Is it possible even for God’s anointed to turn away from His Holy Spirit?
In a past message titled “How Quickly We Turn Away,” the late David Wilkerson described one of Scripture’s most sobering portraits of spiritual decline: King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived—yet a man who, in the end, “turned aside quickly.”
“How is it that those who’ve been so anointed of God can turn away?” Wilkerson asks. Then he answers with a line that sets the tone for the entire message: “I know what keeps me. It’s the fear. It’s not just the love of God. I know many people love God passively, and that doesn’t keep them from their sins. It’s balanced by this incredible fear of God.”
Solomon’s Stunning Turn
Wilkerson invites the congregation to picture Solomon in Jerusalem—no longer the vibrant king whose worship once left the Queen of Sheba “breathless,” but a man “preoccupied,” “sad” and spiritually hollow. He describes Solomon’s former glory: “Just going to church was spectacular for Solomon.” The king rode with unmatched splendor—“1,400 specially made chariots…12,000 horsemen…gilded chariots…golden shields.”
However, the shocking twist comes as Solomon approaches the temple he built for the Lord—and doesn’t even turn in.
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“The doors are shut,” he says. “There are no priests there to welcome him.” Instead, Solomon turns east toward what Wilkerson notes Scripture calls “the mountain of disgrace”—a boulevard lined with temples Solomon built for “the gods of his strange wives.”
And then comes the most haunting image: “Here is the king…now dissipated. A shell of a man. The Spirit of God is gone.” Solomon enters the pagan temple and kneels before idols. “Can you imagine this man…kneeling there while they sacrifice their mice and their pigs and their serpents?” Wilkerson thunders.
The sermon quotes the biblical indictment: “His wives turned his heart away after other gods, and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God.”
What Happened to the Anointed?
Wilkerson says Solomon is a warning because he “represents a righteous spirit-anointed child of God who quickly turns away and in the end is destroyed.” Then he lays out what he believes the Holy Spirit revealed about how it happens—not just for Solomon, but for anyone.
1. Solomon lost the fear of God.
Solomon himself wrote that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” however, Solomon “chose not to maintain the fear of God.” Wilkerson points out that Solomon preached with clarity: “The strange woman…her feet go down to death.” Solomon also warned that sin binds: “You will be held with the cords of your own sins.” However, Solomon ignored his own message.
“How many times…do we shake off the conviction?” Wilkerson asks. “And when you shake off the conviction of the Holy Ghost, you’re shaking off the fear of God.”
2. Solomon forsook the written Word and leaned on experiences.
Wilkerson warns that dreams and spiritual impressions cannot substitute for Scripture. “The Lord appeared twice to Solomon in dreams,” he notes, but “those dreams did not keep him from iniquity.” He points to Deuteronomy 17, where God commanded kings to keep the law with them and read it daily “that he may learn to fear the Lord his God…that his heart be not lifted up…that he turn not aside.”
3. Solomon tolerated idolatry until it captured his heart.
Wilkerson says compromise often begins with curiosity. “He began first by thinking it’s harmless,” he explains. But “if you toy with it… It’s going to take your heart.”
A Call to a Josiah Generation
Ultimately, Wilkerson’s message ends on a note of hope: God can raise a Josiah company to tear down idols and restore devotion. “Tear down the idols,” he cries. “Keep the fear of God in my heart.”
And for those who feel conviction, the invitation is clear: don’t push it aside. This message is a warning shot to the modern church, urging believers to recover what Solomon lost before his collapse: the fear of the Lord.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
