01/31/2024
I was lifted up this morning as I considered God’s anointing to be a portion of Himself. It is a gift of God... Not a gift to aid our physical condition, but rather a spiritual gift. In Matthew 17 Jesus spoke to His disciples of faith as being a mustard seed, something powerful despite its diminutive size, and it being a part of us, but when He spoke of God’s anointing it was of the Holy Spirit... a bit of Himself. Is our anointing something small like the mustard seed of faith, or is it a portal, a doorway into the infinite divinity of God?
“He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.””
Matthew 17:20 ESV
Similarly, I have been interested in the difference between two scriptures; Genesis 2:7, and John 20:22. One tells us how we received faith, and our physical life, and the other speaks of how we were given the Holy Spirit. Let’s read them…
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7 KJV
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:” John 20:22 KJV
In Genesis God breathes life INTO us but in the Gospel of John we are told that He breathed ONTO us. The first becomes internally integral to us while the second surrounds and infuses us. So where is the anointing? The anointing is the salve of God and manifest itself as He works through us... It is our journey to the promise, and it can be fraught with trials as the dark one seeks to dissuade those who have received this gift from doing God's will.
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;" Hebrews 10:31-32 KJV
"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:35-36 KJV
So, when we are anointed and begin to pray in the Spirit, we will come under attack, but that should not cause our faith, which is within us, to waiver. Even in the face of trials we should have a solid belief in God and His ability to answer our prayers. We will pray in the name of Jesus... just as He taught us, and we should not doubt God's desire to answer those faithful requests. The Holy Spirit helps us in this regard too, and reminds us of God’s promises, and how He has anointed us, body and soul, with a special bit of Himself for the purpose of accomplishing His will. This is our anointing, His desire, and His Spirit, that has been breathed onto us, and brings with him an understanding and remembrance of God’s Word; bringing that Word to life in us.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
John 14:26 ESV
Prayer,
Father, thank you for our faith which was conceived before we were born, and that was breathed into us as a small but powerful breath of life when we were born. And, thank you further for the anointing of your Holy Spirit that was breathed onto us following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and serves to teach us, tends to our faith, and gives us an understanding of you, by revealing to us the truth in your Holy Word. What have we done Lord, or what could we ever hope to do, that would warrant such amazing gifts as these? Holy, Holy, Holy are you our God whose grace abounds and has prompted you to breathe life into us, and then to breathe it’s anointing onto us. Great are you whose mercy and love has sent your Son Jesus Christ to redeem us, and by our acceptance of Him, comes your Holy Spirit, who is a bit of yourself, to surround and abide in us as well. We praise your name Father, and worship you with all we are, body, mind, soul, and with every ounce of strength we can muster. We pray to you with the help of your Spirit, and in the name of Jesus, so that in this way we can claim nothing as our own. Even in our most secret of prayers we remain within your will, and then give you the glory for all that we are able to do with your hand upon us. We lift you up Abba, as your anointed, and we sing your praises before all creation. Hallelujah!
“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38 ESV
“But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.”
1 John 2:20
“But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.”
1 John 2:27 ESV
Rich Forbes