Recently a friend of many years said to me after attending a memorial at a church which in the past had been vibrant and full of life with many members. But now is a dismal remnant of what was. The first thought this person had upon entering the building was of a verse in the book of Judges concerning Samson who 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. Judges 16:20
My friend said, the remnant of what is left are unaware the spirit of God has departed and continue to go and do as other times believing they can shake themselves free. (So much wisdom could be these obtain through these verses for dead churches) We both discussed that of all things in our Christian walk, the spirit of the Lord departing would be a great fear. Would we today be aware if the Lord had departed from us?
Samson was a man who exhibited great strength in the Lord. Yet was unaware Gods spirit had departed from him as he got up to do what he always had done in the past. Can we too continue in routines of past making believing we have the spirit of God upon us only to discover we do not?
Its why we must read and know the word of God.
It is the standard by which we hold up truth for our beliefs and ideology. When we no longer allow reproof or correction from scripture we become ideologues lost to philosophy of our own doing. Ingrained in our psyche as with a branding iron.
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 1 Tim. 4:1-2
These refuse wisdom or discernment of others to their own demise as they are unaware that the spirit of God has departed from them. I have witness many times those who believe that the spirit of the Lord was upon them as they continue doing the same as in the past. But to the those discerning it is obvious the spirit has departed from these and they now operate in personal dogma, philosophy or ideology such as those spoken of in scripture,
“taking their stand on visions they have seen, inflated without cause by their fleshly mind,
Col. 2:18
Not knowing the spirit of the Lord had departed we can substitute what was the spirit with flesh of our own making, relabeling it the spirit of the Lord. May we diligently pursue scriptural truth staying in His presence less we too become unaware that God has left the building.
Michael Smith
04.02.2014
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