Anointed by God

This week we discussed the anointing of David and all that it entails. Our homework began with a basic definition of anointing, which is essentially God enabling us to complete the divine or supernatural task to which He has appointed us. We discussed that our everyday lives lived within the will of God is a divine accomplishment. Sometimes we think too big. We imagine that because we serve a big God that He must only call us to big things. The only problem with that way of thinking is that our definition of "big" is wrong. We have let society tell us what it means to do great things....it means bringing home the biggest paycheck....it means finding the cure for a disease.....it means playing pro-ball...it means starting, running and promoting a company, etc. But the question is How does God define big? Scripture teaches us that the first will be last and the last will be first (Matt 19:30). In God's eyes a big accomplishment is to serve someone so that His love is revealed to them through us. We are the Body of Christ and we were made to work together to serve God, each other, and the world. So, the conclusion is that our tasks may not seem big or flashy to the rest of the world, but Galatians 1:10 says "Do I now persuade men? Or do I seek to please men or God?" It doesn't really matter what the rest of the world says, it matters what God says.
In Day two we studied about opposition to the anointing and how it can come in many forms. We had several people share personal experiences where they felt like Satan was speaking untruths, lies, to them that would prevent them from fulfilling their God-anointed task. We discussed the importance of recognizing God's hand in everything we do but the flip-side of that is also being able to recognize the enemy so we are prepared to do battle. Like David, we must know that the battle we are fighting is the Lord's.
Day Three started with a discussion about being called to a certain position only to experience a brick wall in your path. Priscilla Shirer used the illustration from David's life of being anointed as king at age 15 but having to wait 22 years to see it come to pass. He could be disappointed and allow that disappointment to dictate his attitude, his heart but Scripture tells us he served Saul, tended sheep, and played music in the interim. Instead of taking on the "woe is me" attitude, he accepted God's call and decided to live fully in the moment, learning and preparing for what lay ahead.
Day four is a lesson on the importance of prayer. Because we are children of God, we have the benefit of being able to speak directly to Him and of being able to hear His voice. The only problem with that is that so many of us are so busy that we forget to stop and ask for God's help. I have a five year old son who is so smart. He has a very large vocabulary and I know this because he uses all of his words at least fifteen times a day. By the end of the day my ears are so tired from trying to keep up with him. It's no wonder I have a hard time hearing God speak to me....he can't get a word in! So, we discussed the importance of making prayer time, and quiet time with God a priority. Most of us agreed that it couldn't be scheduled, as was suggested by the study, but that we needed to get there every day.
Day Five's lesson is all about Obedience. I think that word ought to be a proper noun. It deserves respect and significance. I was taught a definition of Obedience as "doing what you're told, when you're told, with the right heart-attitude". In order to achieve all of those things, we must be living in the anointing of God. To Obey requires God's Holy Spirit to fill us, to take over, because our flesh, our human nature will automatically want to kick it off. We don't want to have someone tells us what to do or how to do it. It is God in us that will allow us to be Obedient.
We ended the session with our first video from Beth Moore. She is a powerful speaker, full of passion, wisdom, and humor. If you missed today's session, please borrow the DVD so you can get caught up. You won't want to miss it. Next week we will meet at Kim's. Kathy H will be at Calvary at 8:30 for anyone who wants to follow her there. Hope you have a great time!