You Will Blow Chunks When You Read This

“Ensemble, if you want the anointing of the Holy Spirit to flow freely in your life, you have to blow chunks!” – Oops!

Yep, I said it! I have been known to put my foot in my mouth a time or two, and my husband has fun with these “Sharonisms.” I’ll admit that it sounds absurd out of context, but I really did have a deeper meaning intended. I’ll start with the gist of what I actually meant, and then I will show you where it veered down the wrong path.

On Sunday mornings, after the ensemble warms up and rehearses for service, I usually lead them in a time of devotion and prayer. My intention this week was to remind them of how valuable the anointing of the Holy Spirit is in our role in the music ministry. What tremendous work He can do through us if we allow Him!

Essentially, anointing refers to being set apart for service and being empowered by the Holy Spirit for that service. Scriptural examples of the anointing here explain how Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit, and when He ascended, the Holy Spirit was poured out on us.

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 NLT

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; John 14:16 KJV

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge… But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. 1 John 2:20, 27 ESV

Understand that being accepted as a child of God is a free gift when we believe in Christ and confess Him as Lord. (Romans 10:9) He paid the cost entirely! (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:23-24) However, anointing is another story. In order for His Spirit to flow freely in our lives so that we can walk in His power, strength, and leading, it takes surrender on our part. Everything we need from the Holy Spirit is readily available to us, but unless we spend time seeking Him, studying His Word, and obediently serving Him, we will miss out on all that He has for us.

Furthermore, we can allow so many things to get in the way of the Spirit’s work in our lives as well. For example: sin, unforgiveness, a critical spirit, selfishness, pride, doubt, rebellion, habits, etc. can block the flow of God’s Spirit working through us. In addition, idols, or things that may seem good but actually take God’s place in our hearts, can majorly dam up the flow of the Spirit. Similarly, even seemingly benign things, such as busyness, entertainment, and even social media can be a hindrance if we allow these things to override our focused time with the Lord. These things cause us to settle for much less than what He has intended for us. If we want to walk in the fullness of all that God has planned for us, and to tap in to the power of the Holy Spirit that He has made abundantly available to us, we need to evaluate our lives and allow the Holy Spirit to help us shed layers of self that clog the flow.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1 ESV

This is where it began to go awry!

In order to illustrate this verse and make a memorable impact, I thought I would offer this profound idea… (ha ha!)

Have you ever had a fruit smoothie or a milkshake that you tried to drink through a straw? It’s not easy, is it? What happens when a piece of fruit, cookie, or a nut gets stuck in the straw? Right, nothing will come through the straw! The anointing is similar to this. Imagine the Holy Spirit is like that fruit smoothie, and you are enjoying all the goodness of His Spirit flowing through your life. However, a sin here, a bad attitude there, and perhaps a little bit of disobedience, an idol, or an addiction takes control, and the flow of the Spirit becomes blocked.

All you can do at that point is to blow out all of the chunks so that the straw is free and clear again. Then I said it: “Ensemble, if you want the anointing of the Holy Spirit to flow freely in your life, you have to blow chunks!”

Oh my! I heard myself as if I were a bystander in total disbelief of what I had just heard! We had such a good laugh, which totally shifted the mood. It was hard to get serious again at that point! However, the point was received. As ugly as it sounds, it really does make sense. Just try not to think of it in the usual sense. Blowing chunks can be a powerful illustration of what we need to do as believers if we want to have more of God’s power flowing through our lives.

How about it? Do you have a calling on your life, but you are frustrated that you don’t see things moving forward? Do you see a lack of power or zeal in your walk with the Lord? Do you long for more of God but don’t know what to do? We all have things that can easily get in the way, but why do we settle?

Let us lay aside everything that weighs us down and blocks the Holy Spirit from working powerfully through our lives. Let us follow the example of the Psalmist who said,

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

While anointing comes with a price, He is the one who paid the price. Our part is simply to surrender. The more of ourselves we are willing to surrender as He leads us, the more we will be in a position to see His powerful anointing to flow through our lives.

My prayer is, “Lord, less of me and more of You!!!!!”

So, let’s go blow some chunks!