View Site Map

The Anointing from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

In Scripture, God commanded certain people and items to be anointed with oil. It set them apart for His use, and it was often done before they took on a new office or role of authority. Some of the things anointed in the Old Testament were pillars, the tabernacle, its furniture, shields, kings, priests, and prophets. It's probably easiest to describe them as God's Special Forces. Those who are set apart for a special purpose and carry the anointing, power, and authority to get the job done. His plans and calling replace yours.

Consider David, who was just a young shepherd boy when Samuel anointed him. David was out tending his father's sheep while the prophet Samuel examined his seven brothers, searching for the Lord's anointed.

(1 Samuel 16:10–13 NKJV)  Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here." So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.

Arise and anoint him, for this is the one! David was chosen and anointed for a purpose, and the Holy Spirit was on him from that day forward. He performed great exploits for the Lord, like slaying the giant warrior Goliath while he was still a teenager. It was the anointing that made the great people of the Bible unstoppable.

Though many times the Lord sent a prophet like Samuel to anoint someone like David, there are just as many occurrences without a physical anointing taking place.

Samson was obviously anointed for a task, and he carried supernatural strength. Yet, it never mentions that he was anointed with oil by anyone. This is what I want to clarify, you can receive an anointing right where you are without other people being involved. It was the same with Gideon. Another anointed man was Cyrus, the king of Persia.

(Isaiah 45:1 NKJV)  "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut"

This is an amazing prophecy, for Isaiah lived during the prosperous reign of Hezekiah, and Jerusalem had not been destroyed by Babylon. But Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus, who was not born yet, would conquer Babylon and rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem.

Now sieging the city of Babylon was considered impossible, for the Euphrates river ran right through the middle of the town. There were spiked gates that went down into the river bed to keep people out, and the city was surrounded by a wall 350 feet tall.

Babylon was filled with gardens and had an abundance of everything. The hanging gardens of Babylon were considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. You couldn't starve them out, for they grew their own food in the city, and they had a river of freshwater to drink.

Yet, one night during a giant celebration, Cyrus quietly diverted the Euphrates river upstream by digging ditches to channel it into a marsh. He had men waiting at the river gates on both sides of the city, and when the water level dropped, they entered the city.

It wouldn't have been possible, but the city guards had left the river gates open that night. Just as Isaiah had prophesied, "to open before him the double doors, so the gates will not be shut." Cyrus took the city of Babylon without a fight.

Cyrus was anointed for a purpose, and the Lord worked with him. The Lord has special plans for His anointed ones, and they accomplish His will.

(Psalm 105:15 NKJV) "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm."

When Jesus stood up in the temple to read from the scroll of Isaiah, it was this:

(Luke 4:18–19 NKJV)  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Jesus was born as a common man on the Earth, but He was supernaturally anointed to do God's will. The anointing brought with it everything needed to do the job He was given. The Apostle Peter said it like this:

(Acts 10:38 NKJV)  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

The last words that Jesus spoke to His Apostles before leaving Earth were these:

(Acts 1:6–8 NKJV)  Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

It's a promise, and I want to tell you that you can still have this anointing today, but it costs a lot. For His kingdom to come, your kingdom must go. In short, He will wreck your kingdom.

I once had a personal revival, where even though I hadn't been to church in years, I became hungry for more of God. I was a supervisor for a major construction company at the time, and I worked twelve-hour shifts on weekends. I began listening to the Bible 24/7, fasting, and praying for the Lord to remove anything that was holding me back from being closer to Him. Though I had worked there for years, within two weeks, they called me to the office and laid me off!

I went through a rough patch and spent time in the unemployment line. I had bill collectors calling and threatening to foreclose on my home. The Lord broke me down until I was submissive and no longer cared where He put me. Then He opened a door for me polishing brass at a buffing machine for one-third of my previous salary.

It was skid row and a horrible place to work. Many who came there didn't make it through the first day, but I knew it was where He wanted me to be, so I stayed. I listened to the Bible all day with headphones and prayed while mindlessly buffing faucets and plumbing parts as the months passed by.

One day I was listening, praying, and buffing as usual when I suddenly felt warm oil being poured over my head. I thought I was being pranked, and I spun around to see who it was, but there was no one there. He anointed me for something that day, and almost immediately, a revival broke out around me. My words began to have power like never before, and simply quoting a scripture would sometimes cause people to shake and tremble. When I would go to church, I would fill my entire row with visitors. Soon afterward, He started me on the path that eventually led to Refreshing Hope.

The anointing is still available for the desperate who will let Him have His way in their life.

You can pray this with me if you like: 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to be a part of what You are doing on the Earth. Please make what is important to You important to me. Let me see the world through Your eyes and help me find my place in Your body. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!