In conversation with a friend a few weeks ago, she spoke of hoping to find ways to move closer to God as she had been feeling disconnected from Him. Her desire was to experience God on a deeper level for the empowerment of her faith.

This is not uncommon for believers today. But what is surprising is that even though spiritual advice pours in from many popular ministry leaders, the feeling of being disconnected from God continues. Let me say plainly that it is not God’s will for you to remain untethered from Him.

The first thing that God does through His restored government is to separate true faith from the spiritual advice and teaching that has kept the church in bondage and untethered from Him. It’s one of the most painful things for a person to come to terms with, that despite having said yes to Jesus, and having prayerfully put scripture to practice in water baptism, communion service, foot washing, and deliverance ministry, the feeling of being disconnected from God still lingers.

In truth, our faith functions with the power of the anointing when it is joined to God’s sanctified knowledge that comes through God’s sanctified stewardship. This is God’s due order, and that’s important because when we follow God’s due order we begin to function in Jesus’ covenant and our whole life changes.

It was wonderful to be able to direct my friend in these distinctions. The light goes on when a person sees the gift God has given the church in restoring His government and the knowledge of His covenant truth. Our faith can only live when it is connected to Jesus’ covenant.

Every time the children of Israel strayed from the covenant God gave to them through Moses, an untethering took place. God uprooted them and dispersed them among the nations. In their separation, they longed to return to God.

That is an analogy of the heart of so many Christians today. Without truth (knowledge of God’s covenant) faith is without a tether to God, much like a boat floating in the middle of the ocean is lost at sea. We can picture a life boat that is floating without an anchor to stabilize it and no engine or sails to give it direction or mobility.

The faith of these believers is stagnant, lacking the direction of God’s covenant and His power that He placed in the anointing. A desire to move closer to God is a testimony to lack, not increase.

When the government of God speaks about the power of God that is missing from faith, we are referring to the absence of the anointing. Truth gives direction to faith under the oversight of God’s restored government and the Holy Spirit confirms this blueprint of knowledge, giving substance to our faith to make our faith living.

Faith functions by the power of the anointing which means the anointing is the tether and power that faith needs to operate according to the will and purpose of God. When the anointing is missing from their faith, believers suffer the effects of a faith in crisis.

The anointing is not a new term for most believers. However, what is worth noting is that ministers have misdirected understanding of the anointing by mixing the two covenants (the physical tokens of Moses and the spiritual things of Christ), and mixing the things of the flesh with those of the Spirit. We see numerous scriptures warning of such unsanctified mixing, as the result thereof cannot produce the pure fruit of God’s expectation.

Deuteronomy 22:9
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.

But by restoring God-appointed apostolic stewardship, God has restored the knowledge of Jesus’ spiritual covenant, redefining the anointing according to His mind. Without proper instruction concerning the power of the anointing, faith takes many avenues pursuing a false anointing in an attempt to breathe life into faith.

It is of utmost importance that believers understand the distinction between the false anointing and the true anointing to equip their faith with the tokens and power of God’s kingdom. The false anointing is an inspiration that is rooted in the kingdom of darkness and puts faith on many fruitless journeys.

Many church leaders preach with a feverish pitch and a lot of passion and emotion to stir up a powerful feeling that they call the anointing. The anointing is thought to be a special enablement that God gives to live and perform in the realm of the supernatural, or a power that assists believers to use their talents for God, or some special empowerment that will rid believers of the troubles they daily face in this dimension.

This is the false anointing that seeks the open (outwardly visible) signs, which the natural man can relate to. These signs include:

• demon and addiction deliverances,
• cleansing houses and items from unclean spirits,
• miracles,
• healings,
• hyped emotions such as a “righteous anger”,
• feeling emotionally moved because of worship music,
• manic laughter (laughter movement),
• falling on the floor “under the power”, because of a “laying on of hands” or being “anointed with oil”.

Many believers seek these experiences as evidence of the spiritual world and a connection with God. Because they experience that faith is lacking, they seek some power that could prove to them that their faith is not stagnant, but is driven by the divine power of God.

Although there are many experiences today that point toward the existence of a spiritual world, outside of the boundaries of God’s covenant these rituals and practices are not sanctified by God for faith, but influenced by seducing spirits. Satan, as the father of lies, masquerades this false anointing as the power of God.

God is compassionate and cares for all of His creation, there is no disputing this. God has delivered many people from troublesome circumstances and even addictions and illness. But these acts of compassion are not a stamp of approval upon a believer’s faith and the teaching they embrace.

1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

When believers follow after the many inspirations (open signs) of the false anointing they miss the voice of God’s grace drawing them to His covenant. Health, wealth and prosperity are preached from many pulpits and the natural man is inclined to follow instruction from church leaders who promise increase by these things.

Those who hear God’s voice, seek to honor Him through the obedience of faith. They seek those treasures that are from above and look for the concealed sign (Mat 6:19-21). In contrast to this the natural man finds the terms of God’s covenant foolish as he sees no immediate benefit to himself. His eyes are focused on his immediate environment for resolving troublesome circumstances, and he believes that if he can access the anointing, he can use it as a tool to accomplish his own goals.

In the book of John we read about the law of grace and truth that was established by Jesus. This law speaks about the effectual working of truth in the heart when it is empowered by the Spirit of grace.

John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Under the stewardship of His Apostles, the anointing takes on its true form. The anointing is defined as the activity of the Holy Spirit in the soul as believers apply their minds to reason with truth (the knowledge of God’s covenant). Thus we can say that the anointing is the empowerment of faith in the presence of grace and truth.

This is why the true anointing is called the concealed sign – that which marks God’s covenant saints as His own by the hidden work of regeneration effected within the soul. These greater things of the Spirit are discerned spiritually and not carnally. God opens the spiritual eyes of those who submit to Him in obedience with the willingness to serve Him and take on His likeness.

John 15:8
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Many believers do know that they need to bear fruit for God. These believers are often those who testify of a faith crisis through many altar calls to ask God forgiveness every time they realize that they have failed to uphold the “godly standards” they aspire to.

When faith functions without the power of the anointing, there is a lot of introspection to set oneself on a path of self-betterment, so that those behaviors that are thought to offend God can be singled out and changed. Scripture is referenced for inspiration concerning a “holy lifestyle” believing that God will empower this change because of sincerity. This introspection may sound something like

• The Bible says we should love our neighbor; I should be kinder to others.
• Jesus helped the sick and the poor, and expects me to do the same. I will volunteer for charities to assist so that I can honor God.
• I see that I get angry too easily. I need to change that. The Bible talks about the virtue of patience. I do not see this in myself. I will ask God to assist me to become patient like Jesus was.

But despite believers’ good intentions and efforts these attempts at change are not able to produce the true transformation of the soul, but it is initiated and sustained by the powers of the flesh. The moral code puts one on a path of self betterment and the aspiration works hard to sustain this effort of one’s own will; but strong moral principles and passion cannot carry faith, and this brings believers back to a point of repentance and a longing for a true and living relationship with God.

Faith needs the power of the anointing (the effectual working of the Spirit through grace and truth) to function and effect divine transformation within. And this is why re-education in the things of the covenant is how the foundation must be re-laid, as the anointing operates within the boundaries of God’s covenant.