Part 1: Ignore Your Purpose
You lose your calling because you decide to ignore what He already made plain.
Samson’s life didn’t start in a dark room with Delilah; it started with a miraculous birth and a very specific set of instructions. Before he was even born, God laid out a map for his life. Samson didn’t have to guess what he was supposed to do or who he was supposed to be. He just had to stop ignoring the purpose that was right in front of him.
I. A Command That Must Be Ignored
Judges 13:4 “Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:”
God started with clear boundaries. Being a Nazarite meant Samson was set apart. There were things other people could do that he couldn’t do. There were places others could go that he couldn’t go.
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
You cannot claim to love God’s calling while ignoring His commands. The first step in wasting your purpose is deciding that God’s “rules” are suggestions that don’t apply to you.
II. A Job That Must Be Ignored
Judges 13:5 “…and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
Samson wasn’t born just to be a strong guy; he was born to be a deliverer. He had a specific job to do for the nation of Israel.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
God has already “ordained” works for you to do. When you spend your life chasing your own hobbies and interests instead of the work God assigned you, you are ignoring your primary reason for being on this earth.
III. A Plan That Must Be Ignored
Judges 13:7 “…for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.”
This was a life long plan that God gave to Sampson. God’s plan for him covered every single day from his first breath to his last.
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
The world wants to squeeze you into its mold, but God has a “perfect will” that requires a different shape. To waste your calling, you simply have to stop conforming to God’s plan and start conforming to the world’s schedule.
IV. Wisdom That Must Be Ignored
Judges 13:8, 12 “Then Manoah intreated the LORD… and said, How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?”
Samson’s parents sought God’s wisdom on how to raise him, and God gave it to them. Samson grew up in a house where the “how-to” of his calling was common knowledge.
Proverbs 11:14 “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
You don’t fail for lack of information; you fail for lack of application. Samson had the wisdom of his parents and the counsel of God, but he chose to ignore it.
V. A Presence That Must Be Ignored
Judges 13:21–22 “Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”
The family had a direct encounter with the Presence of God. They knew God was real, active, and watching.
Hebrews 13:5 “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
God’s presence is a constant reality for the believer. To waste your calling, you have to practice “forgetting” that God is in the room. You have to live like He isn’t watching.
VI. A Focus That Must Be Ignored
Judges 13:16 “…And if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD.”
The angel made it clear: the focus was to be on the LORD, not on the messenger or the miracle.
Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
When your focus shifts from the Giver to the gift, you are on the road to a wasted life. Samson eventually became more focused on his own strength than the Source of that strength.
VII. The Spirit of God That Must Be Ignored
Judges 13:25 “And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan…”
God was moving in Sampason as a young man and God is moving in young and old today!
Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Samson felt the tug of the Spirit early on. Every time he went his own way later in life, he had to ignore the “move” of the Spirit in the other direction.
Nothing was unclear in Samson’s life. Samson knew the rules, he knew the job, and he knew the God behind it all.
You waste your calling by ignoring what God already made plain. You don’t need a “new word” from God today; you probably just need to go back and obey the last thing He told you that you’ve been ignoring.
