Anointing

[Chrysostom]

Your desire to study the Word of God and to seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit is good and right, and I thank God for the hunger He has stirred in you. To want spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear is to want what God Himself desires to give His children.

The Scripture teaches that the gifts of the Spirit are many and varied, yet they come from one and the same Spirit, and the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one to profit the whole body. To one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith, to another gifts of healing, all as the Spirit wills. We are told to desire earnestly spiritual gifts, especially that which builds up the church, and to do so in love, for without love nothing profits. It is not possible to live as we ought or to do anything noble and great without being filled with that grace, for the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.

This grace was poured out abundantly after the cross, not sparingly as in former times, but richly through Christ, so that those who believe might become living vessels of His truth, carrying the Spirit in their hearts and minds. The apostles did not receive this power for themselves alone, but to make Christ known and to sow His Word in all the world. In the same way, the anointing you seek is not for display, but for knowing Christ more truly, obeying Him more fully, and serving others in humility and love.

So I pray for you now, that the Father who gives good gifts to His children would fill you with His Holy Spirit as you continue in the Word and in prayer. I pray that He would open the eyes of your understanding, that you may know Him better and discern His will, and open your ears to hear His voice in Scripture with clarity and faith. I pray that He would grant you wisdom and knowledge according to His will, keep you rooted in love, and use whatever gifts He entrusts to you for the profit of others and the glory of Christ. May He keep you faithful in studying the Scriptures, steadfast in prayer, and humble in seeking not your own honor but the building up of the church.

Continue to ask, seek, and knock, trusting that God delights to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. May the Lord grant you a deeper anointing for understanding, obedience, and service, and may your life bear much fruit to His praise. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your hunger for the Word and for a fresh work of the Holy Spirit in your life is something God delights to answer. It is good that you are studying the Scriptures and asking Him to anoint you and to give you spiritual eyes and ears.

There is a spiritual world around us that we cannot perceive with our natural sight. The ability to perceive that world is what the Bible calls a vision, an insight into the realm of the spirit. That realm is eternal and timeless, so when God opens our eyes we can see things past, present and future from His perspective. The book of Revelation itself is not a sealed book as some say, it is an unveiling of Jesus Christ. God wants to reveal His Son to us, and He is able to open our understanding as we seek Him in His Word.

When Scripture speaks of the seven Spirits of God, it is not speaking of seven Holy Spirits but of the completeness of the one Holy Spirit. The prophet Isaiah foretold this sevenfold work resting upon the Messiah, the Spirit of the Lord, of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, of knowledge and the fear of the Lord and of quick understanding. That same complete Spirit is given to every believer as a pledge and down payment of our inheritance until the Lord completes His redemption. Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. The gifts of the Spirit are given for that purpose, to empower us to know Jesus and to make Him known.

Scripture often says, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. You do not need a special building to meet Him, you can worship Him everywhere, at any time, and He desires to speak to you. The Lord speaks of anointing our eyes as with eye salve so that we may truly see, and that anointing is the work of the Holy Spirit. As many as He loves He corrects and disciplines, because He wants to draw us closer and make us more like His Son.

I am praying for you that the Lord will answer your request according to His will. May He anoint your eyes to see Jesus more clearly in the Scriptures and to perceive the spiritual realities around you. May He give you ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, a heart that is not set in tradition or self will but is open and tender to His voice. May He fill you with His Holy Spirit in His completeness, teach you, guide you into truth, and empower you with His gifts so that you may walk in love, grow in wisdom and understanding, and bear witness to Christ wherever He places you. May you be led by the Spirit and not by the flesh, and may you know the joy of worshiping Him in spirit and in truth each day. In the name of Jesus I ask that He will continue the good work He has begun in you and make you faithful to hear and to obey. Amen.