ANOINTED: Consecrated and Commissioned!

“The ANOINTING is God’s way of affirming and authenticating, visually and
victoriously, His divine decree, His divine disciple, and His divine design.”

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; [2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; [3] To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.

Challenging questions to ponder:

1. When were you made a new creature in Christ Jesus?

2. Did you know that as a new creature in Christ Jesus you too have been anointed with the same anointing as Jesus?

3. Who is Jesus anointed to preach the good news to?

4. How did these meek people go from being haters of God and children of wrath, who lived in enmity toward the things of God and blind to the gospel, to being submissive and teachable before this anointing? God's Word has the answer to these questions.

Enjoy searching!

Make comments as you are led, or email me with your answers at: truthimpacts@comcast.net

“The Fruit of Meeting with God”
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God beside You, who acts for the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways.

Isaiah 64:4-5

What a word to hide in our hearts! The qualifying principles outlined in this passage can be used as a blaring alarm that will help us identify when an impostor is in our midst. God teaches us to test the spirits because not all spirits are of the Lord. The enemy often transforms himself as a “messenger of light” and his ministers will transform themselves as “servants of righteousness”(2 Cor. 11:14,15). We must always be fully clothed with the armor of God, and forever on guard to allow the ear piercing alarm of God’s truth to warn us when we discern a deceiver. (1 John 2:15-23 ; 4:1-6)

Notice how Isaiah 64:4 opens with a unique distinction that qualifies God as being in a class of His own. He is known as the Holy One of Israel which speaks of His separation from all others. It is true, man has never seen, heard or known anyone like our God. He alone is God and He alone works a unique work in the heart of those who are distinctly and intentionally His. New Testament disciples can honestly affirm and ultimately confirm that there is no other god like our God. He, Himself, came to this earth, paid the redeeming price for our eternal life and took upon Himself the wrath we deserved ourselves. (Eph. 2:1-10 ; Titus 2:11-14)
How then can this passage help us test and discern the spirit of a man? First of all, God is at work in, on, through, and for those He has personally interrupted and invaded. He is disciplining their life to adhere to Himself. Grace is God’s effective way of cheerfully and delightfully gratifying Himself, for Himself, in the life of those whom He has drawn to Himself for His own glory. It’s not that the individual deserved anything from God, yet in His unfailing love He has chosen to do a work in, on, through, and for the object of His eternal mercy. The word wait means that something has been imprinted to adhere. The literal meaning of this word describes an object that is “to be pierced or stamped to last.” The New Testament transliterates this word in 1 Cor. 2:9, as “Love.” This Biblical truth fits perfectly with the divine reality of being pierced with the love of God, so in return we love Him forever. We love God as a direct result of Him first loving us. Those who wait on the Lord are individuals who have been imprinted and molded by the eternal mercy of God to become His “vessels of mercy” that will adhere to God. (Rom. 9:23) WOW! This should be an awesome revelation that transforms our life for God’s glory. Isaiah tells us that those who wait on the Lord are the ones whom God meets with. Now it is clear why they meet with the Lord. They adhere to Him with the glue of everlasting mercy. It is the mercy of God that is from eternal past, manifested in our daily lives that endures through and for God’s eternal plans (Is. 63:16). Second, we must look at the word “meet.” The word in its original Hebrew text is best understood as having been completely fulfilled, therefore meaning “have already met together with.” We can see why the benefactor of this meeting is rejoicing. The meeting place of God is often referred to as the “secret place.” I like to call it the “place of eternal release.” The place of eternal release is that place where God sows His seed into the hearts and minds of His people. The definite and defining result of this meeting with God is a bright and cheerful countenance. As Samuel’s mom, Hannah, said after meeting with God, “I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.” (1 Sam. 2:1) Third, we see that this bright and cheerful servant does what is right. They, being right with God can now live life through God’s grace. God’s grace is at work transforming them into usable and valuable trophies that will display God‘s victory over their life. Fourth, we see their ability to mark and recognize the presence of God and His course of life. The word remember means “to mark by recognizing.” The word way means “a road or course to walk.” The Lord’s road is narrow and can only be identified and traveled by those who have met with Him (Ps. 25:14). The Bible describes this disciple as one who fears the Lord. Those that give place, priority, and purpose to God’s covenant promises of mercy are the men and women who fear the Lord. (Ps.33:18 ; 147:11) The Word teaches us that this road is the King’s path and He Himself guards and preserves it for His saints. (Pr. 2:8) Therefore, their eye is set on the path or race that God has set before them.

Who is it then that has met in the secret place of intimate fellowship with God? It is those who adhere to His ways and rejoice in the God of their salvation so that it is noticed upon their countenance and heard in their voice of praise. Their life is in harmony with the revealed will of God, and they have given themselves to help others see the need to put no confidence in man. They live to help men and women to lay down their life and also trust in the sufficient grace and glory of God. (Ps. 118) Those who meet in the place of eternal release live to release eternal truths they've gleaned, while meeting with God, with others. (Is. 50:4)

How about you? Do you meet daily with Jesus? Do you bear the fruit of having met with the Lord? Can you recognize and mark His path for your life? Are you on the same road as the Lord? Can you discern His presence upon others? If so, praise God for it! If not, cry out for help today. The FIRST place you'll be invited to meet with the Lord will be at CALVARY. Have you been persuaded by Jesus Christ? He became sin and died on your behalf to satisfy God's wrath, and also supply God's favor upon those whom He calls. Have you answered His call?

Seeking to Understand His LOVE and FEAR

(excerpt from Magnify the Lord: Ten Reasons to Discover, Declare, and Defend Why Christ Came, ISBN 9781602669314)

GOD LOVES HIS ENEMIES
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life” (John 3:16). John 3:16 does not reveal to us the
full story of what it means that He gave His only begotten Son.
Nicodemus didn’t know at the time this meant the cross. We know
because we can see from the rest of the counsel of God that Jesus
died upon a cruel Roman cross. Nicodemus eventually came to
know what Jesus meant, but not that night when he came to Him by
the cover of darkness. We also know by the rest of the counsel of
God’s Word that the love God has for the world is rooted in Christ
Jesus. God can love a sin-sick people because of a sinless and spotless
Lamb. In Christ Jesus, our Lord, is where God’s redemptive
love is centered. It is also what caused His Son to come and establish
this eternal truth to us. We can also look at the rest of God’s counsel
and understand that the world referred to in John 3:16 includes Jews
and Gentiles. God’s Word speaks of these people as being dead in
their trespasses and as children of wrath. He describes them as being
hostile enemies and rebellious toward His ways. Yet in other places
we see them spoken of as sheep, saints, elect, and the church of God.
Nicodemus didn’t know what Jesus fully meant that night, but the
Son of God knew and that was why He shared these things with His
disciples.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life
for the sheep.John 10:11

I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known
of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep
I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and
they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and
one shepherd. Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I
lay down My life, that I might take it again. John 10:14-17

Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the
works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of
Me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as
I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and
they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater
than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s
hand. I and My Father are one.” John 10:25-30

When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the
holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of
His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and
He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on
His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King
say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world… Matthew 25:31-34

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say
unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me. Matthew 25:40

IT LEADS TO FEAR
These and all the precious promises of God that are given to
us in Christ bring great comfort to our souls. When we are established
in the fact that God loves us no matter what we do, it will
produce a healthy type of fear in our life. It is the fear of God that
has been placed in our hearts to keep us from departing from the
Lord. There is a difference between fearing God and having the
fear of God. Fearing God means that we stand in utter awe of what
has been made known to us about God by His grace. When we fear
God, we give Him the proper place, priority and purpose in life.
The response of our lives giving place to Him will be that we live
to praise and glorify His name. This type of fear leads to the fear
of God resulting in a supernatural ability to know and understand
certain things the way God does. When we have the fear of God, we
also have the gateway of wisdom and discernment open to us. “The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of
the Holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). Our passage didn’t say
“fear in” or “knowledge in,” but the “wisdom of the Lord” and the
“knowledge of the Holy One.”

GOD FEARS
Did you know there are things that God fears?

I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the
remembrance of them to cease from among men: Were it not
that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries
should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should
say, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this.
Deuteronomy 32:26-27

God gave place to or feared the wrath of the enemies of Israel,
knowing they would have claimed victory over His people.

It’s not that God fears any enemy in and of themselves,
but He considers the reality that the enemy will take credit for something
God did and distort His name and how He works before the
world. I recall when God told Moses He was going to destroy the
people of Israel and start over with just him. Moses pleaded
with the Lord not to do this for fear of the enemy. What was he
afraid of? The enemy would have great occasion to blaspheme or
vilify the character of God by saying He was not able to deliver
His people. Did Moses come up with this thought on his own? No!
Remember, Moses was described as being a humble and meek man
who talked face to face with God. The character of God and what
He feared was being manifested in Moses. He spoke what God had
placed in His heart. God had placed His fear in the heart of Moses,
and Moses knew what to do next in that situation—he said what
God had already planned to do. Just the opposite is true with king
David. He took God lightly, and it resulted in actions that gave the
enemies of God occasion to speak perversely about His character.
When we have the fear of God, we will also have the wisdom to
guard His name!

NO SHAME
I have known all my life that my Mom and Dad loved me. I
knew their love for me was based on who I was and never on what
I could do. I did fear my Dad’s wrath because I knew he meant
business when he said he was going to do something. I was never
afraid of my Dad because I had a healthy respect for who he was.
I stayed away from certain people and particular situations as a kid
not because I feared getting caught, but because I feared the reality
of bringing shame on my father’s name. I also didn’t want to hurt
my mom and dad. I knew they would love me even if I did hurt
them or embarrassed them by doing something I knew I shouldn’t
be doing. Knowing they would love me no matter what didn’t give
me permission to do wrong, but it actually prevented me from doing
a lot of it. My Dad told me up front what he did and didn’t like for
me to do, yet I clearly understood the difference between “love” and
“like.” I received a many a whooping as a child because I did what
my Dad didn’t like. He told me ahead of time the consequences of
doing things he didn’t like because he loved me.

I BELIEVE IT
I know God loves me no matter what. I’m not afraid of my heavenly
Father, but I do fear I could do something that would vilify His
character and He would take His hand of favor off my life. He has
settled it before me and I know God loves me no matter what. I just
want to bless His name. I have done things my heavenly Father does
not like, but because He loves me He will and has chasten me for it.

GOD MUST DO IT
What’s the point of these illustrations? God has sent His Son to
settle it in our hearts that He loves us. He sent Him to establish this
truth and to teach us how to love. We do need the touch of God’s
heart and His hand to love Him and others. “And the Lord thy God
will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the
Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou
mayest live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). He teaches us how to choose to
love. Love is a choice that should be made from within a person,
not from without. We must be born again (circumcised in heart by
God) to love the way He’s shown us to love sacrificially. “This is
my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends” (John 15:12-13). God is love; therefore, He does not
need anyone to teach Him how to be loved in order to love. We, on
the hand, are not love; therefore, we have to be taught by God how
to be loved so we can love Him and others the way He does.

CONQUERED BY THE GOSPEL

The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, He shall stir up zeal in His champions like a man of war: He shall cry, yea, roar; He shall prevail against His enemies.

Isaiah 42:13 (emphasis added)
Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14

We, as disciples of Jesus, have a divine obligation to yield our
ear to the One who has given us the capacity to hear His voice. When
Jesus won our hearts and interrupted our lives, He also enabled us
to walk by faith and consequently please our heavenly Father. He
opened our hearts to the victory of the gospel over our lives, and
our ears to hear His voice so we can do His will. We have been
conquered by the King and His glorious message of deliverance to
the point where we have learned to live by His decrees.

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through
the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in
every good work to do His will, working in you that which
is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom
be glory for ever and ever." Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21

Our Shepherd and King will always lead us for the glory of His
Father. Not only do we have a faithful Shepherd but a God of purpose
who works in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure.
Why does Jesus shepherd our lives and the Father, through the
enabling work of the Holy Spirit, work in us? So we may shine as
lights in the midst of a dark world while accomplishing His purpose
in the earth. (Phil. 2:12-16)

JESUS

WHAT A NAME

Jesus! There is no name more precious to the children of God than
the name Jesus. His name sounds so adoring and attractive to His
disciples that it can’t be mentioned without them being full of joy
unspeakable and glory. Why is His name so special to His people?
He Himself is what makes His name so wonderful and amazing. His
life and the reasons why He came to the earth are worth more than
we have to offer. What do we have to offer Him? All we have is
our life. We have nothing more or nothing less. He has given all of
Himself to us and requires that we give all of ourselves to Him.

LOSING OUR LIFE TO HIM
Making the point more personal, I must encourage you to give
Jesus the life He paid for with His own blood. Give Him your sin, your
anger, your hurt, your doubt, your lies, your wounds, your desires,
your passion, your plans, your family, your pain, your secrets, your
unbelief, your pride, your future, your mind, your heart, your hands,
your feet, your strength, your trust, your life—just give Him you!
He gave all of Himself in exchange for all of you. His Life for your
life! Today is the day of deliverance and salvation. Give Jesus your
praise!