So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.
Judges 16:20
One of the signs of a heart that has shifted from God is the absence of spiritual power.If you are like Samson, you will not be immediately aware that God’spower has left you. Only after he tried to defeat his enemies didSamson recognize that something was wrong. He went against thePhilistines as before, expecting their swift defeat. But this time thePhilistines easily prevailed over him. If you allow sin to creep into your life, if you refuse to obey your Lord, if you do not reconcile with those who have hurt you, your spiritual vitality is waning.
You may assume everything is fine, but when you pray, answers do not come as they once did. You once had a positive effect on those around you,but now your influence is negligible or even harmful. Your life oncebrought reconciliation, but now you experience problems in yourrelationships. Those around you who have relied upon your strength arediscovering that you are not as helpful to them as you once were. Yourlack of spiritual power is not crying out for attention; but you areseeing subtle changes in your spirit and in your relationship withGod. How can you stop this spiritual decline? You must regularlyrepent of any sin. You must invite God to search your life to see ifthere are attitudes, relationships, or activities that need to beremoved. You must fervently obey His will. If you walk with God inthis manner, you will grow in spiritual strength and be used mightilyby Him.
