The Fragrant Life

"Therefore God, thy God, faith anointed thee with the oil of gladness ... All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia" (Psalm 45:7-8)

In the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit came, His presence fulfilled that whole list of fragrances found in the holy anointing oil. When New Testament believers were anointed, that anointing was evident. Read it in the book of Acts. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4). "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness" (4:31). "But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven" (7:55). "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the word" (10:44). The list goes on.

The Holy Spirit has not changed. His power and authority have not changed. He is still the third Person of the eternal Godhead. He is among us to teach us all we need to know about Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. I am suggesting - indeed, I am stating - that no one among us, man or woman, can be genuinely anointed with the Holy Spirit and hope to keep it a secret! His or her anointing will be evident.

All that God wants of any of us is room for Himself, the displacement of our self-consciousness and strength in sufficient measure to let Him have His way without resistance and interference.

~A. W. Tozer~

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Fragrance Cannot be Hidden

"Mary ... anointed the feet of Jesus ... and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment" (John 12:3)

A Christian brother once confided in me how he had tried to keep the fullness of the Spirit a secret within his own life. He had made a commitment of his life to God in faith. In answer to prayer, God had filled him with the Spirit. Within himself he said, "I cannot tell anyone about this!"

Three days passed. On the third day his wife touched him on the arm and asked, "Everett, what has happened to you? Something has happened to you!" And like a pent-up stream his testimony flowed out. He had received an anointing of the Holy Spirit. The fragrance could not be hidden. His wife knew it in the home. His life was changed. The spiritual graces and fruits of the consecrated life cannot be hidden. It is an anointing with the oil of gladness and joy.

A person anointed by the Holy Spirit, fed on the sweetness of Christ and bearing fruit for God and man, is not craving after self-aggrandizement. Empty glory can never fill the human heart; vanity and pride are no substitutes for the joy of the Lord, the fullness of the Spirit and the sweet rest we find at Jesus' feet.

~A. W. Tozer~