“He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm” … I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him” (Psalms 105:14-15, 89:20, NKJV).
I welcome you to the eighth month of 2022. The number eight signifies a new beginning. A new beginning of power, relevance, impact, and forward movement, in Jesus’ mighty Name. This month, our focus is “The Anointed,” and it will be discussed in line with the following seven outlines:
- What is the anointing?
- How important is the anointing?
- Who are the anointed?
- How does one become anointed?
- What does the anointing do in the life of the anointed?
- What perils and dangers do the anointed face?
- How can one keep the anointing?
As we discuss this topic, here is a quote from Brother Gbile Akanni that is worth pondering on. “The anointing attracts both heaven and hell to anyone who dares to pursue it, until it begins to drop on and will drip from the head. Traps are set by the adversary to silence [the anointed] before anyone hears his voice. God has, however, not kept mute in setting signposts, alarms, and ways of escape for him who cares to listen.” (Emphasis mine)
A. What is the anointing?
The simplest understanding of the anointing is that of “setting apart.” When God anoints something, He sets it apart, it is “holy,” separated for His use. The anointing is divine enablement or empowerment of the Holy Spirit; it makes a man invincible, immovable, and irresistible in the midst of the conflicts of life.
A fresh, continuous, and full anointing of the Holy Spirit is a necessity for anyone who seeks to serve God effectively. Eloquence, oratory, powerful delivery of sermons, analytical ability to synthesize words from their rudiments or a knowledge of ancient languages (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin) are good, but none of these is as crucial as the anointing; none is an indispensable requirement. The only ingredient everyone who wants to serve God must wait, hunger, desire and pray for, is to be endued with power from on high. No one can break the yoke of Satan, sin, and the flesh on the hearts of men with the energy of the flesh. We must depend on God. Zechariah 4:6 says, “…‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.” We must minister in the power of God, under this “anointing” of the Holy Spirit.
B. How important is the anointing?
Jesus commanded the apostles not to leave Jerusalem, until they be endued with the power of the Holy Ghost. He Himself did not step into public ministry, until the ‘Dove’ had settled and remained on Him. All the prophets of the Bible pursued this singular prerequisite with all vigor, until the anointing rested on their lives.
Elisha dismantled his growing agricultural farm and dispersed all his employees, just to pursue the mantle of the anointing on Elijah. He followed Elijah through four major significant bus stops until his spiritual Dad – Elijah -, told him what it takes to get a double portion of his anointing. What a price to pay! In Bible times, the kings who did exploits to move the purpose of God forward in their tenure had to be anointed, and they walked steadily under the fresh oil on their heads.
No one, in the Old Testament days, the New Testament era, in recent history or even in our contemporary days, ever succeeded, unless such a person learnt how to maintain the anointing on his or her head. The anointing immediately sets a person apart from his contemporaries, putting him on a pedestal of spiritual authority among men. It links him with heaven and makes him a channel of blessing; a conduit to bring to men the grace and power of God. What price are you ready to pay?
C. Who are the anointed?
The anointed are men and women of exploits. They are dreaded and dangerous creatures who are so power laden that anyone who dares them pays the price heavily. Anyone who lacks the anointing will be exploited, impoverished, depleted, and defeated in life’s journey.
D. How does one become anointed?
When a new king was anointed in Israel, the prophet would take a horn full of oil and pour it over his head, and it would run right down his clothes. They would do the same thing when there was a new high priest. The symbolism was that this person was set apart to be God’s instrument. When we say someone “preached under a real anointing”, or “that was an anointed song”, it means God had His hand on the preacher or the song or the place.
In the Old Testament, the Tabernacle, and all the furniture and utensils used for worship in the Tabernacle, had to be anointed before they could be used. There was a special oil for this anointing, made from a recipe that God gave them. The Holy Anointing Oil is symbolic throughout Scripture of the Holy Ghost’s quickening power resting upon the person or object that is anointed, so they might function in a particular sphere of ministry. This is proved by the language of the Bible: HEBREW: “Mashiyach” = “anointed” or “Messiah,” GREEK: “Christos” = “The Anointed” or “Christ.”
Isaiah told Israel that the yoke of Assyria would be destroyed when the remnant returned, and the holy anointing oil was properly used in Israel once again. Isaiah 10:27 (NKJV) says, “It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.” Some things remove yokes temporarily; only the anointing destroys them! One can learn much about the anointing by studying the ingredients used in the recipe for the anointing oil designed by God. It contained myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia and olive oil (Exodus 30:22-25). Each of these has its own unique symbolism in the Bible.
- Myrrh: very bitter and used for embalming. It is symbolic of trials.
- Cinnamon: hot in taste. It is symbolic of zeal.
- Calamus: a reed with a weak stem. It is symbolic of weakness.
- Cassia: a low-growing plant. It is symbolic of humility.
- Olive Oil: a leading article of commerce. It is symbolic of fruitfulness.
E. What does the anointing do in the life of the anointed?
There are many benefits to the anointing resting upon one’s head. It locates and deals with every form of confrontation, opposition, and contention against one’s life even without the knowledge of the anointed. Examples abound in the Bible.
Israel was anointed when they left Egypt, and Psalms 114:1-5 says that “the sea saw and fled…Jordan was driven back…mountains skipped like rams…” In Numbers 12:1-10, Miriam and Aaron were privately criticizing Moses and intended to accuse him to his face. However, without Moses ever knowing these, the anointing on his life called God into action as His Advocate and Vindicator. Miriam and Aaron were both scolded and punished for their insolence.
In Numbers 16:1-35, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, along with another 250 men, all of them leaders in the Israelite community, embarked on an open confrontation with Moses and Aaron and paid the ultimate price for with their families and possessions. David was anointed by Samuel, and was accosted by a lion, a bear, and Goliath, all of whom were slain by the anointing. The LORD Jesus Christ was able to sacrifice His life, and deal with every sickness, disease, demon, and power from the pit of hell by the force of the anointing (Acts 10:38).
F. What perils and dangers do the anointed face?
An anointed vessel is God’s answer to the cry of the people. He becomes God’s messenger who vividly brings the mind of God to men. The people in the pews are dead only if the ones on the pulpit are void of fresh anointing. So long God can find a person on whom to pour His anointing, revival will burst forth even in places that are like graveyards and valleys of dry bones. That being said, the anointing on a man announces his arrival among the devils. It provokes jealousy and rage in the kingdom of darkness. It immediately makes the man a target for the devil.
2 Samuel 5:17-19 (NKJV) says, “Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. So, David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”” Before David was anointed, there was no problem. However, immediately he was anointed, it seemed all hell broke loose.
While the anointing is highly desirable for effective ministry, it also draws along with it several “javelins” from the pit of hell. It attracts critical tongues and envious eyes. It provokes all manner of wicked attacks. The devil identifies the anointing as the most potent weapon he cannot withstand, so he vehemently hunts anyone who carries it. He seeks every means to destroy the man and contaminate the anointing on his head. The Apostle Paul gave an insight into the plight and the perils of the anointed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NKJV) says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” I pray for you today that you shall continually be a threat to the prince of darkness; in vain has the enemy set his traps, pits, and snares against you. You will not end up as a casualty of the enemy’s trailing and entrapments; fresh oil and fresh anointing is your portion, in Jesus’ Name.
G. How can one keep the anointing?
There is a multi-factor price to pay to carry and keep the anointing on one’s life fresh and efficacious.
- Death to Self: This comes only through prayer and a life focused on seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness (Luke 9:23).
- Time with God: The anointing and power of God comes upon us by spending time with Him. It is not a one-time experience, but a daily pursuit for you to be at home with Jesus and for His words to be at home in you (John 15:7).
- Respect for the Anointing: Remember the story of Miriam and Aaron against Moses in Numbers 12.
- Patience: Psalm 32:9 (NKJV) says, “Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,…” Impatience will make one run out of the anointing and into the flesh, where one becomes vulnerable and opened to spiritual disasters!
- Compliance: The anointing comes upon us afresh when we wait upon the LORD in obedience and surrender (Luke 24:49; Isaiah 40:31).
Conclusion:
It is critical to note the following about the anointing [oil]:
- It is not to poured on strangers. Real anointing comes only by regeneration (Ephesians 2:18-22).
- It is not to be poured by the dictates of man’s flesh (Romans 8:5-9).
- It is not to be imitated by man. If there is a true anointing, there must be a false anointing (Matthew 24:23-24).
- It is to continue through all generations. We cannot live on the past generation’s anointing, future generations cannot live on ours also (Judges 2:10-12), every generation will have to connect with the power and grace of God to respond to the challenges and needs of their times!
The anointing, like many graces in Scripture, is a progressive experience. One good example is David who had three separate anointings over the course of his life. First, he was anointed in the midst of his brethren while still in his father’s house, where only God was able to see his potential (1 Samuel 16:5-13). The second time, he was anointed king over Judah after years of unjust suffering as a fugitive (2 Samuel 2:4). David learned through Saul’s persecution what not to do before he learned what to do. The third time, he was anointed as king over all of Israel after years of consistently growing strong in war (2 Samuel 3:1, 5:3). Many things in the Spirit come only through persistence and not giving up.
Prayers:
- Thank God for a new beginning of power and for the miracles you have been receiving since the beginning of this year.
- Holy Spirit, fall upon me, fill me with Your anointing and power, and help me to be full of You as from today, in Jesus’ Name.
- Heavenly Surgeon, perform the necessary surgical operations in all the areas of my life, in Jesus’ name
- May the anointing that meets the needs of the hour and answers to all oppositions and confrontations of life fall on me as from today, in Jesus’ Name.
- May the anointing for “send and fetch him” in the place of enthronement fall on me as from today, in Jesus’ Name (1 Samuel 16:11).
- May the anointing that makes the uncommon usual and the extraordinary a normal occurrence of one’s life fall on me as from today, in Jesus’ Name.
- By the anointing, I decree that I am entering into my season of ultimate victory and endless celebrations, in Jesus’ Name.
- Thank God for answered prayers.