"I love you. And I want to spend time with you." That's God's message to you today and every day. You see, how you spend your time and the decisions you make each day are very important to Him. Do you realize how much it grieves God to know exactly what you need and, yet, rather than choose to spend time with Him to get the answers, you make other choices?
His will is that you consult with Him on a day-to-day basis. There is a great spiritual revolution taking place and you won't be a part of it if you're living according to the ways of the world rather than the will of God. And prayer is the only way that connection to Him can be achieved.
Prayer is your foundation. It's your avenue to success. It's where you tap in to the anointing. David talks about the anointing in Psalm 92:10, "... I am anointed with fresh oil" (AMP). Notice he didn't say, "Well, I might get anointed." He said, "I am anointed." Child of God, the anointing is not just a gift for the fivefold ministry, the anointing is available to everyone!
So whatever you're doing in life, realize that there is an anointing for it. That anointing was given to you by God to live a life of victory. Verses 12-13 go on to say, "The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]. Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God" (AMP).
Who will flourish? Those who are planted in the house of the Lord.
You see, God is not trying to keep His anointing from you. As a matter of fact, it's His desire that you operate in His anointing because He is a winner and He wants to prove to the whole world that you are too. But you have to make up your mind to receive it and utilize the anointing He's given to you.
Increasing the Anointing
"How can I receive God's anointing?" you may ask. In John 15:5, Jesus said, "I am the Vine; you are the branches ..." (AMP). Therefore, to further explain this example, you could say that the sap (anointing) that flows through the Vine (Jesus, the Anointed One), also flows through the branches (the Church). It's not two different anointings. The same anointing on Jesus is the same anointing responsible for nourishing the branches, (you and I), so that they bring forth fruit.
But not just any fruit. Psalm 92:14 says, "[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]" (AMP). You see, since we now know that the same anointing flows through the Vine to the branches, we can also be assured of producing the same fruit that He produces-fruit full of sap, spiritual vitality and rich in verdure.
What is verdure? The dictionary says it's "the fresh-green color of growing things." Think of it like this: A tree that is full of green leaves and fruit can make you hungry when you look at it. You expect the fruit to be full of juice. And you desire it because that juice is full of life. But soon after you detach the fruit from the tree, it will begin to lose its verdure and eventually become rotten. Likewise, the verdure of a Christian is the anointing. When someone looks at you and you're full of verdure, that means they see the life of God in you. They see it in your eyes, and hear it in the words you speak. You look as fresh as you did the day you were born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. In other words, they see your spiritual vitality because you are anointed.
Verse 15 further explains the significance of the anointing in our lives. "[They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him" (AMP). In clearer terms, we become living memorials when our very existence demonstrates that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises. You see, God wants His anointing to be evident in your life. He wants the world to look at you and know that He is upright and good.
He doesn't want you to depend on welfare - or your paycheck for that matter. He wants you to depend on Him. By doing so, when the world questions the source of your vitality, you can confidently say, "When I was sick, the anointing removed my burden of sickness. When I was broke, God anointed me to pay my bills. When I was depressed, the anointing destroyed the yoke of depression and moved it out of my life. I am a living memorial that God is faithful to His promises. Hallelujah!"
Don't Stop Praying
Child of God, if you have not been spending quality time with God, as you should, let me assure you, He still wants to spend time with you. He wants spiritual vitality to return to your life. Prayer is your connection to God's anointing. It's your hookup - your lifeline. That's why you can't afford to stop praying.
Remember, when fruit is removed from the branch, it begins to die. It loses its beauty - its verdure - its vitality. Likewise, as a branch, you must remain connected to the Vine. He has been made unto us righteousness, sanctification, wisdom and knowledge. And when the anointing is operating in your life, it will remove every burden and destroy every yoke.
You see, when Adam committed high treason in the Garden of Eden, he died spiritually. In the same way, Satan wants you to die spiritually by interrupting your communication with God. Why? He wants to hinder the anointing made available to you through prayer. Not only that, he wants to prevent God's perfect will from coming to pass in your life.
That's why you must pray continually. Not only when you feel like it, but all the time. In Luke 18:1 of The Amplified Bible, Jesus encourages us to always pray and not turn coward (faint, lose heart and give up). Take a stand and decide that you will be a living memorial for God. God is faithful to do what He has promised. And His Word says those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in the courts of our God. They have been anointed with fresh oil - the anointing.
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