The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners. Isaiah 61:1
The imagery in this text is graphic. When Aaron was anointed, they didn’t just put a little dab of oil on his forehead. Instead, they poured it on top of his head in such excess that it ran down his head, soaked his beard until it dripped off his beard onto his robe. Then the oil ran down his robe all the way to the edge. This was a man who was drenched in oil.
Would you like for God to pour out ability infused with divine power on you in the way they poured out the oil on Aaron? Can you imagine what you could accomplish in your lifetime if He chose to do that? Isaiah said, "the Lord has anointed me," but does that include you? It does.
Much has been said in the modern church about spiritual anointing. I’ve often had people tell me that they would pray that I might be anointed as I have spoken in their churches. I've heard preachers on TV offering special anointing oil for a small donation. I’ve had people ask me to pray for them to be anointed.
Isaiah's words provide some news you will be glad to hear. The news is this: You already have the anointing of God. That’s right, you already possess divine capabilities. How can we know this? It’s because of something Jesus said.
Luke 4:16,22 records an incident in the life of Jesus which is particularly relevant to this matter of anointing. The text tells that one day when Jesus went to Nazareth, He went into the temple on the Sabbath. Somebody handed him the book of Isaiah and He stood up to read. The place where He read was from Isaiah 61. Jesus read the text, closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. Every eye was fixed on Him. What would He say? Would He tell them how they, too, might experience the promises of this Old Testament passage? Might they be able to receive the anointing of which Isaiah spoke?
Jesus said to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. As he continued to speak, the people were spellbound by His words. They were in awe at the gracious words which were falling from His lips (Luke4:22).
When Jesus said that the Scripture in Isaiah had been fulfilled that very day, He was revealing that He was the personification of the anointing of God. The anointing has come to us in the person of the Anointed One! Because Jesus Christ lives inside you, you have everything you need to do anything that God has planned for you to do!
Paul wrote that, In [Christ] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete (Colossians 2:9,10). If Jesus Christ lives in you, everything you need to succeed in life resides within you. You have need of nothing else.
God’s grace within you is the anointing you need to accomplish everything He has planned for you. Grace equals enablement! You have miraculous, supernatural, God-given, enablement. That sets you apart from others whose dreams depend on their own ability.
The early church grasped this fact and accomplished miraculous results. The same is possible for you. John reminds us, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One (1 John 2:20). Notice that he doesn’t say you still need it, but that you have it. He further notes, “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you (2:27). The word here means continue to be present and not depart.
In Jesus Christ, you already have all you need to have to do all that you need to do to accomplish God’s plan for your life. Do you understand your ability? Like the anointing of Aaron, you haven‘t been given a small dab of ability. It just isn’t His nature to give sparingly.
When He gives, He really pours it on! You are drenched in divine ability to do all that He has planned for you to do.
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Steve:
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading Grace Walk. I loved it and I'm ready to allow God to take over. I'm having trouble with the Abide in God thing. How do I Abide in God? I prayed that God would come in and change my thinking about grace ( I was very legalistic) And I also told him no more me just Him and to do whatever he needs to me to get this done. Now what? You mentioned in your book your emotional high after your office experience. Is that an indication that I'm on my way? I've been in a situation in my life where things have been going wrong for a long time with no end in site. I really need some hope that it will get better.
Your probably laughing at my simple and probaby wrong interpitation of your book right now but I sincerly want to change
Thank you for today's encouragement! How do you interpret this: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously" (2. cor 9:6)? Is it possible from the context to deduce that this is about God, and that He gives plentifully (because He is generous) in order to bless us aboundantly so that we are enabled to bless others aboundantly, and this will in due course bring God a rich harvest? Paul Anderson-Walsh discusses this passage in one of his articles on the Grace Project site, but I did not quite grasp/understand his point/explanation. I will by the way translate today's article into Norwegian and publish it in my blog.
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of TV evangelists (who shall remain nameless) that I wish would read this devotional, Steve!
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Mark
There are a number of TV evangelists (who shall remain nameless) that I wish would read this devotional, Steve!
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Mark
Steve,
ReplyDeleteBoy, I shared this devotional with a Pentecostal friend tonight, and he wrote me an angry reply. I should say that he and I have had many discussions on law/flesh living vs. grace, and he's just not receptive. However, many are, so I guess I'll just rejoice in those that want to hear the gracewalk.
Keep on inspiring us! Thanks.
Mark
Dave - the spiritual hunger you've expressed in your post shows that the Holy Spirit is already working in you. Just keep your eyes on Christ and know that He will complete what He has started in you. Emotions are not an indicator of your progress. You may or may not experience emotions. The bottom line is that God is at work in you and He won't give up. I encourage you to keep "eating from the grace table." In other words, pursue understanding more about grace. Information will lead to revelation which will lead to transformation. Have you read "Grace Rules"? If not, I recommend you read it next.
ReplyDeleteOle - thanks again for translating the blog entries into Norwegian.
ReplyDeleteAs to the verse you questioned, I think it is stating a simple spiritual reality. We can't out give God. I know that there have been preachers who used this verse abusively to manipulate people into giving, but I think the principle remains. We don't give in order to get, but when we are selfless in our giving (which is the nature of a Christian), we will discover that we receive more so that we can then give more. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing.
Hey there Steve.
ReplyDeleteWanted to elaborate on this entry a bit...(and please indicate if I've gone too "far" with Grace).
I can imagine how not understanding the fullness of walking in Grace could lead to someone seeing the concept of anointing as, "Ok...we are given the "ability", but now it's up to us to make sure we use it." But Grace is so much bigger than that.
Walking in Grace isn't really about "the making use of tools/abilities" that God might have lovingly blessed us with...rather, it's more about trusting that the tools/abilities we are given WILL BE USED (...as He gives us even the very desires and motivations to use them). To say it quite boldly, Grace "ensures" we will carry out what God has in His plans for us to do (....not merely "enables" us to do so).
I imagine this is what you, yourself, mean to get across when you talk about the "ability" or "enablement" God's grace gives us...that it's EVERYTHING. I just thought I'd make the clear distinction though (...'cause it's in that where I find a lot of people come to really find rest).
...I use to see the term "Grace Walk" as being about something "we" did...a walk "we" were meant to walk through doing certain things that could harness God's enabling power for us. But I've come to understand that it's actually just "Christ's" walk...we're just holding on. :)
Blessings
Hey there Steve.
ReplyDeleteWanted to elaborate on this entry a bit...(and please indicate if I've gone "too far" with Grace).
I can imagine how not understanding the fullness of walking in Grace could lead to someone seeing the concept of anointing as, "Ok...we are given the "ability", but now it's up to us to make sure we use it." But Grace is so much bigger than that.
Walking in Grace isn't really about "the making use of tools/abilities" that God might have lovingly blessed us with...rather, it's more about trusting that the tools/abilities we are given WILL BE USED (...as He gives us even the very desires and motivations to use them)! To say it quite boldly, Grace "ensures" we will carry out what God has in His plans for us to do (....not merely "enables" us to do so).
I imagine this is what you, yourself, mean to get across when you talk about the "ability" or "enablement" God's grace gives us...that it's EVERYTHING. I just thought I'd make the clear distinction though (...'cause it's in that where I find a lot of people come to really find rest).
What's interesting...I use to see the term "Grace Walk" as being about something "we" did...a walk "we" were meant to walk (through doing certain things that could harness God's enabling power for us). But I've come to understand that it's actually just "Christ's" walk...we're just holding on. :)
Blessings
Steve,
ReplyDeleteThanks for that reminder. As others like Ian Thomas and Watchman Nee stated, it's not that God gives us victory, strength, love, etc.
It's that He give us Himself; who is victory, strength, love, etc.
It reminds me of the verse in Corinthians (paraphrasing)"In Christ everything is Amen."
I, too, sometimes forget and get caught up with trying to get the anointing, instead of resting in Him, who is my anointing. Thanks for the reminder.
gracethatworks.com
Steve:
ReplyDeleteThanks for this message. I struggled for many years trying to get the annointing of God, not realizing I already had it as a free gift from the Lord. This and other truths you teach have helped set me free to walk in confidence that Jesus is living in and through me on a daily basis.
By the way, I am moving ahead with my Grace Walk Group. It's only two of us so far, but manytimes good things start out small.
Taylor and I were discussing John the Baptist yesterday. Our discussion lead to something I had never thought of before.
ReplyDeleteWhy was John so incredible at doing what he did... preparing the way for Jesus?
Could it be because he fully understood who he was and what his purpose was?
His mother, Elizabeth was told by an angel exactly why it was God's will for her to have a son. The fact that she was too old to bear children without divine intervention further confirmed that this was of God.
Did Elizabeth raise John telling him his purpose for being? Did she whisper this truth to him as he nursed, before he was even able to understand? Is this why he was so effective? Because he never questioned who he was and what his purpose was?
God has told us who we are. He has told us what our purpose is... to be a vessel through which He can live His life.
It is when each of us fully understand who we are and our purpose for being that we will be so good at doing what it is we are suppose to do... let go and let God.
Steve, absolutely beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteYou write: “Luke 4:16,22 records an incident in the life of Jesus which is particularly relevant to this matter of anointing. The text tells that one day when Jesus went to Nazareth, He went into the temple on the Sabbath.”
ReplyDeleteOkay. First we me must examine whether Luke has been redacted or not.
I believe that the Mashiakh (the Messiah) has come and that he lived during the first century. The Netzarim in Ra’anana in Israel do believe that the Mashiakh was the pro-Torah and pro-Halakhah Pharisee Ribi Yehoshua from Natzrat (Nazareth). He was born in Beit-Lekhem (hellenized to Betlehem) 7 B.C.E. and killed on a cross 30 C.E.
The research of world-recognized authorities in this area implies that Ribi Yehoshua from Natzrat was a Pharisee (a Torah-practising Jewish group - who according to 4Q MMT practised both written and oral Torah). As the earliest church historians, most eminent modern university historians, our web site (www.netzarim.co.il) and our Khavruta (Distance Learning) texts confirm, the original teachings of Ribi Yehoshua were not only accepted by most of the Pharisaic Jewish community, he had hoards of Jewish students.
It is not an assumption that Ribi Yehoshua was a Ribi. He is called ‘Ribi Yeshua’ on the Talpiot Tomb to name one thing.
See www.netzarim.co.il ; “History Museum” (left menu); “Mashiakh”-section (top menu)..
Prof. of Statistics Andrey Feuerverger has demonstrated that, contrary to the mathematically-challenged critics of the Yaaqov ossuary, the chances that the ossuaries in the Talpiot Tomb aren't those of the family of the 1st-century Pharisee Ribi Yehoshua are 1:1600 (Feuerverger, Prof. Andrey – The Final Word, http://projecteuclid.org/aoas).
So the burden of proof is on you if you state that Ribi Yehoshua is not a Pharisee. So according to Scholars in leading universities the person written about in Luke – when all redactions are moved – is Ribi Yehoshua from Natzrat.
Pro-Torah, 1st century, historical, Jew, Ribi Yehoshua and (Le-Havdil) the anti-Torah, post-135 C.E., Roman-syncretized counterfeit, J*esus (= Yesh"u) are mutually contradictory, intractably antithetical, polar opposites! Logically, these two diametric opposites must, therefore, be rigorously distinguished from each other. Following either necessarily requires resolute rejection of the antithetical opposite.
This leaves it for you to either: 1. Follow the historical Jew Ribi Yehoshua from Natzrat.
Or 2. Follow le-havdil, the Christian Jesus, which is the Roman-syncretized counterfeit.
Finding the historical Jew, who was a Pharisee Ribi and following him brings you into Torah, which gives you a rich and meaningful life here on earth and great rewards in life after death (“heaven”)!
Anders Branderud
Geir Toshav, Netzarim (www.netzarim.co.il)
There is a modern day Saint at Life is hid.com
ReplyDeletewhose teachings are so in depth you will surely come into a better understanding of how to walk in the anointing if you are willing to pay the price of a living sacrifice. Noel
Noel, I checked out the site and found it to be very legalistic and based on ignorance of the Bible. I'm not trying to be mean, just being honest about its content. Even the web address - lifeishid.com shows a lack of education of any kind. The correct grammar should be "life is hidden", not hid. Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, just trying to help you understand that what you have believed is depth there is really no depth at all, but only legalistic drivel.
ReplyDeleteFinally, there is no price for me or you to pay for "the anointing." Jesus is our Anointing and He paid it all.