THE JOURNEY FOR THE ANOINTING
2 KINGS 2:9-11
God in His infinite mercies want you to excel and be favored above your contemporaries. The journey for the power and anointing of God is necessary so that God will be glorified in your services to Him. It is the journey for Divine promotion, blessings, exploits and enthronement. Matthew Skariah in his interesting book, "Forbidden Zone" wrote, "Anointing is the fruit of brokenness. When God anoints his vessel that vessel sparkles"
A journey can be a step towards a destination. It can be a movement. The journey a Christian takes in life can make or mar him. What is anointing? Some scholars said that it is "the grace of God upon somebody to carry out a specific tasks" or "it is the power of God" but the ordinary English meaning says "to anoint is to pour upon or apply or to smear or rub with oil, pomade,grease,lubricant etc. So if to anoint is to pour upon or apply or to smear, then the anointing is the medium that is poured. So anointing is the oil or lubricant. Therefore, we can begin to understand anointing as a heavenly lubricant poured upon a man to make a heavenly task committed unto him smooth, easy, flowing, without friction or struggles. When there is no anointing, there will be a lot of struggling, abundance of noise and a lot of heat generated by friction and force. So as we get into this teaching, we need to pray fervently that God will find correct lives upon which to pour His anointing so that the land will be revive again.
However, we are in the age of the restoration of the prophetic calling and ministry-The generation expected to cause positive changes in the lives of people, families, churches and nations. In this all-important journey, we have the PARTAKERS and SPECTATORS. The choice of the believer determines how far he can go. On the journey of Elijah and Elisha, it was TIMELY, PERSISTENT AND DETERMINED. The journey for the real thing in ministry starts with a must experience.
1.GILGAL EXPERIENCE; JOSHUA 5:2-15; Gilgal experience is a must journey for the anointing of God in a believers life and ministry. The experience will make a child of God to walk in the realm of the supernatural. In Gilgal, we saw God commanding Joshua on what he expects from his people. There must be “CIRCUMCISION”. Christianity by the process of circumcision is all about PAIN and BLOOD. There must be an undressing during the process for none wears a cloth during circumcision. Paul the apostle addressed us this way, “Put off to Put on…” (Colossians 3:8-11).So the journey must begin with the spiritual circumcision which are regeneration and repentance towards our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Again at Gilgal, we saw “WHOLENESS”. This is the original intention of God for man from creation. A man at the pool of Bethsaida was restored by Jesus Christ after being in bondage for 38yrs.It can take the devil many years to keep man in bondage but it takes Christ a second to set him free. Also, at Gilgal, we saw the experience of “THE ROLLING AWAY THE REPROACH”.A life of reproach stands against your destiny and supernatural manifestation. Some Christians were not excelling because of this hindrance. The children of Jacob, the patriarch will not forget their ugly encounters. Reuben paid dearly for it ;( Genesis 35:21-22, Genesis 49:3-4), Judah couldn’t believe it when he gave out his signet, bracelets and a staff which has been the symbol of honor, dominion and authority.(Genesis 38). The name of Dinah were nowhere mentioned after her immoral relationship. (Genesis 34). You are to eschew all form of reproaches which can only make you stagnant in your Christian walk. We have the experience of PASSOVER” at Gilgal. It speaks of death and resurrection. It is a mark of spiritual deliverance for Gods children. Christians should identify with Christ, “our Passover lamb”
2.BETHEL EXPERIENCE: GENESIS 28:10-15. This is another must journey. Elijah and Elisha moved to Bethel. At Bethel; we saw 1. The LORDS REVELATION, 2. A COVENANT established 3. A DIVINE PROMISE-assurance of safety and 4. A VOW by the recipient- Jacob. All these experiences are meaningful themselves. It all started with a dream. God is looking for dreamers. Joseph was a perfect example. Though, sold in Egypt but his life affected many people. The dream of the seventeen year boy saved himself, 1. The house of Potiphar, 2. House of Pharaoh, 3. Ancient Egypt, 4. The entire world (Genesis 41:57), 5. The house of Jacob. At Bethel, we saw other experiences. Jacob erected ALTAR,-which shows communion, fellowship, sacrifice, relationship and possession. It is a place of CONTACT; a platform for DIVINE REVELATION, forum for TRAINING and TRIMMING. All these experiences are essential for the journey for the anointing. It is only the wise men like Noah, Jacob, Moses, Abraham, Elijah, and Elisha that can build altar for the Lord. The foolish ones like Esau, Hophni and Phinehas, Gehazi, Ahab cannot do it. At Bethel, the languages are, “consecrate”, “Get Rid”, “Purify”, “Change”. Indeed, anointing is anchored on personal consecration.
3.JERICHO EXPERIENCE; JOSHUA 5:13-15, 6:1-20; Jericho experience is a must journey for the anointing. (The city of the palm trees). It is a place of DIVINE REVELATION of the captain of the Host and a place for WARFARE. The anointing of God takes you to the classroom of spiritual warfare and conflicts. Christianity is all about battle. The anointing helps in warfare.
4.JORDAN EXPERIENCE- JOSHUA 3:4-7, 17; Jordan talks about DEATH and NEW LIFE in the world to come. We die daily to gain eternal life. There is also going over for anointing. We must also be prepared to go over the Jordan- the water of baptism (burial). The flesh must be denied and the accomplished work of the cross on our flesh, in death and death, must be ours experientially. All these are necessary for the pursuit of the anointing. It may be costly and hard but pursue it for all things are possible through it. You should ask fervently for the power of God. Strive to get the substance instead of shadow, as it was in the case of Gehazi who was settled with leprosy. Get the real thing. So we can now say that anointing is a hard thing, and has a, nevertheless attached to it. Everything that comes from heavenly stores is not cheap and so easy to get. They are not for casual seekers who are not prepared to go by the principles of heaven.
Conclusion; Anointing removes dryness. Anointing lubricates a man’s life and makes him not to struggle. Anointing refreshes a man. It is anointing that breaks the yoke. Only anointing can break the yoke of the slavery of Satan over people’s lives. Anointing turns a man’s captivity and changes him from a slave into a son. Anointing changes a man’s testimony and brings restoration and revival to lives. Many are held bound by sin and Satan. Many are depressed and frustrated. Only anointing can liberate them and change their lives and testimonies permanently. Anointing does good. God, give us fresh anointing today!
