Judges 16:20 (NIV) Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

Samson’s story is a sad one. Even though by God’s grace he is listed among the “hall of heroes” in Hebrews chapter eleven, his personal life was a train wreck. He was anointed and set apart by God from birth to be one of Israel’s judges during a chaotic time is their history. They had no king and everyone lived as they pleased. The people of God went on a rollercoaster ride during this time because of their sinful living, coming under the thumb of their enemies until the Lord would raise up a judge to deliver them. Samson was a mighty man in physical strength, but when it came to how he lived his life, he was weak and fast and loose with God’s commands. He was attracted to foreign women and even had sexual relations with prostitutes. He would get into lots of trouble because of it but because of his supernatural strength, he would get himself out if it...until he met his match in Delilah.

Delilah had apparently captured Samson’s heart and even though it was quite obvious that she didn’t have good intentions for him, he remained oblivious to her schemes because he was captivated by her. After much prodding and nagging, Samson finally told her the secret of his strength, which was that his hair should never be cut. After he told Delilah his secret, she cut off his hair at the first opportunity while he was sleeping. Immediately, the anointing along with his strength left him. But the real tragic thing about this was that he didn’t even realize it. God had left him and he knew nothing about it until it was too late and he was in chains.

It is an awesome thing to have the anointing of God. The Word of God tells us that we, as followers of Christ, have an anointing from God through His Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20). But we have to watch the way we live to maintain our anointing. While some Christians don’t even know about an anointing from God, others know and take it for granted. They are loose with the way they live and therefore, have no power whatsoever to live an upright life. They lament the fact that they keep falling into sin and wonder why they are so weak in their faith. They never put two and two together to realize that their life choices have caused the Lord’s presence to leave them. They have no power and no anointing and live defeated lives. They are not excited about their relationship with Jesus and make very little difference in bringing people who don’t know Christ into the Kingdom of God. That’s a sad state of affairs to be in because instead of experiencing victory and the joy and the peace of their relationship with God, they live down and out under sin’s power. Don’t be one of the people who, like Samson, lose their anointing without ever realizing it. Be intentional about having the anointing and presence of God with you at all times so that your life will be meaningful and effective for advancing the Kingdom and to have victory over sin and the enemy in your life.

Pastor Joey Vazquez