First we must understand that there is a difference between the Holy Spirit and the anointing of God. Jesus said, “The Spirit is upon Me because I am anointed.”
To be anointed simply means consecrated, or set a part, for service. The Holy Spirit then gives the anointed the empowerment to operate in the anointing. Usually this anointing was to appoint kings and priests. Spiritual anointing with the Holy Ghost is conferred upon Christians by God. “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God” - 2 Cor. 1:21. “But you have an anointing from the Holy One” – 1 John 2:20
“Anointing” expresses the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit upon Christians, who are priests and kings unto God.
“…from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – Revelation 1:5-6
The anointing is an assignment, but in order to fulfill the assignment, there must be an alignment. The greatest outpouring of the anointing is around the hem, not the head.
Homes – husband is the head, wife and children receive the greatest outpouring
Churches – Christ is the head, transferred to the pastor down to everyone else
· Be transformed from a nobody to a somebody
“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." – 1 Samuel 16:10-11
David was a shepherd. The only socially lower class of people than shepherds was lepers. David was a nobody that nobody noticed. David was overlooked by his own family. From the moment David was anointed, his life was transformed.
· Overcome criticism
Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" And the people answered him in this manner, saying, "So shall it be done for the man who kills him." Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle."
It’s one thing, and it’s to be expected to be criticized and ridiculed by the enemy, but it’s another thing to be put down by those in your own house. Not only did Eliab criticize David, but he also tried to belittle him “few sheep”.
And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?" Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.
It there not a cause? Why was Eliab fighting David instead of his own brother? When you are walking in your anointing, it doesn’t matter what anybody else says or thinks. Because the Spirit of God will work supernaturally through you, and nobody can argue with results.
· Do what others say can’t be done
And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."
Isn’t it funny that Saul is telling David he can’t do something that even he is afraid to do? Always trying to give advice and help, but he is too scared to step out as king and fight.
Don’t take cooking advice from someone who can’t even boil water.
Saul tried to give David his armor. Saul was supposed to use his armor, not David. It seems as if everybody has an opinion as to what is best for you.
But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." Moreover David said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
· Stand up to the enemy
You can’t have a victory unless you are in a battle
Finally, David stood up and said, “I’ve heard enough!”
So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands."
· Make a difference in the lives of those around them
And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents.
When David destroyed Goliath, the entire nation of Israel’s perspective changed. The reason the Philistines fled was not because of David. It was because they knew that the same God that used a teenager to defeat their champion was the same God of the entire army.
It’s time that the anointed of God put the devil and his demons to flight. Instead of the anointed of God crying “all hell is breaking loose” it’s time to send them running declaring, “all heaven is breaking loose”.
You have been anointed, or set a part, for service to make a difference in people’s lives.
· Survive a hostile environment
And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, "I will pin David to the wall!" But David escaped his presence twice. Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul.
David was in Saul’s palace. And Saul was greatly afraid of David, so much so that Saul wanted to kill David. Saul threw spears at David twice. Why didn’t David leave? Because that is where God put David, and he knew that was the place of blessing. He just ducked and kept on serving.
If you walk out when things get tough, you may have just robbed yourself of a blessing.
· Be moved from the pasture to the palace
Sometimes we don’t want to be moved from the pasture. After all, it’s peaceful there. From time to time there may be a struggle or two, but for the most part it’s comfortable. But then God begins to place you in places and situations that are less than desirable. Sometimes you feel like everyone is out to get you, and that it’s all about to come crashing down. You may cry out the way David did in the cave of Adullam when he said, “How long Lord will You look on?”
What you don’t know is that God is moving out of the pasture to prepare you to inhabit the palace.
· Make mistakes
Yes, even God’s anointed can make mistakes. We look over the course of David’s life and rule as King of Israel, that even this great man, a man after God’s own heart, was not immune from making mistakes. We are not perfect, that’s why Paul says:
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” – Philippians 1:6
We are all a work in progress. But the good news is, unlike the Spirit of the Lord in the Old Testament, that came “upon” God’s anointed, and as we see with Saul, can come and go. But in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit seals and indwells God’s anointed people.
