What is the “anointing” of God?

The anointing of God is the enablement or impartation of God’s ability through His Holy Spirit upon and within an available and surrendered person to fulfill and carry out His will and His work. The enablement and impartation will help those who have received it to do supernatural things though they remain natural beings.

This ability for God to move through us is always for His glory and the expansion of His Kingdom. The anointing is never about us or for us. Of course we may learn and deepen our encounters of God in the process of being used–but it is all for His glory. The anointing does not exist to give us an emotional experience but rather penetrate the work of the Enemy in this world. It does not require a perfect person. Only a person yielded to God. A person who is desperate, passionate, and albeit radical in their pursuit of God. A person who has sought after the baptism of God’s Spirit as John the Baptist spoke of and Jesus gave to His church (you and I) beginning in Acts 2.

The anointing of God–His ability at work through us in what we seek to do in accordance with His will and Spirit’s guidance–can increase over time. In the Bible we will see at times Scriptures that speak of going from “faith to faith.” This is in reference to growth and maturity in our understanding and development. When we are first born again we are given a measure of faith and anointing (1 John 2:27) to experience the salvation of God and overcome the enemy. But this measure was meant to grow from faith to faith. What child would we ever expect to remain at a toddler stage? And yet many of us allow ourselves to live this in regard to the anointing of God upon our lives.

So what do we do? We grow! We grow in faith and trust in the Scriptures and of Jesus. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing; hearing by the Word of God.” Thus, more time spent in the Word of God–even if we are struggling to wrap our minds around what we are reading–will result in new and fresh faith. Our ability to trust God and take Him at His word will expand exponentially. As Paul says to those whom he is writing to in 2 Corinthians 10:15, “Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow…” The expectation was growth in faith (not for personal gain as in modern day false teachings, but rather growth of faith for the expansion of God’s Kingdom through us).

What does this have to do with our anointing to do the work of God we have been called to? The anointing we operate in is proportion to our trust and faith in God as well as what He has graced us with (Romans 12:6). There is not a single verse in the Bible to say that the believer’s anointing over time is to remain the same. The opposite in fact.

I encourage you. Spend less time or delete the distractions: social media, TV, idols, and other distractions–and instead give all of that accumulated time to the Word of God and prayer with the Holy Spirit. Oh my goodness the joy you will feel! The passion and clarity of God’s voice will be so loud and present you will be unsure how to function! This is what you were destined for: intimacy with God. He will not satisfy the lazy and apathetic; only the determined and hungry. No degrees will do the job. No amount of books read or written will do it. No amount of anything other than time spent on our knees and faces and in the Scriptures will bring the life we dream of with our Creator. We have to stay hungry for the anointing of God upon our lives. Then, and only then, will our faith, grace, and anointing begin to grow within us to accomplish the mighty work of God. You know you were created for more. You can feel it. The path there is before us in the Word. All that is needed is a commitment to growth: faith by faith.

In Christ,

Noah