Yesterday's devotion focused on cassia, an ingredient of the holy anointing oil God prescribed for Moses.

Cassia was more than a fragrant spice in the holy anointing oil.

It also carried another purpose.

The bark of the cassia tree was used as a cleansing agent—a purgative that purged impurities from the body. What a striking spiritual picture.

God’s anointing is not merely about power. It is also about purification.

We often desire the authority of the anointing while resisting the cleansing that accompanies it. Yet throughout Scripture, God continually prepares and purifies those He calls.

“Help us, O God of our salvation… and atone ofor for your name's sake.” (Psalm 79:9)

Cassia reminds us that the Lord lovingly removes what hinders intimacy with Him.

Pride.
Hidden sin.
Fleshly ambition.
Self-reliance.

Anything that obscures His glory in us.

Even the harvesting of cassia tells a story.

The fragrant spice came from bark stripped away from the tree. In much the same way, God often strips away the layers we hide behind—the masks, pretenses, and carefully protected places of the flesh.

Not to shame us.

But to free us.

The Lord does not call us to stand before Him polished and pretending. He calls us to come honestly, openly, and unashamedly through the cleansing power of Christ.

The anointing carries both fragrance and cost.

It calls us low.
It calls us clean.
It calls us fully yielded to the Spirit of God.

“But the anointing that you received from him abides in you…” (1 John 2:27)

May we never seek the outward appearance of anointing while resisting the inward work of transformation.

Prayer:
Father, purge from me everything that competes with Your presence. Remove every layer of pride, fear, and pretense. Let my life carry the fragrance of a heart fully surrendered to You. Amen.

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© 2026 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

“Sit often under the influence of God’s Word.”🌻
www.janross.org/devotions/

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