Learning The Hard Way (1) - All The Word for Today Daily Devotionals for 2026

‘For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson.' Hebrews 11:32 ESV

Samson had incredible potential, but he threw it all away. Why? For several reasons.

He failed to control his impulses. He was physically strong, but morally weak. He deliberately ignored God's principles, and his life became a pathetic cycle of failures. He never learned; he kept making the same mistakes over and over. For him it was a kind of game: ‘How close can I get to the fire without getting burned?'

Delilah, a Philistine woman, kept nagging him about the source of his strength, and each time she got a little closer to the truth. Samson was playing with temptation by toying with her, and eventually he fell into the trap. And we do the same thing when we say things like: ‘It can't hurt just this one time.'

The truth is, not one of us plans to be a failure. It comes naturally—and gradually. It's a step-by-step process, as little by little we become weakened. Our whole lives don't fall apart in one day. Problems build up over a period of time, because we refuse to learn from our mistakes.

Maybe you're thinking, ‘But this is an area of my life I have no control over. It's just the way I am.' That's the wrong answer.

Here's the right one: ‘He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.' (Isaiah 40:29 NKJV)

When Samson finally faced the truth, God broke his cycle of failure and gave him the power to do what he should do, and made him victorious. And God will do the same for you when you turn to Him!

SoulFood: 2 Kings 13-15, Luke 1:26-38, Ps 139:1-6, Pro 13:21-23