READ: Judges 16:16-31
“And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him” – Judges 16:20
When Samson revealed his secret to Delilah, he put himself in great danger. The presence of God left him. This led to a change in his ministry. He suffered setbacks and his circumstances changed completely. However, true to the Word of God, the gifts and callings of God never changed and he was empowered to fight on and do the work of God even in that modified and weakened situation.
Today there are many ministers who are in difficulty and are in a “modified” situation. Sometimes, they look awkward in their new circumstances where the presence of God has departed from them. They continue to minister from their weakened, modified situation and are often a far cry from when the presence of God was in full manifestation in their lives.
Samson experienced this. Temporarily, he was unable to fight the Philistines because the Spirit departed from him. But even in his blind fallen state, the power of God came back to him and he was able to fight the Philistines.
And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Judges 16:30
In a sense the power to work for God never left him till he died. The departure of the presence of God is what changed his ministry. He simply continued to operate in ministry from a weakened state.