“THE PROTOCOL OF THE ANOINTING”

“…It’s like costly anointing oil FLOWING DOWN head and beard, FLOWING DOWN Aaron’s beard, FLOWING DOWN the collar of his priestly robes.” (Psalm 133:2 MSG)

A Well-Known Fact Is This: If People Can Lift You Up, They Can Also Very Well Let You Down! Remember That!

In April 1993, after Steve Morrow scored the goal that gave the Arsenal Football Club England’s Championship Cup, his teammates tossed him into the air in ritual celebration. BUT…they failed to catch him when he came down, and an embarrassed Morrow was carried off the field on a stretcher with a broken arm and an oxygen mask over his face! Can you imagine the feeling after such a great victory, to walk away looking more like the loser than the winner? And if that’s not bad enough, what’s worse is that it wasn’t those AGAINST him that hurt him, but it was those FOR him, those on his OWN TEAM!

The Psalmist writes: “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It’s like costly anointing oil FLOWING DOWN head and beard, FLOWING DOWN Aaron’s beard, FLOWING DOWN the collar of his priestly robes. It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon FLOWING DOWN the slopes of Zion. Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.” (Psalm 133:1-3 MSG).

The Amplified Bible says it like this: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that RAN DOWN on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that CAME DOWN upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]. It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly].” (AMP).

I want us to take a look at a few vital lessons found here:

1…According to the Bible, the “COSTLY ANOINTING OIL” is tied directly to “how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in UNITY.” And yet, somehow the church still manages to fight and compete more over the “anointing/anointed” than they are willing to come together and work together on the same team for the same goal. Listen, you can’t tell me you’re anointed and yet you’re at odds with your brothers and sisters in Christ who are connected and fitly joined in the same One Body. The anointing is yoked to your unity, not disunity. So if you’re so “anointed” that you can’t get along with your brothers and sisters, perhaps you’re not necessarily “anointed”, just “oily.” Look at it like this: Pouring oil on raw chicken then serving it to others is unhealthy and deadly. Yet, pouring oil on the same raw chicken, however, placing it in the oven to thoroughly cook until it’s done and then serving it to others, feeds and nourishes them. The difference is one went through nothing, and the other went through a process. With that said, I’ve come to discover that some people are just “oily”, possessing no nutritional value whatsoever, and can be deadly in their words, actions and attitude, because they’ve endured no process. They just threw on some oil and assumed it was the same as the anointing. And yet you also have those who have more than just “oil”, because they’ve been processed. Which is why a lot of “oily” folks are immature; while processed “anointed” folks are mature. You see, they’ve learned to respect process; time; persistence; endurance; patience; and waiting. All things that the immature can’t handle. On the other hand, the maturity of the anointed knows that the key is dwelling and working together in unity with your brothers and sisters. Anything less, is just immature, oily folks who cause malnutrition to the Body of Christ. Which is why it’s so vital to remember: Ephesians 4:16, “From Him the WHOLE BODY [THE CHURCH, IN ALL ITS VARIOUS PARTS], JOINED AND KNITTED FIRMLY TOGETHER by what EVERY JOINT supplies, when EACH PART IS WORKING PROPERLY, CAUSES THE BODY TO GROW AND MATURE, BUILDING ITSELF UP IN [UNSELFISH] LOVE.” (AMP) The Costly Anointing Oil is Yoked to Unity in the Body of Christ;

2…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” is “PRECIOUS”. It is not to be used as a tool of competition and comparison. It is to be treated as the precious, treasure that it is, not fruitless attempts to out-do, or be better than someone else. We’ve so grievously misused, and mishandled the anointing. But it was never given for the purpose of trying to out-shine anyone else. The anointing serves a purpose and that purpose is not a selfish tool used at your whim. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (Isaiah 10:27). Does that sound like the anointing should be used in a common manner? Certainly not. Therefore, today, realize the purpose, plan and power of the anointing, and handle it as the precious oil that it is. It should never be handled haphazardly for it’s the necessity to the destruction of yokes! The word “precious” is defined as “having great value”. Its Latin Origin ‘pretiosus’, from ‘pretium’ literally means ‘price.’ The anointing is too costly to be utilized in such a cheap manner as to degrade it with competition and comparisons. Remember that the next time you’re tempted to out-preach, out-teach, out-pray, out-sing, out-shout, out-praise your brethren! That is not the purpose for something this precious and priceless. The Costly Anointing Oil is Precious;

3…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” covered “…the collar and skirts of his GARMENTS…” Can you imagine the anointing covering your garments? Sometimes I wonder if the anointing is as present on us, in us and with us as we say? Because shouldn’t at some point in time, contact with the anointing alter your garments? Truth is, there’s some attire (on both men and women) in church that confuses me. I don’t understand open cleavage; visible panty-lines; tight clothes that need an oxygen mask of their own. And things have gotten so bad in church, even amongst leadership, that vestments have become “fashion statements”. But in Scripture the “anointing oil” covered “…the collar and skirts of his garments…” Shouldn’t the church be seen differently than the world, even in our attire? And if so, why do our “holy garments” look no different than their “fashion statements”? And since when did words like “basic”; “simple”; “fundamental”; “decorum“; “descent“; become curse words? Think about this: Being crafted in His image and likeness; being called the righteousness of God and ambassadors of Christ, shouldn’t we be a bit more cautious and careful in how we present ourselves, or should I say more importantly, how we present and represent HIM? With that said, today, take a double-look at how you “as a believer” dresses (men and women alike). Make sure that you are sending the right message. After all, would you want to be in an emergency situation and the NYPD showed up dressed like the swim team? No, you expect them to be in uniform and to be prepared and equipped, and looking like the distinguished officers they’ve been called to be. Well, people should expect the very same from us as believers, followers, disciples, Christians and Children of God. There should never be cause for people to need to take a double-look or question if we’re a part of the Kingdom of Light or the Kingdom of Darkness. The Costly Anointing Oil Should Alter Our Attire;

4…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” did something special “…it consecrated the whole body.” The word “consecrate” is defined as “to make or declare sacred; to ordain to a sacred office.” Its Latin Origin “consecrare” literally means “to dedicate or devote as sacred.” In this day and age of the church we don’t see much consecration, dedication or devotion to GOD. Can we dare to tell the truth, rings, robes, chairs, positions and titles are all being haphazardly tossed to and fro with no meaning or purpose other than to say from one year to the next, I’ve been elevated…again. But the “anointing oil” is precious and serves to consecrate. It signifies that you’ve been set apart for no other reason, purpose, motive, intention, or agenda than to simply be used of God. “…the whole body…” was consecrated. Head to Toe. Which makes me wonder do we make sure that our minds, thoughts, deeds, actions, words, emotions, and the like are all set apart for God as well as our bodies? Does He have ALL of us, or just the parts we’re willing to give Him? Think about it: When the Father gave us His Son, He didn’t give us pieces of Him, He gave us His Whole Son. He sacrificed All that He is, just to have all that we are, and to use us to draw in others with the same loving-kindness. Is the anointing that special to you? Does it mean so much to you that you’re willing to give God ALL of you for His use in His service for His kingdom? Or is the anointing just special to you when you’re assigned to preach, to teach, to pray, to lead, or to be visible to others? The Costly Anointing Oil Consecrates the WHOLE Body;

5…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” and the “unity of the brethren” is also tied directly to “the dew of Mount Hermon…that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing even life forever more…” How amazing that the anointing is attached to a place where the Lord has commanded blessings and eternal life? And yet, we treat it so commonplace. But your anointing is a blessing and its life! Don’t get so caught up in the distractions of treating the anointing as a competitive edge over your ministry colleagues. Your anointing is not so you can preach better, teach awesome, or pray like the intercessor of the month. Your anointing is where the Lord has commanded blessings and life, treat it as such and don’t devalue it by abusing it carelessly. The Costly Anointing Oil Gives Blessings and Life;

6…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” is “…upon the high and the lowly…” The anointing does not discriminate. It doesn’t wait until Sunday morning, special services, consecrations, conferences and convocations to flow. It doesn’t need to be attired in full vestments to flow. It serves 2 people no differently than it serves 200 or 2 million. So, a good question to ask yourself is, do I flow to All, or just stagnate toward a few? The anointing reaches the “…the highly and the lowly…” It treats alike the rich and the poor, the white and the black, the educated and the challenged, the sick and the well, the old and the young, the women and the men, all equally. Do you? Honestly, do you teach to the same degree with a class of 3 that you do in a class of 30? Do you preach to a congregation of 12 the same as you would 1,200? Do you carry yourself the same whether meeting with the CEO or the janitor? The anointing is consistent and does not change up roles like characters in a play. And if you are amongst the anointed, neither should you. The Costly Anointing Oil Does Not Discriminate;

7…Lastly, according to the Bible, “the anointing oil” “…FLOWS DOWN…”

Despite what you see in a lot of our churches today, God still works through Structure and Order! “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33). The New Living Translation says it like this: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” (NLT). In other words, the Oil Flows DOWN, Not UP! That would be confusion and contradiction, doing the opposite of what the Word has already declared.

Truth is, it doesn’t matter if those Under you think you’re absolutely wonderful, unless those Above you agree! Like it or not, but leadership and anointing come with the requirement of complete submission and total surrender. I don’t care how many people pat you on your back, never let it go to your head! Meek, lowly, humble are all characteristics that every anointed leader should carry. It keeps you from becoming pompous, arrogant and conceited. Remember: the anointing flowed down from Aaron (the leader, the high priest). It did not flow from Israelite to Israelite. It flowed from the High Priest down…In Order!

Until you understand that, you’ll be susceptible to those who, for their own reasons, and hidden agendas, want to tell you how wonderful you are and how you should be running the show! However, in God’s Kingdom, you’re not approved by people, you’re approved by God: “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” (Matthew 17:5); “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God performed through him among you. You yourselves know this.” (Acts 2:22 CEB); “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Galatians 1:10 NLT); “God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-5 MSG). Bottom Line: The Anointing is Approved of By God, Than the Leadership in Which You Are Submitted, Subjected and Surrendered to, NOT By the People Who Pat and Applaud You!

Like in the opening story above, the very same people who lifted Steve Morrow UP, were the very same people that let him fall DOWN! And if you think they won’t do the very same to you, just ask Jesus! The same that yelled “Hosanna, Hosanna,” in one breath, were the very same people who inhaled then exhaled “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” God is still a God of structure and order. Let Him Approve of You, Then Be Patient and Wait For His Approval to Pass From His Desk to Your Leaders, and Then On to You. The anointing is not like ordinary oil, it does not run out. So even if you have to wait for the appointed, appropriate time, WAIT. You’re anointing will never be assigned to someone else. Nor will it dry up and deplete itself. Nothing from the Holy Spirit lacks or is deficient in anyway. So I admonish you, don’t allow people, especially your inner circle, clique, crew etc…to push you before God’s allotted time. Respect the process and wait. Let the oil flow DOWN from the head to you!

The word “flow” is defined as “to move steadily and continuously; to move or issue forth freely.” In other words, you don’t have to force it, you just have to wait for it!

Remember this: To do anything significant for God you must first submit to leadership that can inspire you, instruct you, and when the time is right, release you into your calling. So don’t leave the church, argue with leadership, get caught up in the gossip mill, resign, walk away, throw in the towel and give up. Just be patient and wait. The anointing oil is still flowing!

And while you wait, learn the protocol that goes with the position. The word “protocol” is defined as “the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions; the accepted code of behavior in a particular situation.” Its original sense however meant “the original note of an agreement; the first page or flyleaf.” Which is the introduction or beginning of an agreement. It’s the table of contents letting you know all that comes AFTER this first, initial page. It gives the description of what is to come. And the start of any proper protocol to any position is submission and surrender. The ability to wait with expectation and a good attitude. And the first step of protocol to your anointing is to remember that the Oil Flows DOWN! So stay low, stay meek, stay humble. It is after all, the place where the anointing flows and settles.

In conclusion: The “anointing oil” reminds me a lot of the Old Testament leader Joash, who was the keeper of the cellars of oil. When you get a chance make sure you study it, it is valuable information for leaders and laity alike! However, in a nutshell: He was responsible for keeping the oil; making sure it stayed in place; and watching out for intruders. But the downside, as some would say, to his position was that he was unnoticed, uncomfortable, lonely and unappreciated. He couldn’t come out the bottom of the cellar until the king called for him. And much is the same for you, the anointed, possessors of the anointing. The oil flows DOWN, not in a prominent, seen, visible, highly acknowledged position. But it’s lowly and unnoticed UNTIL the king calls you forth. Make sure you remember that the very next time someone attempts to “encourage you to follow them instead of the flow of the anointing oil.” Stay low and humble, continue to serve, because even when you think no eyes are on you, they are. When leadership deems it time for you to come to the forefront, your anointing will flow. But until then, stay DOWN until He brings you UP!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “DATING AND MARRIAGE TIPS FROM COUPLES WHO HAVE BEEN MARRIED 25+ YEARS”

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LETS STAY CONNECTED!

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“It’s Time to Clean House”

John 2:13-17, “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! STOP TURNING MY FATHER’S HOUSE INTO A SHOPPING MALL!” That’s when His disciples remembered the Scripture, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE CONSUMES ME.” (MSG)

Growing up, one of the most disorganized rooms in the entire house was the garage. You see, that was my dad’s domain. Truly the original man cave. Everywhere you turned, there was evidence, without a shadow of a doubt that proved this garage belongs solely to the man of the house. It was filled (or better yet cluttered and congested) with tools (after all he was a mechanic); wood (since we had a fireplace in the living-room) so dad chopped wood at 4am and stacked them (in no particular order) in the garage. There were oil cans, gas cans, beer cans, soaked rags with who knows what that should have caused the house to explode at any given moment. There was dad’s work boots and work clothes. A raggedy black and white little television, and a beat up little radio that I believe only had 3 stations. In other words, the garage was a nightmare! Now, if it stayed just dad’s nightmare that would have been fine. However, the day I got in trouble at school, dad’s nightmare…became mine.

You see, me and some friends had the bright idea that each of us would stand at a different fire drill alarm post in school and at a certain time, we would all pull the alarms at the same time (no idea why we thought having all of us pulling a different alarm was supposed to do something completely different than setting off the same alarm system…guess you could call it the stupidity of youth – sounds like a pretty good diagnosis!). But needless to say, I didn’t think through where I chose to stand to pull my alarm. Why do I say that? Because I picked the alarm right next to detention! A tad-bit prophetic don’t you think? You see, that’s what you call pure brilliance at its best! So, as if I have to tell you how this ended, the dean caught me, brought me to the principal’s office and called dad! Detention would’ve been a blessing compared to dad’s genius idea of a punishment. Allow me to explain: Mom was driving dad nuts about straightening up the garage before the holidays when family and friends would be visiting, and finally (due to my mental disorder called stupidity of youth), he had just the person to get her off his back. You guessed it, ME!

Now, I must admit, it took me a good while to get up the courage to clean up dad’s garage. But, it might have taken you time to do it too, if you had seen what shape it was in! I mean, there was the general accumulated “mess” that hadn’t been touched for a while. And then there was the mess left from his friends that asked him if they could store their stuff there. On top of that, different members of our family had been going, and borrowing and returning, and borrowing and returning, and oh my goodness the mess was everywhere from everyone! Rakes, garbage bags, lawnmowers (broken and fixed alike), radiators, wires, dog chains (and a few dogs), chairs with 3 legs, tables with 1, it was a wreck!

If I had to give it a name it would be “Mount Mess”! And there it was right in front of me (and only me). So, since, unlike my dad, I had no one I could delegate this assignment to, I go and get on my “work” clothes, go downstairs, take a deep breath and I almost turned around and gave up at the first sight of it. Truthfully, my first thought was, “How about I just torch it?” But no, I figured that would indeed get me into more trouble. So, the only solution was to suck it up and clean it up. But the question that depressed me even more was one that you’ve probably asked while facing a “Mount Mess” of your own, “Where Do I Start?“

That’s usually the first question that comes to mind. And if we would dare look at the Mount Mess that the House of God has become, we would have to ask ourselves that very same question. I mean, how did we allow so much of the world to get into our worship? What happened to our pure motives and intentions? What happened to living right, clean, godly and holy? What happened to sacred garments and sacred music? When did pollution enter our praise and repentance exit our prayers? When did it become acceptable to dress any kind of way, talk any kind of way, act any kind of way and live any kind of way? When did it become okay to curse, steal and lie in the House of God? When did we start justifying fornication and adultery as “strongholds and struggles”? When did pride, arrogance, conceit, comparisons and competition become the order of the day? When did slander, mockery, rumors, gossip, belittling, and backbiting get approved in the House? When did taking money out of the House become more important than sowing tithe and offering in it? Who gave the green light for the preachers to be posted and propped up on pedestals, with cushioned strategically placed seating? When did God become a visitor in His own House, while pomp and circumstance moved permanently in? When did the House of God become so filthy? And who will be the ones to clean it up?

Since we learn by repetition, let’s take a look at our text again shall we? John 2:13-17, “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! STOP TURNING MY FATHER’S HOUSE INTO A SHOPPING MALL!” That’s when His disciples remembered the Scripture, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE CONSUMES ME.” (MSG)

I’ll tell you what’s incredible about this text. This is Jesus’ first appearance in Jerusalem. And yet, people love to say first impressions say a lot. Well, Jesus made a pretty good first impression, didn’t He? He’s going to the big city. So, you’d think He’d want to make a nice, positive impact there when He arrives, right? Come on, you know how we do, we love to be impressive. We don’t want to ruffle any feathers. We want to look good, show off our good side with our good clothes and good looks. We want to put our best foot forward. We want to say the right things, do the right things, and act the right way. But notice what Jesus first act is. It’s not a miracle, it’s not a healing, and it’s not a sermon. It’s an indignity – an attack – against sin in God’s House!

Now, you and I are living in a world that morally resembles my dad’s un-cleaned garage – it’s a spiritual mess. Sex has been divorced from love and commitment. Speaking of divorce, it’s the most common “answer” for marital problems today. Lying is so common you pretty much expect people not to be telling the truth. There’s the garbage permeating our media input, and it just goes on and on. So, when do we start cleaning, and where are we going to start cleaning?

Well, being that Jesus’ reaction was so extreme, might I suggest we START BY CLEANING UP OUR FATHER’S HOUSE FIRST? After all, that’s where Jesus started! And according to the Word of God, that’s where it will always start!

Listen to 1 Peter 4:17, “For the time has come for judgment to BEGIN at THE HOUSE OF GOD…” (NKJV)

Listen: I didn’t go to my neighbor’s house to clean their garage. No, I was assigned to clean the garage IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE! Now, does that mean I couldn’t help my neighbor with his/her garage? Absolutely not. However, it must BEGIN WITH MY FATHER’S HOUSE.

Now, I know there’s a great deal we as believers can do to help to improve this world and make it a better place. But we can’t clean the outside of the cup and leave the inside dirty; nor can we clean up the world while the House of God is filthy! Our God has Set the Standard, and the Standard is ORDER! 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For…God is NOT a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and ORDER. AS [IS THE PRACTICE] IN ALL THE CHURCHES OF THE SAINTS (GOD’S PEOPLE)” (AMPC) His Standard is Order, Therefore, Our Standard is Order! And Cleaning House Begins With His House! We Need to Clean From the INSIDE…Out! Matthew 23:25-26, “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the INSIDES are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the INSIDES, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.” (MSG)

People of God, it’s not enough to “look good”, or “look clean; look holy; look righteous; look godly.” After All, Looks and Appearance Mean Nothing! 2 Timothy 3:5, “holding to a FORM of [OUTWARD] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.” (AMP) Haven’t we been holding on to this “form” long enough? Looking regal on the outside while rotting on the inside. Trying to build up the world while the House of God is demolished by our own hands. Propping up the world, while the Standards of the House of God fall down. Saints, we need to begin with us! Cleaning Our Father’s House! Cleaning from the INSIDE…Out! And brothers, Jesus is your example, because HE Started Cleaning the Father’s House First!

See, we’ve become amazingly casual about sin. Oh, we’re against it, but we flirt with it and we see how close we can get to it. We read about it, we watch it being portrayed, we laugh about it, and we allow creeping compromise to erode what was once a much higher standard in our lives just a short time ago. But Jesus however, takes a whip to sin when it’s tolerated in His Father’s House, and guess what? Just as the physical building we go to, to attend church; WE are also the Temple of God! We are also His House! So while we’re cleaning up the building, let us not forget to also clean our temple! 1 Corinthians 6:16-20, “There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. OR DIDN’T YOU REALIZE THAT YOUR BODY IS A SACRED PLACE, THE PLACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? DON’T YOU SEE THAT YOU CAN’T LIVE HOWEVER YOU PLEASE, SQUANDERING WHAT GOD PAID SUCH A HIGH PRICE FOR? THE PHYSICAL PART OF YOU IS NOT SOME PIECE OF PROPERTY BELONGING TO THE SPIRITUAL PART OF YOU. GOD OWNS THE WHOLE WORKS. SO LET PEOPLE SEE GOD IN AND THROUGH YOUR BODY.” (MSG)

Sounds like we’ve got a lot of cleaning to do! The House of God (the building) and the Temple of God (us) both need some serious cleaning up and out!

The performance needs to be whipped out of the House of God and the perverseness needs to be whipped out of the Temple of God! Bad attitudes; poor communication; vengefulness; spitefulness; anger; deceit; bitterness; resentment and the like all need to be whipped out of the House of God! Bad decisions; unholiness; addictions; habits; unhealthy thoughts; disrespectful speech; dishonoring conduct; wrongful emotions; unforgiveness; illicit sexual behavior all need to be whipped out of the Temple of God…Us!

See, the Bible says we’re the temple of the Holy Spirit; He lives in us. Now, you may look righteous compared to the rest of the people around you, but your standard isn’t them. It’s the personal holiness standard of Jesus Christ Himself. Oh, sure, we should fight the decay in our lost world, but we should turn most of our guns on our own sin – our own compromise. Truth be told, many people are not considering Christ because they’ve never seen an alternative in someone who is really living for Christ demonstrating the difference.

And how does this tie in to Men cleaning house? Well, Jesus, Fully Man, was the one who started cleaning up and out our Father’s House, and therefore, I believe it’s high-time that Men take their rightful place and do the same. Oh, we’ll call on the men to fix something, move something, lift something, open something, but what about having men reset the Order of the House? Does that mean women have nothing to do? Absolutely not. However, I believe in our Father’s Order, and Men should still sit at the Head of the Table in the House. I believe a great movement in the House would take place should men start moving. And know this, Jesus didn’t gather the disciples, no, He went in and cleaned house Himself. And likewise brothers, you don’t need a crew, squad or team. Just make your commitment to Christ personal and refuse to allow anyone to trash your Father’s House. Clean up the ugly and untrue image that men are just sagging and hanging on corners slinging drugs and shooting guns. That they’re all dead beat dads, unfaithful husbands, and trifling boyfriends. Some say not all men are dogs, but I say no man is one. Dogs are animals on four legs, men are imperfect humans on two. It’s behavior that needs changing and standards that need raising.

Men of God, you are needed in the House of God to Reset its Order. To show our daughters what to look for and look up to; to show women that there are men who protect their women; to show the community that you care about its well-being; to show laity you know how to be humble as leader and show leadership that you know how to follow. Be the example of a praiser and worshiper. Lead out prayer. Expose sin; shut down gossip; kill jealousy; and prove that there are some Men in the House of God that will not allow the House to become Dirty!

And this will require work on your behalf. Read the text: “…Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and CHASED them out the Temple, STAMPEDING the sheep and cattle, UPENDING the tables of the loan sharks, SPILLING coins left and right…” Jesus did not take this lightly! He “…CHASED…CAUSED A STAMPEDE, UPENDED TABLES AND SPILLED COINS LEFT AND RIGHT…” In other words, this is not a polite, “please stop doing these things in my father’s house, thank you.” Uh, nope! He had a whip and a mission to clean up and clean out His Father’s House! Men, you need to be on the same Mission! It’s not going to be easy to do, but it still needs to be done and done by you. The House of God needs to look like the House of God, and not one that Rents out Rooms to the World to live in! No, Be Men Who Clean House!

Jesus didn’t tell them to just stop what they were doing, but listen: “…He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” They Were Put Out the House! And men, you need to be just as diligent about your Father’s House. Don’t let anyone come in the House of God and think they can do anything they please. Let them know as soon as they cross over the threshold, you can come as you are, but you can’t stay that way! Lift the standards in the House that compromise will not be tolerated; disrespect will not be tolerated; dressing any kind of way will not be tolerated; talking and acting any kind of way will not be tolerated.

But at the same time, you can’t set a standard that you’re not living up to yourself! Therefore, you have to be the example on display of what Men of God look, sound, and act like. You lead the way. Give them something to emulate. Show them how it’s done in the House, then show them how to carry that outside of the House and into their own. When you lead them well in the House, it will be a double blessing that teaches them how order ought to be set in their own.

Jesus did not sit on the sidelines murmuring and complaining and pointing fingers about what was going on in His Father’s House. No, He took action and did something about it and you are charged and challenged today to do the very same. As the disciples discovered, “…Zeal for Your house consumes me” (MSG), that needs to be the passion of the Men of God in the House of God today.

We have enough men desiring to be Ordained in the House of God, but not enough desiring to set and maintain the Order of the House!

Will you take on the responsibility for raising the standards in the House of God, and making sure that no one comes in to lower them? Will you be the one to set the example of proper leadership in the House (even if you don’t receive a title)? Will you be the one to call sin, sin? Will you be the one to address those who are out of order in the House? Will you be bold enough to confront, correct, and chastise? Will you be the Body of Christ that lends its Members to the Housework of Cleaning Up the House of God?

Remember, He’s coming back for ONE Body, ONE House, ONE Church, and anything or anyone Unclean and Unholy Will Not Be in the Number!

Before I close, there’s one other thing that caught my attention, and that’s where the Scripture says, “…Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” Sadly, that is quite descriptive of the House of God today. Some of everything is on Display…except the Glory of God. Which is why Jesus Himself stepped in. Think about it, the Scripture says, “…When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple TEEMING with people…” The word “teeming” is defined as, “to be full of or swarming with; to be of great numbers or amounts of something.” Its synonyms are: “abounding, abundant, bursting, crowded, filled, full, jam-packed, loaded, saturated, stuffed, clogged, congested, overcrowded, and over-flowing.” My question then becomes, how could there be this many people in the temple, during the Passover Feast, and no one but Jesus noticed, cared or addressed the filth in the Father’s House? And many of us go to churches with a good number of seats filled, and yet no one is addressing the filth in the Father’s House. We no longer have any more room to even contain the elevated, promoted, entitled, weekly ordained to some new position preachers, teachers and leaders, and yet, the house is still unclean. Vestments are Spotless While the Vestibule is Sinful! No one is bothered, no one is upset, no one thinks anything needs to be done? Have we become so comfortable and content, even in sin, that it doesn’t prick our heart or conscious any longer? Have we become so hard-hearted (and hard-headed) that anything goes in the Father’s House? We’re supposed to render to God a Sweet Smelling Sacrifice of Praise, and yet we’ve allowed both Pulpit and Pew to become  Putrid instead! And what does that mean? ‘Putrid’ is defined as ‘decaying or rotting and emitting a fetid smell; very unpleasant.’ Its Latin Origin ‘putridus’, from ‘putrere’ literally means ‘to rot.’ That’s what the House of God smells like when disobedience, sin, compromise, unholiness, and uncleanliness are allowed to sit week after week in the Sanctuary.

Men of God, let today be the day that you throw on your overalls and your work-boots and get to work in cleaning up and out the House of God. Jesus did, and certainly you are men after God’s own heart aren’t you? Find your zeal for the House of God, and let it consume you to the point you have no room left for compromise (not from yourself or anyone else)!

Let today be the day that Men Clean House, and watch what happens when Order becomes the Order of the Day again!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWordFeel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “It’s Time to Clean House”

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“The Protocol of the Anointing”

“…It’s like costly anointing oil FLOWING DOWN head and beard, FLOWING DOWN Aaron’s beard, FLOWING DOWN the collar of his priestly robes.” (Psalm 133:2 MSG)

A Well-Known Fact Is This: If People Can Lift You Up, They Can Also Very Well Let You Down! Remember That!

In April 1993, after Steve Morrow scored the goal that gave the Arsenal Football Club England’s Championship Cup, his teammates tossed him into the air in ritual celebration. BUT…they failed to catch him when he came down, and an embarrassed Morrow was carried off the field on a stretcher with a broken arm and an oxygen mask over his face! Can you imagine the feeling after such a great victory, to walk away looking more like the loser than the winner? And if that’s not bad enough, what’s worse is that it wasn’t those AGAINST him that hurt him, but it was those FOR him, those on his OWN TEAM!

The Psalmist writes: “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It’s like costly anointing oil FLOWING DOWN head and beard, FLOWING DOWN Aaron’s beard, FLOWING DOWN the collar of his priestly robes. It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon FLOWING DOWN the slopes of Zion. Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.” (Psalm 133:1-3 MSG).

The Amplified Bible says it like this: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that RAN DOWN on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that CAME DOWN upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]. It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly].” (AMP).

I want us to take a look at a few vital lessons found here:

1…According to the Bible, the “COSTLY ANOINTING OIL” is tied directly to “how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in UNITY.” And yet, somehow the church still manages to fight and compete more over the “anointing/anointed” than they are willing to come together and work together on the same team for the same goal. Listen, you can’t tell me you’re anointed and yet you’re at odds with your brothers and sisters in Christ who are connected and fitly joined in the same One Body. The anointing is yoked to your unity, not disunity. So if you’re so “anointed” that you can’t get along with your brothers and sisters, perhaps you’re not necessarily “anointed”, just “oily.” Look at it like this: Pouring oil on raw chicken then serving it to others is unhealthy and deadly. Yet, pouring oil on the same raw chicken, however, placing it in the oven to thoroughly cook until it’s done and then serving it to others, feeds and nourishes them. The difference is one went through nothing, and the other went through a process. With that said, I’ve come to discover that some people are just “oily”, possessing no nutritional value whatsoever, and can be deadly in their words, actions and attitude, because they’ve endured no process. They just threw on some oil and assumed it was the same as the anointing. And yet you also have those who have more than just “oil”, because they’ve been processed. Which is why a lot of “oily” folks are immature; while processed “anointed” folks are mature. You see, they’ve learned to respect process; time; persistence; endurance; patience; and waiting. All things that the immature can’t handle. On the other hand, the maturity of the anointed knows that the key is dwelling and working together in unity with your brothers and sisters. Anything less, is just immature, oily folks who cause malnutrition to the Body of Christ. Which is why it’s so vital to remember: Ephesians 4:16, “From Him the WHOLE BODY [THE CHURCH, IN ALL ITS VARIOUS PARTS], JOINED AND KNITTED FIRMLY TOGETHER by what EVERY JOINT supplies, when EACH PART IS WORKING PROPERLY, CAUSES THE BODY TO GROW AND MATURE, BUILDING ITSELF UP IN [UNSELFISH] LOVE.” (AMP) The Costly Anointing Oil is Yoked to Unity in the Body of Christ;

2…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” is “PRECIOUS”. It is not to be used as a tool of competition and comparison. It is to be treated as the precious, treasure that it is, not fruitless attempts to out-do, or be better than someone else. We’ve so grievously misused, and mishandled the anointing. But it was never given for the purpose of trying to out-shine anyone else. The anointing serves a purpose and that purpose is not a selfish tool used at your whim. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (Isaiah 10:27). Does that sound like the anointing should be used in a common manner? Certainly not. Therefore, today, realize the purpose, plan and power of the anointing, and handle it as the precious oil that it is. It should never be handled haphazardly for it’s the necessity to the destruction of yokes! The word “precious” is defined as “having great value”. Its Latin Origin ‘pretiosus’, from ‘pretium’ literally means ‘price.’ The anointing is too costly to be utilized in such a cheap manner as to degrade it with competition and comparisons. Remember that the next time you’re tempted to out-preach, out-teach, out-pray, out-sing, out-shout, out-praise your brethren! That is not the purpose for something this precious and priceless. The Costly Anointing Oil is Precious;

3…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” covered “…the collar and skirts of his GARMENTS…” Can you imagine the anointing covering your garments? Sometimes I wonder if the anointing is as present on us, in us and with us as we say? Because shouldn’t at some point in time, contact with the anointing alter your garments? Truth is, there’s some attire (on both men and women) in church that confuses me. I don’t understand open cleavage; visible panty-lines; tight clothes that need an oxygen mask of their own. And things have gotten so bad in church, even amongst leadership, that vestments have become “fashion statements”. But in Scripture the “anointing oil” covered “…the collar and skirts of his garments…” Shouldn’t the church be seen differently than the world, even in our attire? And if so, why do our “holy garments” look no different than their “fashion statements”? And since when did words like “basic”; “simple”; “fundamental”; “decorum“; “descent“; become curse words? Think about this: Being crafted in His image and likeness; being called the righteousness of God and ambassadors of Christ, shouldn’t we be a bit more cautious and careful in how we present ourselves, or should I say more importantly, how we present and represent HIM? With that said, today, take a double-look at how you “as a believer” dresses (men and women alike). Make sure that you are sending the right message. After all, would you want to be in an emergency situation and the NYPD showed up dressed like the swim team? No, you expect them to be in uniform and to be prepared and equipped, and looking like the distinguished officers they’ve been called to be. Well, people should expect the very same from us as believers, followers, disciples, Christians and Children of God. There should never be cause for people to need to take a double-look or question if we’re a part of the Kingdom of Light or the Kingdom of Darkness. The Costly Anointing Oil Should Alter Our Attire;

4…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” did something special “…it consecrated the whole body.” The word “consecrate” is defined as “to make or declare sacred; to ordain to a sacred office.” Its Latin Origin “consecrare” literally means “to dedicate or devote as sacred.” In this day and age of the church we don’t see much consecration, dedication or devotion to GOD. Can we dare to tell the truth, rings, robes, chairs, positions and titles are all being haphazardly tossed to and fro with no meaning or purpose other than to say from one year to the next, I’ve been elevated…again. But the “anointing oil” is precious and serves to consecrate. It signifies that you’ve been set apart for no other reason, purpose, motive, intention, or agenda than to simply be used of God. “…the whole body…” was consecrated. Head to Toe. Which makes me wonder do we make sure that our minds, thoughts, deeds, actions, words, emotions, and the like are all set apart for God as well as our bodies? Does He have all of us, or just the parts we’re willing to give Him? Think about it: When the Father gave us His Son, He didn’t give us pieces of Him, He gave us His Whole Son. He sacrificed All that He is, just to have all that we are, and to use us to draw in others with the same loving-kindness. Is the anointing that special to you? Does it mean so much to you that you’re willing to give God ALL of you for His use in His service for His kingdom? Or is the anointing just special to you when you’re assigned to preach, to teach, to pray, to lead, or to be visible to others? The Costly Anointing Oil Consecrates the WHOLE Body;

5…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” and the “unity of the brethren” is also tied directly to “the dew of Mount Hermon…that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing even life forever more…” How amazing that the anointing is attached to a place where the Lord has commanded blessings and eternal life? And yet, we treat it so commonplace. But your anointing is a blessing and its life! Don’t get so caught up in the distractions of treating the anointing as a competitive edge over your ministry colleagues. Your anointing is not so you can preach better, teach awesome, or pray like the intercessor of the month. Your anointing is where the Lord has commanded blessings and life, treat it as such and don’t devalue it by abusing it carelessly. The Costly Anointing Oil Gives Blessings and Life;

6…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” is “…upon the high and the lowly…” The anointing does not discriminate. It doesn’t wait until Sunday morning, special services, consecrations, conferences and convocations to flow. It doesn’t need to be attired in full vestments to flow. It serves 2 people no differently than it serves 200 or 2 million. So, a good question to ask yourself is, do I flow to All, or just stagnate toward a few? The anointing reaches the “…the highly and the lowly…” It treats alike the rich and the poor, the white and the black, the educated and the challenged, the sick and the well, the old and the young, the women and the men, all equally. Do you? Honestly, do you teach to the same degree with a class of 3 that you do in a class of 30? Do you preach to a congregation of 12 the same as you would 1,200? Do you carry yourself the same whether meeting with the CEO or the janitor? The anointing is consistent and does not change up roles like characters in a play. And if you are amongst the anointed, neither should you. The Costly Anointing Oil Does Not Discriminate;

7…Lastly, according to the Bible, “the anointing oil” “…FLOWS DOWN…”

Despite what you see in a lot of our churches today, God still works through Structure and Order! “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33). The New Living Translation says it like this: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” (NLT). In other words, the Oil Flows DOWN, Not UP! That would be confusion and contradiction, doing the opposite of what the Word has already declared.

Truth is, it doesn’t matter if those Under you think you’re absolutely wonderful, unless those Above you agree! Like it or not, but leadership and anointing come with the requirement of complete submission and total surrender. I don’t care how many people pat you on your back, never let it go to your head! Meek, lowly, humble are all characteristics that every anointed leader should carry. It keeps you from becoming pompous, arrogant and conceited. Remember: the anointing flowed down from Aaron (the leader, the high priest). It did not flow from Israelite to Israelite. It flowed from the High Priest down…In Order!

Until you understand that, you’ll be susceptible to those who, for their own reasons, and hidden agendas, want to tell you how wonderful you are and how you should be running the show! However, in God’s Kingdom, you’re not approved by people, you’re approved by God: “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” (Matthew 17:5); “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God performed through him among you. You yourselves know this.” (Acts 2:22 CEB); “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Galatians 1:10 NLT); “God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-5 MSG). Bottom Line: The Anointing is Approved of By God, Than the Leadership in Which You Are Submitted, Subjected and Surrendered to, NOT By the People Who Pat and Applaud You!

Like in the opening story above, the very same people who lifted Steve Morrow UP, were the very same people that let him fall DOWN! And if you think they won’t do the very same to you, just ask Jesus! The same that yelled “Hosanna, Hosanna,” in one breath, were the very same people who inhaled then exhaled “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” God is still a God of structure and order. Let Him Approve of You, Then Be Patient and Wait For His Approval to Pass From His Desk to Your Leaders, and Then On to You. The anointing is not like ordinary oil, it does not run out. So even if you have to wait for the appointed, appropriate time, WAIT. You’re anointing will never be assigned to someone else. Nor will it dry up and deplete itself. Nothing from the Holy Spirit lacks or is deficient in anyway. So I admonish you, don’t allow people, especially your inner circle, clique, crew etc…to push you before God’s allotted time. Respect the process and wait. Let the oil flow DOWN from the head to you!

The word “flow” is defined as “to move steadily and continuously; to move or issue forth freely.” In other words, you don’t have to force it, you just have to wait for it!

Remember this: To do anything significant for God you must first submit to leadership that can inspire you, instruct you, and when the time is right, release you into your calling. So don’t leave the church, argue with leadership, get caught up in the gossip mill, resign, walk away, throw in the towel and give up. Just be patient and wait. The anointing oil is still flowing!

And while you wait, learn the protocol that goes with the position. The word “protocol” is defined as “the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions; the accepted code of behavior in a particular situation.” Its original sense however meant “the original note of an agreement; the first page or flyleaf.” Which is the introduction or beginning of an agreement. It’s the table of contents letting you know all that comes AFTER this first, initial page. It gives the description of what is to come. And the start of any proper protocol to any position is submission and surrender. The ability to wait with expectation and a good attitude. And the first step of protocol to your anointing is to remember that the Oil Flows DOWN! So stay low, stay meek, stay humble. It is after all, the place where the anointing flows and settles.

In conclusion: The “anointing oil” reminds me a lot of the Old Testament leader Joash, who was the keeper of the cellars of oil. When you get a chance make sure you study it, it is valuable information for leaders and laity alike! However, in a nutshell: He was responsible for keeping the oil; making sure it stayed in place; and watching out for intruders. But the downside, as some would say, to his position was that he was unnoticed, uncomfortable, lonely and unappreciated. He couldn’t come out the bottom of the cellar until the king called for him. And much is the same for you, the anointed, possessors of the anointing. The oil flows DOWN, not in a prominent, seen, visible, highly acknowledge position. But it’s lowly and unnoticed until the king calls you forth. Make sure you remember that the very next time someone attempts to “encourage you to follow them instead of the flow of the anointing oil.” Stay low and humble, continue to serve, because even when you think no eyes are on you, they are. When leadership deems it time for you to come to the forefront, your anointing will flow. But until then, stay down until He brings you up!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“It’s Time to Clean House!”

John 2:13-17, “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! STOP TURNING MY FATHER’S HOUSE INTO A SHOPPING MALL!” That’s when His disciples remembered the Scripture, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE CONSUMES ME.” (MSG)

Growing up, one of the most disorganized rooms in the entire house was the garage. You see, that was my dad’s domain. Truly the original man cave. Everywhere you turned, there was evidence, without a shadow of a doubt that proved this garage belongs solely to the man of the house. It was filled (or better yet cluttered and congested) with tools (after all he was a mechanic); wood (since we had a fireplace in the living-room) so dad chopped wood at 4am and stacked them (in no particular order) in the garage. There were oil cans, gas cans, beer cans, soaked rags with who knows what that should have caused the house to explode at any given moment. There was dad’s work boots and work clothes. A raggedy black and white little television, and a beat up little radio that I believe only had 3 stations. In other words, the garage was a nightmare! Now, if it stayed just dad’s nightmare that would have been fine. However, the day I got in trouble at school, dad’s nightmare…became mine.

You see, me and some friends had the bright idea that each of us would stand at a different fire drill alarm post in school and at a certain time, we would all pull the alarms at the same time (no idea why we thought having all of us pulling a different alarm was supposed to do something completely different than setting off the same alarm system…guess you could call it the stupidity of youth – sounds like a pretty good diagnosis!). But needless to say, I didn’t think through where I chose to stand to pull my alarm. Why do I say that? Because I picked the alarm right next to detention! A tad-bit prophetic don’t you think? You see, that’s what you call pure brilliance at its best! So, as if I have to tell you how this ended, the dean caught me, brought me to the principal’s office and called dad! Detention would’ve been a blessing compared to dad’s genius idea of a punishment. Allow me to explain: Mom was driving dad nuts about straightening up the garage before the holidays when family and friends would be visiting, and finally (due to my mental disorder called stupidity of youth), he had just the person to get her off his back. You guessed it, ME!

Now, I must admit, it took me a good while to get up the courage to clean up dad’s garage. But, it might have taken you time to do it too, if you had seen what shape it was in! I mean, there was the general accumulated “mess” that hadn’t been touched for a while. And then there was the mess left from his friends that asked him if they could store their stuff there. On top of that, different members of our family had been going, and borrowing and returning, and borrowing and returning, and oh my goodness the mess was everywhere from everyone! Rakes, garbage bags, lawnmowers (broken and fixed alike), radiators, wires, dog chains (and a few dogs), chairs with 3 legs, tables with 1, it was a wreck!

If I had to give it a name it would be “Mount Mess”! And there it was right in front of me (and only me). So, since, unlike my dad, I had no one I could delegate this assignment to, I go and get on my “work” clothes, go downstairs, take a deep breath and I almost turned around and gave up at the first sight of it. Truthfully, my first thought was, “How about I just torch it?” But no, I figured that would indeed get me into more trouble. So, the only solution was to suck it up and clean it up. But the question that depressed me even more was one that you’ve probably asked while facing a “Mount Mess” of your own, “Where Do I Start?“

That’s usually the first question that comes to mind. And if we would dare look at the Mount Mess that the House of God has become, we would have to ask ourselves that very same question. I mean, how did we allow so much of the world to get into our worship? What happened to our pure motives and intentions? What happened to living right, clean, godly and holy? What happened to sacred garments and sacred music? When did pollution enter our praise and repentance exit our prayers? When did it become acceptable to dress any kind of way, talk any kind of way, act any kind of way and live any kind of way? When did it become okay to curse, steal and lie in the House of God? When did we start justifying fornication and adultery as “strongholds and struggles”? When did pride, arrogance, conceit, comparisons and competition become the order of the day? When did slander, mockery, rumors, gossip, belittling, and backbiting get approved in the House? When did taking money out of the House become more important than sowing tithe and offering in it? Who gave the green light for the preachers to be posted and propped up on pedestals, with cushioned strategically placed seating? When did God become a visitor in His own House, while pomp and circumstance moved permanently in? When did the House of God become so filthy? And who will be the ones to clean it up?

Since we learn by repetition, let’s take a look at our text again shall we? John 2:13-17, “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! STOP TURNING MY FATHER’S HOUSE INTO A SHOPPING MALL!” That’s when His disciples remembered the Scripture, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE CONSUMES ME.” (MSG)

I’ll tell you what’s incredible about this text. This is Jesus’ first appearance in Jerusalem. And yet, people love to say first impressions say a lot. Well, Jesus made a pretty good first impression, didn’t He? He’s going to the big city. So, you’d think He’d want to make a nice, positive impact there when He arrives, right? Come on, you know how we do, we love to be impressive. We don’t want to ruffle any feathers. We want to look good, show off our good side with our good clothes and good looks. We want to put our best foot forward. We want to say the right things, do the right things, and act the right way. But notice what Jesus first act is. It’s not a miracle, it’s not a healing, and it’s not a sermon. It’s an indignity – an attack – against sin in God’s House!

Now, you and I are living in a world that morally resembles my dad’s un-cleaned garage – it’s a spiritual mess. Sex has been divorced from love and commitment. Speaking of divorce, it’s the most common “answer” for marital problems today. Lying is so common you pretty much expect people not to be telling the truth. There’s the garbage permeating our media input, and it just goes on and on. So, when do we start cleaning, and where are we going to start cleaning?

Well, being that Jesus’ reaction was so extreme, might I suggest we START BY CLEANING UP OUR FATHER’S HOUSE FIRST? After all, that’s where Jesus started! And according to the Word of God, that’s where it will always start!

Listen to 1 Peter 4:17, “For the time has come for judgment to BEGIN at THE HOUSE OF GOD…” (NKJV)

Listen: I didn’t go to my neighbor’s house to clean their garage. No, I was assigned to clean the garage IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE! Now, does that mean I couldn’t help my neighbor with his/her garage? Absolutely not. However, it must BEGIN WITH MY FATHER’S HOUSE.

Now, I know there’s a great deal we as believers can do to help to improve this world and make it a better place. But we can’t clean the outside of the cup and leave the inside dirty; nor can we clean up the world while the House of God is filthy! Our God has Set the Standard, and the Standard is ORDER! 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For…God is NOT a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and ORDER. AS [IS THE PRACTICE] IN ALL THE CHURCHES OF THE SAINTS (GOD’S PEOPLE)” (AMPC) His Standard is Order, Therefore, Our Standard is Order! And Cleaning House Begins With His House! We Need to Clean From the INSIDE…Out! Matthew 23:25-26, “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the INSIDES are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the INSIDES, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.” (MSG)

People of God, it’s not enough to “look good”, or “look clean; look holy; look righteous; look godly.” After All, Looks and Appearance Mean Nothing! 2 Timothy 3:5, “holding to a FORM of [OUTWARD] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.” (AMP) Haven’t we been holding on to this “form” long enough? Looking regal on the outside while rotting on the inside. Trying to build up the world while the House of God is demolished by our own hands. Propping up the world, while the Standards of the House of God fall down. Saints, we need to begin with us! Cleaning Our Father’s House! Cleaning from the INSIDE…Out! And brothers, Jesus is your example, because HE Started Cleaning the Father’s House First!

See, we’ve become amazingly casual about sin. Oh, we’re against it, but we flirt with it and we see how close we can get to it. We read about it, we watch it being portrayed, we laugh about it, and we allow creeping compromise to erode what was once a much higher standard in our lives just a short time ago. But Jesus however, takes a whip to sin when it’s tolerated in His Father’s House, and guess what? Just as the physical building we go to, to attend church; WE are also the Temple of God! We are also His House! So while we’re cleaning up the building, let us not forget to also clean our temple! 1 Corinthians 6:16-20, “There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. OR DIDN’T YOU REALIZE THAT YOUR BODY IS A SACRED PLACE, THE PLACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? DON’T YOU SEE THAT YOU CAN’T LIVE HOWEVER YOU PLEASE, SQUANDERING WHAT GOD PAID SUCH A HIGH PRICE FOR? THE PHYSICAL PART OF YOU IS NOT SOME PIECE OF PROPERTY BELONGING TO THE SPIRITUAL PART OF YOU. GOD OWNS THE WHOLE WORKS. SO LET PEOPLE SEE GOD IN AND THROUGH YOUR BODY.” (MSG)

Sounds like we’ve got a lot of cleaning to do! The House of God (the building) and the Temple of God (us) both need some serious cleaning up and out!

The performance needs to be whipped out of the House of God and the perverseness needs to be whipped out of the Temple of God! Bad attitudes; poor communication; vengefulness; spitefulness; anger; deceit; bitterness; resentment and the like all need to be whipped out of the House of God! Bad decisions; unholiness; addictions; habits; unhealthy thoughts; disrespectful speech; dishonoring conduct; wrongful emotions; unforgiveness; illicit sexual behavior all need to be whipped out of the Temple of God…Us!

See, the Bible says we’re the temple of the Holy Spirit; He lives in us. Now, you may look righteous compared to the rest of the people around you, but your standard isn’t them. It’s the personal holiness standard of Jesus Christ Himself. Oh, sure, we should fight the decay in our lost world, but we should turn most of our guns on our own sin – our own compromise. Truth be told, many people are not considering Christ because they’ve never seen an alternative in someone who is really living for Christ demonstrating the difference.

And how does this tie in to Men cleaning house? Well, Jesus, Fully Man, was the one who started cleaning up and out our Father’s House, and therefore, I believe it’s high-time that Men take their rightful place and do the same. Oh, we’ll call on the men to fix something, move something, lift something, open something, but what about having men reset the Order of the House? Does that mean women have nothing to do? Absolutely not. However, I believe in our Father’s Order, and Men should still sit at the Head of the Table in the House. I believe a great movement in the House would take place should men start moving. And know this, Jesus didn’t gather the disciples, no, He went in and cleaned house Himself. And likewise brothers, you don’t need a crew, squad or team. Just make your commitment to Christ personal and refuse to allow anyone to trash your Father’s House. Clean up the ugly and untrue image that men are just sagging and hanging on corners slinging drugs and shooting guns. That they’re all dead beat dads, unfaithful husbands, and trifling boyfriends. Some say not all men are dogs, but I say no man is one. Dogs are animals on four legs, men are imperfect humans on two. It’s behavior that needs changing and standards that need raising.

Men of God, you are needed in the House of God to Reset its Order. To show our daughters what to look for and look up to; to show women that there are men who protect their women; to show the community that you care about its well-being; to show laity you know how to be humble as leader and show leadership that you know how to follow. Be the example of a praiser and worshiper. Lead out prayer. Expose sin; shut down gossip; kill jealousy; and prove that there are some Men in the House of God that will not allow the House to become Dirty!

And this will require work on your behalf. Read the text: “…Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and CHASED them out the Temple, STAMPEDING the sheep and cattle, UPENDING the tables of the loan sharks, SPILLING coins left and right…” Jesus did not take this lightly! He “…CHASED…CAUSED A STAMPEDE, UPENDED TABLES AND SPILLED COINS LEFT AND RIGHT…” In other words, this is not a polite, “please stop doing these things in my father’s house, thank you.” Uh, nope! He had a whip and a mission to clean up and clean out His Father’s House! Men, you need to be on the same Mission! It’s not going to be easy to do, but it still needs to be done and done by you. The House of God needs to look like the House of God, and not one that Rents out Rooms to the World to live in! No, Be Men Who Clean House!

Jesus didn’t tell them to just stop what they were doing, but listen: “…He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” They Were Put Out the House! And men, you need to be just as diligent about your Father’s House. Don’t let anyone come in the House of God and think they can do anything they please. Let them know as soon as they cross over the threshold, you can come as you are, but you can’t stay that way! Lift the standards in the House that compromise will not be tolerated; disrespect will not be tolerated; dressing any kind of way will not be tolerated; talking and acting any kind of way will not be tolerated.

But at the same time, you can’t set a standard that you’re not living up to yourself! Therefore, you have to be the example on display of what Men of God look, sound, and act like. You lead the way. Give them something to emulate. Show them how it’s done in the House, then show them how to carry that outside of the House and into their own. When you lead them well in the House, it will be a double blessing that teaches them how order ought to be set in their own.

Jesus did not sit on the sidelines murmuring and complaining and pointing fingers about what was going on in His Father’s House. No, He took action and did something about it and you are charged and challenged today to do the very same. As the disciples discovered, “…Zeal for Your house consumes me” (MSG), that needs to be the passion of the Men of God in the House of God today.

We have enough men desiring to be Ordained in the House of God, but not enough desiring to set and maintain the Order of the House!

Will you take on the responsibility for raising the standards in the House of God, and making sure that no one comes in to lower them? Will you be the one to set the example of proper leadership in the House (even if you don’t receive a title)? Will you be the one to call sin, sin? Will you be the one to address those who are out of order in the House? Will you be bold enough to confront, correct, and chastise? Will you be the Body of Christ that lends its Members to the Housework of Cleaning Up the House of God?

Remember, He’s coming back for ONE Body, ONE House, ONE Church, and anything or anyone Unclean and Unholy Will Not Be in the Number!

Before I close, there’s one other thing that caught my attention, and that’s where the Scripture says, “…Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” Sadly, that is quite descriptive of the House of God today. Some of everything is on Display…except the Glory of God. Which is why Jesus Himself stepped in. Think about it, the Scripture says, “…When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple TEEMING with people…” The word “teeming” is defined as, “to be full of or swarming with; to be of great numbers or amounts of something.” Its synonyms are: “abounding, abundant, bursting, crowded, filled, full, jam-packed, loaded, saturated, stuffed, clogged, congested, overcrowded, and over-flowing.” My question then becomes, how could there be this many people in the temple, during the Passover Feast, and no one but Jesus noticed, cared or addressed the filth in the Father’s House? And many of us go to churches with a good number of seats filled, and yet no one is addressing the filth in the Father’s House. We no longer have any more room to even contain the elevated, promoted, entitled, weekly ordained to some new position preachers, teachers and leaders, and yet, the house is still unclean. Vestments are Spotless While the Vestibule is Sinful! No one is bothered, no one is upset, no one thinks anything needs to be done? Have we become so comfortable and content, even in sin, that it doesn’t prick our heart or conscious any longer? Have we become so hard-hearted (and hard-headed) that anything goes in the Father’s House? We’re supposed to render to God a Sweet Smelling Sacrifice of Praise, and yet we’ve allowed both Pulpit and Pew to become  Putrid instead! And what does that mean? ‘Putrid’ is defined as ‘decaying or rotting and emitting a fetid smell; very unpleasant.’ Its Latin Origin ‘putridus’, from ‘putrere’ literally means ‘to rot.’ That’s what the House of God smells like when disobedience, sin, compromise, unholiness, and uncleanliness are allowed to sit week after week in the Sanctuary.

Men of God, let today be the day that you throw on your overalls and your work-boots and get to work in cleaning up and out the House of God. Jesus did, and certainly you are men after God’s own heart aren’t you? Find your zeal for the House of God, and let it consume you to the point you have no room left for compromise (not from yourself or anyone else)!

Let today be the day that Men Clean House, and watch what happens when Order becomes the Order of the Day again!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“The Protocol of the Anointing”

“…It’s like costly anointing oil FLOWING DOWN head and beard, FLOWING DOWN Aaron’s beard, FLOWING DOWN the collar of his priestly robes.” (Psalm 133:2 MSG)

A Well-Known Fact Is This: If People Can Lift You Up, They Can Also Very Well Let You Down! Remember That!

In April 1993, after Steve Morrow scored the goal that gave the Arsenal Football Club England’s Championship Cup, his teammates tossed him into the air in ritual celebration. BUT…they failed to catch him when he came down, and an embarrassed Morrow was carried off the field on a stretcher with a broken arm and an oxygen mask over his face! Can you imagine the feeling after such a great victory, to walk away looking more like the loser than the winner? And if that’s not bad enough, what’s worse is that it wasn’t those AGAINST him that hurt him, but it was those FOR him, those on his OWN TEAM!

The Psalmist writes: “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It’s like costly anointing oil FLOWING DOWN head and beard, FLOWING DOWN Aaron’s beard, FLOWING DOWN the collar of his priestly robes. It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon FLOWING DOWN the slopes of Zion. Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.” (Psalm 133:1-3 MSG).

The Amplified Bible says it like this: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that RAN DOWN on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that CAME DOWN upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]. It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly].” (AMP).

I want us to take a look at a few vital lessons found here:

1…According to the Bible, the “COSTLY ANOINTING OIL” is tied directly to “how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in UNITY.” And yet, somehow the church still manages to fight and compete more over the “anointing/anointed” than they are willing to come together and work together on the same team for the same goal. Listen, you can’t tell me you’re anointed and yet you’re at odds with your brothers and sisters in Christ who are connected and fitly joined in the same One Body. The anointing is yoked to your unity, not disunity. So if you’re so “anointed” that you can’t get along with your brothers and sisters, perhaps you’re not necessarily “anointed”, just “oily.” Look at it like this: Pouring oil on raw chicken then serving it to others is unhealthy and deadly. Yet, pouring oil on the same raw chicken, however, placing it in the oven to thoroughly cook until it’s done and then serving it to others, feeds and nourishes them. The difference is one went through nothing, and the other went through a process. With that said, I’ve come to discover that some people are just “oily”, possessing no nutritional value whatsoever, and can be deadly in their words, actions and attitude, because they’ve endured no process. They just threw on some oil and assumed it was the same as the anointing. And yet you also have those who have more than just “oil”, because they’ve been processed. Which is why a lot of “oily” folks are immature; while processed “anointed” folks are mature. You see, they’ve learned to respect process; time; persistence; endurance; patience; and waiting. All things that the immature can’t handle. On the other hand, the maturity of the anointed knows that the key is dwelling and working together in unity with your brothers and sisters. Anything less, is just immature, oily folks who cause malnutrition to the Body of Christ. Which is why it’s so vital to remember: Ephesians 4:16, “From Him the WHOLE BODY [THE CHURCH, IN ALL ITS VARIOUS PARTS], JOINED AND KNITTED FIRMLY TOGETHER by what EVERY JOINT supplies, when EACH PART IS WORKING PROPERLY, CAUSES THE BODY TO GROW AND MATURE, BUILDING ITSELF UP IN [UNSELFISH] LOVE.” (AMP) The Costly Anointing Oil is Yoked to Unity in the Body of Christ;

2…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” is “PRECIOUS”. It is not to be used as a tool of competition and comparison. It is to be treated as the precious, treasure that it is, not fruitless attempts to out-do, or be better than someone else. We’ve so grievously misused, and mishandled the anointing. But it was never given for the purpose of trying to out-shine anyone else. The anointing serves a purpose and that purpose is not a selfish tool used at your whim. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (Isaiah 10:27). Does that sound like the anointing should be used in a common manner? Certainly not. Therefore, today, realize the purpose, plan and power of the anointing, and handle it as the precious oil that it is. It should never be handled haphazardly for it’s the necessity to the destruction of yokes! The word “precious” is defined as “having great value”. Its Latin Origin ‘pretiosus’, from ‘pretium’ literally means ‘price.’ The anointing is too costly to be utilized in such a cheap manner as to degrade it with competition and comparisons. Remember that the next time you’re tempted to out-preach, out-teach, out-pray, out-sing, out-shout, out-praise your brethren! That is not the purpose for something this precious and priceless. The Costly Anointing Oil is Precious;

3…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” covered “…the collar and skirts of his GARMENTS…” Can you imagine the anointing covering your garments? Sometimes I wonder if the anointing is as present on us, in us and with us as we say? Because shouldn’t at some point in time, contact with the anointing alter your garments? Truth is, there’s some attire (on both men and women) in church that confuses me. I don’t understand open cleavage; visible panty-lines; tight clothes that need an oxygen mask of their own. And things have gotten so bad in church, even amongst leadership, that vestments have become “fashion statements”. But in Scripture the “anointing oil” covered “…the collar and skirts of his garments…” Shouldn’t the church be seen differently than the world, even in our attire? And if so, why do our “holy garments” look no different than their “fashion statements”? And since when did words like “basic”; “simple”; “fundamental”; “decorum“; “descent“; become curse words? Think about this: Being crafted in His image and likeness; being called the righteousness of God and ambassadors of Christ, shouldn’t we be a bit more cautious and careful in how we present ourselves, or should I say more importantly, how we present and represent HIM? With that said, today, take a double-look at how you “as a believer” dresses (men and women alike). Make sure that you are sending the right message. After all, would you want to be in an emergency situation and the NYPD showed up dressed like the swim team? No, you expect them to be in uniform and to be prepared and equipped, and looking like the distinguished officers they’ve been called to be. Well, people should expect the very same from us as believers, followers, disciples, Christians and Children of God. There should never be cause for people to need to take a double-look or question if we’re a part of the Kingdom of Light or the Kingdom of Darkness. The Costly Anointing Oil Should Alter Our Attire;

4…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” did something special “…it consecrated the whole body.” The word “consecrate” is defined as “to make or declare sacred; to ordain to a sacred office.” Its Latin Origin “consecrare” literally means “to dedicate or devote as sacred.” In this day and age of the church we don’t see much consecration, dedication or devotion to GOD. Can we dare to tell the truth, rings, robes, chairs, positions and titles are all being haphazardly tossed to and fro with no meaning or purpose other than to say from one year to the next, I’ve been elevated…again. But the “anointing oil” is precious and serves to consecrate. It signifies that you’ve been set apart for no other reason, purpose, motive, intention, or agenda than to simply be used of God. “…the whole body…” was consecrated. Head to Toe. Which makes me wonder do we make sure that our minds, thoughts, deeds, actions, words, emotions, and the like are all set apart for God as well as our bodies? Does He have all of us, or just the parts we’re willing to give Him? Think about it: When the Father gave us His Son, He didn’t give us pieces of Him, He gave us His Whole Son. He sacrificed All that He is, just to have all that we are, and to use us to draw in others with the same loving-kindness. Is the anointing that special to you? Does it mean so much to you that you’re willing to give God ALL of you for His use in His service for His kingdom? Or is the anointing just special to you when you’re assigned to preach, to teach, to pray, to lead, or to be visible to others? The Costly Anointing Oil Consecrates the WHOLE Body;

5…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” and the “unity of the brethren” is also tied directly to “the dew of Mount Hermon…that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing even life forever more…” How amazing that the anointing is attached to a place where the Lord has commanded blessings and eternal life? And yet, we treat it so commonplace. But your anointing is a blessing and its life! Don’t get so caught up in the distractions of treating the anointing as a competitive edge over your ministry colleagues. Your anointing is not so you can preach better, teach awesome, or pray like the intercessor of the month. Your anointing is where the Lord has commanded blessings and life, treat it as such and don’t devalue it by abusing it carelessly. The Costly Anointing Oil Gives Blessings and Life;

6…According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” is “…upon the high and the lowly…” The anointing does not discriminate. It doesn’t wait until Sunday morning, special services, consecrations, conferences and convocations to flow. It doesn’t need to be attired in full vestments to flow. It serves 2 people no differently than it serves 200 or 2 million. So, a good question to ask yourself is, do I flow to All, or just stagnate toward a few? The anointing reaches the “…the highly and the lowly…” It treats alike the rich and the poor, the white and the black, the educated and the challenged, the sick and the well, the old and the young, the women and the men, all equally. Do you? Honestly, do you teach to the same degree with a class of 3 that you do in a class of 30? Do you preach to a congregation of 12 the same as you would 1,200? Do you carry yourself the same whether meeting with the CEO or the janitor? The anointing is consistent and does not change up roles like characters in a play. And if you are amongst the anointed, neither should you. The Costly Anointing Oil Does Not Discriminate;

7…Lastly, according to the Bible, “the anointing oil” “…FLOWS DOWN…”

Despite what you see in a lot of our churches today, God still works through Structure and Order! “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33). The New Living Translation says it like this: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” (NLT). In other words, the Oil Flows DOWN, Not UP! That would be confusion and contradiction, doing the opposite of what the Word has already declared.

Truth is, it doesn’t matter if those Under you think you’re absolutely wonderful, unless those Above you agree! Like it or not, but leadership and anointing come with the requirement of complete submission and total surrender. I don’t care how many people pat you on your back, never let it go to your head! Meek, lowly, humble are all characteristics that every anointed leader should carry. It keeps you from becoming pompous, arrogant and conceited. Remember: the anointing flowed down from Aaron (the leader, the high priest). It did not flow from Israelite to Israelite. It flowed from the High Priest down…In Order!

Until you understand that, you’ll be susceptible to those who, for their own reasons, and hidden agendas, want to tell you how wonderful you are and how you should be running the show! However, in God’s Kingdom, you’re not approved by people, you’re approved by God: “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” (Matthew 17:5); “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God performed through him among you. You yourselves know this.” (Acts 2:22 CEB); “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Galatians 1:10 NLT); “God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-5 MSG). Bottom Line: The Anointing is Approved of By God, Than the Leadership in Which You Are Submitted, Subjected and Surrendered to, NOT By the People Who Pat and Applaud You!

Like in the opening story above, the very same people who lifted Steve Morrow UP, were the very same people that let him fall DOWN! And if you think they won’t do the very same to you, just ask Jesus! The same that yelled “Hosanna, Hosanna,” in one breath, were the very same people who inhaled then exhaled “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” God is still a God of structure and order. Let Him Approve of You, Then Be Patient and Wait For His Approval to Pass From His Desk to Your Leaders, and Then On to You. The anointing is not like ordinary oil, it does not run out. So even if you have to wait for the appointed, appropriate time, WAIT. You’re anointing will never be assigned to someone else. Nor will it dry up and deplete itself. Nothing from the Holy Spirit lacks or is deficient in anyway. So I admonish you, don’t allow people, especially your inner circle, clique, crew etc…to push you before God’s allotted time. Respect the process and wait. Let the oil flow DOWN from the head to you!

The word “flow” is defined as “to move steadily and continuously; to move or issue forth freely.” In other words, you don’t have to force it, you just have to wait for it!

Remember this: To do anything significant for God you must first submit to leadership that can inspire you, instruct you, and when the time is right, release you into your calling. So don’t leave the church, argue with leadership, get caught up in the gossip mill, resign, walk away, throw in the towel and give up. Just be patient and wait. The anointing oil is still flowing!

And while you wait, learn the protocol that goes with the position. The word “protocol” is defined as “the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions; the accepted code of behavior in a particular situation.” Its original sense however meant “the original note of an agreement; the first page or flyleaf.” Which is the introduction or beginning of an agreement. It’s the table of contents letting you know all that comes AFTER this first, initial page. It gives the description of what is to come. And the start of any proper protocol to any position is submission and surrender. The ability to wait with expectation and a good attitude. And the first step of protocol to your anointing is to remember that the Oil Flows DOWN! So stay low, stay meek, stay humble. It is after all, the place where the anointing flows and settles.

In conclusion: The “anointing oil” reminds me a lot of the Old Testament leader Joash, who was the keeper of the cellars of oil. When you get a chance make sure you study it, it is valuable information for leaders and laity alike! However, in a nutshell: He was responsible for keeping the oil; making sure it stayed in place; and watching out for intruders. But the downside as some would say to his position was that he was unnoticed, uncomfortable, lonely and unappreciated. He couldn’t come out the bottom of the cellar until the king called for him. And much is the same for you, the anointed, possessors of the anointing. The oil flows DOWN, not in a prominent, seen, visible, highly acknowledge position. But it’s lowly and unnoticed until the king calls you forth. Make sure you remember that the very next time someone attempts to “encourage you to follow them instead of the flow of the anointing oil.” Stay low and humble, continue to serve, because even when you think no eyes are on you, they are. When leadership deems it time for you to come to the forefront, your anointing will flow. But until then, stay down until He brings you up!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“It’s Time to Clean House!”

John 2:13-17, “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! STOP TURNING MY FATHER’S HOUSE INTO A SHOPPING MALL!” That’s when His disciples remembered the Scripture, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE CONSUMES ME.” (MSG)

Growing up, one of the most disorganized rooms in the entire house was the garage. You see, that was my dad’s domain. Truly the original man cave. Everywhere you turned, there was evidence, without a shadow of a doubt that proved this garage belongs solely to the man of the house. It was filled (or better yet cluttered and congested) with tools (after all he was a mechanic); wood (since we had a fireplace in the living-room) so dad chopped wood at 4am and stacked them (in no particular order) in the garage. There were oil cans, gas cans, beer cans, soaked rags with who knows what that should have caused the house to explode at any given moment. There was dad’s work boots and work clothes. A raggedy black and white little television, and a beat up little radio that I believe only had 3 stations. In other words, the garage was a nightmare! Now, if it stayed just dad’s nightmare that would have been fine. However, the day I got in trouble at school, dad’s nightmare…became mine.

You see, me and some friends had the bright idea that each of us would stand at a different fire drill alarm post in school and at a certain time, we would all pull the alarms at the same time (no idea why we thought having all of us pulling a different alarm was supposed to do something completely different than setting off the same alarm system…guess you could call it the stupidity of youth – sounds like a pretty good diagnosis!). But needless to say, I didn’t think through where I chose to stand to pull my alarm. Why do I say that? Because I picked the alarm right next to detention! A tad-bit prophetic don’t you think? You see, that’s what you call pure brilliance at its best! So, as if I have to tell you how this ended, the dean caught me, brought me to the principal’s office and called dad! Detention would’ve been a blessing compared to dad’s genius idea of a punishment. Allow me to explain: Mom was driving dad nuts about straightening up the garage before the holidays when family and friends would be visiting, and finally (due to my mental disorder called stupidity of youth), he had just the person to get her off his back. You guessed it, ME!

Now, I must admit, it took me a good while to get up the courage to clean up dad’s garage. But, it might have taken you time to do it too, if you had seen what shape it was in! I mean, there was the general accumulated “mess” that hadn’t been touched for a while. And then there was the mess left from his friends that asked him if they could store their stuff there. On top of that, different members of our family had been going, and borrowing and returning, and borrowing and returning, and oh my goodness the mess was everywhere from everyone! Rakes, garbage bags, lawnmowers (broken and fixed alike), radiators, wires, dog chains (and a few dogs), chairs with 3 legs, tables with 1, it was a wreck!

If I had to give it a name it would be “Mount Mess”! And there it was right in front of me (and only me). So, since, unlike my dad, I had no one I could delegate this assignment to, I go and get on my “work” clothes, go downstairs, take a deep breath and I almost turned around and gave up at the first sight of it. Truthfully, my first thought was, “How about I just torch it?” But no, I figured that would indeed get me into more trouble. So, the only solution was to suck it up and clean it up. But the question that depressed me even more was one that you’ve probably asked while facing a “Mount Mess” of your own, “Where Do I Start?“

That’s usually the first question that comes to mind. And if we would dare look at the Mount Mess that the House of God has become, we would have to ask ourselves that very same question. I mean, how did we allow so much of the world to get into our worship? What happened to our pure motives and intentions? What happened to living right, clean, godly and holy? What happened to sacred garments and sacred music? When did pollution enter our praise and repentance exit our prayers? When did it become acceptable to dress any kind of way, talk any kind of way, act any kind of way and live any kind of way? When did it become okay to curse, steal and lie in the House of God? When did we start justifying fornication and adultery as “strongholds and struggles”? When did pride, arrogance, conceit, comparisons and competition become the order of the day? When did slander, mockery, rumors, gossip, belittling, and backbiting get approved in the House? When did taking money out of the House become more important than sowing tithe and offering in it? Who gave the green light for the preachers to be posted and propped up on pedestals, with cushioned strategically placed seating? When did God become a visitor in His own House, while pomp and circumstance moved permanently in? When did the House of God become so filthy? And who will be the ones to clean it up?

Since we learn by repetition, let’s take a look at our text again shall we? John 2:13-17, “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! STOP TURNING MY FATHER’S HOUSE INTO A SHOPPING MALL!” That’s when His disciples remembered the Scripture, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE CONSUMES ME.” (MSG)

I’ll tell you what’s incredible about this text. This is Jesus’ first appearance in Jerusalem. And yet, people love to say first impressions say a lot. Well, Jesus made a pretty good first impression, didn’t He? He’s going to the big city. So, you’d think He’d want to make a nice, positive impact there when He arrives, right? Come on, you know how we do, we love to be impressive. We don’t want to ruffle any feathers. We want to look good, show off our good side with our good clothes and good looks. We want to put our best foot forward. We want to say the right things, do the right things, and act the right way. But notice what Jesus first act is. It’s not a miracle, it’s not a healing, and it’s not a sermon. It’s an indignity – an attack – against sin in God’s House!

Now, you and I are living in a world that morally resembles my dad’s un-cleaned garage – it’s a spiritual mess. Sex has been divorced from love and commitment. Speaking of divorce, it’s the most common “answer” for marital problems today. Lying is so common you pretty much expect people not to be telling the truth. There’s the garbage permeating our media input, and it just goes on and on. So, when do we start cleaning, and where are we going to start cleaning?

Well, being that Jesus’ reaction was so extreme, might I suggest we START BY CLEANING UP OUR FATHER’S HOUSE FIRST? After all, that’s where Jesus started! And according to the Word of God, that’s where it will always start!

Listen to 1 Peter 4:17, “For the time has come for judgment to BEGIN at THE HOUSE OF GOD…” (NKJV)

Listen: I didn’t go to my neighbor’s house to clean their garage. No, I was assigned to clean the garage IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE! Now, does that mean I couldn’t help my neighbor with his/her garage? Absolutely not. However, it must BEGIN WITH MY FATHER’S HOUSE.

Now, I know there’s a great deal we as believers can do to help to improve this world and make it a better place. But we can’t clean the outside of the cup and leave the inside dirty; nor can we clean up the world while the House of God is filthy! Our God has Set the Standard, and the Standard is ORDER! 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For…God is NOT a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and ORDER. AS [IS THE PRACTICE] IN ALL THE CHURCHES OF THE SAINTS (GOD’S PEOPLE)” (AMPC) His Standard is Order, Therefore, Our Standard is Order! And Cleaning House Begins With His House! We Need to Clean From the INSIDE…Out! Matthew 23:25-26, “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the INSIDES are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the INSIDES, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.” (MSG)

People of God, it’s not enough to “look good”, or “look clean; look holy; look righteous; look godly.” After All, Looks and Appearance Mean Nothing! 2 Timothy 3:5, “holding to a FORM of [OUTWARD] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.” (AMP) Haven’t we been holding on to this “form” long enough? Looking regal on the outside while rotting on the inside. Trying to build up the world while the House of God is demolished by our own hands. Propping up the world, while the Standards of the House of God fall down. Saints, we need to begin with us! Cleaning Our Father’s House! Cleaning from the INSIDE…Out! And brothers, Jesus is your example, because HE Started Cleaning the Father’s House First!

See, we’ve become amazingly casual about sin. Oh, we’re against it, but we flirt with it and we see how close we can get to it. We read about it, we watch it being portrayed, we laugh about it, and we allow creeping compromise to erode what was once a much higher standard in our lives just a short time ago. But Jesus however, takes a whip to sin when it’s tolerated in His Father’s House, and guess what? Just as the physical building we go to, to attend church; WE are also the Temple of God! We are also His House! So while we’re cleaning up the building, let us not forget to also clean our temple! 1 Corinthians 6:16-20, “There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. OR DIDN’T YOU REALIZE THAT YOUR BODY IS A SACRED PLACE, THE PLACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? DON’T YOU SEE THAT YOU CAN’T LIVE HOWEVER YOU PLEASE, SQUANDERING WHAT GOD PAID SUCH A HIGH PRICE FOR? THE PHYSICAL PART OF YOU IS NOT SOME PIECE OF PROPERTY BELONGING TO THE SPIRITUAL PART OF YOU. GOD OWNS THE WHOLE WORKS. SO LET PEOPLE SEE GOD IN AND THROUGH YOUR BODY.” (MSG)

Sounds like we’ve got a lot of cleaning to do! The House of God (the building) and the Temple of God (us) both need some serious cleaning up and out!

The performance needs to be whipped out of the House of God and the perverseness needs to be whipped out of the Temple of God! Bad attitudes; poor communication; vengefulness; spitefulness; anger; deceit; bitterness; resentment and the like all need to be whipped out of the House of God! Bad decisions; unholiness; addictions; habits; unhealthy thoughts; disrespectful speech; dishonoring conduct; wrongful emotions; unforgiveness; illicit sexual behavior all need to be whipped out of the Temple of God…Us!

See, the Bible says we’re the temple of the Holy Spirit; He lives in us. Now, you may look righteous compared to the rest of the people around you, but your standard isn’t them. It’s the personal holiness standard of Jesus Christ Himself. Oh, sure, we should fight the decay in our lost world, but we should turn most of our guns on our own sin – our own compromise. Truth be told, many people are not considering Christ because they’ve never seen an alternative in someone who is really living for Christ demonstrating the difference.

And how does this tie in to Men cleaning house? Well, Jesus, Fully Man, was the one who started cleaning up and out our Father’s House, and therefore, I believe it’s high-time that Men take their rightful place and do the same. Oh, we’ll call on the men to fix something, move something, lift something, open something, but what about having men reset the Order of the House? Does that mean women have nothing to do? Absolutely not. However, I believe in our Father’s Order, and Men should still sit at the Head of the Table in the House. I believe a great movement in the House would take place should men start moving. And know this, Jesus didn’t gather the disciples, no, He went in and cleaned house Himself. And likewise brothers, you don’t need a crew, squad or team. Just make your commitment to Christ personal and refuse to allow anyone to trash your Father’s House. Clean up the ugly and untrue image that men are just sagging and hanging on corners slinging drugs and shooting guns. That they’re all dead beat dads, unfaithful husbands, and trifling boyfriends. Some say not all men are dogs, but I say no man is one. Dogs are animals on four legs, men are imperfect humans on two. It’s behavior that needs changing and standards that need raising.

Men of God, you are needed in the House of God to Reset its Order. To show our daughters what to look for and look up to; to show women that there are men who protect their women; to show the community that you care about its well-being; to show laity you know how to be humble as leader and show leadership that you know how to follow. Be the example of a praiser and worshiper. Lead out prayer. Expose sin; shut down gossip; kill jealousy; and prove that there are some Men in the House of God that will not allow the House to become Dirty!

And this will require work on your behalf. Read the text: “…Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and CHASED them out the Temple, STAMPEDING the sheep and cattle, UPENDING the tables of the loan sharks, SPILLING coins left and right…” Jesus did not take this lightly! He “…CHASED…CAUSED A STAMPEDE, UPENDED TABLES AND SPILLED COINS LEFT AND RIGHT…” In other words, this is not a polite, “please stop doing these things in my father’s house, thank you.” Uh, nope! He had a whip and a mission to clean up and clean out His Father’s House! Men, you need to be on the same Mission! It’s not going to be easy to do, but it still needs to be done and done by you. The House of God needs to look like the House of God, and not one that Rents out Rooms to the World to live in! No, Be Men Who Clean House!

Jesus didn’t tell them to just stop what they were doing, but listen: “…He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” They Were Put Out the House! And men, you need to be just as diligent about your Father’s House. Don’t let anyone come in the House of God and think they can do anything they please. Let them know as soon as they cross over the threshold, you can come as you are, but you can’t stay that way! Lift the standards in the House that compromise will not be tolerated; disrespect will not be tolerated; dressing any kind of way will not be tolerated; talking and acting any kind of way will not be tolerated.

But at the same time, you can’t set a standard that you’re not living up to yourself! Therefore, you have to be the example on display of what Men of God look, sound, and act like. You lead the way. Give them something to emulate. Show them how it’s done in the House, then show them how to carry that outside of the House and into their own. When you lead them well in the House, it will be a double blessing that teaches them how order ought to be set in their own.

Jesus did not sit on the sidelines murmuring and complaining and pointing fingers about what was going on in His Father’s House. No, He took action and did something about it and you are charged and challenged today to do the very same. As the disciples discovered, “…Zeal for Your house consumes me” (MSG), that needs to be the passion of the Men of God in the House of God today.

We have enough men desiring to be Ordained in the House of God, but not enough desiring to set and maintain the Order of the House!

Will you take on the responsibility for raising the standards in the House of God, and making sure that no one comes in to lower them? Will you be the one to set the example of proper leadership in the House (even if you don’t receive a title)? Will you be the one to call sin, sin? Will you be the one to address those who are out of order in the House? Will you be bold enough to confront, correct, and chastise? Will you be the Body of Christ that lends its Members to the Housework of Cleaning Up the House of God?

Remember, He’s coming back for ONE Body, ONE House, ONE Church, and anything or anyone Unclean and Unholy Will Not Be in the Number!

Before I close, there’s one other thing that caught my attention, and that’s where the Scripture says, “…Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” Sadly, that is quite descriptive of the House of God today. Some of everything is on Display…except the Glory of God. Which is why Jesus Himself stepped in. Think about it, the Scripture says, “…When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple TEEMING with people…” The word “teeming” is defined as, “to be full of or swarming with; to be of great numbers or amounts of something.” Its synonyms are: “abounding, abundant, bursting, crowded, filled, full, jam-packed, loaded, saturated, stuffed, clogged, congested, overcrowded, and over-flowing.” My question then becomes, how could there be this many people in the temple, during the Passover Feast, and no one but Jesus noticed, cared or addressed the filth in the Father’s House? And many of us go to churches with a good number of seats filled, and yet no one is addressing the filth in the Father’s House. We no longer have any more room to even contain the elevated, promoted, entitled, weekly ordained to some new position preachers, teachers and leaders, and yet, the house is still unclean. Vestments are Spotless While the Vestibule is Sinful! No one is bothered, no one is upset, no one thinks anything needs to be done? Have we become so comfortable and content, even in sin, that it doesn’t prick our heart or conscious any longer? Have we become so hard-hearted (and hard-headed) that anything goes in the Father’s House? We’re supposed to render to God a Sweet Smelling Sacrifice of Praise, and yet we’ve allowed both Pulpit and Pew to become  Putrid instead! And what does that mean? ‘Putrid’ is defined as ‘decaying or rotting and emitting a fetid smell; very unpleasant.’ Its Latin Origin ‘putridus’, from ‘putrere’ literally means ‘to rot.’ That’s what the House of God smells like when disobedience, sin, compromise, unholiness, and uncleanliness are allowed to sit week after in the Sanctuary.

Men of God, let today be the day that you throw on your overalls and your work-boots and get to work in cleaning up and out the House of God. Jesus did, and certainly you are men after God’s own heart aren’t you? Find your zeal for the House of God, and let it consume you to the point you have no room left for compromise (not from yourself or anyone else)!

Let today be the day that Men Clean House, and watch what happens when Order becomes the Order of the Day again!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “Stop Enabling Them!”

“The Protocol of the Anointing”

 

The Psalmist writes: “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It’s like costly anointing oil FLOWING DOWN head and beard, FLOWING DOWN Aaron’s beard, FLOWING DOWN the collar of his priestly robes. It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon FLOWING DOWN the slopes of Zion. Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.” (Psalm 133:1-3 MSG).

The Amplified Bible says it like this: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in UNITY! It is like the PRECIOUS ointment poured on the head, that RAN DOWN on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that CAME DOWN upon the collar and skirts of his garments [CONSECRATING THE WHOLE BODY]. It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the BLESSING, even LIFE forevermore [upon the HIGH AND THE LOWLY].” (AMP).

I want us to take a look at a few vital lessons found here in regards to the Protocol of the Anointing:

1.. According to the Bible, the “COSTLY ANOINTING OIL” is tied directly to “how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in UNITY.” And yet, somehow the church still manages to fight and compete more over the “anointing/anointed” than they are willing to come together and work together on the same team for the same goal. Listen, you can’t tell me you’re anointed and yet you’re at odds with your brothers and sisters in Christ who are connected and fitly joined in the same One Body. The anointing is yoked to your unity, not disunity. So if you’re so “anointed” that you can’t get along with your brothers and sisters, perhaps you’re not necessarily “anointed”, just “oily.” Look at it like this: Pouring oil on raw chicken then serving it to others is unhealthy and deadly. Yet, pouring oil on the same raw chicken, however, placing it in the oven to thoroughly cook until it’s done and then serving it to others feeds and nourishes them. The difference is one went through nothing, and the other went through a process. With that said, I’ve come to discover that some people are just “oily”, possessing no nutritional value whatsoever, and can be deadly in their words, actions and attitude, because they’ve endured no process. They just threw on some oil and assumed it was the same as the anointing. However, I beg to differ. And yet you also have those who have more than just “oil”, because they’ve been processed. Which is why a lot of “oily” folks are immature; while processed “anointed” folks are mature. You see, they’ve learned to respect process; time; persistence; endurance; patience; and waiting. All things that the immature can’t handle! You see, the Immature always wants what is Premature. But James 1:2-4 admonishes, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. SO DON’T TRY TO GET OUT OF ANYTHING PREMATURELY. Let it do its work so you become MATURE and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (MSG) Two of the definitions for the word ‘premature’ is: ‘occurring or done before the proper time and something happening far too early.” And that’s the down fall of the immature, they’re too impatient to wait for anything. They want everything without waiting, and without processing which always causes comparisons, competitions and conflict! On the other hand, the maturity of the anointed knows that the key is dwelling and working together in unity with your brothers and sisters. Anything less, is just immature, oily folks who cause malnutrition to the Body of Christ. Which is why it’s so vital to remember: Ephesians 4:16, “From Him the WHOLE BODY [THE CHURCH, IN ALL ITS VARIOUS PARTS], JOINED AND KNITTED FIRMLY TOGETHER by what EVERY JOINT supplies, when EACH PART IS WORKING PROPERLY, CAUSES THE BODY TO GROW AND MATURE, BUILDING ITSELF UP IN [UNSELFISH] LOVE.” (AMP) The Anointing is Attached to Unity;

2.. According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” is “PRECIOUS”. It is not to be used as a tool of competition and comparison. It is to be treated as the precious, treasure that it is, not fruitless attempts to out-do, or be better than someone else. We’ve so grievously misused, and mishandled the anointing. But it was never given for the purpose of trying to out-shine anyone else. The anointing serves a purpose and that purpose is not a selfish tool used at your whim. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (Isaiah 10:27). Does that sound like the anointing should be used in a common manner? Certainly not. Therefore, today, realize the purpose, plan and power of the anointing, and handle it as the precious oil that it is. It should never be handled haphazardly for it’s the necessity to the destruction of yokes! The word “precious” is defined as “having great value”. Its Latin Origin ‘pretiosus’, from ‘pretium’ literally means ‘price.’ People of God, the anointing is too costly to be utilized in such a cheap manner as to degrade it with competition and comparisons. Remember that the next time you’re tempted to out-preach, out-teach, out-pray, out-sing, out-shout, out-praise your brethren! That is not the purpose for something this precious and priceless. ;

3.. According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” covered “…the collar and skirts of his garments…” Can you imagine the anointing covering your garments? Sometimes I wonder if the anointing is as present on us, in us and with us as we say? Because shouldn’t at some point in time, contact with the anointing alter your garments? Truth is, there’s some attire (on both men and women alike) in church that confuses me. I don’t understand open cleavage; visible panty-lines; and tight clothes that need an oxygen mask. And things have gotten so bad in church, even among leadership, that vestments have become “fashion statements”. But in Scripture the “anointing oil” covered “…the collar and skirts of his garments…” With that said, shouldn’t the church be seen differently than the world, even in our attire? And if so, why do our “holy garments” look no different than their “fashion statement fads”? And since when did words like “basic”; “simple”; “fundamental”; “decorum“; “descent“; become curse words? Think about this: Being crafted in His image and likeness; being called the righteousness of God and ambassadors of Christ, shouldn’t we be a bit more cautious and careful in how we present ourselves, or should I say more importantly, how we present and represent HIM? With that said, today, take a double-look at how you “as a believer” dresses (men and women alike). Make sure that you are sending the right message. After all, would you want to be in an emergency situation and the NYPD showed up dressed like the swim team? No, you expect them to be in uniform and to be prepared and equipped, and looking like the distinguished officers they’ve been called to be. Well, people should expect the very same from us as believers, followers, disciples, Christians and Children of God. There should never be cause for people to need to take a double-look or question if we’re a part of the Kingdom of Light or the Kingdom of Darkness;

4.. According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” did something special “…it consecrated the whole body.” The word “consecrate” is defined as “to make or declare sacred; to ordain to a sacred office.” Its Latin Origin “consecrare” literally means “to dedicate or devote as sacred.” I know in this day and age of the church we don’t see much consecration, dedication and devotion to GOD. Can we dare to tell the truth, rings, robes, chairs, positions and titles are all being haphazardly tossed to and fro with no meaning or purpose other than to say from one year to the next, I’ve been elevated…again. But the “anointing oil” is precious and serves to consecrate. It signifies that you’ve been set apart for no other reason, purpose, motive, intention, or hidden agenda than to simply be used of God. “…the whole body…” was consecrated. Head to Toe. Which makes me wonder do we make sure that even our minds, thoughts, deeds, actions, words, emotions, and the like are all set apart for God as well as our bodies? Does He have all of us, or just the parts we’re willing to give Him? Think about it: When the Father gave us His Son, He didn’t give us pieces of Him, He gave us His Whole Son. He sacrificed All that He is, just to have all that we are, and to use us to draw in others with the same loving-kindness. Is the anointing that special to you? Does it mean so much to you that you’re willing to give God ALL of you for His use in His service for His kingdom? Or is the anointing just special to you when you’re assigned to preach, to teach, to pray, to lead, or to be visible to others?;

5.. According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” and the “unity of the brethren” is also tied directly to “the dew of Mount Hermon…that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing even life forever more…” How amazing that the anointing is attached to a place where the Lord has commanded blessings and eternal life? And yet, we treat it so commonplace. But your anointing is a Blessing and its Life! Therefore, don’t get caught up in the distractions of treating the anointing as a competitive edge over your colleagues. Your anointing is not so you can preach better, teach awesome, or pray like the intercessor of the month. Your anointing is where the Lord has commanded blessings and life, treat it as such and don’t devalue it by abusing it carelessly;

6.. According to the Bible, the “anointing oil” is “…upon the high and the lowly…” The anointing does not discriminate. It doesn’t wait until Sunday morning, special services, consecrations, conferences and convocations to flow. It doesn’t need to be attired in full vestments to flow. It serves 2 people no differently than it serves 200 or 2 million. So, a good question to ask yourself is, do I flow to All, or just stagnate toward a few? The anointing reaches the “…the highly and the lowly…” It treats alike the rich and the poor, the white and the black, the educated and the challenged, the sick and the well, the old and the young, the women and the men, all equally. Do you? Honestly, do you teach to the same degree with a class of 3 that you do in a class of 30? Do you preach to a congregation of 12 the same as you would 1,200? Do you carry yourself the same whether meeting with the CEO or the janitor? The anointing is consistent and does not change up roles like characters in a play. And if you are among the anointed, neither should you.

7.. Lastly, according to the Bible, “the anointing oil” “…FLOWS DOWN…”

Despite what you see in a lot of our churches today, God still works through Structure and Order! “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33). The New Living Translation says it like this: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” (NLT). In other words, the Oil Flows DOWN, Not UP! That would be confusion and contradiction, doing the opposite of what the Word has already declared.

Truth is, it doesn’t matter if those Under you think you’re absolutely wonderful, unless those Above you agree! Like it or not, but leadership and anointing come with the requirement of complete submission and total surrender. I don’t care how many people pat you on your back, never let it go to your head! Meek, lowly, humble are all characteristics that every anointed leader should carry. It keeps you from becoming pompous, arrogant and conceited. Remember: the anointing flowed down from Aaron (the leader, the high priest). It did not flow from Israelite to Israelite. It flowed from the High Priest down…In Order!

Until you understand that, you’ll be susceptible to those who, for their own reasons, and hidden agendas, want to tell you how wonderful you are and how you should be running the show! However, in God’s Kingdom, you’re not approved by people, you’re approved by God: “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” (Matthew 17:5); “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God performed through him among you. You yourselves know this.” (Acts 2:22 CEB); “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Galatians 1:10 NLT); “God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-5 MSG). Bottom Line: The Anointing is Approved of By God, Than the Leadership in Which You Are Submitted, Subjected and Surrendered to, NOT By the People Who Pat and Applaud You! So, stop looking for the approval of the anointing on your life by the people in your life. Because a Well-Known Fact Is This: If People Can Lift You Up, They Can Also Very Well Let You Down! Remember That!

In April 1993, after Steve Morrow scored the goal that gave the Arsenal Football Club England’s Championship Cup, his teammates tossed him into the air in ritual celebration. BUT…they failed to catch him when he came down, and an embarrassed Morrow was carried off the field on a stretcher with a broken arm and an oxygen mask over his face! Can you imagine the feeling after such a great victory, to walk away looking more like the loser than the winner? And if that’s not bad enough, what’s worse is that it wasn’t those AGAINST him that hurt him, but it was those FOR him, those on his OWN TEAM!

The very same people who lifted Steve Morrow UP, were the very same people that let him fall DOWN! And if you think they won’t do the very same to you, just ask Jesus! The same that yelled “Hosanna, Hosanna,” in one breath, were the very same people who inhaled then exhaled “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” God is still a God of Structure and Order. Let Him Approve of You, Then Be Patient and Wait For His Approval to Pass From His Desk to Your Leaders, and Then On to You. The anointing is not like ordinary oil, it does not run out. So even if you have to wait for the appointed, appropriate time, WAIT. You’re anointing will never be assigned to someone else. Nor will it dry up and deplete itself. Nothing from the Holy Spirit lacks or is deficient in anyway. So I admonish you, don’t allow people, especially your inner circle, clique, crew etc…to push you before God’s allotted time. Respect the process and wait. Let the oil flow DOWN from the head to you!

The word “flow” is defined as “to move steadily and continuously; to move or issue forth freely.” In other words, you don’t have to force it, you just have to wait for it!

Remember this: To do anything significant for God you must first submit to leadership that can inspire you, instruct you, correct you and when the time is right, release you into your calling. So don’t leave the church, argue with leadership, get caught up in the gossip mill, resign, walk away, throw in the towel and give up. Just be patient and wait. The anointing oil is still flowing!

And while you wait, learn the protocol that goes with the position. The word “protocol” is defined as “the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions; the accepted code of behavior in a particular situation.” Its original sense however meant “the original note of an agreement; the first page or flyleaf.” Which is the introduction or beginning of an agreement. It’s the table of contents letting you know all that comes AFTER this first, initial page. It gives the description of what is to come. And the start of any proper protocol to any position is submission and surrender. The ability to wait with expectation and a good attitude. And the first step of protocol to your anointing is to remember that the Oil Flows DOWN! So stay low, stay meek, stay humble. It is after all, the place where the anointing flows and settles.

In conclusion: The “anointing oil” reminds me a lot of the Old Testament leader Joash, who was the keeper of the cellars of oil. When you get a chance make sure you study it, it is valuable information for leaders and laity alike! However, in a nutshell: He was responsible for keeping the oil; making sure it stayed in place; and watching out for intruders. But the downside as some would say to his position was that he was unnoticed, uncomfortable, lonely and unappreciated. He couldn’t come out the bottom of the cellar until the king called for him. And much is the same for you, the anointed, possessors of the anointing. The oil flows DOWN, not in a prominent, seen, visible, highly acknowledge position. But it’s lowly and unnoticed until the king calls you forth. Make sure you remember that the very next time someone attempts to “encourage you to follow them instead of the flow of the anointing oil.” Stay low and humble, continue to serve, because even when you think no eyes are on you, they are. When leadership deems it time for you to come to the forefront, your anointing will flow. But until then, stay down until He brings you up!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged 
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