Established, Anointed, and Sealed by God

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

  • What does it mean to be established? I found this definition, “established means to make firm or stable; to cause to grow and multiply; to confirm, make fast, strengthen”. It is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. He anoints us, He sets His seal of ownership upon us, He puts His Spirit in our hearts! This is something that is so overwhelming to me at times, that God takes the initiative. He makes the first move so to speak, He pursues us! Look at Philippians 2:13 for example, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” His Spirit within us, helps us to do what is pleasing to God! Or Ezekiel 36:26-27, where it is God who says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” And one of my favorite verses, because it is part of my story. Ezekiel 34:11,16, “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” ‭‭ I felt it was God’s way of reassuring me that I was on the right track, when I first felt the desire to return to Him; to know what it was to have a relationship with Him. That He was the one who had brought me to this point in my life. He is the one who has reconciled me to Himself. Yet there was something I needed to do as well. I needed to be open to receive Him. I needed to say yes and to believe. To accept the sacrifice Jesus made for my sins, and allow the Holy Spirit to begin the work of changing my heart. Now I may claim the promise of John 1:12, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” Do you see that? He gives us the right to BECOME children of God! To become. Not once and done but to become sounds like a journey, a process. A choice that I make. Which leads to another definition of established that I found, “growing or flourishing successfully”! I love that, don’t you, to grow and flourish! And God is behind it all! 
  • ‭As beloved children of God, we have the promise of Jesus that nothing or no one can snatch us out of His hand! As John 10:28-29 says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Because we are Established, Anointed and Sealed 🙂

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