Acts 11:21 “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” (KJV)
We looked at Psalm 89:20-21, where it says, “I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: my arm also shall strengthen him.”(Webster).
In the previous we looked in detail at how the anointing of the Lord was needed for David, for the hand of the Lord to rest mightily on him and for him to perform great things for the Lord. We also looked at the other people who received this anointing, and the purpose of the same.
Many people are apprehensive about the topic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit only because they have many misconceptions. Also the ones who claim to have received this anointing by their lack of consistency in their Christian walk have in a way hindered others from experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore, on the basis of God’s word look at what are the characteristics that will be evident in a person who is anointed by the Holy Spirit.
The anointing of the “Holy Spirit” as the very word suggests, is the power or the anointing of God in our lives to lead a holy life. It is not just an emotional experience, but the fact that we belong to the Lord Jesus who lives within us, and we are also the temple of the Holy Spirit who enables us to live a life of godliness and holiness.
We will study the life of Joshua and see what we can learn from it.
Numbers 27:18, says, “So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit, and place your hand on him.” (GW)
We see at the very outset that Joshua was a man anointed with the Spirit of God.
Exodus 17:9, Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men for us and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." (NRSVA)
1. Joshua respected Moses’ authority and was obedient
When Moses commanded Joshua to go and fight the Amalekites, as Moses stood on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand, Joshua obeyed without questioning and went into battle. Joshua was a man who could take on responsibility and fulfil it. He respected authority and was obedient to Moses.
All authority is God ordained, and if we don’t respect those who are in authority, then the ones under us will not respect us. For instance, if the father in a home does not respect his employer at his work place and has a rebellious attitude, he will very often find himself in a similar situation, sometimes in his own home where his children will not respect and submit to his authority. The reason for this is that, if we don’t give respect where it’s due, we will surely not receive the respect that is due to us.
In a home for example, the Lord ordained that the husband is the head of the family, not to rule and dominate his wife, but to give leadership, take responsibility, and love his wife, so that there is order in the home. The wife on the other hand is required to be obedient and in agreement with her husband’s decisions so that the home can be a joyful place. For a family to be a happy place there should be mutual love and respect. A truly anointed man will be a loving husband to his wife, and a truly anointed wife will be a submissive and loving partner to her husband.
We also need to teach our children to respect elders, and to speak and treat everyone with respect. We must instruct them to be obedient to rules set by those in authority. If we don’t teach them when they are young, they will one day embarrass us before others, and bring disgrace to us.
An anointed person will know how to submit to every authority that God has established. We need to submit to authority at our home, work place, at school or college and church as appointed by the Lord. God is a God of order, and all authority and rules are God ordained, and therefore we need to have a willingness to submit to them. It is indeed difficult to do this is in our own strength, but the Lord anoints us, and helps us to be submissive and obedient.
2. Joshua had firm faith in the Lord and was not swayed by the opinion of the majority.
Numbers 14:9, we read “Do not rebel against the LORD and don't be afraid of the people who live there. We will conquer them easily. The LORD is with us and has defeated the gods who protected them; so don't be afraid." (GNB)
Twelve men go to spy on the land of Canaan. Ten of them were filled with fear, and reported back that they couldn’t conquer the land as the people living there were giants who were too powerful for them. Joshua and Caleb spoke in total contradiction. They saw that the land that the Lord had promised them was an exceedingly fruitful place. Also they had unshakeable faith that the Lord was on their side, and that He would give the land to the people of Israel as He promised. Twelve men were faced with the same situation- ten of them looked at it with fear and apprehension, while only two looked on with eyes of faith. Joshua and Caleb realized that God who was on their side was far greater than the giants in the land.
An anointed person will never be disturbed by any situation no matter how difficult or overwhelming it is. Many people are overpowered by their problems that they believe that even God cannot intervene and help them. A truly anointed person will not only look at a situation only with their physical eyes, but perceive in their spirit that the Lord who is in them is greater than any situation they are facing.
Ten of the men who spied gave a grave picture of the promise land, but only Joshua and Caleb were able to see that the Lord was with them. They say to the people of Israel “Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” Numbers 14:9 (GNB) Joshua refused to go with the assessment of the ten, though they formed the majority.
A Spirit filled person will not go with the majority opinion. He will take a stand and choose to be different. Many people are swayed easily, and prefer to go with the persuasion of the masses. They are unable to take a stand in very crucial matters also. An anointed person will choose to be distinct, and will always stand out in a crowd.
3. Joshua loved the word of God
We read in Joshua 8:34-35 “Joshua then read to them all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of Instruction. Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them.” (NLT)
Notice how it is mentioned that Joshua read every word of the command that Moses gave. In the assembly there were not only men, but also women and children. The word of God was read, loud and clear for all to hear.
As parents we give so much of importance for our children to do well in academics. But we don’t take the responsibility to teach and train our children to read and understand the Word of God. We need to encourage our children to fellowship with others, attend Sunday School, and Youth Groups. Children must be given freedom, but at the same time we must train them to make the right choices within the right boundaries.
As we read the word over and over again we will discover new truths from the very same and familiar passages. So many people are misled by false doctrines and teachings, only because they haven’t read the word in its fullness and entirety. For example, we will never read a novel that we like in bits and pieces only because we will never get the full story as it was intended to be. But very often when it comes to reading God’s word we choose to read the word sporadically, and not in its wholeness, and hence are not able to comprehend its depth and meaning. We should also practice to read the word loudly and as Joshua did.
In Psalm 1:2-3 we read “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law he meditates day and night...... and whatever he does shall prosper.” (JUB)
If we truly love the word of the Lord, and meditate on it day and night then the Lord promises the he will have success in whatever we do.
4. Joshua obeyed the word of the Lord implicitly
We read in Joshua 6:2-3, “The LORD said to Joshua, "I am putting into your hands Jericho, with its king and all its brave soldiers. You and your soldiers are to march around the city once a day for six days.” (GNT)
Joshua was a soldier and the leader of the army of Israel. He knew all about warfare, but when the Lord told him to go around the city of Jericho six times he never questioned the Lord. He knew the walls of the city were so huge and thick that it would be impossible to break-through, but just because the Lord told him to do so he obeyed without a doubt. Just imagine the scene, as Joshua called all the other soldiers and told them that the Lord just asked them to walk around the city of Jericho. It might have seemed such a strange and absurd instruction. They nevertheless obeyed, and were jubilant at the victory that the Lord gave that day.
We need to appropriate the word of God first to ourselves, and be obedient to the word. Many people as believers are still shaky in their faith, and failing repeatedly in many areas of their lives only because they do not obey the word of the Lord as they ought to do. We need to learn to obey God’s word, and heed his counsel without a question or doubt, and only then we will have victory in our lives.
5. Joshua sought to honor God’s name even in defeat
In Joshua 7:8-9 we read “Lord, what am I to say, now that Israel has run away from its enemies? The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of this, will surround us, and eliminate us from the earth! Then what will you do about your great reputation?" (ISV)
After an amazing victory over Jericho, Joshua decided to go against the city of Ai. The army of Israel face a major defeat, which the Lord allowed as a result of sin in the camp. Joshua goes into the Lord’s presence, and enquires as to why they had to face this defeat and the thing that bothers him more is the fact that the peoples around them will take advantage of this defeat and dishonor the name of the Lord. He was more concerned about the Lord’s honor and reputation, than about the actual defeat itself.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Our Father in heaven: May your holy name be honored;” Matthew 6:9 (GNT), it was an admonition that we need to honor the Lord in everything we do, and in every area of our life. When we honor the Lord this way he turns our failures into victory.
In conclusion, a truly anointed person is someone who is submissive to authority, has firm faith in the Lord, loves word of the Lord, and is obedient to the word of the Lord no matter what and one who only seeks to honor the Lord in their life no matter what the situation. It is truly the Lord’s desire to anoint each one of us with His Holy Spirit, so that the true characteristics of the Lord’s anointing is evident in each one of our lives. It is only then that the hand of the Lord will rest on us, and those around us will believe and be drawn to the saving knowledge of the Lord.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
