Things Above

Ephesians 1:3 (NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Can you imagine living just one day without the presence of the Holy Spirit leading you? The thought of that possibility sobers my mind! I depend on Him from the time I rise from my bed in the morning and in every situation of the day. Some might view the Holy Spirit as someone they call on whenever they need Him but that relegates Him to the role of “sometime” friend. One of those “I’ll call you in a pinch people” that we try to find their number because we don’t talk to them that often. If we are to “walk in the Spirit” then we must become more and more aware of His presence in our life. Like a faithful friend that never leaves us God has ordained that His Spirit is the conduit of every Spiritual Blessing.

Paul tells the Ephesians that they are blessed with “every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus” but those blessings are from Heavenly realms. To walk in the spirit is our connection to the Father. Living a life filled with His presence allows us to receive the blessings that flow from God. When Adam sinned and hurled mankind into the darkness of separation from God there was no hope of reconciliation to be found on earth. There was no man, no woman, no beast, nothing that had been created could reconcile fallen man. Our salvation had to begin in Heavenly Realms. It started with God and only by His grace and mercy could the plan of salvation take place. But then the wonder of the ages began to unfold. God came down to earth! Born of the virgin, Jesus became the conduit of God’s grace and mercy. It was at His baptism that the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and from that moment on Jesus began to perform miracles and confound the religious circles. He spoke with authority and wisdom and looked into the hearts of men and women with discernment that was undeniable. His every step was ordered by the Spirit.

If we are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus than we must understand that our life and strength comes from God. Become dependent on the Spirit! Cry out like the Psalmist, “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” Wake up with Him in the morning and lay down with Him at night. Be aware of His promptings and know His voice better than anyone or anything else. Long for Him. Desire Him. Depend on Him. Be desperate for Him. Because every spiritual blessing that we receive in Christ is directed through our lives by the Holy Spirit. What is He speaking to you now? Do you know His voice?

Knowing

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV) - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

      Christ came to reveal the Father to us. He said that if we saw Him we saw the Father and no man can come to the Father but by Him. Paul tells the Romans, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God”. Faith is a gift that God has given us. But that gift comes from the revelation of who God is. The more we know Him the greater our faith grows. In our Scripture this week Christ unpacks faith building knowledge. “I will give you rest.” “I am meek and lowly in heart.” “My yoke is easy, my burden is light.” Stop for a minute and consider the revelation that Jesus is speaking into our lives. When I come to Jesus there is rest. There is a place of peace where I am safe from the storm. I will not accept a word that contradicts this truth. Christ beckons us to Him and says “I am meek and lowly”. The word “meek” means gentle. The Spirit of the Lord is gentle. I love the time that I spend in His presence. When I humble myself before Him and in that moment of brokenness He wraps His arms around me and I know that I am loved. I know that He loves me and nothing the world says can change that truth. Faith is knowing! And knowing affects my daily walk. When I hear God’s word and receive God’s word into my heart my steps are ordered by the Lord and I begin to walk in His promises. That is the culmination of faith. Faith isn’t hoping it is the substance of those things you hoped for. Faith isn’t things not seen it is the evidence of those things.
     Today the Holy Spirit wants to unleash a powerful faith in your life. Not something you work up in an ecstatic state but something that grabs hold of you from the Word of God. A revelation of who God is that will never change. No circumstance, no enemy, no trial will ever change the truth that God wants to birth in your heart by His Word. Receive it today.

If The Glove Fits...

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV) - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus beckons us, Come unto Him and take His yoke upon us but in verse 30 he tells us that His yoke is tailor made for us.  The word “easy” means “well fitting”.  We can rest assured in the knowledge that God is in control and He will not put anything on us that we cannot bear.  Jesus knows our strength and our weakness.  He knows where we struggle and where we overcome.  There is nothing hidden from our Lord.  So many think that they have covered their failures from His eyes and masked their weakness with vain activities and religious pursuit but the eyes of the Lord have searched us and know our motivations and desires.  In Matthew 7:21 Jesus tells His Disciples, “Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?  and in thy name have cast out devils?  And in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”   What a sobering thought!  Some who held high position and filled their days with “church” activities will stand before God and be rejected because of their hidden motivations. 
     But to those that cry out “Search me, O Lord!  Know my heart.”  To those that are willing fitted for the work that God has designed for them will find that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.  There is no “burn out” when we are properly fitted in the work of the Lord.  His yoke is “easy”  and that means “fitted well”.  As we come along side the Lord he doesn’t drag us or push us.  The Holy Spirit fills us and prepares us for the work ahead.  We can take comfort in knowing that “all things work together for good to them that love God, and are called according to His purpose.”  There is no reason to fear what lies ahead when we are walking with the King.

You Have An Anointing

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth." 1 John 2:20

Today many Christians run from church to church or meeting to meeting looking for “The Anointing”. We sing songs asking for “The Anointing” to fall on us. We hear sermons about “The Anointing” and at times refer to someone as “Anointed”. But what is this anointing and how does it come to rest on those lucky people who we call anointed? The Apostle John, while writing to the church made a bold statement, “You have an anointing from the Holy One.” Instead of John saying, “I’m the anointed one. Listen to me.” He told God’s people, “You have an anointing. You know the truth.”

The Hebrews used oil to anoint things that were to be used for God’s work. In Exodus 29:36 the altar was anointed in order to sanctify it. The word sanctify is closely connected to holiness. It appears that anointing something with oil served to sanctify that object so that it might be considered holy unto the Lord.

"And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it." Exodus 29:36 KJV

But it was not just things that were anointed. People seemed to be a much more significant subject of anointing. Elisha sent the young prophet to anoint Jehu with oil.

"Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not." 2 Kings 9:3 KJV

Samuel anointed David with oil and “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” Something happened that changed the little shepherd boy and made him a King.
1 Samuel 16:13 (KJV) Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Being anointed isn’t something that was meant to come and go. It isn’t something that is here today and gone tomorrow. I know that our experiences seem to run contrary to that fact. We see what appears to be flashes of anointing in a preacher, a singer, an evangelist but then that “anointing” goes away. But that is not what Scripture teaches us. John didn’t say go get an anointing. He said you have an anointing. The oil has already been applied. You are sanctified. You are holy. You know the truth.

Consider what happens when we pour oil on a cloth. The oil soaks into the cloth and binds with it. In effect the cloth is fundamentally changed. If we use an ointment to rub onto our skin we get the same effect. The ointment becomes a part of our skin. It saturates us and invades our very being. I rubbed Tiger Balm on some sore muscles recently and discovered this very fact. The healing heat penetrated deep into my body and did its work. This is the picture we need to keep in mind as we contemplate the anointing John tells us about.

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" John 7:38-39 KJV

Jesus told us that from out of our innermost being would flow rivers of living water. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. He doesn’t come down, rain down, or fall down on us. He inhabits us. The oil has been poured upon our heads and penetrated into the core of our being. Our spirit has been transformed and the third person of the Trinity now desires to live the life of God through us. God does not partially inhabit us. We don’t have his leg or hand living in us. We have all of Him living in us.

I have often heard Christians praying for “more” of God. Perhaps what they should be praying is for “less” of themselves. Because the Spirit of God that dwells within us wants to live His life through us but there is a struggle that takes place. That struggle is between Self and Spirit. Some might call it flesh but in actuality it is Self. If I truly want more of God to make His way out of my innermost being then I have to get out of the way. I have to crucify the flesh of self and become porous and the more I die to self, the more God’s anointing flows out of me and into the world around me.

“You have an anointing!” Now what are you going to do about it? I say let the river flow.