"But you have an anointing from the Holy One,
and all of you know the truth . . . See what you have heard from the beginning
remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the
Father. And this is what he promised us--even eternal life . . .As for
you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you
do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you
about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just
as it has taught you, remain in him."
1 John 2:20, 24-25, 27.
Rock Bottom
You've never reached a lower point in your life than
this. Your set of circumstances are worse than being abandoned in a marriage,
isolated in loneliness, broke and penniless, trapped in a relationship
of neglect and emotional emptiness, depressed by constant thoughts of worthlessness
and guilt, threatened by a terminal illness, or imprisoned by a disability
that you can't come to terms with. Your tiring search for sleep finds only
more mental mazes, and the night ahead is again the enemy instead of the
kind relief it should be. You pray and you cry for a brief escape from
this cruel captivity. Finally, the drug you took takes effect, and your
aching soul is anesthetized for a few merciful hours, but your mind carries
on, impressed by supernatural inspiration--you dream a life saving dream.
The Saving Dream
(Please note this passage is not written to bring
out any warnings about end time events - it is purely a modernized Bible
story, that will bring you new hope and encouragement).
As you dream, you see yourself sitting in your living
room, surrounded by the same set of circumstances that has been haunting
you so heavily. You are busy nervously skimming through the articles in
today's newspaper. On the second page, an article catches your eye. "International
Church Body Seeks Special Candidates." You read that the Headquarters of
your local church in your community, has appointed a "prophet" to select
a person in each community throughout the world to be a special contact
person and representative, or "prophet", for God in their community. For
months now, you have read in the newspapers and heard in the news how God
has spoken through this man to your local church and even to the President
of your country and his officers. His advice was good, and those who listened
to it, prospered amazingly. What is more, he has healed many cancer and
aids patients, turned thousands of people to God, and given many blind
people their sight. This prophet was going to travel throughout each country
to select people to be trained to do his work of healing, leading and helping
people in each community. Your heart thrilled as you read, and reread each
word. Deep inside, you have always wanted to get out and do a wonderful
work for the world. Your previous recollections of hero's like Mother Theresa,
Ghandi, and many others who gave their lives for their fellow man, drew
you toward a vision that would bring purpose and meaning to your life like
never before.
The Selection
Everyday that followed, you bought the newspaper, and
looked carefully for the day when the prophet was coming to your town.
Finally, the article appears that tells of the day and the time of the
selection for you area. Early that morning you get ready and go over to
the football stadium. On arriving, you can't believe the crowd. Somehow,
everyone in your community is there. Somehow everyone wants to be able
to know more about what's going to happen in the future, what it takes
to cope in life, how to be happy, where to find true peace, and be someone
special. The stadium is crowded to capacity. Ushers lead all the people
to their seats. Finally, the co-ordinator stands up, and gives instructions
over the microphone. Only ten people are going to be chosen from this community
to be trained and "anointed" as prophets. The prophet would be standing
in the middle of the field, and each person in the crowd is to walk in
single file past the him. The ushers direct all the people from the first
seating block to come and file past the prophet. The procedure is slow,
and from where you are standing, you can see the prophet stopping one person
at a time, looking them over, and then letting them file out of the stadium.
There he selects one. Between each person, he closes his eyes, and then
goes on to the next.
Your Turn
As you wait, your mind replays the past experiences you've
had in high school when you led a prayer group, spoke to someone about
God, or stood for something you really believed in. You remember how your
heart thrilled when you helped one of your classmates who was hurting.
You recall the thrill you felt whilst doing that kind of activity, and
how happy you were each time you reached toward the selfless sacrificing
life that Jesus Christ exemplified two thousand years ago. Finally, your
seating block is called up. There must be a hundred people or more in line.
The line reaches right around the field. Seven people have already been
selected. Your heart is pounding in your throat. "What is the prophet looking
for?" You think to yourself. As you get closer, you see that he is praying
between each person who stops in front of him. Closer and closer you move
to where he stands. Your whole life passes before you again. You see your
childhood and the unhappiness you have experienced. You see your schooling
years, the successes and the failures. You see your past relationships
. . . the good times and the mistakes you've made. You see the way you
have doubted God and how you moved in and out of intimacy with Him over
the years. You remember only too well how you drew close to Him when things
went bad in your life, and how you started living without Him when things
went well. Now, you stand right in front of the prophet. His loving eyes
lock onto yours, his smile communicates an unconditional love and acceptance
that you have never experienced before. Slowly he lifts his head heavenward,
closes his eyes and spends a minute in prayer. Then, as his eyes open,
they focus intently onto your eyes, and this look tells you something wonderful
is about to happen. "Friend," he says, "God has chosen you to be an end
time prophet for Him. Please step aside with those seven people, and prayerfully
consider your appointment. The anointing service will take place shortly."
The Anointing
Your body tingles from the crown of your head to the
tip of your little toe. It feels as if your whole life has been leading
up to this very moment. All the hurt and heartache that you have experienced,
all the lessons you have learnt in life, all the spiritual growth you have
enjoyed, everything your parents have taught you, all you've learnt in
school--yes, your whole life has been set up and steered to this very moment.
As the last of the massive crowd filters out of the stadium, the prophet
steps toward the group that has been specially selected. The tingling in
your body doesn't stop. It intensifies as the prophet steps toward the
group
and asks them to kneel before him. "Oh Lord our God," he prays, "As I pour
this oil on each person's head, I dedicate each person to the special prophetic
ministry of helping and healing those dying around us in this world. May
a seven-fold portion of your Holy Spirit, symbolized by this oil, rest
on each person. May your promise, that they will do 'greater things than
these,' be fulfilled in the ministry of each person." Then you feel the
warm oil flowing over your bowed head. As it flows down your temples and
over your cheeks, the tingling sensation is joined by a warm feeling--like
a hot water bottle is being pressed on different areas of your body. You
are overwhelmed. You realize that God does not respect any person above
another, and, that just as He chose humble, sinful fishermen, He chose
you for the same work He chose them. Now, all of your life has new meaning
and purpose. The thrill you experienced every time you heard or read about
the Godly lives that the patriarchs and prophets of old lived, is now a
reality in your life.
The Training
"The only training you will ever need," says the prophet,
"is right here." He points to the Bible in his hand. "The secret to finding
the same power as Elijah, Daniel, David, Peter, Paul, and Jesus Himself,
is simply getting up early, before the rest of the world starts moving,
and spending time alone in meditation, prayer and study of God's Word.
Read several passages in different sections of the Bible, comparing text
with text, to gain a comprehensive picture of what God was saying through
the various inspired authors. Make each word your own, personalizing every
thought and concept. Build each word practically into your circumstances
and into your particular weaknesses and inherited character traits. Each
morning, pray for the sealing and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Pretend
that at the end of each day you will die, and so live that day as if it
were your last day alive. Hunger and thirst for God, as if your very life
depended on it. When you do that, putting all else aside--homes, jobs,
families, friends, possessions, interests, hobbies, sport, studies, business,
finance, art, relationships--you will come so close to God that He will
live and work inside of you. All these things I mentioned that you must
put aside, God will give you in abundance after He is first and foremost
in your life. First and foremost to the point that if any of those things
were taken away, you would still be strong and able to encourage and lead
others to a closer walk with God. This is the only training I have for
you. The Spirit will tell you the rest."
The Awakening
As the last word left the lips of the prophet, you suddenly
awoke out of the deep sleep you were in. In an instant you knew that it
wasn't just a dream, but God actually communicating a very important lesson
to you. You feel inspired to open the Bible and read a text in the first
epistle of John. You nervously turn to chapter 2:20, 24-25, 27,
where you read, "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains
in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches
you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just
as it has taught you, remain in him." You realize that the dream was
a word from God telling you that you, and all those who will respond to
this unique calling from God, are apostles and prophets for God. That all
those who are prepared to "remain in Him,"and in His words daily, as explained
by the prophet in your dream, are chosen to be special representatives
of God on this earth, participating in the very work that Jesus and His
disciples did! You can't believe it! What a revelation. Now awake, the
same thrill and tingling that you experienced in your dream, overwhelms
you in real life. The hurtful and hopeless situation you are facing seems
to shrink and shrivel up and disappear. Your "anointing" overshadows every
single aspect of your life--just as it did in your dream. "Oh Lord," you
cry out, "how short sighted I've been. How wrapped up in my own desperate
dilemma, how captive in the self constructed prison of seemingly insurmountable
circumstances. Oh Lord, if you are willing, bring a new confidence into
my thinking that you are in absolute control. That you have called and
anointed me to be your special representative and agent to save a dying
world. Oh Lord, speak the word, and I
will be healed from being so absorbed in my immediate problems and turn
my focus unconditionally onto You and those who are so much worse off than
me. Let me die to what I want and to where I think I should be. Let me
wait on You, spend time with You, and make my first priority getting to
know You more and more intimately."
Your New Life
As you lie back in bed, you realize that every bit of
your anxiety and anguish has disappeared. God gave you a word to reorientate
and refocus your thinking. Your mind is now reconcentrated on Him, your
goals have been redirected toward Him, and the purpose and motivation in
your life has been readjusted according to His counsel. Your life has turned
from being self-centered to being God-centered. What a change, what a relief,
and what a difference. Yes, you are a prophet, a priest, and a preacher
with a purpose. A purpose to reorientate the misinformed masses around
you as to the secrets of finding happiness and hope amid life's suffering
and sorrow. You fall on your knees and prayerfully accept the anointing
that is uniquely yours. "Oh Lord, thank You for considering me worthy to
be Your servant. Thank You that I can release my circumstances into Your
control. Thank You that I can rest and relax because You have taken whatever
I have to face into Your hands. Thank You that I can now focus on getting
to know You, on spending time alone with You daily, and on helping others
around me who are so much worse off than me. Thank You that You will lavish
me with better gifts than I could ever dream of, or imagine, and that You
will give me the patience and peace of mind to wait on Your answer for
however long it takes to come!"
The Miracle Manuals
In
order to gain a more detailed explanation of how to spend time alone with
God daily, click here to start reading the Miracle Manuals. Remember,
being a prophet, priest and preacher with a purpose doesn't mean you need
to go out and "try" to reach others. No, as the prophet said in your dream,
your priority is to get to know God. He will tell you what to do and when
to do it, AFTER you are one with Him. Your involvement with others is but
an outflow of your intimacy with Him. It happens naturally without you
having to "do" or "go" and "say" anything. God gushes out of every pore
of your body--people will see it, sense it, and come and seek it. You just
focus on more and more intimacy with Him and knowledge of Him.