A proper response to the tragedy of a faded anointing...

Today’s Reading: 2 Sam. 1-2, Luke 14:1-24

Today’s Reflection: 2 Sam. 1:21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

King Saul, anointed by God to be king over Israel, had his fair share of mistakes to say the least. He had proven disobedient to The Lord, had lost his integrity as it related to his mistreatment of David, and had even consulted of a witch for advice in his backslidden state. Regardless, David rejoiced not at the fall of Saul. 

Instead, he declared that all should weep with him over his loss. Imagine that; a man seeking to KILL you, and then you weep over his death? I know…I’m not that spiritual either, to be totally honest! Some part of me MIGHT have been a bit relieved. Not David! Why? Because David saw the bigger picture. David saw the tragedy of the moment. 

David saw the diminishing of both the power and the presence of the anointing of God upon a man once strong and honorable. David would rather have endured more days of running from a King trying to kill him, while praying for him to return to a place of sanity of mind and soundness of heart, than to finally live in peace at the expense of Saul’s faded anointing. 

Restoration was no doubt his prayer; not retaliation. What about us? Can we, like David, endure afflictions by those for whom we pray healing, until some sort of resolve occurs? Or, would we rather stop praying for their good, and start wishing them evil for our own benefit? Understanding that there is a time and a place to allow GOD to stop our enemies, still we should never be hasty in our wish for them to be harmed, or worse, dead. 

Proverbs 24:17 says, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:” This is a true test of character; can we sorrow in our enemy’s fall? For David though, he still looked at Saul, not as an enemy, but a long lost friend, for whose companionship he sought restoration. He never lost hope of restoration. He would plead with Saul each chance he had to explain why he sought after his life, as if it might sway him to see the error of his own ways and change for the better. 

And so it should be for us. We should never be quick to bring firm closure to a relationship to wish the worse upon our brothers or sisters who hurt us. We will be hurt, that is sure. But what is not sure is how we respond, unless we decide to become people after God’s own heart, who at the risk of our own pain and possibly fruitless efforts, still seek the possibility of restoration!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 107 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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The Crown of Anointing

Day 48 (Category: Anointing)

Today’s Reading: Lev. 21-22 & Matt. 28

Today’s Reflection: Lev. 21:12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.

I see here a setting apart of God’s man for the sole purpose of ministering in his delegated place. This represents sanctification for the New Testament believer; a setting apart for God’s use and purposes. The trouble we have today, I believe, is that too many who are called to serve do not set themselves apart to that end. Please understand that, unless you identify God’s purpose for your existence and pursue that purpose, then you cannot possibly expect God to crown you with His anointing oil. The crown can represent many things, but I will focus briefly on two. First, approval, and second, authority. In an earthly kingdom, we understand that one is not given the crown who is not first approved and thereafter given authority to operate under that crown. The same works for the Kingdom of God. But, before you get too caught up in thinking that the only reason God anoints you is because He approves of you, be sure you understand that it is not your abilities that please God, as much as it is your availability! Remember, God created you; He designed you for a specific purpose; He doesn’t need you to try to impress Him, but He does want you to obey Him! In other words, learn how to follow orders, and do exactly as God says, and God can bless you. Now, look again at our text. It says, “…for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him…” Question: are you functioning in what you PREFER to do, or what you are ANOINTED to do? You see, the anointing cannot flow where the anointing cannot go, and if you’re operating outside of the place that God has for you, then no wonder the shortage of anointing in your life. For example, God tells the preacher in 2 Tim. 2:15a, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God…” Now remember what we said? The crown represents approval and authority. This means that if God does not approve, then no amount of man’s approval will bring on God’s anointing in your ministry. So, what again does he tell the preacher? STUDY! This speaks of preparation for, and anticipation of, future assignments for which God will anoint the preacher to accomplish. However, too many are not willing to pay the price of preparation & separation in order to receive the fullest measure of God’s anointing to minister in the place He has assigned them. May God help each of us as His servants to seek only the crown of HIS approval, because NOTHING is worth losing the anointing over!

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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