Are you anointed?

Many times people confuse talent and anointing. They describe a talented preacher, teacher or singer as someone who is “anointed” when in reality, they are just very talented communicators.

People also confuse an emotional response they may have to someone as a sign of the anointing when it is really just as I described it – an emotional response. Some people are very good at soliciting an emotional response from us, but that manipulation is not the anointing.

1 John 2:20 tells us “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. The word anoint here is the Greek “chrisma.”

1 Samuel 16:13 describes David’s anointing by Samuel “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” The word anointed here is the Hebrew “mashach.”

In both the Greek and the Hebrew, these words speak of literally smearing a liquid on someone, signifying their consecration and dedication to God. In David’s case, he was appointed and dedicated to the Lord to serve as king. In the passage in 1 John, believers are being taught that they have been anointed and possess a knowledge of the truth. This anointing referred to the Spirit of God being poured out by Jesus, the Holy One, on those who had come to faith in Him.

Both of these examples show how a believer is anointed. We may not all be called to be the leader of a nation, but we are called to consecrate ourselves to the Lord and His purposes. And, where in Old Testament times the anointing oil was poured to signify this consecration to the Lord’s service, the New Testament replaces the olive oil with the literal presence of the Holy Spirit in us! We may not have had oil applied to our heads but we “were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (Eph 1:13)

Both the Old Testament and New Testament anointing are dependent on one thing: Faith.

When the Lord selected David to be king, he bypassed all his brothers. In the natural, they may have seemed more qualified. I Samuel 16 tells us that Samuel sees David’s oldest brother Eliab and is impressed. God tells him outright “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7)

Six more of Jesse’s sons are brought before Samuel and each one is rejected by God. These men were blessed in every way as the world judges, but they are not men after God’s heart. If you looked around your job, your church, your community, there would probably be people you think would be “anointed,” but would you be able to judge as God judges and see their hearts? Have you been overlooked yourself because you are not “packaged” in a way that grabs the world’s attention?

The Spirit of God has filled us and as intercessors, He has called us to defeat His enemies. So, while we may not be leading nations, like David we have been anointed to fight against those powers that fight against God.

So, we are anointed to fight against our enemies, but that same anointing attracts the enemy! The moment you submit yourself to your destiny is the same moment the enemy will come out against you. These enemies are both internal and external.

It’s interesting that even as slaves in Egypt, the Hebrew nation did not face any opposition until they purposed to obey God and pursue their freedom. It’s the same in our own lives – as long as we remain complacent and self- absorbed, we are no threat to anyone and we face no enemies. BUT the moment we set our hearts to follow after the Lord’s call and do things HIS way, the battle heats up immediately! The Hebrew nation faced Pharaoh, their external enemy, but they also faced their own internal enemy – the slave mentality and deeply ingrained victim mindset that they could not shake!

David, faced both internal and external enemies as well. He battled against his own family’s perception of him as the runt of the litter; a nobody who was not even allowed to live with them and was only trusted to take care of the sheep. Remarkably, David overcame this internal battle and instead of taking on a victim persona, he pressed into God and captured His heart!

Have you battled internally against your own anointing? Maybe those closest to you don't see your value, or maybe your own thoughts try to tell you that you are not good enough, not talented enough, not powerful enough, not worth anything to the Kingdom of God. My prayer for you is that is like David, you put those internal accusations aside and press into God’s presence and capture His heart! HE will define you.

Throughout the course of his life David also faced many external enemies, but probably the most well known story is that of his battle against Goliath. Even people who have never picked up a Bible are somewhat familiar with this narrative.

The story of David’s anointing in 1 Samuel 16 is immediately followed in chapter 17 with an enemy being sent out to oppose him and test him! “And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath from Gath.” (1 Sam 17:4) Goliath earned his title through combat. He was the number one killer in the Philistine army. All of Israel cowered in his presence. Even Saul, Israel's king and general, drew back. Everyone was paralyzed by fear...except David.

This anointed one fought this external enemy the same way he conquered his internal enemies. He ran toward the battle in full faith and confidence in who the Lord said he was! His anointing provided everything he needed to defeat this enemy. When Samuel poured that oil over him, he KNEW he was King because the LORD ordained that for his life. And long before that outward manifestation he had been prepared for this very moment. And, if the Lord ordained it, he knew he would not fail in his battle against Goliath because HIS CALLING AND HIS DESTINY WAS ASSURED!

David's anointing was his secret weapon. He knew he was nothing in the world’s eyes. His father and brothers made sure to drive that point home to him. BUT the presence of the Lord was with him and he KNEW that if he did things God’s way, in HIS timing and in HIS strength, he could not fail. He was zealous for the Lord and HIS reputation.

To prepare David for battle, Saul tried to put his armor on him. He wanted to dress him like Goliath was dressed. He wanted him to fight the enemy on the enemy’s terms. When you look at the battle through your own eyes, you will always be outnumbered and outmatched. BUT, when you pursue God’s end by God’s means, your battles will be won.

1 Samuel 17:40 tells us that David “took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch he had, and his sling was in his hand.” The Hebrew word for hand here is “yad,” meaning his power, or authority. This power came through his anointing, just as your power is manifested because of the anointing in you….but you have to use it! You have to trust in what God has built into you through years of preparation, rely solely on the Holy Spirit in you and release that sling!

I would really like to go a little deeper here, but for time’s sake I will just point out that King Saul, who was cowering before Goliath, was a Benjamite. The tribe of Benjamin was known for being slingers. (Judges 20:16) He was raised using a sling AND he was a left handed slinger – he would have had a positional advantage. BUT it never occurred to him to use his own inborn, honed skills and anointing to fight this battle. He had long abandoned his faith and quenched the voice of the Holy Spirit. He focused on using the enemy’s battle methods and was left powerless. Have you ever been tempted to use the world's methods to accomplish God's purposes?

David, on the other had defeated the lion and the bear. He knew that he was no match for the enemies that came against him but he knew THE HOLY ONE was with him. He called out the enemy of God and defeated him.

Your anointing is the Holy Spirit Himself within you, so any battle against your anointing is a battle against the Lord and we know that any enemy that fights against Him will be soundly defeated. We know that our anointing is tested and fought against…that’s a given. But we also know that like David, we should always do what God tells us to do. It’s our obedience that will move mountains. HIS Word, activtated by HIS Spirit, brings about HIS purpose!

You WILL overcome and you WILL see your prayers answered because of the anointing in you! You may not be someone that the world looks on with esteem, but the Lord Jesus does and He is working in you and through you! Your value to him is all that matters, and He has strategically positioned you to defeat the enemies He has brought to you. If He brings you to the battle, you have an assurance that HE has prepared you to win it!

And, the purpose for your personal victories is to strengthen and equip you to fight the battles that face your family, your community, your church, your nation.

These are unstable times that we live in, and God is preparing us to wage war in the heavenlies against the thrones that satan has established over this land. The battle is right in front of us, and the people of God are rising up to take the victory. The anointing of THE BREAKER is upon us, and victory is assured.

Lord give us this fresh oil so that YOUR resurrection power will work through us. The battle is Yours, but we are your foot soldiers. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!