Friday, 01 December 2023
“He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD Himself has chosen him.” – 1 Samuel 24:6 NLT
Growing up in the township, there were so many criminals that terrorized the community. There’s one in particular that stood out, we’ll call him “JM”. JM was a car hijacker, rapist, murderer, and a thief. He was feared by everyone. He had a younger brother who was still at school and because of his brother’s reputation, no one picked on him. People feared him, not because he was tough, if anything, he was skinny and unimpressive, yet we all feared him because of his brother. If you did anything to insult or upset him, you’d have to quickly apologize and keep your fingers crossed that he doesn’t tell his brother. There were older guys who used to take our lunch money whenever they felt like it, yet they didn’t touch him and because of this, his posture and confidence were at an all-time high. He knew that he was untouchable because of his brother’s reputation. One day, his brother was killed trying to hijack someone. It’s amazing how his confidence dissipated instantaneously. His protection was no longer there, he went from being a pitbull to a poodle in a matter of days.
King Saul was chosen, appointed, and established by GOD. He became the first king of Israel and was respected and feared. Due to his disobedience, he lost everything. As a result, GOD chose for Himself a new king after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) to replace him. Because of this, Saul hated David and tried everything in his power to kill him. While pursuing David, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. David was also in the same cave hiding with his men. When they all saw the opportunity to kill their mortal enemy they tried to convince David to kill Saul. David had every right to kill Saul, he had justification to do so. Yet David refused, as he was cognizant of the fact that, though Saul was backslidden and out of favor with GOD, he was still the LORD’s anointed. If a backslidden and disgraced servant of GOD is still referred to as “anointed”, how much more for those still walking with the LORD?
“Satan replied to the LORD, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear GOD. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is!” Job 1:9-10 NLT. What I’ve always loved about this Scripture is the benefits that come with walking with the LORD. Job probably didn’t even know that satan had been trying to get to him, and the only thing stopping him was GOD’s wall of protection around Job and his property. This gives me great comfort knowing that in all the scheming and planning from satan to cause my downfall /failure, GOD always has a wall of protection around me. This isn’t as a result of me paying a “protection fee”, but it’s simply because I am the LORD’s anointed. I have been set apart to do GOD’s work. I’m a royal priesthood, an acceptable and sweet-smelling aroma. All because of the anointing I didn’t ask for, but that which was bestowed over me before the creation of earth. Oh, what manner of love is this?
“While they were worshiping the LORD and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” Acts 13:2 NIV. While they were worshipping and fasting, GOD asked that they be set apart for His work. The commission happened as they were already dedicated to the Kingdom and striving for a life of purity. They were exactly where GOD wanted them to be when it was time to be used by Him. This highlights why it’s important to be isolated from things or people of the world that don’t honor GOD. The anointing alone isn’t enough, we ought to always be found where GOD can utilize us. This means, I can’t love the world and the things in it and still expect GOD to use me. While set apart, the anointing gives me the ability/power to do GOD’s work. You can’t have one without the other.
This gives me great comfort knowing that in all the scheming and planning from satan to cause my downfall /failure, GOD always has a wall of protection around me. This isn’t as a result of me paying a “protection fee”, but it’s simply because I am the LORD’s anointed. I have been set apart to do GOD’s work. I’m a royal priesthood, an acceptable and sweet-smelling aroma. All because of the anointing I didn’t ask for, but that which was bestowed over me before the creation of earth. Oh, what manner of love is this?
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