The Leader Who Stuglled With Character & Credibility: The Law of Solid Ground

In this episode of "The Way," the focus is on the story of Samson from the book of Judges. Samson had the potential to be a great leader, but he lacked credibility and character. The law of solid ground emphasizes the importance of trust in leadership, which is built through competence, connection, and character. Samson displayed three character weaknesses: sexual impurity, deception, and impulsivity. These flaws led to his downfall. The lesson is that private imperfections can have public consequences, and bad character erodes trust and stability. It is important for both leaders and followers to cultivate trust, character, and credibility. He had a strong start, but a lousy finish. He was destined to be one of the greatest leaders of his time. He was given a leadership advantage no man before him, nor after him ever received. He was positioned to win, yet he failed miserably. Welcome to this week's episode of The Way, episode number 104. We are grateful for the feedback you have given on our social media platforms. This episode promises to be rewarding and instructive for leadership and followership. Don't forget to like us and subscribe. Let's jump into today's study. We are on day two from the 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day by John Maxwell. The law of solid ground. How are you doing in credibility and character? These are leadership essentials. Think of credibility and character as currency. Every time you make good decisions, deposits are put into your bank account. Every time you make bad decisions, withdrawals are made from your account. Good credibility and character are currencies that increase loyalty and followership. However, after one too many withdrawals, your account will be in a negative status. You will be out of currency, or what we call not on solid ground. If you haven't figured it out by now, our leader under the microscope is Samson. This story is found in the book of the Judges, chapters 13 through 16. Let's recap from our last episode. The nation of Israel rebelled against God, and he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines. They called upon God for deliverance, and he appointed Samson as their leader. Whenever the Spirit of God moved upon him, Samson became the strongest man alive. That was his gift. That gift was tied to his Nazarite vow and relationship with God. Samson grew up and accomplished great feats for his people. Many times he defeated the Philistines, but he lacked credibility and character. No one could trust him. In our world, many say that what a leader does with his personal time is his business. We argue that what a leader does with his personal time does matter, because personal and spiritual choices, our value system, inform leadership. David Kisling contends that our character determines our ethical and decision-making. Some people say character is consistency in behavior over time. Others say it involves acting upon core values. Yet others say it is what you do when no one is looking. Foundational to the law of solid ground is trust. Trust is the foundation of leadership. Maxwell informs us that trust requires leaders exemplify competence, connection, and character. When people trust you, they will follow you. John Morley observed, no man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character. Let's examine Samson's leadership journey over time. Samson displayed three glaring signs indicating he was having trouble with the law of solid ground. Character signal number one. Samson failed to address glaring character weaknesses. He struggled with sexual impurity because he did not try to restrain his desires. Judges 14 verse 3. His desire caused him to violate God law not to marry non-Hebrews. Character signal number two. Samson frequently used deception to protect himself. He flirted with disobedience. He played tricks on people, had an affair with the enemy, Delilah, and lied very often. Leaders who enjoy twisting truth end up in trouble. Character signal number three. Samson often acted impulsively. He frequently made rash judgments and did not consider the consequences of his decisions. He did not control his temper. Self-control is key to good character. Hopefully Samson's life and leadership will guide our thinking this week. Let's wrap up today's episode. We started this episode with a premise that you can tell when leaders are having character trouble. You will see drips of character and credibility failures. This is when they are not on solid ground. These lessons are both for followers and leaders. Wherever you are on a life journey, know that those who give free reign to their sins will eventually be consumed by them. Samson made a bit too many withdrawals from his character bank. Samson the deceiver was deceived by Delilah the seducer. He toyed with her knowing she was the enemy and lost everything. Judges 16 verse 18. Our takeaway for today, private imperfections can have public consequences. We cannot escape our character. Bad character leads to mistrust and may leave you with no solid ground to stand on. We all can learn from Samson's failure and cultivate trust, character and credibility essential to the law of solid ground. That's it for this episode. Dig deeper into Samson's life and journey by reading Judges chapters 13 through 16. We invite you to purchase or download John Maxwell's book, The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day, available in a bookstore or online store near you. You can also download and review the transcript of this episode. We invite you to share this episode with your friends, neighbors, co-workers and family. Don't forget to like us on our social media platforms and subscribe to our podcast. Episode notes are also available on our podcast blog. Thanks for listening, and we will see you on another episode of Away.