02/15/2019
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Every Christian
is anointed or chosen by God as His children, set apart for Him for acts of
service (Ephesians 1:1-14; 2:10; 1 Peter 2:9).
Life
comes at us with so many distractions it is a wonder that mankind is even able
to walk in the anointing of God. That is mankind’s way of looking at the
anointing. God’s way is to trust in Him since He is the One who has given each
of His Children {ALL those who have given their lives to Him}. Let us take a
moment to look back at the life of Noah and what it was like for him to walk in
the anointing of God.
We read in Genesis
6 that God became frustrated with mankind whom had become so vile and full
of all kinds of sin that He no longer wanted them on the face of the earth. It
was at this time God gave Noah the command to build the Ark. As you can imagine
it would be difficult for Noah to accomplish this great feat without the
Anointing of God giving him the strength from day to day. In his own flesh,
Noah would have given up because of all the ridicule he received from the
heathen people, not to mention the toll it would have on his 600 year old body.
Remember here my friend that God will never ask of you anything He does not
feel you can handle, because it is He who will give you the strength to
accomplish anything He sets you on a path to accomplish. The strength you will
experience is the Anointing of God working through you to accomplish His will
on this earth. Take a moment now to read this part of Noah’s journey.
Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of
the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the
daughters of men were beautiful and desirable; and they took wives for
themselves, whomever they chose and desired. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive and
remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt—given over
to sensual appetites]; nevertheless his days shall yet be a hundred and twenty
years.” There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in
those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of
men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men
who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame). The Lord saw that the wickedness (depravity)
of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of
the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually. The Lord regretted that He had made mankind
on the earth, and He was [deeply] grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy (annihilate)
mankind whom I have created from the surface of the earth—not only man, but the
animals and the crawling things and the birds of the air—because it [deeply]
grieves Me [to see mankind’s sin] and I regret that I have made them.” But
Noah found favor and grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the
generations (family history) of Noah. Noah was a righteous man [one who was
just and had right standing with God], blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah
walked (lived) [in habitual fellowship] with God.Now Noah
became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.The
[population of the] earth was corrupt [absolutely depraved—spiritually and
morally putrid] in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence
[desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power]. God looked
on the earth and saw how debased and degenerate it was, for all humanity
had corrupted their way on the earth and lost their true direction.God
said to Noah, “I intend to make an end of all that lives, for through men the
land is filled with violence; and behold, I am about to destroy them together
with the land. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make in it rooms (stalls,
pens, coops, nests, cages, compartments) and coat it inside and out with pitch
(bitumen). This is the way you are to make it: the length of the ark shall be
three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits
(450’ x 75’ x 45’). You shall make a window [for light and ventilation] for the
ark, and finish it to at least a cubit (eighteen inches) from the top—and set
the [entry] door of the ark in its side; and you shall make it with lower,
second and third decks. For behold, I, even I, will bring a flood of waters on
the earth, to destroy all life under the heavens in which there is the breath and
spirit of life; everything that is on the land shall die. But I will establish
My covenant (solemn promise, formal agreement) with you; and you shall come
into the ark—you and your [three] sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with
you. And of every living thing [found on land], you shall bring two of every
kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of
fowls and birds according to their kind, of animals according to their
kind, of every crawling thing of the ground according to its kind—two of every
kind shall come to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every kind of
food that is edible and you shall collect and store it; and it shall be
food for you and for them.” So Noah did this; according to all that God
commanded him, that is what he did.
In 1
Samuel 16 we witness the initial anointing of David by Samuel. Jesse,
David’s father of course never dreamed that his youngest son whom was the sheep
keeper would ever be chosen by God to be the King of Israel and Judah {David is
described in the Hebrew Bible as the second king of the United Kingdom of
Israel and Judah after Saul and Ish-bosheth}.
Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel
said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen
[any of] these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” Jesse
replied, “There is still one left, the youngest; he is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; because we will not sit
down [to eat the sacrificial meal] until he comes here.” So Jesse sent word
and brought him in. Now he had a ruddy complexion, with beautiful eyes and a
handsome appearance. The Lord said
[to Samuel], “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of
oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that
day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 1
Samuel 16:10-13
From that day forward, David would walk in the Anointing of
God and would find favor in the eyes of God. Because David remained faithful to
God and the anointing on his life, he would soon find favor with King Saul thus
setting into motion the time when David would become King of Israel and Judah.
We know from reading the word of God that David was a man who made many
mistakes, committed adultery, killed out of fear yet because of the anointing
on his life and his faithfulness to God, he was forgiven and blessed by God.
David was always quick to seek forgiveness for his wrongdoings therefore
becoming a man after God’s own heart {1
Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22}.
We
learn from reading the Book of Exodus that it is GOD alone that can sanctify
and appoint ministers for Him. We also see in Exodus
28:3 how God’s anointing will give His people the spirit of wisdom to
accomplish goals He has set for them. In Exodus
29 we learn about the Anointing of Aaron and his sons as the Priests of
Israel.
Tell all the skilled and talented
people whom I have endowed with a spirit of wisdom, that they are to make
Aaron’s garments to sanctify him and set him apart to serve as a priest
for Me.
Now it is God who establishes and confirms us [in
joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and who has anointed us [empowering us
with the gifts of the Spirit]; it is He who has also put His seal on us [that
is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy]
Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the
fulfillment of His promise of eternal life]. 2
Corinthians 1:21-22
Let us now turn our attention to the New Testament where we
learn of the POWER God gave to His Son Jesus Christ to perform great miracles
among the people in order to build their faith to believe that God is our
Sovereign Lord.
You
know the message which He sent to the sons of Israel, announcing the good news
of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all— you know the things that have
taken place throughout Judea, starting in Galilee after the baptism preached by
John— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with great
power; and He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the
devil, because God was with Him. Acts
10:36-38
During the time our Savior walked upon this earth, he had
to endure so much bitterness and hatred even unto death from the very creation
of God. Jesus Christ was sent to this earth to die for our sins so we could be
converted from a sinful state into that which is pleasing unto God, whereby we
would becoming the sons and daughters of God.
God’s Spirit rested upon Jesus Christ giving Him ALL the
POWER of Heaven to heal the sick, raise the dead, set the captives free and
teach mankind that through His sacrifice we would be able to do those same
miracles in His Name.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the
Messiah), Because He has anointed Me to
preach the good news to the poor. He
has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised,
crushed by tragedy), to proclaim the
favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God
abound greatly].”
Then He rolled up the scroll [having stopped in the middle
of the verse], gave it back to the attendant and sat down [to teach]; and the
eyes of all those in the synagogue were [attentively] fixed on Him. He began
speaking to them: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing and
in your presence.” And [as He continued on] they all were speaking well of Him,
and were in awe and were wondering about the words of grace which were
coming from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” So He
said to them, “You will no doubt quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal
Yourself! Whatever [miracles] that we heard were done [by You] in Capernaum, do
here in Your hometown as well.’” Then He said, “I assure you and most
solemnly say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. But in truth I say
to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky
was closed up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all
the land; and yet Elijah was not sent [by the Lord] to a single one of them,
but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.And
there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and not one
of them was cleansed [by being healed] except Naaman the Syrian.”As
they heard these things [about God’s grace to these two Gentiles], the
people in the synagogue were filled with a great rage;and
they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the crest of the hill
on which their city had been built, in order to hurl Him down the cliff. But
passing [miraculously] through the crowd, He went on His way. Luke
4:18-30
Jesus operated daily in the Anointing from God up to the
point in the Garden when the men came to lead Him away to His trial and death.
When one of the disciples had drawn his sword and cut off the ear of one the
men who came to take Jesus away, Jesus took the time to heal that man’s ear
restoring him back to health. This act of godliness was to show His followers
that God’s healing anointing is for all who believe and even those who might be
considered your enemy. {Matthew
26:51; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:51; and John 18:10–11}
Now looking at the lives of Peter and Paul we find a time
when the priests and the captain [who was in charge of the temple area and] of
the temple guard and the Sadducee's became annoyed with them because
they were teaching about Jesus Christ and healing people just as Christ Jesus
had commanded them to do. These “RELIGIOUS MEN” had Peter and John arrested
because they were operating in the anointing which God placed upon them through
their faith in Christ Jesus and NOT from getting a formal education from the
“RELIGIOUS MEN”. {Acts
4}
God is still pouring out His anointing on men and women
today who chose to follow His statutes. God will teach you more through His
anointing than you could ever learn from a Religious Institution as we have
just seen in Acts
4.
We are living in the last days before the return of our
Lord so let us walk daily in His anointing so we can be vessels of honor
pouring out the anointing on all who need a touch from the Masters hand.
If you chose to follow Christ Jesus you will become sons and daughters of God
given POWER through the Name of JESUS CHRIST to accomplish great things for
God. However, you must remain humble and not think to highly of yourself
because the POWER you possess is not your own but that which comes from your
Heavenly Father so you might accomplish His will in your life. By all means do
operate in that anointing not letting the enemy of God {Satan} take it from
you through unbelief or arrogance.
Children, it is the last hour [the end of this age]; and just as
you heard that the antichrist is coming [the one who will oppose Christ and
attempt to replace Him], even now many antichrists (false teachers) have
appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour. They went out
from us [seeming at first to be Christians], but they were not really of
us [because they were not truly born again and spiritually transformed]; for if
they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out
[teaching false doctrine], so that it would be clearly shown that none of them
are of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set
apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know
[the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from
error]. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but
because you do know it, and because no lie [nothing false, no deception] is of
the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (the
Messiah, the Anointed)? This is the antichrist [the enemy and antagonist of
Christ], the one who denies and consistently refuses to acknowledge the
Father and the Son. Whoever denies and repudiates the Son does not have
the Father; the one who confesses and acknowledges the Son has the
Father also. As for you, let that remain in you [keeping in your hearts that
message of salvation] which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard
from the beginning remains in you, you too will remain in the Son and in the
Father [forever]. This is the promise which He Himself promised us—eternal
life.These things I have written to you with reference to those who are trying
to deceive you [seducing you and leading you away from the truth and sound
doctrine]. As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which
you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for
anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight
through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is
not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, you must remain in Him
[being rooted in Him, knit to Him]. Now, little children (believers, dear
ones), remain in Him [with unwavering faith], so that when He appears [at His
return], we may have [perfect] confidence and not be ashamed and shrink away
from Him at His coming. If you know that He is absolutely righteous, you
know [for certain] that everyone who practices righteousness [doing what is
right and conforming to God’s will] has been born of Him. 1
John 2:18-29
For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not
to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he
ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has
apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service]. For
just as in one [physical] body we have many parts, and these parts do not all
have the same function or special use, so we, who are many, are
[nevertheless just] one body in Christ, and individually [we are] parts one of
another [mutually dependent on each other].Since we have gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them accordingly:
if [someone has the gift of] prophecy, [let him speak a new message from God to
His people] in proportion to the faith possessed; if service, in the act
of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching; or he who encourages, in
the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, with
diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness. Love
is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and
hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate
wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. Be devoted to one another with
[authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to
one another in honor; never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically
serving the Lord; constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our
confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to
prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength], contributing to
the needs of God’s people, pursuing [the practice of] hospitality. Bless those
who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse
[them]. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with
those who weep [sharing others’ grief]. Romans
12:3-15
I will
leave you with a list of Scriptures to read to encourage you as you journey
through this life learning to walk in the anointing of God.
Mark
6:13, James
5:14, Joel
2:28, Exodus
29:7, Acts
19:11-12, 1
Corinthians 1:17, 1
John 1:8-9, Romans
10:1-21, 1
John 2:15, James
4:7, 2
Corinthians 1:21-22, Leviticus
8:12, John
3:16-17, Acts
16:1-40, Luke
7:46, Leviticus
8:30, Zechariah
11:17, Zechariah
4:6, Psalm
105:15, Romans
1:1-32, Psalm
133:1-3, Luke
4:18-19, 1
Samuel 10:1, Exodus
40:15,
Zechariah 14:1-21, Genesis
6:1-22, Hebrews
1:8-9, John
12:3, Luke
7:38, Psalm
20:6, Psalm
2, 1
John 4:4, James
5:14-15, 1
John 4:13, 2
Corinthians 5:21, 1
Corinthians 1:21, Matthew
26:6-13, Habakkuk
2:14, John
16:13, Psalm
92:10
I pray the Holy Spirit of God will guide
you through your journey in this life, giving you the anointing that only comes
from God to operate in the POWER that comes through the Name of Christ Jesus.
Amen
Forever in Christ Jesus Service,
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