessed with supernatural strength and a divine purpose—to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Yet he was also flawed, proud, and drawn to sin. Still, Pastor Steve reminded us, “By God’s grace, He can pick us up and give us another chance and still fulfill our purpose.”
Grace doesn’t erase consequences, but it restores destiny. God didn’t abandon Samson, and He won’t abandon you. So, don’t give up even when the situation looks bleak!
My reflection:
When you have a big moral failure like I did, you think that your purpose is lost forever. But the same grace that lifted Samson, lifted me. Grace can lift anyone. God’s call didn’t change when my character cracked—He just began rebuilding me from the inside.
“Samson prioritized pleasure above purpose.”
Pastor Steve said, “There’s nothing wrong with pleasure, but if pleasure drives your life, you’re a hedonist. You’ve got to be driven by purpose.”
Samson’s downfall began when he valued pleasure more than purity. He broke his vows, drifted from discipline, and became casual with God. What started as attraction turned into addiction—his need for control and comfort outweighed his devotion to the One who gave him strength.
Samson’s outer strength couldn’t compensate for inner weakness. “Compromise always precedes collapse,” Pastor Steve warned, comparing it to a bridge that looked strong but had a flawed foundation. When pressure came, it fell.
My reflection:
I once lived like that bridge—impressive from the outside, fractured underneath. But God doesn’t rebuild facades; He restores foundations. Every trial since my failure has taught me that inner character must always come before outward success.
“He thought he could play with fire without getting burned.”
Delilah’s persistence broke Samson’s resolve. “He thought he could play with fire and not get burned,” Pastor Steve said. When Samson revealed the secret of his strength, he didn’t just lose his hair—he lost the anointing. “He did not know that the LORD had departed from him” (Judges 16:20).
Pastor Steve compared it to the 2003 blackout that left 50 million people in the dark—all because one line in Ohio overheated and brushed a tree. “Don’t think your spiritual life doesn’t impact others,” he said. “When your power goes out, your family feels it.”
My reflection:
There was a time when my spiritual power went out. I was still going through the motions—working, serving, smiling—but the presence was gone. It took repentance, not performance, to turn the lights back on. You can’t fake fire. It has to be rekindled by the Spirit.
“However, the hair of his head began to grow again.”
This is one of the most hopeful verses in all of Scripture (Judges 16:22). Pastor Steve said, “It’s more than a detail about hairstyle—it’s a signal that hope’s not dead.”
Samson’s hair represented his consecration—his dedication to God. Though he was humiliated and blind, something was happening beneath the surface. The roots were still alive. “It looks like ashes,” Pastor Steve said, “but life is still in the roots.”
My reflection:
When my life looked scorched, God began regrowing what mattered—conviction, humility, dependence. It didn’t happen quickly, but it happened, surely. Don’t let your hope die in failure; Repent, cry out to God, and it will begin to grow there.
“You’ve got to get in the right place.”
When Samson asked the young servant to position him between the pillars (Judges 16:26), he was stepping back into purpose. Pastor Steve said, “The reason some of you keep struggling is because you’re in the wrong place, hanging with the wrong people, doing the wrong things.”
He shared his own story about avoiding old playgrounds, playmates, and playthings—the places that once pulled him away from God. “Change your environment,” he said. “Change your company. You’ve got to get in the right place.”
My reflection:
After my failure, I had to change my environment too. I surrounded myself with men who spoke truth, not comfort. I stopped standing in places that weakened me and started kneeling in prayer that strengthened me. The “right place” isn’t about geography—it’s about alignment with God’s will.
“Remember me, O God.”
Blinded, shamed, and mocked, Samson prayed one last time: “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me just this once” (Judges 16:28). Pastor Steve said, “God remembers you. The question is—do you remember God?”
That prayer wasn’t about revenge; it was about redemption. Samson repented, and in his final act, he fulfilled his purpose—destroying the temple of Dagon and freeing Israel from their oppressors. “As long as you have a pulse,” Pastor Steve said, “you still have a purpose.”
My reflection:
I’ve whispered that same prayer: “Remember me, Lord.” And every time, He has. Strength doesn’t always look like standing tall. Sometimes it’s bowing low in surrender. When I returned to God, He gave me fresh power, fresh passion, and a new story to tell.
Turning Failure into Testimony
Where are you standing right now?
- Have compromises dimmed your spiritual power?
- Are you stuck in the wrong place with the wrong influences?
- Has shame convinced you your story’s over?
Friend, if you’ve had a moral failure that feels too big to come back from, take heart—you’re not alone, and you’re not finished. Samson blew it in every way imaginable. He broke his vows, lost his strength, his sight, and his reputation. Yet even when he was blind and bound, God was not done with him. Pastor Steve Robinson said, “As long as you have a pulse, you still have a purpose.” Samson’s hair began to grow again, and that small sign of grace was God’s way of saying, I’m not through with you yet.
Maybe that’s you. Maybe your sin cost you relationships, trust, or a ministry you once loved. I’ve been there. My own moral failure nearly destroyed my marriage and my faith, but God met me in the ashes and began growing something new—humility, conviction, and hope. The same God who restored Samson and restored me can restore you. What feels like an ending is often the soil where revival starts.
So, don’t give up. Let faith grow again. Get back to the right place—His presence—and cry out like Samson did: “Lord, remember me.” You may have fallen, but you haven’t been forgotten. Grace isn’t God overlooking your sin; it’s Him rewriting your story–a new chapter. Your failure doesn’t erase His purpose—it reveals just how powerful His redemption can be.
Watch Pastor Steve Robinson’s message “You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Have Purpose.”
Steve Robinson is a pastor, speaker, and author with a ministry spanning the globe—including seven Church of the King locations in the United States, a new location in Cape Town, South Africa, a thriving online campus, and daily radio and television broadcasts. He is a graduate of Tulane University, holds a master’s degree from The King’s Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.
Pastor Steve serves on the board of Equip, a worldwide leadership organization led by John Maxwell, and Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the author of Don’t Sway In The Delay, Decide To Thrive, Perspective Shift, Extraordinary Living, Simple Prayer, and Hope Again.
Pastor Steve’s passion is to see people who are far from God reached and discipled into fully-devoted followers of Christ. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana and are blessed with four children and one son-in-law—Isabelle and her husband Stone, Conrad, William, and Annaliese. You can learn more about him at steverobinson.com.
