Anointing
But the anointing which ye have received of him
abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same
anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as
it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide
in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed
before him at his coming.
1 John
2:27-28 (KJV)
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because
it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with
you, and shall be in you.
John
14:16-17 (KJV)
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto
you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me
John 15:26
(KJV)
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for
you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;
but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they
believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me
no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have
yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he,
the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall
not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He
shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the
Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall
shew it unto you.
John
16:7-15 (KJV)
Before Jesus left this earth, He told us
that He would be sending us another comforter, another teacher who would be
with us in Jesus’ earthly absence. The Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of the
living God abides in you and me! Upon salvation, the Holy Spirit comes into our
spirits and makes His home there. Thus, He is always with us! The Holy Spirit
is the Promise of the Father—an amazing gift to us.
So essential is the work of the Spirit of
God inside our hearts that Jesus said that after He left, the Church had to
wait in Jerusalem until they had
received power from on high. While the Holy Spirit is our counselor, friend,
helper, and life-long teacher, He also provides empowerment to God’s people to
fulfill the Word of God. This empowerment spans everything that God does
through His people—from conquering a sinful stronghold, to seeking the Lord and
hearing Him, to dedicating one’s life to the call of the Master—nothing is
impossible with God!
We’re not going to dive into deep study
of the Holy Spirit here, I encourage you to delve into the Word on your own and
do so. Here, however, we are going to deal with the subject in a devotional
nature. Dear minister, have you ever experienced the anointing of the Holy
Spirit? Have you ever received boldness from the Lord to preach? To respond to
an adversary off the cuff with a “sermon” testifying Christ? The Holy Spirit
works this way through us—He empowers us and anoints us for the work we are
called to do. It is very important that you wait upon the Lord for His
anointing and do not minister in your own strength. For apart from the Lord,
you can do nothing.
The anointing of the Holy Spirit is more
than just a one-time empowerment and the bestowment of a gift or two. The Holy
Spirit’s anointing is meant to humble you and empower you to stand for God—to
be transparent and meek as well as bold ministers of the Gospel.
Let’s pray: Father, I ask that you bless each and every minister that is reading
this. May he wait upon you throughout His entire life, constantly asking and
waiting to receive a special anointing for each particular work that You have
called him to accomplish, but may he also be humbled and abide in You, always,
seeking to follow your Spirit. May You establish a clear vision and burden of
heart for the specific ministry You have called him in—O Lord, please make Him
aware of this so that He knows it and lives it. Father, I ask that Your Kingdom
Come and Your Will Be Done in our lives. May we be examples to the flock—Your
people. May we be wholly devoted to Your will alone and depend upon Your Spirit
for empowerment and anointing! In Jesus precious name, I pray, amen.
