ISAIAH 10:27 TPT

“In that day the Lord will remove the heavy burden from your shoulders and break off the yoke of bondage from your necks because of the heavy anointing upon you!”

ISAIAH 61:1-4 TPT

“The mighty Spirit of Lord Yahweh is wrapped around me because Yahweh has anointed me, as a messenger to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted, to tell captives, “You are free,” and to tell prisoners, “Be free from your darkness.” I am sent to announce a new season of Yahweh’s grace and a time of God’s recompense on his enemies, to comfort all who are in sorrow, to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes, the oil of bliss instead of tears, and the mantle of joyous praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. Because of this, they will be known as Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted by Yahweh as a living display of his glory. They will restore ruins from long ago and rebuild what was long devastated. They will renew ruined cities and desolations of past generations.”

I’ve been spending time praying about the heart of the Father for the coming new year, and I something He is pressing on my heart is the necessity of not dragging the heavy yokes into the next year.

The heavy yokes are anything that come against the promises He has spoken over us, the victory He has won for us, and the abundant life He came to give to us. Everything that is needed to break the yoke has already been given to us when we received the finished work of the cross and resurrection through the power of the Holy Spirit.

To anoint means to smear with oil. In the Old Testament kings, prophets, and priests were anointed with oil to show the were set apart for the Lord’s purposes. In the New Testament we have received a permanent anointing which is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has given us everything we need to fulfill the purpose of God in our life. He has given us the gifts of the Spirit (prophecy, tongues, interpretation, words of knowledge, discernment, healing, miracles, faith, etc), and fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc). You can find more about these in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Galatians 5. The anointing of the Holy Spirit comes against bondage, releases life, and supernaturally empowers us to fulfill the call He has given us.

Understanding that we have been given all these good things is the first step, but the disconnect comes when we try to access them. How do you access all of the goodness that has been given to you? As I sought the Lord, I kept coming back to surrender- to surrender you yield more and more of yourself to His Spirit.

We already have all of Him, He is waiting for more of us. To surrender is to “go low.” The Lord kept bringing me back to Mary of Bethany- this woman gives us a beautiful picture of what it looks like to go low in surrender before Jesus.

Luke‬ ‭10‬:38‬-‭42‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, they came to a village where a woman welcomed Jesus into her home. Her name was Martha and she had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared. But Martha became exasperated with finishing the numerous household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself? You should tell her to get up and help me.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.””

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭TPT‬‬

‭‭ “They had prepared a supper for Jesus. Martha served, and Lazarus and Mary were among those at the table. Mary picked up an alabaster jar filled with nearly a liter of extremely rare and costly perfume—the purest extract of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet. Then she wiped them dry with her long hair. And the fragrance of the costly oil filled the house.”

Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“Jesus said to them, “Leave her alone! Why are you so critical of this woman? She has honored me with this beautiful act of kindness. You will always have the poor, whom you can help whenever you want, but you will not always have me. When she poured the fragrant oil over me, she was preparing my body in advance of my burial. She has done all that she could to honor me. I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to me will be mentioned in memory of her.””

We go low by sitting at His feet. That’s where revelation lives. We have to spend the time with Him, communing, feasting, in relationship. We aren’t receiving revelation for more clarity or direction, we are asking for revelation to better know the Father and what pleases Him.

As Mary went low, she was entrusted with the revelation of Jesus’ coming sacrifice. This is something others were lacking in understanding- even the disciples! She was the one who anointed Jesus for His burial- such a beautiful honor.

Mary poured out something very costly.

He asks us to pour out even more- our very lives.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”

As we enter into the next year, we need the prayerfully consider areas we have yet to surrender. Where have we been holding onto the heavy yoke of bondage in our lives?

You cannot hold onto the flesh and destroy the yoke at the same time.

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“God always makes his grace visible in Christ, who includes us as partners of his endless triumph. Through our yielded lives he spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere we go. We have become the unmistakable aroma of the victory of the Anointed One to God —a perfume of life to those being saved and the odor of death to those who are perishing.”

The world is dark and getting darker- it always will be, but we are called to be the fragrance of Christ Jesus in the earth! The anointing oil is fragrant and so is the fragrance of the Holy Spirit through our surrendered lives.

So many need the fragrance and fire you are anointed with. You need it, your family, friends, and all those you meet need the anointing you carry to destroy the yoke! It’s not just for you.

As His beloved children, the anointing brings us into unity with the Father. It allows us to be His LIGHT in the earth.

Ephesians 5:8-10

“Once your life was full of sin’s darkness, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light! And the supernatural fruits of his light will be seen in you—goodness, righteousness, and truth. Then you will learn to choose what is beautiful to our Lord.”

The darkness of the world needs the light that you are to shine brightly! Light becomes hidden when we are bearing a heavy yoke. It’s time to allow the anointing to penetrate every area of darkness and reveal that which is hidden so light can come in!

It’s time to exchange the yoke of bondage for the yoke of light….

Matthew 11:28-30 TPT

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.”

His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

The Father has pressed on my heart for many years now about the persecution that is coming for His people. Persecution seems heavy, but when it’s for Jesus, it becomes light.

Stephen in the book of Acts experienced the glory of the Lord in the midst of being stoned to death. His face was glowing with LIGHT as he committed his spirit to Jesus. May we all experience the joy of bearing His yoke instead of yokes of bondage, suffering, and darkness.

Pray with me:

Father, as I surrender myself to you, I ask Your Holy Spirit to search out any darkness that is trying to come upon my life. I renounce it and command it to flee in Jesus name! I ask the anointing of the Spirit to destroy the yoke that is holding me down and hiding my light. Thank You for freedom in Jesus name! Thank You for the blood that cleanses me and clothed me in Your righteousness. I ask for the light burden that is Yours to come upon me. I ask for a deeper revelation of who You are and how I can love You better. Teach me Holy Spirit how to access all that Jesus has won for me. Enforce the finished work of the cross and the resurrection in my life and help me to carry the victory to those hurting in the world. May my life be a fragrance that draws others to You, and may Your Spirit be in and upon me to accomplish all that You have sent me to do. I ask for the joy of the Lord to be my strength and for angelic help to fulfill my tasks. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

-Jenny Johnson

12.29.2025