Topic: The Anointing Makes The Difference [Wednesday 21, December 2016]
Memorise: 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
Read: Matthew 17:14-21 (KJV)
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Bible in One Year: Leviticus 15-16, Psalms 127-128
MESSAGE:
The word ‘anointing’ is often used in the Old Testament in recognition of the Lord’s divine calling upon the lives of individuals. In addition, the anointing was a physical recognition of the particular role or office of people such as kings, prophets, or priests.
However, the anointing in the New Testament is not limited to prophets and priests, it is the birthright of every born again Child of God. In Mark 6:7, Jesus gave power over unclean spirits to His disciples. In Luke 9:1, He gave them power to cure diseases, and in Luke 10:19, He gave them power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. I once told my spiritual children that the new anointing is so powerful, that it can repeat whatever it has done for your spiritual fathers. It can re-open closed doors and turn the mocked into a celebrity. In 1 Samuel 16:11-13, when Samuel came to the house of Jesse while shopping for a kingly candidate, nobody presented David. It was until Samuel specifically asked for him that he was summoned. But after David was anointed in 1 Samuel 22:1-2, the same brothers who saw nothing good in him came to submit themselves under his authority. Have people written you off as a nobody? Do they deny you your rights and consider you unfit for any meaningful position? The anointing of God will reverse that situation in your life this season in Jesus’ name. You will be sought after. You will be transformed into a very important personality by the anointing.
Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 12:7 says:
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
The above verse shows that God’s anointing is not for flamboyance, globetrotting, or to be made merchandise of. On the contrary, the anointing is for making a difference in this evil world by living in holiness and righteousness, healing the sick, setting the captives free, making the barren fruitful, replacing sorrow with the joy and moving the impoverished into prosperity so that the Name of the Lord may be glorified. To what extent does the anointing on you impact those in need of it? To what extent are you making a difference in your community?
Prayer Point: Father, wake me up to my responsibility of making a real difference in this world.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.