Walk in Your Anointing!

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.”  1 John 2:20 

As a Christian you are anointed and called for special service in God’s kingdom. We are anointed with grace, with gifts and spiritual privileges, by the Holy Spirit of grace.  

The most damaging lies that Satan spreads in the world are falsehoods and errors relating to the person of Christ. The Holy Spirit will keep us from being confused.

The scripture states that we will be known by our fruit – which is essentially having the same loving attitude that Jesus had toward both friends and enemies.

Please read the 18th chapter of I Kings, as background for my comments.

If you think you have a tough assignment, consider Elijah’s assignment! First he declared a drought, stating that there would be no rain in Israel until he gave the word.  King Ahab was so upset that God had to hide Elijah in a valley. Ravens brought him bread and meat and he drank from a brook.

After the brook dried up he went to live in a room provided by a widow. She was blessed with a jug of oil and a barrel of flour that never ran out. Unfortunately her son died, but Elijah prayed the prayer of faith and God restored the boy to life.

During this entire time there many people suffered; however only this widow received the special blessing.

Also, as we will discover, our friend Obadiah also had a tough assignment.

As we read through the Bible we discover that the severest judgments God sends will not humble or change the hearts of sinners! They are a stubborn bunch!

Christians – even hard-headed ones – eventually call out to God for help.

When we do that, then the blood of Jesus Christ will atone for the guilt of our sin. It takes a sanctified walk to purge away the pollution of sin.

Jezebel, Ahab’s wicked wife, had been busy killing off the priests of God. These men faithfully served the Lord, but they did not have the spirit of prophecy that Elijah did; they taught the people to keep close to the God. Obadiah had hidden 100 of them – 50 each in two caves.

The chapter opens with the statement that “After a long time – in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land."

Elijah went to present himself to Ahab during a very severe famine in Samaria, Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD.  It was a dramatic time.  Jezebel, the king’s wife, was killing off the Lord's prophets.  Obadiah had hidden a hundred prophets in two caves - fifty in each cave, and had supplied them with food and water.)

Ahab told Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals." They divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.

One can only imagine what Obadiah felt when he was walking along and Elijah met him. Obadiah bowed down to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"

Elijah had an amazing request – he wanted Obadiah to "Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”

Obadiah was not impressed! He asked, “Have I done wrong, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you.  And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ “I don't know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth. Haven't you heard what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!”

Elijah said, "As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today."

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

“I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.”

Question:  Why didn’t Ahab just have Elijah killed on the spot? I think that there are at least three reasons.

First, Ahab was afraid of Elijah. When we walk in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we have a divine power that keeps our enemies at bay.

Secondly, all of us have guardian angels assigned to us. Sometimes our life style and our words prevent them from helping us.

Thirdly, this was God’s plan, not man’s plans. Therefore, God made it happen because Elijah and Obadiah were willing to walk in the ways that God asked them to. Never forget that we have free will!

When the prophets assembled on Mount Carmel, Elijah asked the people a powerful question! “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

The people said nothing. They wavered in their judgment, and varied in their practice. Elijah called upon them to decide who the self-existent and supreme God is, and to decide which god was the Creator, Governor, and Judge of the world.

Would it be Jehovah or Baal? Whichever it was, they should follow him and him alone!

It appeared that Baal had all the advantages, however, one person plus God is always at an advantage! The God that answers by fire, let him be God!

This is like some of those TV ads that say, “Don’t try this at home!” Unless God leads you, don’t take on the devil, he might beat you up.

On the other hand, if God calls you to it, don’t back down.

Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire--he is God."

The people said, "What you say is good."

Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire."

They took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

[Note that Elijah was not into “Political Correctness!” A lot of churches would not want him to be their pastor!]

At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.

Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

Elijah was ready for action. He said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins.

Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed.

He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”

“Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time.

[A little girl in Sunday school was asked why he had them pour water on the altar. She responded, “So they could make gravy!”]

The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at your command.

“Answer me, O LORD; answer me, so these people will know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You are turning their hearts back again.”

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD--He is God! The LORD--He is God!"

Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.

Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”

So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

Israel has seen the light… They now acknowledge the Lord to be God, and they consented to putting Baal's prophets to death – now God is ready to pour out His blessing on the land.  However, it has not yet started raining!  God does not operate on this earth until one of us asks Him to. We are spiritual beings, and there is a spiritual battle being raged every day!

James 5:17, 18.  "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." 

Let that sink into your spirit: ELIJAH WAS A MAN JUST LIKE US!

1 Kings 18:43-46“Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”  The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”  Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Elijah long continued praying.  In the old days we called this “Praying Through.” I guess today we would call it “Hanging in there until you get the answer!”

Elijah knew God’s will for the situation, but he had to fight the spiritual battle.

There are many times that you and I must continue earnest in prayer, not fainting or giving up when things look bleak. After Elijah sent his servant to check 7 times, and finally a small cloud appeared. A little cloud at first, but it spread across the heavens, and watered the earth.

Great blessings often arise from small beginnings! The scriptures teach us not to despise the day of small things, but hope and wait for great things from it.

Elijah sent Ahab home – and then the power of the Lord came on Elijah and he outran the king and his horses!

The people were convinced that Jehovah is the God. Unfortunately all were convinced of God’s power, but as we will see in later studies, they were not converted!   ["Convinced" is not the same thing as "converted."]

Elijah was a man – a human being just like you and me. What would we do as a church if we had an absolute assurance that God would help us accomplish the tasks we set our hand to? What would we do if we had all the money it took to accomplish God’s will in Loyal, Oklahoma?

Psalm 1:1-3  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Each Christian has an anointing to accomplish our ministry! But it takes focus, self discipline and training. This is not always easy, but it is worth it!

Like Elijah in today’s study and like Daniel in his book, there will be some very challenging times that will require lots of prayer and faith. The question is this: Is it worth it! Absolutely!

In Deuteronomy God tells us that people will look at us and see the power of God in our lives. Look at it this way – we are God’s billboard – His advertisement!

The eternal destination of many people depends on you and me walking in our anointing and our blessing!  Everyone goes through difficult times – it is a part of this life’s experiences.  As we allow God to bring us through the difficulties we are an inspiration to others.   People are not inspired by people that stay “down and out,” but we are an inspiration when we allow God to bless us so we can be a blessing to others!