The Samson Effect: Transforming Lives with the Power of Words

By Rocky Detwiler

The Samson Effect equips you with the simple steps and tested tools you need to tap into the most powerful force in the universe – the absolute power of words. This unseen force you wield every day produces positive transformation or terrible destruction. If you are searching for a real life transformation with lasting effects, th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Detwiler
• Release date: Jun 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781945537028

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Why Samson?

The name, Samson, is recognized around the world as a name that represents strength and power. The historical character named Samson lived over 6,000 years ago. He was the strongest man ever to walk the earth, and his feats were so supernatural that it is difficult to imagine all that he accomplished. He truly was a one-man army, and his reputation was renowned.

Samson’s strength is documented in the book of Judges¹. Confronted by an army of 1,000 Philistines and armed with nothing but the jawbone of a donkey, he was able to defeat his enemy. These were the elite warriors that were trained in battle and wore traditional battle gear during this time, including swords, spears, shields, and helmets and armor that were one-inch thick. When Samson’s name was mentioned in the enemy’s camp, it caused fear to come upon them because of the destruction he caused and the devastation of which he was capable.

Like all mortals, though, Samson also had weaknesses. He made mistakes, like everyone reading this book. However, what makes the story of this man so legendary, feared, and respected is that he overcame and conquered his mistakes with words of power. Samson fulfilled the purpose for which he was born. His is one of the greatest redemption stories in the history of man.

Redemption is defined as replacing what was lost, or resolution and forgiveness for a mistake. Is there anyone alive who does not desire redemption for something? Who hasn’t made a mistake? Who hasn’t lost something? We want redemption, a second shot at a mistake or loss. Redemption is a word with power. I wanted redemption. I wanted what was lost, stolen, and taken. I wanted the mistakes I had made to be redeemed. I eventually found it. It is for this reason that Samson is the name of my company. I will carry on and hold in high regard this 6,000-year-old name that represents strength and power. This name, what I call The Samson Effect, will be a beacon of hope, encouragement, and transformation to millions around the world.

Listen, friends, this book is real and straightforward. If you are looking for fluffy and feel good with no serious content to change your life, then this is NOT the book for you. However, if you are searching for a real transformation with lasting effects on your life and the lives of those around you, then this definitely IS the book for you. This book is also ideal for your friends, family, company, school, and government agencies.

A transformation by description is not easy. Transformation is a process, and it can be a frustrating struggle. Take the greatest metamorphosis of transformation in nature: the caterpillar. It moves as slow as molasses in the winter with no real goal or ambition, except to transform into one of the prettiest and most fragile flying creatures God created. It was once a slow-moving, earth-bound insect that wrapped itself in a cocoon of change and struggle. It came out as a beautiful, heaven-bound butterfly, ready to take to the skies of opportunity and wonder. Once it makes its transformation, it can never go back. Once you apply The Samson Effect to your life you, too, will never go back to your old ways. You will take on deep blue skies of true transformational change.

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1Judges 15:15

1

WHEN CHANGE IS NECESSARY

Every new day is another chance to change your life.

—Native American Proverb¹

What are you thinking about? That’s the most important question you can ask yourself. Our life goes in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. Our thoughts become the words that come out of our mouths. Words carry transformational power. Words have the power to create or destroy, uplift or tear down, and bless or curse. Ultimately, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, and your habits become your lifestyle.

Rock Bottom

The night was dark, and rain drizzled down the windows. I was cold and very alone. The empty home, where I was living as a squatter, was my refuge for a year because I had nowhere else to go. I had become overweight, with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, more debt than I could handle, and an amazing amount of loss and pain from the highest levels of betrayal from those I trusted most. I lost over a million dollars. My friends and family lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We were the victims in one of Arizona’s largest Ponzi schemes. A close friend of 18 years had shared an investment opportunity with me. For a couple of years, I followed this investment that my friend and his business partner were running. I trusted him, so I invested a large amount of money. As the profits proved to be great returns over time, I shared this opportunity with another friend and a couple of my family members. They invested because they trusted me. What we believed to be a safe, secure, and positive investment proved to be the exact opposite. Those who invested lost everything while my friend and his partner ended up incarcerated.

I was in the deepest hole of depression one could imagine. I could see no light in this very dark place, and the devil was encouraging me, prodding me, to end it all. I related to those who are suicidal. I found myself at the edge of life, and I had a choice to make. I stood in front of the mirror looking at the shell of a broken man with tears streaming down my face, wondering how to end the pain. Who will care if I’m gone? Will it make a difference? Nobody cares for me anyway. I’m just a loser. I can never pick good friends. I hurt those closest to me. I’m a complete and utter failure.

If you have battled rejection, loss, defeat, failure, abandonment, remorse, or regret, then you will identify with what I have just shared.

Somewhere deep inside me, an anchor held. A small, distant voice, a whisper, spoke to me, You can’t give up. Never give up. How can I recover though? The anchor held. God was, is, and will always be my anchor. Even in my darkest moment, He was there. It was then that I made a decision to change. I decided to live, not die, and with that I also decided that I would never give up.

Because you are human and have blood pumping through your veins, I’m certain this story is relatable. In some way, we have all made bad decisions. We’ve all fallen short, made mistakes, failed. Some of us have been the victim of a crime or a broken relationship. Some are bullied at school or work. Some feel like they just don’t measure up. Have you ever entertained thoughts like, I’m not attractive or I’m too short or overweight? Because we are human, thoughts like these impede our minds on a regular basis.

There is one word that defines those of us who want a second chance. It’s for all of us who have made mistakes or failed. It’s a powerful word in which we all can identify. In fact, one of the greatest stories in the history of mankind is about this word: redemption.

I want to be redeemed. I want a second chance. To be honest, I want a third and fourth, as well. And, if it’s okay, I want nine lives, too. I’m just kidding. I will make do with the wonderfully blessed life I have now. Cats don’t even have nine lives. They just need to make better decisions. I guess I could say the same about me. Being able to make better decisions the second time around is the way to be redeemed.

You want a second chance. I know you do. You want redemption and the chance to do something in your life over again. Granted, some mistakes don’t have do-overs, but we get to decide how we handle them. Will the mistakes become a burden or a blessing? Will you become a victim or a victor? The amazing part of all of this is that you can and, I believe, you will become a better you through the process.

I want to encourage you that it’s okay to fail or make mistakes. You see, those are the stepping-stones to a brighter and more awesome you.

Overcoming is the key to redemption. It’s important to know that hard times will come. Failures are part of our growth. If we know that making mistakes is part of life’s journey, then it’s just a matter of being able to overcome those shortcomings. You are already equipped with the power to achieve greatness. Just for you to have been born, that seed had to fight its way past millions of other seeds. You are no accident, and you are not a failure. You were born with a purpose in this life. Even when you think you don’t matter and life has dealt you a bad hand, you get to decide what to do with the life that’s been given to you.

I believe in redemption and, most importantly, that we all have the tools inside us to overcome difficult battles. Let your mess become your message. Let your difficult time become your defining time. Let your trial become your triumphant testimony. On that dark, lonely night, I made a decision to change. You can, too.

Growing Up

My grandma always called me the spoken word baby. After my mom had my older brother, her doctor told her she would not be able to have any more children. However, it was placed on my mom and dad’s hearts to have another child. A very close friend of the family was a missionary and had the gift of healing. He prayed for my mom, and about nine months later, I was born.

I grew up on an Idaho farm and learned to work at a very young age. Chores were as much a part of farm life as eating, brushing my teeth, or breathing, for that matter. There are so many benefits from growing up on a farm. I learned work skills, discipline, the power of family, and the blessing of good neighbors.

Personal Development

My mom and dad joined the Amway business when I was 13. I was a pretty unique kid, and found it interesting to listen to their motivational tapes. By the time I graduated high school, I had listened to hundreds of Amway tapes covering topics including free enterprise, training on positive thinking, how to control your thoughts, setting goals, and putting action behind your goals. I listened as a man spoke about financial independence on one of the tapes. He said, You have arrived when you can live on the interest of your principle investment. That became my goal. As a teenager, I had limited knowledge on how to achieve my goal of retiring early, but I was determined to find a way.

It doesn’t matter how you grew up or what you have gone through in life, we all get to make decisions that take us to that next chapter, step, or level in life. I received an email from a man who heard my story. He told me that my story really inspired him. He grew up in a Bangladesh shack with dirt floors and a tin roof. He now resides in New York City and works on Wall Street.

Whether you grew up on an Idaho farm, milking goats and listening to Amway tapes, or in a Bangladesh shack with dirt floors and a tin roof, you have the potential to be amazing. Our backgrounds do affect our lives. I had a blessed upbringing but still battle thoughts of depression and unworthiness. If you grew up in an unloving environment, it doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t succeed. In fact, in many cases, a difficult upbringing gives you an advantage. Your coping mechanism is to survive and succeed. You learned to overcome adversity at a young age, so you’re better equipped than those who had it easier than you.

I chose to listen to positive tapes at a young age. I also chose to work while attending school, rather than party. Those were decisions and choices I made. No matter where you are in life, you get to choose. You get to choose your thoughts, and those thoughts will lead to your actions. Do not let your circumstances determine your life. Those will always change. Times change, weather changes, the economy changes, everything changes; how you deal with the change is all up to you. It is for this reason I share my story; to let you know that, even at the most difficult times in life, you can make a decision to change.

The Greatest and Worst Time for Mankind

This is the greatest time in the history of man: the age of technology, travel, and communication. It’s the only time in the history of man that we can go to the deepest parts of the ocean or see into the great beyond of our universe. We have gone to the moon and can travel from one part of the globe to another in a day. We can talk to and see someone on the other side of the earth anytime we want. We truly live in the greatest time ever.

However, in this greatest time, obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure run more rampant than ever before as fast food restaurants on one corner challenge a gym on the other. We have free apps on our cell phones that track the calories we eat, how far we run or walk, our heart rate, and have access to every workout imaginable. Yet, we are still one of the most obese nations in the world. We are a nation that talks about health and fitness from every angle in the media, on reality television shows, and on talk shows. Magazine racks are filled with an enormous amount of health and fitness content that can produce serious transformational change, but people, as a whole, are not changing for the better.

There is disconnect in our relationships, and the divorce rate is higher than it has ever been. Our youth are growing up with babysitters like television, Xbox, PlayStation, and endless interactive Internet games, rather than their moms and dads. Their friends are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube. Even when our teens are face to face, they communicate over text. Their human interaction with real-life emotions and feelings are quickly fading. They often have a difficult time connecting with others using body language or making eye contact. We are in the age of ubiquitous communication where teens can access information and data faster than most adults, and yet we lose touch with those we love most.

Dysfunctional and disconnected relationships are a normal part of our culture. Broken relationships are almost expected. The family unit is breaking apart. Even loving, intact families are not connected like they should be. Healing and forgiveness after a broken relationship are things of the past. We are stuck in a fast-paced, got to have it now mentality. Instead of healing, grieving, and becoming a whole person, we get right into another relationship where the other person is just as flawed and broken as we are. We then blame them for our problems, lack of intimacy, trust issues, and unhappiness. This dysfunctional cycle never stops unless you recognize it and do something about it.

Eighty percent of Americans HATE their jobs, not dislike their jobs, but HATE their jobs². Yet, we live in the freest land in the world where opportunity is everywhere. It is socially acceptable to live paycheck to paycheck with piles of debt weighing you down. The average American household has credit card debt of over $15,000³. In many cases, the ones in debt are buying expensive coffee drinks and eating out every day. Over half of Americans (54 percent) buy coffee drinks daily⁴. The average American eats out almost daily at 5.8 times per week⁵. The average American spends one percent, or one dollar out of every hundred dollars, on alcohol. This is the normal mode of operation for the working class in the richest country in the world. No wonder 80 percent hate their jobs. Where is the happiness for the average American living their life? Where is the fulfillment of dreams, life goals, or purpose?

The Internet is both the greatest and the most harmful web of information ever distributed or accessed in the history of man. It is an immense source of positive and negative information, depending on how it is accessed or used. The most detrimental part of the web is how it is rewiring the code for intimacy and relationships. The filth that lurks on dark websites draws in those torn in their own struggle for connection and relationship.

There are so many who are alone, frustrated, confused, and lost with no direction. Their ship is sailing on the seas with no rudder, mast, or guidance system. They are being tossed about by waves of information. Inevitably, they will be slammed into the rocks of despair and darkness by the negative influences or voices of Internet trash, worthless talk shows, and corrupt music.

How can it be that we are in the greatest yet worst time in the history of man? Simply put, it has everything to do with what YOU think about.