ADVANTAGES OF GODLY ANOINTING
BY ZACCH I. OLORUNNIPA
Primary Text: Isaiah 61:1-3, Acts 1: 5, 8; Acts 10:38; 2 Cor. 1:21, Psa 89:20
Introduction: One of the greatest spiritual gifts from God for every believer and follower of Jesus Christ is the anointing (2 Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13, James 1:17). The dictionary defines anointing as smearing or rubbing with oil, typically as part of a religious ceremony. The anointing of Saul as the first King of Israel and that of David as a subsequent replacement of Saul are examples of the physical use of oil in the anointing. Godly anointing may not always involve smearing or rubbing any physical substance on the anointed, it can also be done by God in His own chosen supernatural ways such as through the Holy Spirit. Examples of conveyors of the anointing via the Holy Spirit are Jesus Christ, Messiah (Anointed One), and the Apostles (see Acts 1:8; 10:38). In this ministration, Godly anointing connotes Spiritual dispensation from God on a person to consecrate, empower and set that person apart to accomplish a specific task(s). Godly anointing carries numerous advantages that can be available to the anointed. Seven of these advantages discussed in this ministration are with respect to Salvation, Service, Sanctification, Strength, Security, Severance from captivity, and Success in all things. The focus is on how these factors can enhance the believer’s journey of faith.
#1 SALVATION
The journey of Faith for a potential believer in Jesus Christ begins with the salvation of that person. Salvation is made possible by confessing one’s sins and asking for forgiveness and grace of God (Rom 3:23;10: 9-10; Eph 2:8; I John 1:8-9. Salvation is a gift from God accompanied by God’s anointing to seal the salvation of the saved. The following scriptures allude to the intertwined connection between salvation and anointing:
(a) “Now I know that the Lord saves His [a]anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand” (Psalm 20:6, NKJV).
(b) “You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one.
You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot.” Habakkuk 3:13: (NIV)
When Jesus Christ, the anointed one, saves anyone He imparts anointing to that person such that he/she also becomes anointed and empowered to be a vessel through who Jesus can save other souls. Thus, anointing is advantageous to the saved as the life of that person is sealed and enhanced by the Holy Spirit. Apostle Paul alludes to this fact in his letter to some believers in Jesus Christ in Ephesus: “In Him, you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13).
#2 SERVICE
Another important advantage of anointing is to empower the carrier to render valuable services unto God. One of the early uses of the term “anoint” or “anointing” has to do with the provision of ministerial services by selected priests for God’s house (The Temple). In this regard, God specifically directed Moses to anoint Aaron and His children, “..that they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” (Exodus 40:15). In the New Testament, we also see the tremendous advantage of the anointing in the services rendered by Jesus Christ as the following scripture indicates: “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. (Acts 10:38). Every believer and follower of Jesus Christ is potentially equipped with the anointing to do works akin to that of Jesus. In fact, Jesus Himself was generous enough to promise us that we shall do greater works than He did (John 14:12). As a believer and a carrier of Godly anointing you are equipped to do excellent works. That is why in everything we do we must prayerfully strive for excellence and not mediocrity. Remember you are the anointed child of God and the Bible says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col. 3:17). May fresh anointing of God enhance your service unto God in worship, winning soul and in doing other good works as Jesus Christ did.
# 3 SANCTIFICATION AND CONSECRATION
Sanctification and consecration are very similar in meaning as the dictionary defines them respectively as: “to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate” and for consecration, “the act of consecrating; dedication to the service and worship of a deity”. Godly anointing plays a vital role in both the sanctification and consecration of persons and/or property. For example, God told Moses to prepare some special dressing and garments for Aaron and his sons with the following additional instruction, “So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests”. (Exo 28: 41). Furthermore, when Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, the Bible says, “… he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings, and the altar and all its utensils; so he anointed them and consecrated them” (Num. 7:1).
Among other advantages of the anointing in the sanctification of a person is that the anointing purifies and safe guides the anointed against pollution, defilement, and other possible attacks of Satan whose job is to kill, steal, and destroy.
If you are saved, get yourself anointed and do the same for your property to ward off demonic attacks.
# 4 STRENGTH
One of the most important advantages of Godly anointing in the life of a born-again Christian is the strength (power) that it provides. Throughout the Bible, we see vivid evidence of the manifestation of power, strength, and boldness through Godly anointing in the life of many people. For example, after David was anointed as king, immediately the Spirit of God came on Him with the supernatural power that enabled him to fight against Goliath and destroyed Him (1 Sam 17). Testifying about his experience with Godly anointing, David, declares, “But you have made me as strong as a wild ox. You have anointed me with the finest oil” (Psalm 92:10).
Furthermore, Jesus Christ promised the apostles power after the Holy Spirit has come upon them, and that is exactly what happened on Pentecost day when the Godly anointing of the Holy Spirit fell on them like fire see Acts 1:8. The power of the Godly anointing promised to the early Apostles has not been limited to that first Pentecost day experience; but it has endured from generation to generation such that multitude of souls is still being drawn to Jesus Christ daily even until today.
#5 SECURITY
The world is full of dangers of various kinds: physical, spiritual, known and unknown, pandemic or endemic/local, etc. Safety or security against the vicissitudes of life is one of the advantages that Godly anointing provides for an anointed child of God. The validity of this advantage is not farfetched from the scriptures. For example, twice in the Bible God specifically warned evil agents not to touch or do any harm to His anointed:
1. 1 Chronicles 16:22: “…. “Do not touch My anointed ones and do My prophets no harm.”
2. Psalm 105:15: “…. Do not touch My anointed ones And do My prophets no harm.”
Some people who violated this warning of God suffered the consequence and did not live to tell the stories. Examples include two sets of fifty warriors and their leaders who king Ahaziah of Samaria sent to arrest Prophet Elijah while He was praying upon a Mountain. The highly anointed Elijah didn’t need to run for his life or engage in any physical fight with the attacking warriors. All he did was use his anointing to command fire from heaven to consume the culprits and instantly, all the 100 warriors together with their 2 leaders were roasted (2 kings 1: 6-18). God will always defend those who belong to Him and as David pointed out that no one can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless (1 Samuel 26:9).
# 6 SEVERANCE FROM CAPTIVITY AND OPPRESSION
Anyone that is Godly anointed has the advantage to be able to set free anyone who is a victim of captivity and/or oppression. This advantage was demonstrated in Jesus Christ who publicly announced what his Godly anointing would let Him accomplish by saying, “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” (Luke 4:18, NKJV). During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ took advantage of his anointing to do many miracles that set many people free from captivity and oppression. A case in point is the Demon-Possessed Man of Gadara who Jesus set free by commanding the legion of demons in the man to vacate their positions in the man and enter a herd of swine who ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned (Luke 8: 26-40; Mk 5: 1-20).
The Holy Spirit anointing that the Apostles received whilst they were praying in the Upper Room must have played an important role in the miraculous freedom of Paul and Silas when they were imprisoned and put under strict security guards (Acts 16: 16-40). In like manner, Apostle Peter’s Godly anointing was advantageous in securing his freedom from the prison where Herold had thrown him and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him. Herold’s plan was to have Peter executed a few days after the Passover. If you are a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, the anointed One, His anointing has robbed you and in His name, and by His blood, you can prayerfully demand your freedom from anything (demon, sickness, delay in marriage, barrenness, poverty, etc) that has held you captive and /or oppressed you in Jesus name.
#7 SUCCESS IN ALL THINGS
Godly anointing is a core ingredient in terms of the determinants of one’s success in life. Therefore, a carrier of Godly anointing has an assuring advantage to be successful in anything he/she embarks upon to do. Jesus Christ, the Anointed one, was successful in all His Father commissioned Him to come into the world to do. He saved many souls, fed a multitude of hungry people, healed a multitude who were afflicted by various sicknesses, set the captives free, raised the dead, and was killed but resurrected. He was so successful and proud of His accomplishments that He told His Father, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). Other noticeable carriers of Godly anointing with great success in the ministry and in other areas are (a) David who single-handedly killed Goliath (1 Sam 17) and fought many wars victoriously because God helped him (1 Chron. 18); (b) Apostle Peter whose first major sermon produced 3000 souls won to God (Acts 2:14-41); second major sermon led to 5000 souls won (Acts 4:1-4) and subsequent sermons led to multitude (or uncountable) number of converts as followers of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:27-32; 5:12-14).
If you have given your life to Jesus Christ, you are a partaker of His anointing, for the Bible declares, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,” (2 Cor. 1:21). The Godly anointing in you gives you the advantage to have success in all things as was the case with Jesus Christ. Simply put, your anointing attracts many blessings including success or prosperity (3 John verse 2).
CONCLUSION
Godly anointing is one of the most precious and advantageous gifts of God prepared for His bona fide children beginning with Jesus Christ, the Anointed one. Anyone who is going to be a beneficiary of this Godly anointing, must give his/her life to Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior. If you have not done this, do it today and begin to enjoy the numerous advantages of the Godly anointing which include, the enhancement of salvation, serving God, sanctification, greater strength, safety, separation from captivity, and success in all areas.
