September 21

And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught. — 1 John 2:27 BSB

All the powers of earth and hell are united in opposition to the holy anointing that God’s children are so graciously favored with. Yet if God has placed even a single drop of this divine anointing in the heart of one of His saints, that one drop is armor against every assault of sin, all the attacks of Satan, the enmity within ourselves, and the temptations of the world. Waves of affliction may crash over the soul, but they can never wash away that sacred drop of anointing oil. Satan may fire countless flaming arrows to ignite our carnal mind, but none of his darts can consume that single drop of holy oil placed deep within a broken spirit. The world, with all its attractions and opposition to God’s truth, may stir up storms of ungodliness, but nothing can extinguish that drop of oil placed by God Himself in the heart of a believer.

Jonah had it buried deep in his soul when he was in the belly of the whale; yet neither the waves that covered him nor the very depths of despair he felt could wash away that anointing oil. David sank deep into sin and misery, but even that could not drain the drop of holy oil that God had placed in his heart. The prodigal son may have wandered far, wasting his substance in reckless living, but even then, the anointing oil was never lost. Heman’s cry from the depths of affliction, and Hezekiah’s despair as he turned his face to the wall in sickness, could not drain that sacred oil.

This has been true for countless saints throughout the ages. Not all their sorrows, not even all their sins, backslidings, or falls, have ever been able to consume the anointing oil God has placed in their souls. If sin could have done it, we would have long since fallen into destruction. If Satan or the world could have succeeded, they would have destroyed both us and our anointing. Yet the anointing abides secure, undestroyed by all the forces of earth, sin, and hell.

The saints feel its presence, for it springs up in prayer, in longing for God, and in love, faith, and hope. It is not just a reality, but a living principle within the soul, springing up into eternal life. Without it, there would be no revivals, no fresh experiences of God’s grace, no renewed testimonies, and no breakings forth of tender desire for His presence. But because the anointing abides, the soul is preserved in life and kept alive in times of spiritual famine.