Evangelist Joshua Orekhie Ministries

 

EJOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL:

Friday, October 9, 2026

 

TOPIC: CHECK IF GOD’S PRESENCE IS STILL WITH YOU

 

OPENING SCRIPTURES

“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)

“And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us?” (Exodus 33:14–16)

“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.” (1 Samuel 16:14)

 

MEMORY VERSE

“Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:11)

 

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Begin today’s devotion with songs that hunger for God’s presence: “Holy Spirit, Thou Art Welcome,” “Draw Me Nearer,” and “Abide With Me.” Bow before the Lord and thank Him for every moment His presence has carried you, protected you, and set you apart. Tell Him honestly that you cannot go anywhere without Him.

 

Check If God’s Presence Is Still With You – EJOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL: October 9, 2026

Beloved, the presence of God is the greatest treasure a believer can possess. It is the presence of God that separates a child of God from every other person on earth.

It is His presence that gives strength in battle, wisdom in confusion, protection in danger, joy in sorrow, and victory over the enemy.  Without His presence, there is no real connection, no real power, and no real covering.

Moses understood this when he told God, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Exodus 33:15). And God answered, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” (Exodus 33:14).

One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a believer is to become so comfortable with religious activities that he no longer examines the condition of his relationship with God.

A person may continue attending church, preaching, singing, praying, and participating in ministry while the fellowship, power, and favour of God’s presence have quietly withdrawn from his life.

God said of Israel, “this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Their mouths were in the temple, but their hearts were far away.

That is why it is very important to always check whether the presence of God is still with us. It is the presence of God that brings direction, safety, peace, joy, victory, and faith. When His presence rests on a person, there is a covering around that life.

But when a person walks away from God’s presence through sin and disobedience, he becomes vulnerable and exposed to attacks that he once overcame easily.

The story of Samson is a painful one. He was a man born with a divine assignment and a great anointing. But he played with his consecration until one day Delilah cried, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.”

He woke up and said, “I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.” And the Bible adds those sad words: “And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him” (Judges 16:20).

Beloved, the tragedy of Samson was not only that the presence of God departed from him. The deeper tragedy was that he did not know. The Bible says, “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).

He was still talking with confidence. He was still relying on his past victories. He was still using the same words and the same methods. But he was already defeated. It is a great tragedy to live without God’s presence and not even realise it.

Look at what happened to Samson after he lost God’s presence. First, “the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes” (Judges 16:21). The first thing the enemy took was his vision.

When God’s presence departs, a person begins to lose spiritual sight. He can no longer see clearly what God is saying or where God is leading him to. Second, “brought him down to Gaza”.

The same Gaza where he once carried the city gates became the place of his captivity. Places of former victory can become places of bondage. Third, they “bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.”

The man who was called to judge Israel was now grinding grain like an animal. Without God’s presence, people end up doing what they were never created to do.

So how can you know your true condition before it is too late? First, examine yourself honestly. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

“Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5). Do not judge yourself by your title, your past testimonies, or your gifts. Judge yourself by your present fellowship with God, your obedience, and your fruit.

Second, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you cannot see. “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12). “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me” (Psalm 139:23–24).

Third, compare your present walk with your first love. Do you still pray like you used to? Do you still hunger for the Word? Does sin still grieve you? Do you still feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit? If the answer is no, it is time to return.

Fourth, invite honest, godly people to speak into your life, and listen to them without defending yourself.

And here is a word of comfort for the sincere believer. If you are reading this and your heart is troubled, if you are concerned about your relationship with God and you want to be right with Him, that concern itself is a sign that God is still dealing with you.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit came to convict the world of sin and of righteousness (John 16:8). The person who cannot feel conviction at all is in greater danger than the one who is troubled and crying out to God.

Do not let the enemy push you into fear and condemnation. Let the conviction push you into God’s arms. And thank God, Samson’s story did not end in the prison house. The Bible says, “Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven” (Judges 16:22).

In the darkness, God was preparing a comeback. Samson finally prayed a different kind of prayer. He no longer said, “I will go out as at other times before.” He humbly cried, “O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once” (Judges 16:28). And God answered. In his death, Samson did more for God than in his whole life.

Beloved, do not wait until the Philistines are upon you to discover that the presence of God has departed. Check today. Wake up today. Return today. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep” (Romans 13:11).

Let me be balanced here, because I do not want any sincere child of God to live in fear. God is everywhere. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7). And to everyone who has truly given their life to Jesus, He has promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in the believer and abide with him. Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16).

Notice the words “for ever.” God does not run away from His children at every mistake. If you are sincerely walking with God, struggling, repenting, and seeking Him, do not let the enemy tell you that God has left you.

Beloved, the devil is called “the accuser of our brethren… which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10). One of his favourite tricks is to take a message meant to wake up careless people and use it to torment sincere people.

The careless person who is living in deliberate sin hears a warning and ignores it, while the tender hearted believer who is trying hard to please God hears the same warning and begins to panic. That is not the work of the Holy Spirit. That is the work of the accuser.

You must learn the difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit. It is specific, it points to a particular sin, and it leads you to Jesus for forgiveness and restoration.

Condemnation comes from the enemy. It is vague and heavy, it tells you that you are worthless and that God is finished with you, and it pushes you away from God. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

If what you are feeling is pushing you toward God, it is conviction. If it is pushing you away from God into despair, it is condemnation, and you must reject it.

God knows your weakness. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13–14). He is not a harsh master waiting to punish you at your first mistake.

“A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench” (Isaiah 42:3). If your faith is weak like a bruised reed, He will not break it. If your fire is only smoking like a dying wick, He will not put it out. He will fan it back into flame.

When we fall, we have an Advocate. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

Jesus is not standing in heaven to accuse you; He is standing there to plead for you. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities… Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15–16).

Look at Peter. Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him three times, yet before it happened, He said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31–32).

Jesus did not abandon Peter because of his failure. He prayed for him before he fell and restored him after he fell. That is the heart of our Saviour toward those who love Him.

Sometimes you may not feel God’s presence, but that does not mean He is not there. When Jacob was running from his brother, he lay down in the wilderness with a stone for a pillow.

That night he saw a ladder reaching to heaven, and when he woke up he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not” (Genesis 28:16). Samson did not know when God had left him, but Jacob did not know when God was with him. Beloved, there are times when God is very close to you, even when you cannot feel Him.

After the resurrection, two disciples were walking to Emmaus, sad and confused. “Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him” (Luke 24:15–16).

Jesus was walking right beside them, talking with them, and they did not recognise Him. Some of you think God has left you, but He is walking right beside you in your confusion and sorrow.

When the storm arose on the sea, the disciples woke Jesus and said, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). They thought that because He was quiet, He did not care. But He was in the same boat with them all along, and with one word He calmed the storm. God’s silence is not God’s absence.

When Elijah was so discouraged that he asked God to take his life, he lay down under a juniper tree. God did not rebuke him or abandon him. An angel touched him and said, “Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee” (1 Kings 19:7).

God fed him, let him rest, and then spoke to him in a still small voice. If you are tired, discouraged, and drained, God is not angry with you. He wants to strengthen you.

But the Bible also teaches that sin, rebellion, and neglect can grieve the Holy Spirit, quench His fire, hide God’s face from us, and cause us to lose the sense of His fellowship, His power, His favour, and His protection. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God” (Ephesians 4:30).

“Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). “The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2).

So when we speak of God’s presence departing, we are speaking of a relationship that has grown cold, a fire that has gone out, and a covering that has been lifted because a person has persistently turned away.

And here is another balance. Not every dry season means God has left you. Sometimes God seems silent because He is testing and building your faith. “God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart” (2 Chronicles 32:31), the Bible says of King Hezekiah.

Job could not feel God’s presence for a season, yet God was watching over him all the time. “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God” (Isaiah 50:10).

Beloved, if the presence of God is the greatest treasure we can have, then we must learn not only how to recover it when we drift but also how to keep it and grow deeper in it. God is not hiding from His children.

He wants to dwell with us more than we want to dwell with Him. Jesus said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).

God is looking for a place to make His home, and He chooses hearts that love Him and keep His Word.

The first key to keeping God’s presence is obedience. Notice that Jesus did not say, “If a man shouts loudly,” or “If a man attends every programme.” He said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words.”

Obedience is the door through which God’s presence comes in and stays. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). The more you obey, the more He reveals Himself to you.

The second key is holiness. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3–4).

God is holy, and His presence is attracted to a clean vessel. That does not mean you must be perfect before you come to Him; it means you must be willing to let Him cleanse you, and you must not keep feeding what He hates.

The third key is humility. “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). Think about that.

The God who lives in the highest heaven also lives with the humble on earth. Pride pushes Him away, but a broken and humble heart draws Him near.

The fourth key is worship and praise. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). When Solomon dedicated the temple, “It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD… that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles 5:13–14).

Beloved, when was the last time you worshipped God, not just sang songs? Some homes are full of noise but empty of praise. Turn your home into a place of worship, and watch the atmosphere change.

The fifth key is the secret place. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Jesus said, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6).

Many people only meet God in public. They pray when others are watching and worship when the band is playing. But the deepest encounters with God happen when nobody is watching. Your public power will never be greater than your private time with God.

Look at Joshua. When Moses went into the tabernacle to speak with God face to face, the Bible says, “but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle” (Exodus 33:11).

Even after Moses left, Joshua stayed in the presence. It is no surprise that God chose Joshua to succeed Moses. Those who stay in His presence are the ones He trusts with greater assignments. Look at Anna the prophetess.

She “departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37). Because she stayed in God’s presence, she was one of the few people who recognised the baby Jesus when He was brought into the temple. Those who stay in His presence will not miss what God is doing.

The sixth key is hunger. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1–2). “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

God fills hungry people. If you are satisfied with a little of God, you will have a little of God. But if you hunger for more, He will give you more.

The seventh key is unity and love. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!… for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Psalm 133:1, 3). Where there is strife, envy, and division, the presence of God is grieved.

Many churches and homes have lost the sweetness of God’s presence because of quarrels and bitterness. When husbands and wives, parents and children, pastors and members walk in love and unity, God commands His blessing there.

Beloved, let me also warn you about counterfeit presence. Not every loud noise is the presence of God. Not every emotional moment is the presence of God. Not every shaking, shouting, or falling is the presence of God.

When Elijah stood on the mountain, “the LORD was not in the wind… the LORD was not in the earthquake… the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11–12).

Some people chase hype instead of holiness, excitement instead of obedience, and feelings instead of fellowship. The true presence of God will always produce fruit: a changed life, a humble heart, a love for the Word, a hatred for sin, and a desire to obey. If what you call the presence of God leaves you the same, examine it.

When God’s presence is truly with you, even unbelievers will notice it. Abimelech, a Philistine king, came to Abraham and said, “God is with thee in all that thou doest” (Genesis 21:22). They did not hear Abraham preach; they saw the evidence of God in his life.

Beloved, can your colleagues, neighbours, and business partners say about you, “God is with you in all that you do”?

And understand what the presence of God does for you. When you walk through the valley, you can say, “I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4).

When you pass through the waters and the fire, He says, “I will be with thee… they shall not overflow thee… thou shalt not be burned” (Isaiah 43:2). “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early” (Psalm 46:5).

“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). The God who is with you is not only your protector; He rejoices over you.

During the whole journey in the wilderness, the Bible says of the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, “He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people” (Exodus 13:22).

Even when Israel complained, God kept leading them. That is the faithfulness of God. He does not abandon His people easily. But we must not take that faithfulness for granted.

Remember that God’s presence is not only for the church building or the prayer meeting. It is meant to go with you into your home, your office, your market, your school, and every place you go.

When Jesus sent His disciples out to make disciples of all nations, He said, “and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). His presence goes with those who go for Him. Carry His presence into every place, and let your life become a dwelling place for God.

Beloved, it is a painful truth, but we must say it: the presence of God has departed from many people’s lives. Many still carry the name “Christian,” still attend services, still keep their Bibles on the shelf, and still say “Amen” at the right time, but the fire is gone.

The joy is gone. The power is gone. The fear of God is gone. They are living on the memory of what God once did, not on a living relationship with Him today.

The Bible gives us a clear picture of this. Paul warned that in the last days men would be “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). That is exactly what we see in many lives today.

The form is there, but the power is absent. The outward shape of Christianity remains, but the inner life has dried up. Jesus also warned, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). Notice He said “many,” not “few.”

This is not new. After the death of Joshua and the elders of his generation, the Bible says, “there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim” (Judges 2:10–11).

One generation walked with God, and the next generation only heard stories about Him. Today, many people only know God by hearsay. They know the songs, the stories, and the church culture, but they have never had a personal encounter with Him, or they had one long ago and have drifted far away.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God cried out, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).

Many people have left the fountain of God’s presence and are now digging broken cisterns: money, pleasure, relationships, entertainment, fame, and even religious activity without God.

They keep pouring their lives into these cisterns, but nothing satisfies them, because broken cisterns cannot hold water. God also lamented, “yet my people have forgotten me days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32). Some people have forgotten God for so long that they cannot even remember the last time they truly prayed.

The Bible shows us people who walked away from the presence of God. After Adam and Eve sinned, they “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8).

Sin makes people hide from God instead of running to Him. After Cain killed his brother and refused to repent, the Bible says, “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD” (Genesis 4:16).

He walked out and built a city, a family, and a civilisation, but he did it outside the presence of God. Many people today are building great things outside God’s presence. They have houses, cars, businesses, and titles, but they went out from the presence of the Lord to get them.

When God sent Jonah to Nineveh, “Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD” (Jonah 1:3). Some people are not running from God because of great sin, but because they do not want to obey His instruction.

The prodigal son “took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living” (Luke 15:13). Many are in a far country today, far from the Father’s house, wasting their lives, gifts, and youth.

Even those who were very close to God’s presence drifted away. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, and God appeared to him twice. But the Bible says, “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4).

“And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice” (1 Kings 11:9). Beloved, encounters in the past do not guarantee faithfulness in the present. You can have seen God before and still turn away.

Judas walked with Jesus for three and a half years. He saw the miracles, heard the teachings, and even carried the money bag for the ministry. But one night, after Satan entered him, the Bible says, “He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night” (John 13:30).

He went out from the presence of Jesus into the night. Many people are walking out from the light of God’s presence into the darkness of sin, and for them it is night.

God once told Israel to go and look at Shiloh. Shiloh was where the tabernacle had stood, where the ark rested, and where Samuel grew up in God’s presence. But because of the wickedness of the people and the priests, God abandoned it.

“But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel” (Jeremiah 7:12). “So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh” (Psalm 78:60).

A place that once carried the glory became a ruin. Beloved, a life, a home, a church, or a ministry that once carried God’s presence can become a Shiloh if sin is not dealt with.

We see the evidence of this around us today. Many homes have no peace, no prayer, and no love, because God has been pushed out. Many young people do not know God because their parents stopped seeking Him.

Many churches have replaced the presence of God with entertainment, programmes, and money matters. Many believers cannot pray for thirty minutes, cannot remember the last time they read their Bible, and cannot tell when they last heard God’s voice.

Many ministers are still preaching, but the anointing has become a performance rather than a flow of God’s Spirit. Amos prophesied of a day when there would be “a famine… of hearing the words of the LORD” and people would “run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:11–12).

Let me be balanced again. Not every struggle, every sorrow, or every dry season means God has departed. Godly people also face trials, sickness, and seasons when God seems quiet.

Some people are depressed or anxious, not because God has left them, but because they are hurting and need care, prayer, and sometimes medical or professional help.

Do not condemn yourself or others by assuming that every hardship means God has gone. The question is not whether you are going through difficulty, but whether you have walked away from Him, chosen sin over obedience, and allowed your relationship with Him to die.

If you are one of those whose relationship with God has grown cold, I have good news for you. God has not closed the door. He is calling you back.

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6–7).

“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Joel 2:12–13).

God does not want a show of repentance; He wants a broken heart. “O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity… I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him” (Hosea 14:1, 4).

Do you hear that? “I will love them freely.” God is not waiting to punish you; He is waiting to heal you.

And when the prodigal son came to himself and returned, the father did not wait for him to reach the house. “But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

The Father is watching the road, waiting for you to come home. So today, pray the prayer of the prophet: “Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old” (Lamentations 5:21). “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved” (Psalm 80:3).

Why then would God’s presence withdraw from a person?

The first reason is sin. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

A person can be praying, but if he is holding on to sin, his prayers will hit the ceiling. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

God said to Israel, “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15). That is how it is possible for a person to be praying while God’s presence has withdrawn.

The second reason is idolatry, when something else takes God’s place in the heart. In a vision, God showed Ezekiel the abominations in the temple and asked, “seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary?” (Ezekiel 8:6).

Their idols were driving God far from His own house. Money, career, a relationship, social media, or anything we love more than God can become an idol.

The third reason is pride. “Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off” (Psalm 138:6). “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).

The fourth reason is bitterness, strife, and unforgiveness. It is not a coincidence that right after Paul said, “grieve not the holy Spirit of God,” he continued, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you” (Ephesians 4:30–31). Bitterness grieves the Spirit.

The fifth reason is neglect. Some people did not commit a great sin; they simply stopped praying, stopped reading their Bible, stopped fellowshipping, and gradually drifted away. A fire that is not fed will go out.

Now, it is not only individuals who can lose the sense of God’s presence. In some marriages, it is hard to trace the presence of God. There is no joy, no peace, no connection, and no safety. Husband and wife live under the same roof but live like strangers.

They no longer pray together, read the Word together, or worship together. Quarrels, insults, and bitterness have taken the place of love and prayer. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1).

When Jesus was invited to the wedding at Cana, He turned water into wine (John 2:2–10). Beloved, has Jesus been invited into your marriage, or has He been pushed out?

In some homes, the presence of God has departed from the location. There is no family altar, no prayer, no Bible, only television, noise, quarrels, and sometimes even strange objects and practices. The atmosphere is heavy, and nobody feels at peace there.

But when a home invites God’s presence, everything changes. When Zacchaeus received Jesus into his house, Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house” (Luke 19:9).

One person carrying God’s presence can bring blessing to a whole household.

Laban said to Jacob, “I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake” (Genesis 30:27). Of Joseph, the Bible says, “the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake” (Genesis 39:5).

Beloved, you can be the one through whom God’s presence returns to your home. So how do you know when God’s presence is with you? You will have peace that passes understanding even in the storm (Philippians 4:7).

You will have a hunger for prayer and the Word. Your conscience will be tender and quick to convict you of sin.

You will have direction when you need to make decisions. You will bear the fruit of the Spirit.

People will notice something different about you, as they “took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). And even when you face attacks, you will overcome.

And how do you know when you need to check?

When prayer has become a burden, sin no longer troubles you, your love for God has grown cold, you are relying on past experiences, your joy is gone, your home has no peace, and you keep losing battles you used to win, it is time to pause and examine yourself.

But thank God, the way back is open. “Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you” (Zechariah 1:3). “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Jesus is still knocking: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Even Samson’s story did not end in darkness. In the prison house, “the hair of his head began to grow again” (Judges 16:22), and when he called upon God, God answered him.

So repent of every known sin. Remove every idol from your heart and every strange object from your home. Forgive those who hurt you. Rebuild your personal altar of prayer and the Word.

Raise a family altar in your home, and pray together as husband and wife. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

Invite Jesus back into your marriage, your house, your work, and your ministry. And pray like David, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).

Beloved, do not assume; check. Examine your life honestly before God. If you discover that the fire has gone cold, do not despair and do not pretend. First, acknowledge your condition before God, as Hosea said God waits until we acknowledge our offence and seek His face.

Second, repent of every sin, compromise, and accursed thing that has grieved the Holy Spirit.

Third, go back to where you lost Him: return to your first love and do the first works.

Fourth, rebuild your altar of prayer, the Word, and worship. Fifth, open the door to Jesus, who is knocking. And sixth, cry like David, “Cast me not away from thy presence.” Value His presence above every blessing, and refuse, like Moses, to go anywhere without Him.

Let us pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the gift of Your presence, the greatest treasure of my life. Search me and show me the true condition of my relationship with You. Forgive me for every sin, idol, pride, bitterness, and neglect that has grieved Your Holy Spirit.

Where I have been going through religious activities without You, have mercy on me. Let me not be like Samson, who did not know that You had departed.

Restore Your presence in my life, my marriage, and my home. Where there is no joy, no peace, and no connection in my family, let Your presence return and fill us again. Help me to rebuild my personal altar and raise a family altar.

Where I am in a dry season of testing, help me to trust You and stay upon You. Your presence shall go with me, and You shall give me rest. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Remain blessed in Jesus’ name.

 

 

PERSONAL CHALLENGE

Set aside one hour today for a personal spiritual check up. Read Psalm 51 slowly and prayerfully. Write down honestly how your prayer life, Bible reading, obedience, and love for God compare to your best season with Him. Identify one thing that has crept in and grieved the Holy Spirit, and deal with it today. Then commit to a fresh daily appointment with God for the next twenty one days, even if it is only thirty minutes each morning, and keep it without excuse.

 

EVANGELISM CHALLENGE

Reach out to someone who once burned for God but has grown cold or stopped attending fellowship. Share with them the story of Samson’s hair growing again, and remind them that the door to God’s presence is still open. Pray with them and invite them back to fellowship. If you meet someone who has never known Christ, tell them that the presence of God is available to them through Jesus, and invite them to open the door of their heart to Him.

 

 

FURTHER STUDY

📖 Exodus 33:1–23; Judges 16:15–30; 1 Samuel 15:22–35; 1 Samuel 16:13–14; 1 Samuel 4:1–22; Ezekiel 10:1–22; Ezekiel 11:22–23; Luke 2:41–52; Revelation 2:1–7; Revelation 3:14–22; Joshua 7:1–13; Numbers 14:39–45; 2 Samuel 6:1–15; Psalm 51:1–19; 2 Chronicles 15:1–15; Psalm 27:1–14; John 15:1–11

 

 

AFRICAN PROVERB

“A river that forgets its source will soon dry up.”

Meaning: A river flows strongly only as long as it remains connected to its source. Once it is cut off, it may continue to flow for a while on the water already in its channel, but it will eventually run dry. In the same way, a believer who disconnects from the presence of God may continue for a while on past grace, but sooner or later the dryness will show. To keep flowing, you must stay connected to the Source.

 

 

PRAYER ASSIGNMENT (MORNING)

1. Father, I thank You for the gift of Your presence in my life.

2. Lord, thank You for every season Your presence has carried me, protected me, and distinguished me.

3. Lord, I thank You because You have promised never to leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).

4. Father, search my heart today and show me the true state of my fellowship with You.

5. Lord, I refuse to travel on assumption; show me if I have lost Your presence anywhere along the way (Luke 2:44).

6. Father, forgive me for every sin that has grieved Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

7. Lord, forgive me for every time I deliberately quenched Your fire in my life (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

8. Father, forgive me for every compromise that has separated me from Your face (Isaiah 59:2).

9. Lord, cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me (Psalm 51:11).

10. Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

11. Lord, restore unto me the joy of Your salvation (Psalm 51:12).

12. Lord, if Your presence does not go with me, do not carry me up from here (Exodus 33:15).

13. Father, I refuse every blessing that comes without Your presence (Exodus 33:3).

14. Lord, let Your presence go with me today and give me rest (Exodus 33:14).

15. Lord, let Your presence distinguish me from every other person on the face of the earth (Exodus 33:16).

16. Every spirit of Samson that plays with the anointing, be cast out of my life, in the name of Jesus.

17. I shall not wake up one day and find that the Lord has departed from me, in the name of Jesus (Judges 16:20).

18. Lord, deliver me from relying on yesterday’s grace and past experiences.

19. Every Delilah assigned to rob me of my consecration, be exposed and cast out, in the name of Jesus.

20. Every spirit of Saul that keeps the crown but loses the Spirit, depart from my life, in the name of Jesus (1 Samuel 16:14).

21. Lord, deliver me from partial obedience, pride, and rebellion that drive Your presence away.

22. Ichabod shall not be written over my life, my marriage, my family, or my ministry, in the name of Jesus (1 Samuel 4:21).

23. Lord, deliver me from treating Your presence like a lucky charm instead of a living relationship.

24. Lord, as Your glory departed gradually in Ezekiel’s vision, let me notice early and return quickly (Ezekiel 10:18).

25. Lord Jesus, You are standing at the door of my heart; I open the door to You today (Revelation 3:20).

26. Lord, I remember from where I have fallen; I repent and do the first works (Revelation 2:5).

27. Every coldness in my love for God, be consumed by the fire of the Holy Ghost, in the name of Jesus (Matthew 24:12).

28. Every seared conscience in my life, be made tender again by the Holy Spirit (1 Timothy 4:2).

29. Every accursed thing in my camp hindering Your presence, Lord, expose it and help me remove it (Joshua 7:12).

30. Lord, let me never go into any battle where You are not with me (Numbers 14:42).

31. Lord, let me not be defeated by things I once overcame by Your power.

32. Lord, as the hair of Samson grew again, let my spiritual strength grow again (Judges 16:22).

33. Lord, remember me and strengthen me again (Judges 16:28).

34. Lord, let Your presence give me favour in the sight of every keeper and every authority over my life.

35. Lord, in Your presence is fullness of joy; fill me with Your joy today (Psalm 16:11).

 

 

 

PRAYER ASSIGNMENT (NIGHT)

1. Father, I thank You for Your presence that kept me through this day.

2. Lord, forgive me for every thought, word, and action today that grieved Your Spirit.

3. Lord, before I sleep, search my heart and show me anything that is driving Your presence away.

4. Blood of Jesus, cleanse me and make me a fit dwelling place for the Holy Spirit tonight.

5. Every Delilah of the night assigned to steal my consecration, be bound and cast out, in the name of Jesus.

6. Every evil hand that wants to shave my spiritual hair while I sleep, wither by fire, in the name of Jesus.

7. Every satanic plan to make me wake up spiritually empty, be frustrated, in the name of Jesus.

8. Every evil dream designed to defile my spirit and drive away God’s presence, be cancelled by the blood of Jesus.

9. Every spirit of sexual defilement in the dream, be terminated by fire, in the name of Jesus.

10. Every evil food or drink offered to me in the dream to weaken my spiritual life, I reject it by fire, in the name of Jesus.

11. Every power trying to remove the ark of God’s presence from my life and home, be disgraced, in the name of Jesus.

12. Every evil voice telling me that God has abandoned me, be silenced by the Word of God (Hebrews 13:5).

13. Every spirit of spiritual slumber and lukewarmness, be broken tonight, in the name of Jesus.

14. Every seed of compromise sown into my heart today, be uprooted by fire, in the name of Jesus.

15. Every distraction that steals my time with God, be removed from my life, in the name of Jesus.

16. Lord, let me not suppose that You are with me when You are not; let me always know (Luke 2:44).

17. Lord, let Your Spirit strive with me and correct me quickly whenever I begin to drift.

18. Holy Spirit, speak to me in the night seasons and draw me closer (Psalm 16:7).

19. Lord, as You came down at night to deliver Peter from prison, let Your presence visit me tonight (Acts 12:7).

20. Lord, let Your presence fill my bedroom, my home, and my family tonight.

21. Lord, let Your presence rest upon my children and keep them in Your ways.

22. Lord, let Your presence restore peace and love in my home.

23. Lord, let every member of my household who is far from You return to Your presence.

24. Lord, let my spirit remain awake to You even while my body sleeps (Song of Solomon 5:2).

25. Lord, let me wake up tomorrow with fresh hunger for You.

26. Lord, rekindle the fire on my altar tonight, and let it never go out.

27. Lord, let the glory that departed from any area of my life return in full.

28. Lord, as the glory filled the temple when it was dedicated, let Your glory fill my life (2 Chronicles 7:1).

29. Angels of the living God, encamp round about me and my household tonight (Psalm 34:7).

30. Lord, keep me from falling and present me faultless before Your glory (Jude 1:24).

31. I shall not lose the presence of God; His presence shall go with me all the days of my life, in the name of Jesus.

32. Every door I opened to the enemy through my backsliding, I close it now by the blood of Jesus.

33. Every legal ground the enemy gained in my life, be cancelled by the blood of Jesus.

34. Every Ichabod written over my life, my home, or my ministry, be erased by the blood of Jesus (1 Samuel 4:21).

35. Lord, let Your glory return to my life as it returned to the temple (Ezekiel 43:4–5).

36. Lord, as David brought back the ark with rejoicing, bring Your presence back into my life and home (2 Samuel 6:15).

37. Lord, let Your presence return to my marriage and fill it with love, peace, and joy.

38. Lord, let Your presence return to my home, and let our family altar be rebuilt.

39. Lord, let times of refreshing come to me from Your presence (Acts 3:19).

40. Lord, cause Your face to shine upon me again, and I shall be saved (Psalm 80:3).

41. Lord, revive me again, that I may rejoice in You (Psalm 85:6).

42. Lord, quicken me according to Your Word (Psalm 119:25).

43. Lord, renew my days as of old (Lamentations 5:21).

44. Lord, restore to me the years that the locust has eaten while I was far from You (Joel 2:25).

45. Lord, I reject every voice of condemnation telling me that You will never take me back (Romans 8:1).

46. Lord, as You restored Peter after his denial, restore me fully and recommission me (John 21:15–17).

47. Father, I thank You because You are with me, and I am Yours forever, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

 

 

 

CLOSING REFLECTION

Beloved, do not assume that because you are busy, gifted, or popular, God’s presence is still with you. Samson thought he would go out as at other times before, but he did not know the Lord had departed. Joseph and Mary supposed Jesus was in the company, but they had to turn back to find Him. Pause today and check. If the fire has grown cold, do not hide it and do not despair. Go back to where you lost Him, repent, and open the door. The God who restored Samson’s strength and David’s joy is ready to restore you. Value His presence above every blessing, and like Moses, refuse to go anywhere without Him. Remain blessed in Jesus’ name.