A Fresh Anointing

Scripture:
"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1 John 2:27)

Last week I took a couple of days off to go to a conference in San José. It was entitled, "Training for Ministry" and was held in the Jubilee Center which is an Assemblies of God church.

Since I received Christ as my Savior I grew up in the Lord in a Conservative Baptist Church and then whent to Bible School and served the Lord under a conservative, but non-denominational mission organization. However, at the same time, I had an Aunt and Uncle who were AG believers and deacons in the church who lead my grandfather, on my mother's side, to the Lord. This happened a number of years before I got saved.

For many years I sincerely served the Lord knowing that Jesus died for me but only intellectually understanding, from a perspective of theology, what can be read in Acts chapters 2 & 4.

Years later, after difficulties in my life, God lead me to an AG church in Long Beach. I am very thankful to God for leading me there because it was there that the realness of the Holy Spirit came into my life.

Well this past weekend, I learned a few more things about the Holy Spirit that I did not know and how to grow in my relationship to him.

First of all let me say that for the last 5 years or so I have been trying very hard to "be holy, as I am holy". I have prayed through many things that were in my life and can honestly say that I do not know of anything at this moment that is unconfessed. Now I know the scriptures tell us that "there is none righteous, no not one" and I am really not trying to be like the pharisee's where when they prayed out loud in the streets. However, I am trying to lay down the foundation for what I want to share today and that I believe that had I not put forth this effort over that last 5 years, I do not think I would have benefitted or even understand some of the things I have learned about the Holy Spirit.

I have always believed that when you received Christ God places within us the "mark in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit". (Ephesians 1:13) Years later I learned that God wanted me "to be strengthened with might through His Spirit," (Ephesians 3:16) that is when God baptised me with the Holy Spirit.

Now, I know I am getting into a place of theology where there are differences, but please stay with me. And I know that some of the things I am going to say you might say, 'well of course', but I want you to know there is something new and different in me now.

For me this weekend represents a weekend where a new, fresh anointing has come upon me. It is also a weekend where I have learned how important it is for me to "protect" that anointing. By walking close to the Lord the last 5 years or so, I have been seeing more and more things that grieve God and have been taking things out of my life and mind that should not be there and I have been filling them with things that should be there, but I never understood why I needed to do it. I was just doing it to be an obedient child of God, but this weekend I have begun to understand how it effects the relationship I have with the Holy Spirit. Now I want to protect that relationship by being obedient so I don't grieve someone I know loves me.

Another thing I learned was how to "feed" that anointing. This again is something we do all the time a believers and that is worshipping. For me worship was something I did when I wanted to thank God for something or something that was part of a church service. Yes, inside me I was praying and praising God as I sang or prayed, but this weekend, I learned why, I needed to do it. It was again so that I would increase or stir the anointing of the Holy Spirit within me. For example, I am now starting to sing particular worship songs in the car as I drive to and from work. Before I was just listening to a CD of Southern Gospel Music and I prayed with them, but sometimes the song was too fast or it was "about" the Christian life and I did not really worship the Lord.

The last thing I learned was how much I want more of the anointing from the Holy Spirit, and I am asking him for more, knowing that more anointing or more power is particularly given to people who want to serve the Lord. By this I mean, the Holy Spirit came upon the people to do particular ministries like "some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers". (Ephesians 4:11)

Now for me this is the scarey part because I am asking for something from the Holy Spirit that in my heart I know what it might mean but at the same time if He gives it to me.... Did I explain all this ok? Did you see how God is using my reading in Ephesians?

Request:
For all of us to both understand and experience a fresh anointing from the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit of God, thank you for always being there even when we don't recognize you and lead us to into a fresh anointing so that we now only know your presence but also feel your power in us doing the work that you ordain us to do. Amen