Anointed

1 Kings 17

How many of you know that you are called to be His anointed?

Most people would be reluctant to raise their hands because we have been told, that to be anointed, is to be made special, or divinely selected, or even holy. And we are reluctant to call ourselves holy. For only God is holy after all. We love to say, we are sinners saved by grace. We acknowledge God’s saving grace while limiting ourselves as sinners, saved by grace.

We think this is humility, but it just may be what’s keeping you from walking in the fullness of what God has called you to be. This just might be the subliminal message we send ourselves when we are tempted, I am just a sinner saved by grace. I can’t help myself, but God’s got it. His grace is sufficient.

So instead of walking in our anointing and becoming all that God has called us to be, we go just so far, but we never reach the promised land. We never reach our full potential. We never reach our purpose. We never reach our divine calling, in Christ Jesus. We never reach our full anointing.

There are several common definitions for the word anointed.

(1) To be anointed means to apply oil as part of a religious ceremony. We do this when someone is sick, praying that the oil will do the anointing, and heal the sick. We quote James 13:15, where it says, “Is anyone among you sick? He must call for the elders (spiritual leaders) of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the lord will raise him up,” We think it’s the oil, but it’s not the oil, it’s the prayer of the anointed faithful. The faithful who are sick, and the faithful who are administering the oil. “Jesus said, Your Faith has made you whole.”

Then there is the 2nd definition, “To chose by as if by divine election.” We choose someone as a successor. But Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:9, “But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are God’s special treasure. You are all these things so that you can give him praise. God brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” God chose you to be his anointed!

The 3rd definition according to Webster is “to designate as if by ritual anointment.” This is where we anoint someone as an important figure. Many people in the sports world have anointed Ali as the greatest boxer of all time. Some have anointed Martin Luther King as the greatest civil rights leader of the 20th century, and others have anointed Whitney Houston as the greatest singer of her generation. But the Bible says in 1 John 2:20, “You have been given an anointing, a special touch from the Holy One. You know the truth.”

You have been anointed with a special touch, not the touch of a prize fighter, or the touch of leadership, or even just the touch of music. God has anointed you to know the truth, and this truth is freedom, for the truth has set you free. Free to live in your purpose. Free to live in your anointing!

God has anointed you with His power by faith to heal. God has chosen you to be a part of His royal priesthood. God has anointed you with a special touch, and because you know who He is. You know the truth.

You have been called to be His anointed. Walk in it. Walk in Your Purpose. Walk in your anointing. This is what God will do through you when you walk in your anointing. Mountains will move. Unbelief will fade. Doubt will disappear. Helplessness will turn to hopefulness; Faith will define our character and hope will be our Joy. How many of you know that you are anointed?

God called one of his anointed, Elijah, at a time when his world was spinning out of control. Wars, famine, sickness and pain, idolatry and strain, stressfulness, anger, and fear were the order of the day. Today, we see the same things, in this world. The more things change, the more they stay the same. God called Elijah from Gilead, and He is calling you right now, wherever you are, wherever you are from.

Gilead is the mountainous region, located in modern day Jordan, east of the Jordan River extending south from Lake Gennesaret (in the north) to the north end of the Dead Sea (in the south). During Bible times, Gilead was bounded on the north by Bashan and on the south by Moab and Ammon. Jacob gave the region its moniker from two Hebrew words—gal, meaning heap, and ed, meaning witness—because it was in this mountainous region that he and Laban erected a stone heap as a witness of the peace treaty between the two of them (Genesis 31:47–48). Generations later, as Israel entered the Promised Land, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh were allotted land in this region (Joshua 13:8–12). During the time of the judges, a few key battles took place in Gilead when Gideon fought the Midianites (Judges 7) and later when Jephthah fought the Ammonites (Judges 11). When Absalom, King David's son, raised a rebellion against the king, it was to Gilead where David fled for safety.

The area is also known for a healing balm, the balm of Gilead, which is made from liquid rosin from the local trees (poplar, pine, cypress, cedar, etc). Due to access to these medicinal ingredients, many physicians made their homes in Gilead. In Jeremiah 8:22, the prophet asks, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?" This region played an important role throughout Israel's history. CompellingTruth.org

It is out of this region Elijah appears. There is no history of his youth, no great stories of his escapades as a young man. There are no stories of him wrestling with a lion or fighting off the enemy with just a jawbone. He was just called. We know that he was called out of Gilead to be one of the great prophets to the nations.

You know the story of God’s calling in your life. Think back to that moment, and reflect on the inspiration that you felt. It may not have been with grandeur or splendor. It may not have been with a miraculous event. It may not have been with a story of remarkable achievement, worthy of a biography, He just called you! He Just touched up. Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

He called Elijah for his time, and He is calling you today, for such a time as this. To get a better understanding for the reason for Elijah’s call we must understand the state of Israel at that time.

It’s about 476 years since Moses led Israel out of Egypt. Israel has grown to become a mighty nation among nations. Israel’s greatest King, David, is nearing the end of his life and reign as King. David was anointed king as a young boy. Despite this anointing, David had to overcome the jealousy and rage of King Saul who was king at the time of his anointing. David’s anointing was further tested by an affair with a married woman, which led to the death of one of his great warriors. David was challenged for the throne, not once, but twice by his own sons, first Absalom, and then at the end of his reign, by Adonijah. With all this drama, and intrigue in his life, David’s anointing kept pointed him to his purpose. That’s why he can write, in response to his failures.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.” Psalms 51:1-19 NKJV abbreviated.

It is important to know that If God chooses you, he anoints you. He does not choose you and then leave you to your own efforts. When he chooses you, he anoints you for the task at hand. He said to Moses, I choose you to speak to Pharaoh; Moses’ said, I can’t speak. God, Says, your brother Aaron, he can talk. You will tell him what to say. I chose you, so I am anointing you to walk in your purpose.

Moses moved and brought the mightiest Kingdom of his day to know that His God is God.

God chose and anointed David, and despite his challenges, God blessed him to be Israel’s greatest King.

God has chosen you to be his anointed. You will have challenges; he still chose you. You will have doubts; he still chose you. You will have fears: He still chose you. And because he chose you, he will take care of you. Be not dismayed whatever betide, God will take care of you. Beneath his wings of love abide God will take care of you. God chose you, He anointed you! He will take care of you.

To be anointed is to be set aside for a special purpose. You have been called aside for a special purpose. We all have that something, or maybe someone in our lives that we have set aside for a special purpose. Maybe it’s a dress, that you only wear on that special occasion. It has been set aside for a special purpose. Or maybe that set of dishes or silverware that you only take out when a guest comes over. It has been set aside for a special purpose. Or maybe it's that car, that you only drive on sunny days, and on smooth roads, it has been set aside for a purpose.

God has called you! He has anointed you. Not just for temporary earthly purposes, but for an eternal heavenly purpose. It is His will that you are here today. It is His will that you woke up today. It is His will that, these words are ringing in your ear right now, to let you know that you are anointed. You have been set aside for a special purpose!

After King David, his son, Solomon, was called and anointed to be king. He was set aside for a special purpose. We remember Solomon for his wisdom. We all can recite the story of how he dealt with the two mothers and the baby. We remember Solomon for the construction of the Temple, His immense wealth, and peace in the land. But Solomon too, despite his anointing had his challenges. Solomon, despite his anointing, lost sight of who God is. He started to think it was about him. He Lost sight of who does the anointing.

Sometimes even in our anointing, we lose sight of God’s purpose in our lives. You lose sight when the things of this world allure you more than the Word of God. You lose sight when you think that it’s your job or your education, or the house you live in, or the car you drive. You lose sight when of your anointing when you start thinking that the things in your life, are greater than the sustainer of life.

You also lose sight when you become apathetic to the things of God. Or you start thinking I am good. Apathy is defined as a lack of interest or enthusiasm. If you are finding it hard to spend time in prayer and reading the Word of God, you might be experiencing apathy towards to things of God. If you find yourself struggling to find time for personal and family devotion, you might be experiencing apathy towards the things of God. If you find yourself, struggling to come to church, or just coming, because it’s what you do on the Sabbath, you might be experiencing apathy towards the things of God.

You can also experience apathy in your relationship. If you find it a struggle to say a kind word. You might be experiencing apathy in your relationship. If you find it easier to be alone, than to spend an evening together, you just might be experiencing apathy in your relationship. If you find yourself drifting in your thoughts, you just might be experiencing apathy in your relationship.

Apathy can make you lose sight of your purpose. And when you lose sight of God’s purpose in your life, you lose sight of your anointing.

Solomon lost sight of his purpose. And so, he sought solutions, comfort, and purpose outside of God’s will. And this led to his embracing of the things of the world, which led Israel to a gradual spiritual decline.

Your apathy, if left unchecked, has consequences. Israel fell deeper and deeper into apathy, and then outright Idolatry. But, because you might lose sight of your anointing, does not mean that God has lost sight of you.

Some time ago, God called you. And despite all the trials and tribulations, despite all the set-ups, and setbacks, despite all the false starts and failures, you sit here today. Your anointing may have been dimmed, but the fire is not out. Your anointing may have been shaken, but your foundation was still standing. Your anointing may have been hidden, but praise God, it was found. And because it was found you can say today like Paul;

Philippians 3:12

I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

God remembered his promises. He remembered his anointing on David. The Lord sent his prophet, Elijah, to guide the kingdom back to the altar of God. Elijah lived up to his name, as he proclaimed, his God (Eli) is the Eternal (jah)—Eli-jah.

With all the Idols in the high places of Israel, God called Elijah. Whenever the people of Israel would call his name, they were reminding themselves that God is Eternal.

With all the Idols in the world today, that tempts us with fame and fortune, human praise and false worship, remember that God is Eternal. When the apathy of life comes your way, remember God is Eternal.

Elijah was sent to remind the king and kingdom who the eternal God was, is, and is to come. Here are three key points that will help you to remember the anointing in your life.

One of the central forms of Idolatry is the worship of the elements, the sun, moon, stars and weather. As the children of Israel slipped further into Idolatry, God saw fit to remind them that heaven declares the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork. Elijah showed up, spoke the word of God, and the rain ceased from falling. This was reminding all of Israel that their God is the God of not just the rain, but the creator and sustainer of all things. Put you trust in God, you are His anointed. Receive his full anointing in your life. God is ready to do great things in you!

Secondly, as Elijah was fed by the ravens, and given water to drink from the Brook Cherith, God will take care of you during difficult times. Although things around you may be difficult, the Lord has already prepared a way to sustain us in our time of need. In fact, the solution is prepared before the crisis. Be faithful and live in your anointing. God has prepared a brook for you when you are thirsty. He has prepared food for when you are hungry. He has prepared shade for the heat of the day and fire for the cool of the night. He has anointed you, and He will keep you.

Third; God has called you and anointed you to be a blessing to someone else. As Elijah was a blessing to the widow of Zarapeth, who had lost all hope and even lost her son. God is calling you to be a blessing to someone who may be hopeless today. Right now someone is in need of an encouraging word. They are down to the last handful of flour. The flour of hope. The flour of faith, and the flour of trust in God. Like the widow of Zarapeth, they are losing hope, but we have this hope that burns within our hearts. And this flour of hope, shall not be used up, for He that will come shall come, and He will save us from our sin.

God has called us to be His anointed. But we must receive it today. Our lives must reflect his anointing today. When we do so, His power will be manifested in our lives. The power to speak under the authority of His Word. The Power of the Holy Spirit to speak life into the hopeless, the power to speak victory to the helpless, the power to speak joy to the joyless, the power to comfort to the fatherless, the power to show love to the motherless, The power lift up the downtrodden, the power the unite the divided, the power heal the brokenhearted, the power to break the chains of sin, the power to bind us together as one, and the power to speak life, so that others may know that they too can walk in their anointing.

When we live in His anointing, like the Woman of Zarapeth, someone will say, “I now fully trust that you are a man of God and that the truth of the Word of the eternal dwells in your mouth.” 1 Kings 17:24.

When we live in His anointing, through the Power of the Holy Spirit, we can change the World today.

Your are called to be His Anointed.