Anointed!

Anointed!

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over (Psalms 23:1 & 5)

Jesus, who was the Messiah was anointed. 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 (Acts 10:38) If we want to be like Jesus, we should also be anointed. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (1st John 4:17). In Bible times, people were anointed with oil to signify God's blessing or call on that person’s life. A person was anointed for a special purpose - to be a king, to be a prophet, to be a builder, etc. It is only God that can anoint a person for a specific purpose. We run into the act of anointing first in the Old Testament where we see kings and priests anointed with oil. They had oil poured on their heads in a symbolic ceremony. This oil symbolized the Holy Spirit coming upon them in a special way, empowering them to do a special task for the Lord. Anointing showed that God had a task to be done. The origin of anointing was from a practice of shepherds from ancient times. Lice and other insects would often get into the wool of the sheep, and when they got near the sheep's head, they could burrow into the sheep's ears and kill the sheep. To burrow means to dig a hole or tunnel for habitation or refuge. Because of the lice and insects, ancient shepherds poured oil on the sheep's head. This made the wool slippery, making it impossible for insects to hang on to the wool and get near the sheep's ears because they would just slide off.

When you allow the enemy to have an audience with your ear through gossip, people's opinion about you, and discord, it is like someone digging a tunnel to your ear. You think that you are ignoring them, but you don't realize the impact of those conversations, until it eventually kills your spirit. We need to be anointed so these things can slide off of us, before they began to tunnel into our lives. We also need to be anointed to handle our emotions. "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." (Ephesians 6:16b). Fiery darts are digs in your life charged with intense heat, emotion, and causes a burning sensation. They are designed to penetrate, and slowly smolder in your life. They are designed to leave a burning sensation that acts a time released capsule. They are meant to burn the things of God out of your life over a period of time. This is why sometimes we fall into feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and of insecurity. That dart has been left smoldering until it does real damage, and you find yourself, totally disconnected to God.

It is the anointing that makes the difference in our lives!! We need to be anointed so that which is not like God and that which will cause us to not hear God speak will slide off. God has already prepared a table for us to eat, and we are anointed for victory. If we would just give ear to the Holy Spirit of God, we could experience a "cup running over" blessing in every area of our lives.