Judges 16:20

"She said, 'The Philistines are upon you, Samson!' And he awoke from his sleep and said, 'I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.' But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him."

Over time and through many opportunities to repent, Samson had slowly but surely slipped into a spiritual stupor. With each link in this chain of sin welded by his sensuality, he had gradually become so unusable that he forfeited the Lord's blessing and empowering. Long before he would lose his eyes physically, he had lost his spiritual sight, his sensitivity to the Lord's activity, his usability in His kingdom work.

There is great warning here. Let him who thinks he stands, take heed that he does not fall (I Cor. 10:12). No one, however spiritually mature, is incapable of falling as did Samson. To think otherwise is to act the fool.

Prayerful Contemplations

"Blessed Father,
Grant grace that I may muse upon You as You are worthy, for a few choice moments here in the cool of the day. I plea Your Spirit's filling work, softening this heart so easily hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Too, may the blood of Your sinless Son do a cleansing work, restoring our broken fellowship and healing my defiled conscience, I pray.
Enormous is the need I sense for repentance, that faithful confrontation Your blessed Spirit initiates just when needed the most...forcing the wayward believer to face the fact that drifting has occurred.
Such discipline is sorrowful, even as Heb. 12:11 declares, yet well worth the peaceful fruit of righteousness after Your chastening is done.
Praise to Your Name, Father, for Your faithful love and holy dealings with Your children!
In the Lord Jesus' Name,
Amen."

II Chronicles 20:12

"O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You."

In the face of a massed enemy army and its imminent attack, Jehoshaphat was afraid (v. 3). Yet he refused to give in to it, turning his attention to seek the LORD and proclaiming a fast throughout the land. Principle: When things are dire, reduce distractions & focus on Him.

By his own admission, neither Jehoshaphat nor his people knew what to do... but as spiritual leader he knew Who did! With a rare humility for one in kingly robes, he acknowledged publicly in prayer their utter dependence upon the LORD. And God glorified His Name by granting Judah a victory accomplished solely by His doing. The result? Surrounding nations heard of it, and feared the God of Israel (v.29).