Samson, the Departed Spirit, and the Illusion of Strength

There is a moment in Scripture that is as tragic as it is terrifying:

“He awoke from his sleep and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.” — Judges 16:20

Samson did not stop believing he was strong. He did not stop moving. He did not stop acting like God was still with him. He shook himself—just like always. But the power was gone.

This is one of the most sobering lines in the Bible because it reveals something many people never consider:

It is possible to continue the motions of faith after the presence of God has quietly withdrawn.

For years, Samson had known what it felt like when the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him. Strength surged. Enemies fell. Victories came. But compromise crept in:

• Small steps away from obedience.
• Small indulgences of sin.
• Small dismissals of holiness.

None of them seemed to matter—until suddenly they did.

And when the final line was crossed, Samson still stood up expecting God to move.

But heaven was silent.

This did not happen only to Samson. The Same Thing Happened to the Temple centuries later. In Ezekiel’s vision, the prophet watches something heartbreaking unfold: The glory of the LORD—His manifest presence—departs from the temple (Ezekiel 10–11). The presence of the Lord was gone.

Yet the priests kept offering sacrifices.

• The singers kept singing.
• The incense kept burning.
• The rituals continued.
• The machinery of worship kept running.

But the presence was gone.

God had left His house, and most of the people never noticed. They believed Jerusalem couldn’t fall because it was home to the Temple—to the Ark of the covenant. 

But God had issued His people certificate of divorce.

In Jeremiah 3:8, the Lord says,

“I saw, when, for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah didn’t fear, but went and played the prostitute also.” — Jeremiah 3:8

There is a terrifying parallel here. And this is what makes Samson’s story so dangerous. It is also what makes Jesus’ judgment of the temple so severe. Both reveal a truth we desperately need to hear:

God’s presence is not guaranteed by tradition.

You can have:

• Scripture
• Sermons
• Songs
• Services
• Structures
• Strategies

And still miss the Spirit.

Just as Samson shook himself, many churches are shaking themselves today.

• The lights come on.
• The music starts.
• The message is delivered.
• The schedule runs.
• The livestream streams.

But power is not present.

Why We Don’t Notice When He Leaves

Samson didn’t realize the LORD had departed because nothing outwardly changed at first. That’s the danger. When God’s presence fades, the systems remain.

When power departs, programs continue. When holiness is lost, activity stays. And so people assume God is still there.

• But fruit disappears.
• Lives stop being transformed.
• Sin becomes comfortable.
• Prayer becomes thin.
• Repentance becomes rare.
• The fear of the LORD fades.
• The church still shakes.

But nothing moves.

“Not by Might, Nor by Power…”

God once spoke through the prophet Zechariah: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD.”

• Samson believed it was by might.
• The temple believed it was by ritual.
• Many churches believe it is by strategy.

But fruitfulness never comes from human strength.

It comes from God’s presence.

• No amount of gifted preaching can replace the Spirit.
• No level of excellence can substitute for holiness.
• No amount of innovation can generate life.

Only God gives fruit.

The Quiet Warning to Us

Samson was not defeated by his enemies first. He was defeated by the absence of God.

The temple was not destroyed because of its enemies. It was destroyed because God had already left it.

And churches do not become fruitless because of culture. They become fruitless because they have lost dependence.

They shake themselves.

But there is no power.

The Way Back

The answer is not to shake harder.

It is not to work more.

It is not to do better.

It is to return.

• To the truth.
• To confession.
• To repentance.
• To humility.
• To prayer.
• To surrender.
• To abiding.

Because when the Spirit of God is present, fruit grows.

And when He is not, no amount of motion can make up for it.

So the question we must ask is not: “Are we busy for the Lord?”

It is: “Is the Spirit of the LORD still with us?”

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There is a subtle danger facing many believers and churches today—not laziness, not apathy, but something far more deceptive: productivity without fruitfulness.

Church calendars are full. Programs are running. Social media posts are scheduled. Sermons are preached. Volunteers are busy. Metrics are tracked. From the outside, everything looks alive.

And yet, beneath the motion, something essential may be missing.

When Activity Replaces Abiding

Scripture never measures faithfulness merely by activity. Jesus never said, “By this My Father is glorified, that you stay busy.” Instead, He said the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit.

Fruit, in biblical terms, is not synonymous with output. Fruit is the result of life—life flowing from connection to Christ. Productivity, however, can exist without life. Machines are productive. Assembly lines are productive. Even religious programs can be productive.

But fruit requires abiding.

When abiding in Christ is replaced by striving for results, the church may still grow outwardly while slowly hollowing inwardly. We begin doing things for God that He never asked us to do apart from Him.

The Illusion of Faithfulness

One of the most dangerous assumptions a believer or church can make is this:

“Because we are doing many things, we must be doing the right things.”

But Scripture repeatedly warns that outward success can coexist with inward barrenness.

A church can:

• Host events yet fail to make disciples
• Preach sermons but not embrace the Word
• Sing worship songs without adoring the Lord
• Serve communities without loving people
• Teach Scripture without repentance from sin

The fig tree Jesus cursed was not dead. It was full of leaves. It looked healthy. But it bore no fruit. And Jesus’ judgment was not against inactivity—but against appearance without substance.

Why We Drift Toward Productivity

Productivity is measurable. Fruitfulness is not always immediately visible.

We can count attendance, offerings, downloads, views, volunteers, and programs. But fruit—repentance, holiness, humility, love, endurance, faith—often grows quietly and slowly.

In a results-driven culture, churches can feel pressure to prove effectiveness. Over time, this pressure subtly reshapes priorities. Prayer becomes preparation instead of dependence. Scripture becomes content instead of authority. Ministry becomes about performance instead of people.

Eventually, we may find ourselves maintaining momentum rather than pursuing maturity.

Fruit Always Costs Something

Biblical fruitfulness is costly.

Fruit requires:

• Pruning
• Waiting
• Submission
• Repentance
• Dying to self

Productivity, by contrast, often rewards speed, visibility, and control.

This is why fruitfulness can feel inefficient. It slows us down. It exposes us. It forces us to ask uncomfortable questions—not just “Is this working?” but “Is this faithful?”

A church can avoid those questions for a long time by staying busy. But eventually, the absence of fruit becomes evident—especially in moments of trial, suffering, or cultural pressure.

The Quiet Signs of Fruitlessness

Fruitlessness rarely announces itself loudly. It shows up quietly:

• Shallow conversions
• Minimal biblical literacy
• Little hunger for prayer
• A lack of passion for souls to be saved
• Resistance to correction
• Fear of truth
• Division beneath unity language
• Comfort replacing conviction

The danger is not that churches are doing nothing. The danger is that they are doing everything except what produces lasting fruit.

Returning to the Source

The solution is not fewer activities—it is deeper roots.

Fruit does not come from better strategies but from renewed dependence. It flows from lives and churches that are willing to slow down, listen, repent, and realign.

Fruitfulness begins when we ask:

• Are we abiding or merely operating?
• Are we forming disciples or managing programs?
• Are we hearing God’s Word or just teaching it?
• Are we willing to be pruned, even if it costs growth?

When a church returns to abiding, some activities may fall away. Some numbers may dip. Some expectations may change. But over time, what grows back will be alive.

The Goal Was Never Productivity

Jesus did not commission His followers to build impressive buildings or programs. He called them to follow Him, to be transformed, and to bear fruit that remains.

The church does not exist to stay busy.

Believers do not exist to stay occupied.

We were created to be alive in Christ—and living things bear fruit.

So here’s the question:

Are you fruitful? Or just productive?

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