Monday, January 28, 2008

The Anointing

Ever feel like God's purpose in your life has not been fulfilled?

Ever wonder if you will ever see the promises of God come to pass?

Does it seem as if you are spinning your wheels and every effort is in vain?

I mean, you KNOW you are anointed, and you have no doubts that you have been called an chosen by God.

If this were not the case, you would not be wasting your time sacrificing to this extent.

You could go back to school...

Get a better job...

You could follow a different career path that would be more lucrative and stable for you and your family...

I think each of us feel this way at times, which is not uncommon among the anointed.

Why must we exert such effort in order to simply survive??

The weariness of the mental pressure and the onslaught of spiritual opposition keep you under a cloud, it seems.

But faithfully, you maintain your pace and keep placing one foot in front of the other, never admitting or revealing your inner struggle to those around you, including family.

Your spouse knows, but cannot intervene, for she/he knows that inside of you is a battle which cannot be won in the flesh.

Alone you trudge wearily, determined to keep your face turned to the beckoning lantern of the Spirit who, for much of the time, leads in silence.

Where are the ministering angels who visited Gideon and Joshua?

The scent of the oil is no longer in your hair, and there is no visible evidence remaining of the contents of that horn of anointing that spilled its contents over your head a few years ago.

It would be much easier if you could still catch the scent.

Instead you reek of normality and every day life. No special aura surrounds you as you bask in the rays of the Son.

Why?? How?? When?? Where??

These questions ricochet in the halls of your spirit with the same confusing racket of a pinball arcade.

Your mind drifts to the Word as you grasp for some comfort or solace for your fear of slipping away into anonymity and uselessness.

It is then that you remember the ruddy little hero, David.

Just an adolescent with no pretense or experience when the gnarled hands of the prophet shakily poured the anointing oil upon his head.

He tried his best to keep a low profile, knowing that ten others in the room celebrate his promotion with deep reservations and a hint of jealousy.

He did not instantly need an entourage or a publicist. He just went back to the lonely hills where his few young sheep awaited.

Back to the grindstone of normal life.

We know about the giant...

It was not the anointed's desire for battle or his confidence in his skill that drove him down to the creek's edge and through to the opposing hillside.

It was his sense of justice and injustice. It was the anointing that quickened his perception of the CAUSE.

His questioning eye flickered over the cowering soldiers, but his question was not, "Is there not a warrior?" Only a fool could look at the hardened men and miss the signs of the warrior.

There was no shortage of strength.

There was no shortage of valor.

The missing ingredient was the anointing which quickened the words to his lips, "Is there not a CAUSE?"

The cause can only be seen by the anointed.

It is hidden from those only strong in the flesh.

The anointing sharpens the perception of the cause.

After the celebration is over, again he slips into the shadows.

He will always deal with jealousy and its wicked betrayals now, because the secret is out.

Years pass, and his most memoirs tell of him running for his life.

Dwelling in the musty darkness of caverns along with others who, lacking his anointing, have a strong sense of honor and duty, and they will follow him as he follows the cause.

It was many years between the day of his anointing and the day of his crowning.

Many trials, betrayals, and bittersweet relationships paved the way from anointing to the throne.

In your distress and loneliness, never forget that you are anointed!!

That same anointing will quicken your senses, and the cause will be clearly evident.

Those closest to you will not understand why you choose to fight certain battles.

They choose to wait and sharpen their swords rather than join the fight. Lifting weights by the brook, comparing biceps, and stretching while you approach an enemy which they are possibly more QUALIFIED to fight than yourself.

Do not be discouraged!!

You may not be able to catch the scent of the oil right now, but keep following the cause.

It may be a few long years still, but a throne awaits you.

The beacons of your end game flicker in the distance.

You can, and will, reach your crowning.

In the meantime, God is going to position individuals in your life who may not have the best resumes, but they possess the steel of greatness.

Even now you will begin to hear the echoes and the shuffle of footsteps as your help arrives.

Do not be weary in well doing, for in due season...

There is a season coming due for someone who is reading this.

Most will have stopped and gone on to something more important, but you have kept reading, because the bell of your spirit is being rung by a mallet wielded by the hand of the Master.

Your help is on the way.

Your crowning will follow.