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A Fresh Anointing
God’s gifts and call are under full warranty – never cancelled, never rescinded Romans 11:29 MSG I got saved in 1979. I really enjoyed it. There was something special about the services; the Spirit was high, atmosphere lively and the presence of the Lord was on the people. The church wasn’t huge and the preachers weren’t educated, but there was an anointing on that place that made us feel so very special. There wasn’t anything that I wouldn’t have done for God because I loved Him more than anything. There was no sacrifice too great, and if there was anything in my life that I believed was even slightly offensive to God, I would give it up without the least hesitation. As the years went by, although I would not have admitted it then, the anointing seemed to fade. We still shouted, danced and spoke in tongues, but we often found ourselves seeking the way it "used to be". Since God doesn’t change, we reasoned that we must have. Now the anointing on that ministry was real and powerful. But today it is just a memory. I will never forget it, and I will always love and be indebted to the people that were in my life during those incredible years. But I really believe that the Anointing I experienced during those times was for those times. If I try to repeat the experiences of yesterday, then I will miss what God is doing today. I need a fresh Anointing. I am very grateful for yesterday, but I want to follow God today. God is sovereign. He comes and stays a while doing a particular work. But when He gets ready to move on, we need to move with Him. Otherwise, we will be using yesterday’s anointing today. And that won’t work. We cannot make yesterday’s anointing today’s anointing. It will be to no avail for us to pretend that what happened yesterday is happening today if it isn’t. We confidently say, "God did it yesterday and He will do it again". Not if He doesn’t want to. When God anoints us to do a work, whether by gifts or callings, He never revokes it. But we need to keep that anointing fresh be living a life of obedience, intimacy and dedication to God and His Word. This is what happened in the life of King Saul. The first time we are introduced to Saul, he was seeking counsel from the man of God to find his father’s donkeys (see Samuel 10:1. After Samuel anointed him, he was turned into another man (see verses 6 and 9). From the moment he was anointed king, he wore the crown until the day he died. But when he refused to honor and obey God, God withdrew His presence and allowed Saul to be Saul. And we all know that it got pretty ugly. Although Saul continued to rule using the original anointing, he could not be refreshed. It is so sad to see individuals living on the honor of yesteryear’s anointing. But it can happen to any pastor or church leader. A fresh anointing is essential because it replenishes our irrevocable anointing. If God doesn’t replenish our irrevocable anointing, then we are depending on yesterday’s anointing. Now sometimes we can do some incredible things with yesterday’s anointing. But we desperately need intimacy with God. God desires obedience more than sacrifice; He wants us seeking His face everyday. When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, we won’t answer for how well we preached or how many souls got converted. Our reward will be based upon whether we practiced what we preached. If I want to be effective today, I must hear God’s voice for today. I want a relevant anointing. I don’t want to miss God through disobedience or the practice of casual Christianity. God asked Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king? 1 Samuel 16:1. He did not say "I’m taking back my anointing, my calling and the new heart I gave him when you first poured out the oil over his head. And yet, God could not move Saul beyond the original anointing. Even though Saul lost God’s approval, he remained king for twenty years. David was anointing king but couldn't take the throne during all that time. But in spite of all the horrible things that Saul did, David called him "The Lord’s Anointed" (1 Samuel 24:6). Saul was able to keep an anointing because he still had a platform. He was the king, and with that position came respect, influence and authority. He also had a beautiful gift of prophecy that he never lost (see 1 Samuel 19:24). People are that way today. They remain in a position of power and influence, but God long rejected them. There is no fresh anointing; only yesterday’s anointing. They are saying the same things that were only relevant years ago, but are meaningless today. They are out of touch. They still have a platform, but that’s all. They constantly try to prove themselves, but the power is gone. Saul had a very good beginning. He started to reign at a time when the people were on the verge of being demoralized. The Spirit of God came upon Saul so powerfully, that he cut up two oxen and sent pieces all over the land saying, "This will be done to anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel" 1 Samuel 11: 6-8. In a very short time God told Samuel, "How long will you mourn over Saul?" Saul got so high-minded, he offered a burnt offering to God, something that only the prophet could do (see 1 Samuel 13: 8-9). God gave him a second chance by commanding him to destroy all of the Amalekites, including men, women, children, sheep and cattle. But that didn’t make sense to Saul, so he didn’t do it. Therefore God sent Samuel to anoint the next king. It is my desire to always have a fresh anointing. I don’t want to be a has been in the sight of God. "But I keep my body under, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway 1 Corinthians 9:27. I don’t want to be like Israel; follow the cloud, eat the manna, drink the water from the rock, and then die in the wilderness. I want to follow God with a full heart of assurance, and be ready to go wherever He leads. I want a fresh anointing. Edmund Brown |