Authenticity of God's Anointing!

Authenticity of God’s Anointing!

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me’” (Matthew 18:1-5).

Jesus called the children the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The test of the authenticity of God’s anointing and the greatness in a believer’s life is how well they love the little children, and the children love them. Children are proof that God is at work in your life!

Two Powerful Personal Examples!

I have always loved little children. They are so pure, untested in life, innocent, and open to learning things with humility. They are my heroes from whom I learn so many things.

Many decades ago, when I was a young adult in my mid-twenties, I was completely sold out to ministries, all-night prayer meetings, and meetings that I occasionally designed for many to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. On one occasion, I took a group of people to a forest to spend the day praying there, with a break for lunch.  In the morning, during prayer time, we were in a plain meadow with trees lurking around us. We were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and we prayed for several minutes. There was a child, no more than 10 years old, next to me as we were all praying. At the end of the prayer, that child came to me and started rubbing his hands over my jaw and neck region. I was perplexed and asked the child what he was doing. He replied, “Uncle, I am sorry, I had my eyes open when you were all praying. When you prayed, your face transformed into that of an older person, and a long, white beard appeared on it. That was gone after prayer. I was rubbing my hands to see if I missed your beard!”  How powerful that was!

Decades later, let us fast-forward to a few days ago at the Global Prayer Center. We are blessed to have our grandchildren visiting us from overseas for the summer before they head back to school. There are the children I had dedicated to the Lord at the Prayer Center when they were born. Our prayer team saw them growing up before their very eyes every year, and every year when they came back from their birth, they were tremendously happy to be at the Prayer Center to open the doors for everyone to enter, hug everyone, and share their love. They will sit at the altars with me to sing songs and listen to the messages. This summer, while they are here, they took on a project to bless all the prayer partners with a Scripture verse they wrote on a small piece of paper. They have a desk where they display those written verses for everyone to pick one for themselves. Here is my Scripture from my granddaughter:

To: Thatha (My Grandpa)

From: Eliana

As I entered the Social Hall before the meeting at 5:30 PM this Tuesday, I saw my two grandchildren busy at work, writing Scripture notes. Worship music was playing from Rachel’s phone. I had 90 minutes before the meeting. I sat between them to observe what they were doing. Suddenly, I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit and the presence of God in a way that was more unusual than I had ever experienced before. There was peace like a river filling my soul. I had experienced love shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit. I could hardly explain in words what I was feeling. I became a little 9-year-old among the 9-year-olds and started writing Scriptures on pieces of paper. My little Eliana kept collecting them from me. It was the most unforgettable moment when I unusually experienced the presence of God, and it happened with my grandchildren!

For the first time, I understood what Jesus said about the children in Matthew 18.

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

“Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

“Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”

A Childlike Faith Enters Heaven!

“Jesus loves me! This I know,

For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to Him belong;

They are weak, but He is strong.

Refrain:

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.”

(Anna B. Warner, 1860)

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:9). 

Faith is not complicated. Faith is believing all that God has spoken in His Word, and receiving all that God has promised in His Word, including God Himself. Our weakness is no measure of our faith, but for God to show Himself strong as we believe in Him as a child!

The Greatest in God’s Kingdom is the Greatest in Humility!

Here is a test for all mega leaders in all spheres of ministry and ventures in the world. Ask yourself these questions:

“Am I believing in God as a child does?”

“Am I trusting God as a little child?”

“How lowly and humble am I, as a little child?”

The test of humility is that we are drawn to little children and not away from them. Our lowliness and humility are confirmed when the children are drawn to us and do not try to shun us.

Jesus Comes to Minister in Meekness and Lowliness as A Child!

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle (meek) and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. Jesus is gentle, meek, and lowly as a child, bringing comfort to all those to whom He ministers. He loved the little children and was loved by the little children! That was the proof that Jesus is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven!

Here is another special thing about Jesus’ heart – He saw the difference of a child in people to minister with compassion and love. While Jesus saw the demon in Judas (“Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil” – John 6:70), who had completely given himself to Satan, Jesus also saw Simon Peter tested as a child tried by Satan and offered to pray for him: “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus was not offended and treated Simon Peter as a child!

Jesus saw a “little child” in Zacchaeus when He invited Himself into his home: “Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So, he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste (hurry) and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ So, he made haste (hurried) and came down and received Him joyfully” (Luke 19:1-6). Salvation came to Zacchaeus that day!

One of the secrets I have learned is that it is indeed the blessing of God to enjoy and admire the innocence of little children without abusing them. As we grow more in God, both with wisdom and childlike humility, trust, and lowliness in God, we too will see “the children” in some of the adults and the difference between those who could be helped from those who have been completely taken over by the enemy. We will minister to the adults, treating them as children with love, mercy, grace, and compassion. We will not be offended easily, and even when we are, we will forget it easily, as children do.

Little Children Authenticate our Anointing!

A little child saw that I was transformed while I was praying!

I felt the presence of God in an unusual manner among my grandchildren, writing the cards of Scripture!

The test of our anointing is not in how many people are following our programs or the size of our revenues and budgets, but how many little children are drawn to and not away from us in our daily walk with God.

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22). The greatest of inheritance is not the bank accounts and assets that we leave behind, but our faith that we share with our loved ones, and especially the children, through our walk of faith, love, humility, and grace. 

We live in societies where children are shunned as the last priority in the ministry. Jesus put them first when He commanded Simon Peter to nourish and minister to them: “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs’” (John 21:15).

Jesus put lambs first, ahead of the sheep! Jesus became a Lamb Himself, led to the slaughterhouse!

Little children teach us faith!

Little children teach us humility!

Little children teach us lowliness!

Little children are going ahead of us to heaven!

Let’s learn from them!

Let us love them! Let us be one of them!

Let our walk with God be indeed authenticated by our little children!

Prayer

“Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You. I am but a child to You, trusting in You and following You. Teach me Your Word, help me, Lord, to follow Your will, and impart all that You have for me as I am humbled as Your child. You must increase in me, and I must decrease. Help me, Lord, not to offend Your little ones, for they are the greatest in Your kingdom.  In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”

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