When your thoughts are stuck, seek the Shepherd to anoint your head with oil

 Faith-Filled Friday

  Thanks for joining us for Faith-Filled Friday!

This week on social media a friend of mine posted a song that helped her during a season of anxiety and depression. It is by Hillsong, Young & Free, and it spoke to my heart so I thought it would be great to share it with you.

You are peace to a restless soul
Peace when my thoughts wage war
Peace to the anxious heart
That's who You are; that's who You are
You are peace when my fear takes hold
Peace when I feel enclosed
Peace when I lose control
That's who You are; that's who You are

I've found peace far beyond all understanding
Let it flow when my mind's under siege
All anxiety bows in the presence of Jesus the Keeper of Peace
And peace is a promise He keeps

Shortly after reading the words to that song, my mom-in-love sent me a message about a passage in the Bible that talks about God anointing our heads with oil. I read the verse from Psalm 23, and the explanation of what it meant for the shepherds in that time to anoint the sheep.

The sheep would get their heads stuck in a barrier, and insects would lay eggs on their heads and in their noses and this would cause them to itch uncontrollably so they would ram their heads into the wall to stop the itch. The shepherds would anoint their heads. This understanding gives so much clarity for this portion of scripture in Psalm 23:5-6

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

I got to thinking, aren't we just like these sheep, getting our thoughts stuck on things that aren't the truth; finding ourselves listening to lies of the enemy to the point we want to bash our heads to make it stop, to silence the constant chaos that is going on in our minds? It takes the simplest thing to set us off course, just one word from someone, one mistake we made, the list is endless.

Beloveds, we aren't perfect and our imperfections make us easy prey for the beast to come to devour us, and he does so by turning us against ourselves. We must allow Him to anoint our heads with oil.

What is this oil? It is His perfect word.

Don't forget beloveds when the lies are overcoming you, to cry out Jesus and allow His Word to anoint your head/mind with oil.

Anointed,

Ashley