Protect the Anointing

I recent heard a story regarding an evangelist that excused himself from a group of pastors after they started gossiping about others and when asked why he left, his response was "I have to protect the anointing on my life and cannot be tainted by what I hear about others before I minister to them. I read another one about Smith Wigglesworth, a Pentecostal Revivalist/Evangelist from the early to Mid -1900's that spoke of him telling a visitor to leave the newspaper outside of his home because he would not allow the lies found in the paper to be brought in so as not to taint the anointing that God had placed on him.

This got me thinking. I know God has placed an anointing on my life. But are there things that I do, things that I see on T.V., things I read or listen to that taint that anointing? Sadly I have to say yes. These 2 stories in quick succession was like a voice from God telling me to be careful with the anointing, not to take it lightly. It is very easy to take the things of God lightly or not as serious as they should be taken unfortunately. It is too easy to watch the political news, knowing the lies that are there or the propaganda, or read articles about different groups saying how great this life style is or that point of view is, or even in college class rooms where anti-biblical rhetoric is poured out every single day. Sometimes this inappropriate and harmful talk comes from well-meaning people. I have even heard it on Christian radio from the DJ's. The anointing is far more important, far more valuable than any of the things, or language this world speaks around us in various forms and ways.

It would seem that from what I have heard, and what God seems to be speaking to me that His anointing is fragile and incapable of handling the filth and garbage that come against us every day. That is not the truth. It is us that are fragile and incapable of holding on to the things of the world and the things of God at the same time. Just like Light can dispel the darkness, if we allow it to the darkness can dispel the light (although it is harder for this to happen) but in our heart and lives, if we allow the unrighteous things of the world to crowd out the anointing, we lose and those we are to minister to loses. 1 John 2:15 states "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you." And again in James 4:4 - "Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God." And again Romans 12:2 -- “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." These verses make it clear that the things of the world are an enemy of God. Why would I put the anointing that God has placed on me in jeopardy by being friends with the world, allowing it to taint my perspective? I am not saying that I want to be so heavenly minded that I am no earthly good, I am saying that I need to be careful with the anointing God has placed in me. And this is not only true of me, Smith Wigglesworth, and traveling evangelists, it is true of every believer. God has given each one of us a measure of His anointing, some more some less, depending on the calling He has placed over us. I am saying be careful with the Fire (anointing) God has placed in your heart, for it is far too easy to allow the things of this world to put out that Fire. I know I for one plan on keeping a Pure Fire in my heart and not a tainted one or strange fire as Aaron's sons did in Leviticus 10 so that I can offer a pleasing sacrifice to God.

I want to challenge all who read this to think about this carefully and to place your own heart and mind before God and ask if there is any strange fire or impurity there that might water down or render null the anointing God has placed in your heart. It is precious, more precious than silver or gold. It is the greatest treasure known in the universe.