Do not let the Holy Spirit within you weaken

What gives us strength? Acts 1:8, ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Our enemy Satan is not only cunning and shrewd but powerful also. Genesis3:1, Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. Satan defeats us by using our weakness against us or by creating weakness. Eg: Job, Satan asks permission from God to test Job’s faith. He took away everything from Job, his wealth, health, children… Job 2:6–7, ⁶ The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” ⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Seeing his afflictions his wife asks him to reject God. To this Job replies in Job 2:9-10, ⁹ His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”¹⁰ He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” This is just an ordinary man. Satan does not leave even the Son Of God, Matthew 4:1,Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

In the Old Testament in the book of Judges we can read about a man named Samson who was filled with the Holy Spirit. Samson’s power were beyond human imagination. He killed more than thousand men with the bone of a donkey. He was so powerful that he killed a lion as easily as a lamb. He tied together the tails of 300 wolves , lit it with fire and let them loose into the fields of Philistines to destroy their crop. Judges 16:4, ⁴ Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. He committed sin with her. Satan worked towards his down fall through her. Lured by the beauty and charms of Delilah he disclosed the secret of his powers lay in his uncut hair locks. Delilah gave away this secret to the enemy camp of Philistines for money. Delilah put him to sleep and then cut off his hair on the sly. The spirit of God left him and he lost all his powers. He became just an ordinary young man. So what happens when Holy Spirit leaves us. Let us see.

1.Loss of Freedom: The Philistines caught the most powerful Samson and chained him down like an ordinary stray dog. He was held captive and ill treated Judges 16:21,²¹ Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. 

2. Loss of sight: Judges 16:21, ²¹ Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. His lust led to loss of his goal since birth, Judges 13:5, ⁵ You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

Isaiah 52:11, ¹¹ Depart, depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure,
    you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house.

2 Corinthians 6:16, ¹⁶ What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them
    and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.”

¹⁷ Therefore,

“Come out from them
    and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
    and I will receive you.”

When the Holy Spirit left him he did not just loss human sight but he lost sight inside, his soul.

There is always hope in us because we know our Lord is patient and ever forgiving. The Philistines having captured Samson made a mockery of him, Judges 16:25, ²⁵ While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. They put him chains and tied to a pillar. He cried out to the Lord repenting on his sins and asks for forgiveness. Judges 16:28-30,²⁸ Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” ²⁹ Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, ³⁰ Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Dear children of God when the mind pulls you towards the forbidden, just remember the experience of Samson.

Isaiah 52:1-2, Awake, awake, Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!
Put on your garments of splendor,
    Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
    will not enter you again.
² Shake off your dust;
    rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
    Daughter Zion, now a captive.

Isaiah 55:6-7, ⁶ Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.