Turning Strength into Weakness Part 6

Hey everyone.  I'm gearing up for the team lock-in tonight.  It's an awesome time.  I get to help with the inflatable jousting, whatever that means.  Can't wait.
 
Any way, I thought I would take the time to finish up my thoughts on Samson this morning.  Last time we looked at Samson he had pushed the pillars of the temple of Dagon down on hundreds of Philistines as well as himself.  What I want to do is now look back at his life and compare the life that was with the life that could have been.

All the way back in Judges 13, when the angel first appeared to Samson's mother, he said that Samson would be the one who "will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines."  Samson was the Chosen One.  He was selected by God to lead the way in throwing off the yoke of the Philistines.  Now to be fair, he did begin this process and the angel did say that he would "take the lead" in this process.  So he began a work that took a couple of generations to finish.  After Samson came Saul and David, still fighting the Philistines.  But imagine if Samson had not been so easily entangled by his sins, appetites and weaknesses.  (Look at Hebrews 12:1-2)  Imagine if Samson had not been such a lone wolf, instead having great spiritual relationships and really leading the people into battle.  Perhaps he could have led the nation into victory in just one generation.  Samson did some really cool things, but for a number of reasons, he was not what he could have been.  He did not listen to advice.  He did not seem to have any real friends to help him.  He did not take his vows to God very seriously.  An attractive women could get him to behave rather stupidly.  He seemed to forget where the power really came from (God) and believed too strongly in his own strength.  So near the end he gave the enemies of God an opportunity to rejoice.  Had he been true to his vows, serious about his relationship with God, open to advice and not so given to his appetites, this would have been a completely different story.  That is why I have entitled this "turning strength into weakness."  That is what Samson did.  God had given him much strength, but in many cases it was his weaknesses that prevailed.  Compare that to Paul in II Corinthians 12:7-10, where God gave him weakness and turned it into strength.

So now apply.  We all have dreams, things that we would like to see God accomplish in our lives.  Are we doing things that can make those dreams reality?  Or are we making the same kinds of mistakes that Samson made?  To be sure, we all have weaknesses.  We always will.  But, the question is, are we allowing God turn these weaknesses into strength, or are we allowing the strengths God has given us to become weakness?