David Diga Hernandez - Yielded Vessels: The Cost of Being Anointed

So let’s begin by first looking to the scripture to see how the anointing oil was made. The anointing oil is a type or a shadow of the Holy Spirit’s power in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the oil was the shadow; in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is revealed as the substance. Now, let’s go to Exodus 30, and we’re going to read beginning at verse number 22. Then the Lord said to Moses, «Collect choice spices: twelve and a half pounds of pure myrrh, six and a quarter pounds of fragrant cinnamon, six and a quarter pounds of fragrant calamus, and twelve and a half pounds of cassia, as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also, get one gallon of olive oil. Let a skilled incense maker blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil.»

Now, in the Old Testament, the anointing oil was used in a ceremony where someone appointed by God as a prophet would anoint another person being appointed by God to another position. Kings were anointed, priests were anointed, and prophets were anointed. They even anointed certain articles in the tabernacle. Whatever was anointed was set aside for God’s use; it was made holy and pure. So that anointing oil, once it came upon something, signified that God had set that something or someone aside for His purposes.

Looking now at this portion of scripture, we see that various ingredients were used in the anointing oil, and in that symbolism, I believe we can find truths to help us walk in God’s Holy Spirit’s power. I want to remind you again: in the Old Testament, the oil was the shadow; in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is revealed as the substance. Acts 10:38 says this: «And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.»

First, we see that they used myrrh. Myrrh was a gum exuding from the bark of a shrub or small tree; it was used for medicinal purposes, purification, and embalming. It had a purifying effect. That’s the main takeaway from myrrh: it had a purifying effect, which indicates that if we want to walk in God’s power, we must live a life of purity. Purity is key to walking in the anointing. Some imagine they can live without purity and try to compensate for what they lack in purity with charisma, talent, or eloquence. They end up making up in the flesh what they lack in the spirit because they are not living pure before God.

Ephesians 5:1-4 says this: «Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children, and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you, there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.»

The purity within your life will affect the flow of God’s power through your life. The power upon you is directly proportionate to the level of purity you’re walking in. Impurity doesn’t keep the Holy Spirit from having power or from living within you. There are some who have the Holy Spirit within them and struggle with sin, but what impurity does is it keeps the Holy Spirit from being able to allow His power to flow through your life.

We know that we ought not to live in sin, and we know we ought not to grieve the Holy Spirit. God put His Holy Spirit in us to help us live holy. When we fail to walk in purity, we begin to affect those around us. We affect the lives of those who should have been influenced by God’s power moving through us, but they weren’t influenced because we chose impurity instead. Don’t let there be even a hint of impurity. You must choose to draw a line and say, «I’m not going to live the way I used to; I’m not going to allow my thoughts to go where they used to go. I am going to choose to live a life that is holy before God, that I might walk in power before man, that God might use me as an influence, that God might use me as a vessel to affect change in the lives of those I meet, and love.» Purity is key.

Next, we see cinnamon used as an ingredient. Cinnamon is known for its sweetness, so I want to show you something very interesting here in Acts 8. Beginning at verse number 15, we have an interesting story that takes place. When I talk about sweetness, I could discuss kindness, gentleness, and meekness; those are all wonderful attributes and key to walking in God’s power. In fact, one of the keys to Jesus’s healing ministry was His compassion for the sick. One of the keys to longevity in the healing ministry or in any ministry, really, is compassion for those to whom you are ministering.

Look at this: Acts 8:15; I’ll read down to verse 24. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for…