In my last post, I told you about the church in Florida, where we had the outside meeting. After the church service that morning, I went out to stand by our display and answer any questions the people might have, as several out of the congregation left their vehicles to browse the things at our table and pick up a prayer card. Once everyone left, Jason helped “tear down” the equipment outside while I packed up our display. Then, we stood and chatted with the pastor’s wife for several minutes before returning to the motorhome.

Inside the RV, I passed by the bathroom mirror and noticed something odd. I was only wearing one earring. I knew—without a doubt—that I had two on earlier in the day, so I concluded I must have lost the other one at some point during the morning. But when? How long had I been walking around with one dangling earring? How many people had I talked to, none of which said anything about my missing jewelry? I looked like I was trying to set some weird new jewelry trend. Good grief! I took several minutes to walk around the church property, particularly the areas I knew I had been, but all to no avail. So, now I have one dangling silver earring because, at some point, I lost the other one and never even realized it.

Oddly enough, the entire ordeal reminded me of the account of Samson I had read in my Bible time a couple of weeks earlier. We all know about the man of incredible strength, but we often fail to think about the fact that, overall, Samson wasn’t a great individual. If you read through his story closely, you’ll see he was quite a mess. As sad as his story is, there is one phrase that rings out as the biggest tragedy of all.

I’m sure you all know the story. Samson’s latest love interest, Delilah, is paid by the Philistines to discover the secret of Samson’s strength. She asks him, and he tricks her. The enemy comes in, and Samson easily defends himself. This happens repeatedly, to the point that Delilah becomes frustrated and nags Samson until he finally tells her the truth. Why he can’t figure out what she’s doing, I have no idea. It seems so obvious, but I guess his love for her blinded him. Anyway, he tells her that if his hair is cut, he will lose his strength. So, she cuts his hair, the enemy comes in, and Samson rises to fight them just as he had every other time, except for one crucial aspect—the Lord wasn’t fighting with him this time. That’s sad enough, but what’s worse is that Samson didn’t even know it, much like I didn’t realize I was walking around with one earring for who-knows-how-long.

Without the Lord on his side, Samson was quickly captured, blinded, made to work like an animal, and mocked by the enemy. His failure to obey God cost him dearly. His desire to do his own thing and have his own way led to his eventual demise. And if we’re not careful, we’ll follow in his footsteps. Yes, we, too, are often guilty of going about life, never realizing that God isn’t walking with us. Not because He’s left us but because we’ve walked away from Him. Sometimes we do it willingly. Other times, we don’t even realize what we’re doing. Little by little, we become so wrapped up in sin and the world that our fellowship with God is broken, and we’re so consumed with self and satisfaction, we don’t even realize. We go about our days thinking God is following behind us like a faithful puppy dog only to discover that He’s nowhere around.

Now, let me be very clear here. For those of us who are saved, we are saved forever. The Holy Spirit indwells us, and nothing we do can change that. In that sense, God will never leave us or forsake us. But there is a difference between the indwelling of the Spirit and the filling of the Spirit. And there’s a difference between possession of the Spirit and a genuine relationship with the Lord. While it is true that God never leaves us, there have been many who have walked away from God to follow after their own lusts, just like Samson. Sin always causes separation between God and us.

We cannot go around doing our own thing and expect God to clean up our messes. We can’t disregard His commandments and believe there won’t be consequences for our sin. And we cannot maintain a right relationship with Him when we’re not heeding His Word. God is good, kind, and patient. He wants what is best for us, and in that, there often comes the point where He’ll pull His hand of protection back and say, “If you’re determined to do this or have that, I won’t stop you. But there will be consequences.” And when it’s time to pay that price, we have no right to ask, “Where were you, God? Why did you let this happen?”

I’m disappointed that I lost my earring. After all, that was one of my favorite pairs. But losing an earring is nothing compared to losing the blessing of God on my life. I know from experience how easy it is to go about my day without heeding God. With so much to do and so little time, I find myself rushing around from task to task, never realizing how much I am doing in my own strength until I crash and burn from exhaustion. Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, I can relate to Samson. But I don’t want to, and I’m sure you don’t either.

Friends, let’s be careful. This world is so full of distractions. Do this. Watch that. Try this. Buy that. Drink this. Indulge in that. Satan wants nothing more than to keep God’s people spinning in circles. Confused. Overworked. Stressed. Self-reliant. Slipping further away from the “good way” without even knowing it. Be mindful. Watch out! That roaring lion is seeking his prey. Stay in the Word. Walk in the truth. Work in God’s strength. And above all, set your sights on things above—the Lord!