What is the common principle  does God apply to withdraw the favor He bestows on any people?

Verses 53-54 of Chapter 8: 

This happened in accordance with Allah's way that He does not withdraw the favor He bestows on any people unless they themselves change their ways. Allah hears everything and knows everything. This same principle was applied to the people of Pharaoh and the other peoples before them: when they treated the revelations of Allah as false, We destroyed them in consequence of their sins, and drowned the people of Pharaoh; all these peoples were the workers of iniquity.