Judges 16:20 New Living Translation
Then she cried out, "Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!" When he woke up, he thought, "I will do as before and shake myself free." But he didn't realize the LORD had left him.
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 immediately be aware that God's power has left you. Only after he tried to defeat his enemies did Samson recognize that something was wrong. he went against the Philistines as before, expecting their swift defeat. But this time the Philistines 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 once brought reconciliation, but now you experience problems in your relationships. Those around you who have relied upon your strength are discovering that you are not as helpful to them as you once were. Your lack of spiritual power is not crying out for attention; but you are seeing subtle changes in your spirit and in your relationship with God.
How can you stop this spiritual decline? You must regularly repent of any sin. you must invite God to search for your life to see if there are attitudes, relationships, or activities that need to be removed. You must fervently obey His will. If you walk with God in this manner, you will grow in spiritual strength and be used mightily by Him.
