FLAMING WORD – P14
JUDGES 16:20
“And she said, ‘The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.’ And he awoke out of his sleep and said, ‘I will go out as at other times and shake myself.’ And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.”
Under the old covenant, the Holy Spirit was not permanently given to man. Instead, He would overshadow or come upon God’s people at various times to accomplish His will. It wasn’t until after Christ’s resurrection and the day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit began to dwell in man.
Samson lived under the old covenant. Since Christ had not yet died, the Holy Spirit did not indwell him. However, for anyone on a divine assignment, the Holy Spirit would come upon them, empowering them for their purpose.
Samson walked closely with God until he succumbed to the devil’s schemes, manifested through Delilah. He operated with such a great anointing that he could easily switch into the Spirit and back to his natural state. This is evident when he declares, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. Yet, the moment he revealed his covenant with God to Delilah, he lost that anointing.
The anointing is not something to be taken lightly or treated casually. It is meant to accomplish the works of God, but a lifestyle of compromise is unworthy of the anointing.
Ephesians 4:30 reminds us: And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit is the seal of our redemption. His presence in our hearts is the evidence of our salvation. When we live a life of compromise and fail to honor His presence, He withdraws.
Samson had grown so accustomed to the anointing that he never imagined the Holy Spirit would leave him. The Holy Spirit is gentle and can depart without one realizing it—such was the case with Samson.
2 Corinthians 13:5 urges us: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
It’s time for self-examination.
Shalom.