July 26, 2022
Prepare for a Fresh Anointing
“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
(Luke 22:42 NLT)
Beloved I have chosen you, called you, and appointed you, are you willing to pay the price that comes with the anointing? Every leader who does something significant for Me will always experience Gethsemane – a dying to your flesh. Jesus knew what was coming and asked His disciples to pray that they would not enter temptation as Judas Iscariot had. (Luke 22:40) He knelt in the garden and prayed, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup from Me, nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done. (Luke 41-42) Then suddenly, an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen Him. He prayed more fervently, and He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. (Luke 22:43-44) When Jesus rose from prayer, His disciples had fallen asleep, exhausted from grief, and He said, “Why are you sleeping?” He asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.” (Luke 22:45-46)
There are times that all leaders feel alone, as when they pioneer new territory. One of Jesus’ loneliest times was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Just hours before He would be tried, tortured, and crucified, every one of His Inner Circle deserted Him. His story in the garden gives us one of the most excellent examples in history of a leader’s commitment. Every leader who does something substantial for Me to build the Kingdom of Heaven will experience a Gethsemane. What can you learn from this ‘lonely season’? Gethsemane is a place where:
1. Spiritual battles occur (Luke 22:40-44)
2. Loneliness is felt (Luke 22:41)
3. Honesty is expressed (Luke 22:41-42)
4. Submission is required (Luke 22:42)
5. Strength is received (Luke 22:43)
When you are in this place of loneliness and testing get ready – you are being prepared to step into your prophetic destiny! May I remind you: “I chose you, called you, and appointed you,’ but you must be willing to pay the price that comes with the anointing!
