“When you walk in unbroken fellowship with Me, you will be loathed by those who choose to remain in their sin. People will come against you for no reason. They will belittle you, fabricate lies about you, and berate you every chance they get. You will be known as the ones who are different than everyone else. They will hate your repentant life, calling you weak and foolish. Many will go far out of their way to accuse you of wrongdoing, even when they have no evidence.
“Others will invent devious ways to undermine your mission. You will be the topic of much gossip, the brunt of many jokes, and the prime suspect of many false rumors. People will not be able to wait to accuse you of something, anything, so that they have reason to separate themselves from you and continue in their sin. Your very presence will convict them, so they will hate you and not want to be near you. You will have few friends because a limited number of people will desire to talk about Me all the time.
“It delights Me that I am the only topic that you feel is worth talking and thinking about each and every minute of your day. Be at peace, even though you feel alone. I am your friend. I will be your neighbor. I will be the one who defends you. You continue to make Me your everything. I will continue to form My Spirit in you.
“The time will come when those who do not listen to you now will listen closely to what you have to say. They will long for the confident presence that you bring to their fearful world. They will need what you have. They will no longer laugh; in fact, they will seek you for answers. For now, do not be concerned. Pray for their immaturity. Pray for their souls. I am with you.”
1 Peter 4:14 NIV
If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Few people really understand all aspects of the anointing of God, especially in these days. The work of God is often so watered down by manipulators and carnival barkers that there is much confusion about what it means to be anointed.
In the days of old, when the gnarly–fingered, smelly prophet emerged from his cave with a fresh word from the altar of God, most people hated him. If he stayed in their midst for any length of time, they were convicted of their sin as much by his lifestyle as they were by the words that he said. His caring for or owning nothing of the world convicted them of their blatant worldly desires. His desire to only spend time with God showed how shallow their relationship with God really was, and how far they were from even wanting a deeper relationship.
Jesus walked in an anointing so powerful that the leaders of the day had to kill Him, so that they could continue on with their lifestyle. The fullness of His anointing allowed the plumb line of the Word of God to expose the hearts of everyone with whom He came in contact. The hurting openly expressed their pain. The confused asked questions formerly stifled by tradition. The angry fumed out loud. The repentant dropped and humbled themselves. All of this probably could have been accomplished from a distance, but God decided that mankind needed to be faced up-close and personal. Jesus was God brought to earth. Having all the character of God within Him, He stood on the dusty land and allowed His anointing to expose every heart and accomplish every needed task. Having met Him, people could no longer cloak who they really were. They were forced to make a decision, expose a sin, or express a cry for help, simply because he was in their midst.
If you have sold out to God, the fragrance of the Lord is always with you. If your favorite place is at the feet of Jesus, plan on most everyone attempting to dim the glory of the Lord from your countenance at every turn. If you have determined to sell out to the Lord, no matter what the cost, you can be assured that your life will be the focus of those who choose to remain in their sin. You will not be liked, except by those who are hungry for the Lord themselves.
Be at peace, however, the Lord will be your best friend. No amount of acceptance by the world, the cold, dead church, the self-appointed prophets, or the self-proclaimed judges of your life could ever replace one single moment of the presence of the Lord.
You are the one who is following in the footsteps of those who have gone before you under the power of the Lord. You are the one who has heard the heart of your Father in heaven. You are the one who is pleasing in His sight. You be blessed; you will soon be a blessing to many who will need what you have received from your Lord because you have often run out of your own strength and have desperately needed Him. They will need what you have been given, when they run out of their own strength and religious activity.
Wanting only to please my Lord,
Jim Corbett
