the Anointing pt6

Dear beloved: Is it possible for one to lose the anointing after receiving it from the Lord? We will look at the answer to that question in the story of Saul. Saul was a man appointed and anointed by the Lord to be the prince of the people Israel. In 1 Samuel 9: 15, the Lord said to Samuel, Now a day before Saul's coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, v16 "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he shall deliver My people from the hand of the Phillistines. For I have regarded My people, for their cry has come to Me." The actual ceremony of the anointing takes place in 1 Samuel 10:1, Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said, " Has not the Lord anointed you a ruler over his inheritance?". And in verse 6 Samuel tells Saul he will be changed. v6 "Then the spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man." We know from reading on further that Saul did become a changed man, began to prophesy, and became a great warrior king of Israel.
The anointing of the Lord, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, should dramatically change your life! If it does not, you must wonder if you really have the anointing. Joel 2:28 "And it shall come about after this, That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, And your young men will see visions. v29 And even on the male and female servants I wiil pour out My Spirit in those days." Just as Saul began to do mighty exploits for the Lord, so should you; however, Saul was not totally obedient to the Lord, and so the anointing was taken from him. 1 Samuel 13:13 And Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. v14 But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart (David), and the Lord has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." And again in 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel tells him, "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. v23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the voice of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king." So just that fast Saul was finished and God brought in His new man David. in fact, in verse 35, we read that Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
Again we see that the anointing and the keeping of it, and the intensifying of it, is directly dependent upon our obedience to the Lord. What is God calling you to do today? It may be something small or very big. He may be asking you to give up something to spend more time in fellowship, in prayer, in study of His word, or maybe to step up in service to the fellowship; or maybe He is calling you to short or long term mission work, to preach or to prophesy. Whatever the calling, in obedience God will provide the anointing and give you the power and strength to do the work. Several years ago I was given the opportunity to tour 9 churches in Eastern Colorado on a speaking/singing tour, the only problem from my point of view was it came right in the middle of the fall produce harvest, the busiest time of the year on the farm. However, I answered the call and went on the tour. The Lord blessed me with a great offering from the churches, and in addition I got called back to four of them for revivals or other speaking engagements. When you answer the call God wlll provide, he wants to take us from glory to glory as we move upward in the kingdom. Paul says it in Phillipians 3:13, Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, v14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Answer Him today, let Him change you and take you where He wants you to go! May God bless you this day as you answer Him. In Christ, Jim