The second "A" of Anna is to be "Anointed".
The Hebrew word for "anoint is "mashach" with means "pouring" or "smearing". "Mashach" is the root word for "messiah".
Anna is anointed of God because of a life surrendered to God in prayer and fasting!
The Greek word for "anoint" is "chrio" from which word comes the word "christos". Thus the Christ of the New Testament is the Anointed One, the Messiah, Prophet, Priest and King!
The "pouring" or "smearing" is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our lives. Those of us who have received the Holy Spirit is anointed of God.
2 Cor 1:21-22
"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who has also sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee"
1 John 2:20
"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things"
1 John 2:27
"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him"
Thus it is clear that to be anointed is to receive the fullness of Holy Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee of God's presence in our lives. The Holy Spirit will also help to establish our faith in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit will also reveal the truth to us.
To be anointed is also to be authorised or empowered. Who does the authorisation and empowering? God.
Who is the agent? The Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit is poured forth on our lives by God we will stand in a position of spiritual authority taking on the mantle/our spiritual inheritance as "priests and kings" following the footsteps of our King.
Revelation 5:10
"You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth"
What are we authorised or empowered to do? To pray His kingdom come, His will be done on the earth. To enforce God's kingdom rule and kingdom reign in the lives of others who are still in the kingdom of darkness by reaching out to the lost. To pray for the Lord's return.
What must we do to release the anointing in our lives?
Prayer and fasting are the spiritual keys. As we pray and fast, we will be purified in our thought-life, our speech, our character, actions and attitudes.
We will become more and more yielded to the Lord, quick to obey Him when He speaks. Our hearts will be tender and humble towards Him.
Prayer and fasting is an act of intentional humbling of the soul.
When the soul is humbled, it will cease its incessant fleshly demands and we will gradually experience a dying to self. God's anointing can only flow through a clean, yielded and pure heart.
Psalm 35:13
"But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth, I humbled myself with fasting. And my prayer would return to my own heart"
Anna was anointed of the Lord. She was given the spiritual authority to prophesy and to be there not only to see but also to declare to others the first coming of the Messiah.
In Luke 2:37 we read that Anna "did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day".
She was consecrated to the Lord to a lifetime of prayer and fasting. She could do this without distraction as she did not leave the temple after being widowed from her husband.
When she saw baby Jesus in the temple, she stood in a position of authority (a prophetess) to give thanks and to declare that this is Jesus, the Redeemer of Israel.
Luke 2:36
"....who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day"
Luke 2:37
"And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem"
But then you might say "well this lady is different, She has no financial commitments, no earthly assets, no earthly concerns. She was also probably homeless and destitute and the temple was the only place she could call home". However it is also probable that she made an intentional decision to forego the pleasures of life to seek God and God alone....
What about us? We need to work. We cannot afford to stay in the church and intercede 24 hours! Be realistic....
However I strongly believe that we can indeed stay in the "temple of the Lord" by ensuring that we stay in God's presence.
To stay in the temple daily is to STAY IN GOD'S PRESENCE with a posture of waiting on God up to 24/7 to commune with Him!
How do we stay in God's presence daily when we lead such busy lives having so many commitments to fulfil.
Very simple.....glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's.
1 Cor 6:19-20
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's"
The temple is also the tabernacle where God dwells with man. It is not the physical church building but each and everyone of us dwelling in our own bodies making a decision to glorify God in everything we do!
Revelation 21:13
"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God"
Jesus clearly mentioned this in John 2:19-20 "Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"
As though Jesus could read the mind of his audience (just as I can probably read your mind now - no prizes for guessing how I do it) he explained in John 2:21 "But He was speaking of the temple of His body".
How can we glorify God in our bodies?
By not giving in to the works of the flesh but yielding to the Holy Spirit. By being obedient to His Word. Prayer and fasting will make it easier for us to resist the works of the flesh and to move into the depths of the things of the Spirit....
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