Scripture:

Judges 16:20

20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

"A Slow Fade"

Like the Casting Crowns' song, Samson had begun a slow fade; he had created distance between himself and the Lord and, slowly, with his choices, was removing himself from covenant with the Lord, from the Lord's covering.  Samson was not watchful, careful with his calling and his decisions as they were dragging him away. 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us that we must be watchful, the enemy is looking for those whom he can devour and destroy.

Fix our eyes on Jesus, to keep our hearts close to Him, the Bible says we must guard our hearts above all else.   The story of Samson is a reminder that we must be careful chasing our desires, be watchful, for Samson, the enemy was in his camp, and by the time he realized it, it was too late. 

Two things:

Our decisions could lead us away from the Lord, or toward Him; we must be careful in them.

Be careful of the people you allow in your life, because not everyone is going in the direction God has for you. 

Lord, I pray that we look at Samson's life and realize the importance of staying in covenant with you, staying in close proximity to you, in relationship with you, to guard our distance, to guard our hearts, and to guard what influences we let in our houses.   What we allow in the gates of our life, they have access to us. Lord, let it be filled only with those things you have provided, those things you have planned for us, in Jesus' name, Amen!