Are You Following the Holy Spirit or Your Thoughts?
Unction is the direction of the Holy Spirit. It will drive you to something or away from something. It will direct your paths. But in order to be led by the Holy Spirit, in order to experience His unction at work in your life, you have to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.
That personal relationship fosters trust in the Lord. If you don’t have that trust, when the time comes to step out in faith and do something that seems crazy or defies what your logical mind is telling you to do, you will hesitate, question, delay, or even fail to carry out your assignment. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Elijah prophets need to have the Holy Spirit in the driver’s seat, which is why trust is critical for Elijah prophets. It is hard to trust someone you don’t know. That is why your time in the wilderness is so vital. You must develop an intimate relationship with the Holy Ghost.
A close relationship with the Holy Spirit also develops your sensitivity to the Spirit and to things happening in the spiritual world. This is also vital for those walking in the spirit and power of Elijah. As prophets called to preach repentance and to call people to turn their hearts back to the Lord, it is all too easy for Elijah prophets to forget who the battle is really against.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
When we are coming against the forces of darkness, preaching the truth of the Word of God with clarity and boldness, there is going to be a battle. And many times Satan will use flesh blood to wage an all out war against us. But we must remember that our battle is never against flesh and blood. Our battle is against the demonic powers behind the words and actions of flesh and blood. Our battle is against Satan and his spiritual hosts of wickedness. They are the ones we are called to fight against. And we must always remember one vital thing in every skirmish, every battle, every all-out war: “the battle is the LORD’s” (1 Sam. 17:47).
It is about letting Him steer you in the right direction, accelerate you into the next season at the right time, or hit the brakes if the situation warrants. It is also about listening to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. Jesus said, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13). The Holy Ghost is the One who will guide us, direct us, and give us words of truth to speak.
In fact, when we get the unction from the Holy Spirit, there are many times we get the words He wants us to speak right on the spot. But again, in order for that to happen, you have to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. We need the boldness that comes from the Holy Spirit. The words we speak as Elijah prophets are not preconceived. They are not coming from our own personal agendas. They are coming straight from the heart of God.
That is why the experience in the wilderness is so critical. You need that time hidden away with the Lord. You need the time of refreshing, of spiritual growth, of feasting on and being washed by the water of the Word, of learning to hear the Spirit’s voice, and of developing your own voice. You need to be in that place of cutting away and of dying to self in order to have the unction of the Holy Ghost.
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