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Topic: Left: Remained, or Departed (11/20/25)
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TITLE: When God's Presence Departs | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lakella Davenport
11/27/25 -
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God’s presence is the dwelling of his Holy Spirit within and among mankind. God’s presence did not always abide with those who believed in and worshipped him. In the Old Testament, the Lord’s Spirit only dwelt within specific individuals such as prophets, judges, and kings. The Holy Spirit was not poured out upon all believers until Jesus ascended to the Father after being resurrected from the dead. Today, God’s Holy Spirit is freely given to all born again believers. However, we can grieve the Holy Spirit and cause him to depart from our lives. Disobedience to God’s word for our lives can cause the Holy Spirit to leave or depart from our presence. Pride, disobedience, and sin are all reasons that can lead to the departure of God’s presence, his Holy Spirit, from within us.
There are a number of instances in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament when God’s presence left the presence of a God chosen leader. In Joshua chapter seven, an individual among the children of Israel named Achan, of the tribe of Judah, took of an accursed thing from the battle of Jericho. This made the Lord angry toward the children of Israel because God had warned them not to take of the accursed thing (Joshua 7: 1, Joshua 6: 18). Because Achan had done this in disobedience, God left the presence of the children of Israel when they tried to prevail against the men of the city of Ai. Because God’s presence had departed from among the children of Israel, 36 men of the children of Israel were killed in battle, by the men of Ai. 3,000 men of the children of Israel fled from the presence of the men of Ai when they went to war against them (Joshua 7: 2-5).
After this tragedy Joshua cries out unto the Lord God, questioning why the Lord let the men of Ai, the Amorites, prevail against them in battle (Joshua 7: 6-9). “And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up, wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, […] because they were accursed: neither will I be with you anymore, except ye destroy the accursed from among you,” (Joshua 7: 10-12). God warns Joshua that his Spirit, his presence will leave him like it left the presence of the children of Israel when they attempted to fight against the men of Ai.
Another instance in the Bible where the Spirit of the Lord left or departed from an individual occurs in Judges chapter sixteen. In Judges chapter sixteen, the Israelite Juge Samson falls in love with a woman named Delilah. He and Delilah are intimate with one another outside of the covenant of marriage. Samson is a Nazarite from birth. As a Nazarite, Samson could not shave his head. His great strength lay in his hair. If his hair is shaven off, then he would lose his supernatural strength. Delilah deceives Samson into telling her where his great strength lied. She has his head shaven, and the Spirit of the Lord departed from him. “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).
A third instance in the Bible where the Spirit of the Lord left or departed from a spiritual leader is found in I Samuel chapter sixteen. In I Samuel, chapter sixteen, the Spirit of the Lord departs from king Saul because of king Saul’s disobedience to the Lord. In I Samuel chapter fifteen, the Lord has commanded Saul to destroy Amalek, and to destroy all that they have and spare nothing that belongs to them. When Samuel meets with Saul, he lets Saul know he has transgressed against the Lord in keeping the spoil of the Amalekites (I Samuel 15: 19). “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him,” (I Samuel 16: 14).
Living disobedient to God’s word can cause his Spirit to leave us today.
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