Anointing and the Presence of God

Moses was called aside by God to the burning bush where God commissioned him to remove the children of Israel from Egyptian Slavery.   God’s call and commission to Moses contained in it the Job that he was to do for God.  This was an act of a direct call from God and God Himself commissioned Moses to the work of not only freeing the Israelites but also to lead them through the sea, across the wilderness, and into the promised land.

In the Old Testament, there was something called Anointing.  Almost every place where anointing is mentioned in the Bible, we also see that oil is to be smeared on the subject.   When one was anointed, they received a commission to go and do something for God.  Anointing with oil was the ceremony side of what God was doing in the spirit.  God was setting them aside for service and giving them a commission to perform acts for God.

Anointing was also, in a sense, the receipt of a job description from God.  When David was anointed by the Prophet of God as the King of Israel, the fact of the anointing to be King also gave him the description of what he was supposed to DO.

So we see in the Old Testament how anointing was a ceremony that set a person by commission to do a work of God’s choosing.  God chose the man and the Work.  Anointed him and set him apart to do a work for Him.

Moses was very wise.  After Moses led the Children of Israel out of bondage it was time to enter into the Promised Land.  God told Moses what his mission was to be in leading them into the land of milk and honey, Moses prayed to God.    “And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”     (Exo 33:15)

Moses understood the need to not only have the commission or anointing to do a thing but that he also needed the presence of the Lord.

In the New Testament Anointing take on an even more definite relationship between the anointing and the presence of God.   Christ Jesus had a mission to perform and God anointed him not only for mission but also with the Holy Ghost and with Power!

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.

(Act 10:38)

We need to see the necessary relationship between our Commission and Call Anointing and God’s empowerment to do What God has called us to do.  I have seen men who were very gifted in their call loose everything because they relied on the Commission and Appointment to do the work and did not practice the presence of God.

We need BOTH!  We need to be anointed, commissioned and ordained to do the work and we also need to be spend enough time with God in prayer in order to be endued with Power from on high.  We need the Anointing of the Holy Spirit and Power to perform it so we do not bring shame to the Ministry.

Never just rely on your calling and your commission to do a task.  Also spend enough time with God to walk in His presence as you go forward and perform ministry as Jesus Did… “anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power”!

My Prayer:

Dear God,  I truly desire not only to petition you for things that I want in ministry.  I desire to spend time with you.  I believe that the amount of time that I spend with you is in direct relationship to having your presence in my preaching and other ministry duties. Let my prayer be the same as Moses; “ If your presence doesn’t  go with me, don’t carry us up from here.”    AMEN!