THE ANOINTING

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                   THE ANOINTING	
       This is a fairly long post-- MF

I set out one day to study the topic of the Anointing.  It became exceedingly
interesting before I got very far into it.  I will share a few thoughts with
you.

When I was a child, growing up in a Pentecostal home, and exposed to
Pentecostal preaching, I got the impression that it was the anointing that
caused the Preacher to talk real fast, real loud, and say "Amen, Glory to
God" real often-- up to a hundred times in a simple sermon-- using them as
"fillers" to keep from having to stop and think of something more to say.

It was more or less universal belief that this was the Anointing, and the
only way the Anointing was manifest.  It seemed that the Lord was more or
less in favor of the procedure, for some mighty works were performed in this
way.

There are still many places where this is still the pattern of operation, and
God still seems to be looking on it with favor.

But I discovered that the Anointing of God can also take other forms of
operation.

In the Old Testament, men were anointed by pouring a special oil over their
heads-- to a special office in the nation of Israel.  Priests and Kings were
set in office that way.  Kings and the High Priests were "anointed" for life.
 Common priests were anointed until they were 50, or in some cases, 55 years
of age.

Not all Kings and High Priests lived deserving lives after being anointed,
but they were still respected by God-fearing people, because of having been
anointed for life.

Saul and Eli are two examples of failure to live worthy of the anointing.

In the case of Samuel anointing David, it was accompanied by the Spirit of
God coming upon, and abiding on him as long as he lived.

That brought me to the point of realization that it is the SPIRIT which
constitutes the REAL ANOINTING, not the oil, nor the hands that were laid
upon the individual.

Psalms 89:20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed
him: 

I Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the
midst of his brethren: and the SPIRIT OF THE LORD came upon David from that
day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 

In some cases, the Anointing is in the form of a COMMAND of the Spirit, to
accomplish a specific thing which God has determined should be done.  Cyrus
is one that I found.

Isaiah 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I
have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of
kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be
shut; 

I discovered that it takes DESIRE, to receive the Anointing of God on our
lives.  God seldom pours out of His Spirit on those who do not care about
Spiritual things, and have no desire to be used of the Lord.

II Kings 2:9  And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said
unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.
And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 

I also discovered that a person must be ANOINTABLE, before God will put His
Spirit on them for an special purpose.  In those cases, God usually picks a
person who has their own personal life in fair order, and has demonstrated
integrity of character.  Joshua is an example of this.

Numbers 27:18  And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun,
a man in whom [is] the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;   And set him
before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a
charge in their sight.   And thou shalt put [some] of thine honour upon him,
that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 

The elders of Israel were also of a similar calibre.

Numbers 11:17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take
of the spirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them; and they
shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear [it] not
thyself alone. 

Numbers 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took
of the spirit that [was] upon him, and gave [it] unto the seventy elders: and
it came to pass, [that], when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied,
and did not cease. 

Isaiah gave a command of the Spirit one day, and Paul directed it to a people
of the New Testament Church.  The message was that God will require a clean
life before He will place a lasting Anointing upon a person.

Isaiah 52:11  Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean
[thing]; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of
the LORD. 

II Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, 

By this time I was becoming aware that the REAL ANOINTING is performed by the
SPIRIT OF GOD, rather than with oil and the hands of others.  God, who KNOWS
ALL HEARTS does the chosing and anointing of His children.

Today, men are anointed and ordained by Christian organizations and
denominations, but those anointings are only for the purpose of being
officers in the denomination.  They do not always signify that God has placed
an anointing upon the life.  In other words, a position of leadership in a
denomination does not, necessarily, constitute a valid anointing of God.

It has been my observation that many men and women who are ordianry "laymen"
in many congregations carry a much heavier anointing than do the Pastor and
other officers in the church.  

II Corinthians 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath
anointed us, [is] God; 

Isaiah 61:1 The spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of
the prison to [them that are] bound; 

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the
devil; for God was with him.