The Samson Syndrome: What You Can Learn from the Baddest Boy in the Bible

Why do some strong men fail while others succeed? Like the biblical character Samson, all strong men—those who are successful, influential, self-confident, aggressive, or widely respected—face twelve tendencies that can lead to sin and even personal tragedy.

The adventurous and gifted Samson—whose story is told in four chapters of the book of Judges—never had the intention of fighting against God. He was just a fun-loving guy looking for a good time. Like so many strong men today, he didn’t think his sin was any big deal. But it’s clear as you read his story that the older he got, the more sin held him in its grip.

The Samson Syndrome is a set of twelve tendencies or challenges that strong men will always face. Obstacles like lust, ignoring good advice, big egos, fears of authentic intimacy, losing sight of the big picture, and others, have the ability to be any man’s undoing. Atteberry’s mission is to remind men of the joy of living within God’s boundaries, because he believes there’s a little Samson in all of us. With God’s help we’re capable of such great things. But we’re never more than one bad choice away from humiliation. However, it doesn’t have to be that way if you want to fulfill your God-given potential.