The Abiding Anointing of God

It’s not a burden to be always considering others in this way, “because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”* (Romans 5:5)NKJV When we’re born of the Spirit, it’s not burdensome to obey His commands, as our longing desire to is the please God. Our longing desire isn’t to stand fast on our styles, or whatever things that we like. If that is our desire, then the Lord has to the deal with it. Our heart’s cry should be, “I just want to please the Lord. I want to glorify Him. As much as I know how I’m walking with a pure conscience.” And yet we can’t say, “The way I am doing it, the way I believe, this is the way. This is the pattern—everyone follow me.” We’re never going to get beyond needing to be taught. We’re never going to exhaust the knowledge of God. How can we? We’re continually growing in understanding His heart, and as we understand it more, it adjusts our lives. That’s the way it works. As we submit ourselves, we allow His character to be formed in us. Praise the Lord!

John writes, “Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.”* (1 John 2:24-25)NKJV And “this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”* (1 John 3:11)NKJV So we see that the message of Christ is to love one another. It’s the message the Spirit of God rings in our hearts when He’s abiding there. This “love one another” is the Spirit of God speaking within us.

John also tells us, “These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”* (1 John 2:26-27)NKJV The Spirit of God is the anointing that speaks within us, teaching us concerning every little detail of our lives. We can trust Him to show us what to do. He motivates us by love. That’s how He works. And so as our hearts are filled with love, we are that wineskin that’s fresh and able to move as God directs.

I’m naturally bent to be careful with money, and I’ve had lots of situations of adjustment when it comes to principles about spending money and things like that. There have been times where the Spirit of God has moved me to take people out to dinner, or do something where I naturally think, “Uh, this feels like a luxury. It seems like a waste, because this money could go to give Bibles and other aid for all these people in different places.” But we have to be open to the moving of the Spirit of God. He’s going to push past our natural principles, and so we have to be flexible and yielding. “Okay, Lord. I’m trusting You in this. This wouldn’t be what I’d normally do, or what I would normally feel like is good, but in this situation I have peace about it, and I’m going to go ahead and trust You to lead me.” We all have different ways we’re built, and when the Lord is stretching us, we have to let Him move. Of course, we need be sure that it’s the Lord motivating us out of love, instead of taking opportunity for the flesh and saying, “Well, hey, I’m free. I can do this and that.” If we’re starting to get too careless, the Lord will check us.

“But you, beloved,” says Jude, “building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”* (Jude 1:20-21)NKJV That’s where we need to stay. We can’t leave our first love. And how is our heart kept in love? It’s when we’re receiving the love of God, continually abiding in Him, and basking in His love. We can’t make our hearts soft in and of ourselves—it is God working in us. But we have to accept and receive and embrace the His work in our hearts on a continual daily basis. Otherwise we’re going to get like that rigid wineskin. We will become insensitive to the Spirit, and won’t be able to walk in the Spirit and move as the wind of the Spirit moves. Lord help us.