A Trumpet Call To Holiness – A Word by Rev. Josephine Marie Ayers

I learned a great lesson from an Aglow prison ministry leader I had years ago when I was doing prison ministry. She said, ‘protect the anointing at all cost’. Her words indicated that sin was the biggest issue with man, and that the way to protect the anointing was to not sin, when it knocks at your door, and avoid any appearance of evil.

 

There are many ways sin can come into a believer’s life, and this happens in very subtle ways. The devil is not going to come in dressed like a dreaded monster. Offense, un-forgiveness, bitterness, and our speech are the biggies. There are others that are even more subtle.

 

  How are we challenged to protect our anointing?  In day to day situations and activities with others, saved and unsaved. Friend or foe, family members, ministry colleagues, and the like. 

 

  Face it folks, we all have that sin propensity because of the fall of man. What was indicated to me was that personal Holiness and hiding under the cleft of the Rock, refusing to act on temptations, and sin, and right standing with God, would protect the anointing. We do not have to fear or take matters into our own hands.

 

   We need to be HOLY!  Holiness sets us apart for God’s purposes. How do we get Holy? Well that happens by setting lives, agendas, purposes and plans for God. It happens by sin awareness, and sinning less and less and less.

 

 David was a man after God’s heart, scripture says. We need not fear losing our anointing, if we are as David was. David was less than perfect, but I believe his heart was set apart for God. He made an alliance with Bathsheba that caused him to commit many sins. But God redeemed all with repentance! You know the story. Although, there was a price to pay for that choice.

 

I opened the bible to 2 Samuel 22 yesterday.  It was a powerful prayer message of the power of God’s defense of those that are in right standing with Him!  The “how to’s” are all in the Bible!

 

   2 Samuel 22 had powerful visuals of the degree of how angry God gets and how He rises up on behalf of His anointed, when others come against them. When God fixes things, we are not the “bad guy” and the fixes go beyond anything we can imagine. He wants to be our, “El Shaddai, mighty breasted One.

 

 People we don’t have to isolate or defend ourselves, He will do it for us. All we have to do is model ourselves and submit and model our lives after our Master, and not sin. He was meek and lowly of heart. 

 

   God is our defense no matter who we are around. Jesus and the apostles were anointed, and their alliances were far from perfect. Being around others does not contaminate us unless we enter into their sin or our sin. The Apostles were, ” Holy” set apart for His Glory in their hearts and actions. 

 

   How did they get there? It is a progression in life called sanctification. It is our journey as well. It ends when we get to glory.

 

   We must guard against becoming isolationists, to ‘protect the anointing’. The anointing itself is not the goal, it is HOLINESS, that is the goal in all we do.

 

   We need to be able to stand before a pure and holy God, as a pure and spotless bride. How does God get us, without spot or wrinkle?  I believe God surrounds us / allows into our lives, people, and situations to knock all the chips off of US! He wants to see how we will use the tools He gives us to rise above all of life’s distractions and situations.

 

  If we hide ourselves from others who we think are less than perfect, or a possible contamination to us, we abort opportunities to become more like Him—meek, lowly, humble of heart, and holy. 

 

   The bible talks about being tried and refined by fire, to come out as pure gold. In fact, it says He is coming with a ‘fullers soap and refiners fire’ to us.  It also says judgement is going to start with the house of the Lord!

 

  Our focus needs to be examining our own responses as we interact with believers and non-believers alike. God has ‘eyes’ on us!  Not to mention watch our tongues as well.

 

   Another piece of great advice I got in leadership was, ‘always take the low place’.  I can tell you that has served me very well, right or wrong. It is very disarming in touchy situations.

 

  I also believe that we need to be especially careful that in our concern to protect the anointing we can get into, ‘self-protection’, and further injure others. We can call it, ‘protecting our focus, or whatever you want. 

 

  But I believe that there will be grace to perform in these circumstances. I believe God wants to train us to be focused in these situations, not run from them. Remember the giftings and callings of God are irrevocable.  So, we need to put our boxing gloves down, and trust as we demonstrate love to the hurting and unlovely, HE will protect us.  Look how God allowed Daniel into the lion’s den, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, into the fire!  Look what God allowed into Job’s life? The list goes on and on.  Look also as to how He was there for them and redeemed all.

 

  I do believe there are times when we have to set healthy boundaries, but that is after we have done all that we can with the scriptural process God has designed for us in His word. Matthew 15:18, Matthew 5:24, 25, etc.

 

  I have seen a saying on fb, that says something like, ‘sometimes rejection is God’s protection”.  I have not seen that in the word. In situations when others reject us, and we have done all we can, we have no choice for that separation. It is on them, not us. But we are commanded to pray blessings on them, and again, now they have choices. Life is a progressive training ground. Relationships are not easy folks, but I can tell you, they are very important to God!

 

   I believe as long as we progress towards holiness we have nothing to fear about losing or damaging our anointing!  Stay attached to the VINE and you cannot lose!!!

 

  People, life is not all about us or our personal agendas. God cares about all that we do!  Many have remembered Him as Creator and not as Master and Lord! Are our plans submitted to Him in all areas? Oh God does not care about the small decisions. Yes, he does!  He is looking for people that are totally submitted and trust that His ways are higher.  Paul talks about being a bond slave to Christ. I believe that was the disciples’ ticket into Sonship and Apostleship, with signs and wonders following! 

 

   Samson allowed Delilah into his life. But it was Samson’s choices that hurt him. Not Delilah.  We are all given choices in life and we will never be exempt from the consequences of those choices.  But GOD is watching us, and proving us.  Especially those in leadership positions.

 

   The Bible does warn us about being unequally yoked.  There is much in this. But again, God warned that this is not sin, as much as a warning of the challenges that we face in these situations.  It also refers to being aligned with unbelievers.  Sometimes very unwittingly we can treat others as though they have spiritual ‘cooties’ which makes a bad situation often worse.

 

  There is much collateral damage amongst Christians in their efforts to protect themselves, leading to wounding other brothers and sisters in Christ.  Do you know how it starts?  It starts with their own ‘judgements’ about these fellow brothers and sisters. Then it turns into rejection and on and on.

 

  We are to restore one another in an attitude of meekness and love! Can you begin to see where the enemy has slipped in to cause disunity in the Body of Christ?!  He is wanting to bring unity to His church. Can you see the strategy of the enemy now? God calls us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ, in Galatians 6.

 

  None of us are perfect. Relationship and understanding prevents judgements about others.  Isolation and self-protection bring death not life. It starts with us! Love does cover a multitude. Dorothy Day has said, “We can only love God to the degree we love one another”.  I believe that also includes ourselves. That love, though, is a sacrificial love.

 

  A lot of folks are afraid to wear love on their sleeves because they don’t want to be hurt anymore. Fear is denying opportunities and lack of trust that God is there for protection and defense. What is the sin here? Fear, and lack of trusting in God. I have been hurt a lot in my life, but I can tell you, I have purposely never lost an opportunity to love. I will have missed out on many blessings if I had stopped to protect myself. I refuse to give in to hurt and offense! It is one of the best tactics of the enemy. That is some of how I protect my anointing.  I will always reach out to make it better and if it is not received, it is on them not me. Then I pray, pray, pray and leave it to my Father in heaven, and move on with what He has called me to do. There is no halo on this head. I am being purified as I write this, as well as being held accountable for what I am sharing.  Just sayin!

 

  Can you see Jesus’ every saying, I need to avoid these people because I want to protect my anointing? No, he died for all of us and His alliances were the lowest of the lowest. He did this to the point that He was even judged by His followers! In fact, He on the cross to spite the reviling’s, accusations and more, Scripture says, He “Uttered not a thing”.

 

We are all anointed.  God is the judge, not us! The only thing that can take away or destroy our anointing is us, by personal sin, without repentance.  God calls us to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters, especially. The Bible says, ‘don’t touch God’s anointed’, whether you agree with them or not. The real enemy here is the devil!  It’s the Lord’s job to make the corrections and our job to love all that we are!

 

Hebrews 12:14

2 Corinthians 7:1

2 Timothy 1:9

Malachi 3:2

1 Peter 4:17

1 Peter 1:16

Psalm 105:15

John 15:13

Matthew 11:29

Matthew 7: 1-3

Ephesians 5:27

John 15

Ephesians 4:29

Proverbs 15:1,

Psalm 41:3,

Proverbs 12:18

 

Josephine Marie Ayers

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