healing, for miracles, for clarity, for impartation.
impartation.
And many of them will honor the grace on
your life. But others will only attach
themselves to what they can gain from
you. The danger is not the crowd itself.
The danger is assuming that everyone in
the crowd loves you.
In John chapter 6, Jesus multiplied
bread and fish and fed 5,000 people. The
next day, the crowd came looking for him
again. But he said to them in verse 26,
"You are looking for me not because you
saw the signs I performed, but because
you ate the loaves and had your fill."
In other words, you are not following me
for who I am. You are following me for
what I give. That is what the anointing
reveals. It exposes motives. It brings
people close and then it shows you their
true intentions. Some will stay with you
in the spotlight but disappear in your
silent seasons. Some will call you their
spiritual covering today but speak
against you tomorrow. Some will say they
love your presence but resent your
growth. You must learn discernment. Not
everyone who calls you friend has pure
motives. Not everyone who serves beside
you is submitted to God. The anointing
demands that you pray about the people
around you. Who are they? Why are they
here? What are they looking for? Are
they aligned with your assignment? Or
are they draining your oil?
Even Jesus experienced betrayal from
someone within his inner circle.
Judas was not a stranger. He walked with
him, heard him teach, saw the miracles,
sat at the table. And yet he sold him
for 30 pieces of silver. When you are
anointed, betrayal may not come from a
distance. It may come from those closest
to you. This is why the anointed must
stay hidden in God. You cannot depend on
human loyalty. You must anchor yourself
in divine approval. This also means you
will walk through disappointment. You
will pour into people who forget you.
You will love deeply and be
misunderstood. You will give generously
and be taken for granted. You will
counsel with your heart wide open and
still be accused. This is the pain of
the anointed. God lets people come close
so you can serve them, but not so they
can define you. Do not allow bitterness
to grow in your spirit. Do not close
your heart to love. Do not stop serving
because people fail you. Your assignment
is to release what God has given you
even when others mishandle it. Your
reward comes from heaven, not from men.
But you must guard your circle. Pray
before you appoint. Listen before you
commit. Watch the fruit, not just the
words. God will show you who belongs and
who does not. He will reveal those sent
to help and those sent to distract. And
when he does, obey. Let go. When he
says, "Let go." Do not hold on to what
God is pruning. Your value is not in how
many people surround you. Your value is
in how faithful you are with the oil.
Even if you only have two or three who
are truly with you, that is enough. God
does not bless you based on numbers. He
blesses you based on obedience. And when
you are surrounded by the wrong people,
the anointing becomes harder to steward.
It leaks. It gets contaminated. It gets
wasted. That is why you must protect the
vessel. Not with pride, but with purity,
not with control, but with discernment.
You will attract many. That is the
nature of the anointing. But only a few
will walk with you all the way. And that
is enough. Now let us look at another
sacred danger of the anointed life. The
breaking, the crushing, the season where
God takes you through pain to prepare
you for power. Four, you will be broken
before you can be used.
The anointing is beautiful, but it never
comes without brokenness. Before God
releases the oil, he crushes the vessel.
Before he trusts you with power, he
tests you with pain. You may pray for
the mantle, but what you are really
praying for is a deeper surrender. You
are asking God to take you through the
fire and shape you in the secret place
until your life is emptied of pride and
filled with his spirit. Many want the
oil, but do not want the crushing that
produces it. They want the authority
without the wilderness. They want the
miracles without the midnight groaning.
But there is no true anointing without
breaking. It is in the breaking that God
removes what is fleshly and reveals what
is holy.
In Isaiah 53:10, speaking of Jesus,
scripture says, "It pleased the Lord to
bruise him." There is a bruising that
produces purpose. There is a sorrow that
births supernatural strength. Even
Jesus, the anointed one, had to be
crushed before the fullness of his
ministry was revealed. And if you carry
his spirit, you must also walk his path.
God breaks you to use you. He does not
destroy you. He refineses you. He does
not reject you. He prepares you. And it
is in that breaking that you come to
know God in a way you never knew him before.
before.
You stop depending on your gifts and
start leaning on his grace. You stop
finding identity in platforms and find
it in his presence. You become a vessel
not for performance but for glory. This
breaking can happen in many ways. It may
come through disappointment, through
betrayal, through seasons of lack,
through hiddenness, through intense
spiritual warfare, through repeated
silence from God. When you long for
answers through the stripping away of
relationships, habits, and even
opportunities you once loved, these are
the places where your pride is shattered
and your dependence is rebuilt. David
was anointed as a teenager, but he was
not crowned until years later. Between
the oil and the throne, he faced
rejection, running, hiding, and
heartbreak. But that journey was
necessary. It broke him. It trained him.
It made him a king after God's own
heart. Without the cave, David would not
have been ready for the crown. There is
something sacred about brokenness in the
hands of God. The world sees it as
weakness. Heaven sees it as preparation.
When you are broken, you stop
pretending. You stop striving. You
become moldable. God begins to speak and
you listen with new ears. He whispers
and you follow with trembling steps. The
flesh dies and the spirit rises. This is
why the anointing is not given to the
proud. It is entrusted to the crushed.
Not because they are perfect, but
because they are emptied. God can only
fill what has first been emptied. He can
only pour oil where there is room for
him to dwell. And so he allows the
breaking not to shame you but to shape
you. Do not run from this process. Do
not despise it. When everything in you
feels like it is falling apart, heaven
may be rebuilding you from the inside
out. When your strength fails, his
strength is revealed. When your plans
fall through, his purpose begins to
rise. And when you look around and see
nothing left to hold on to, he becomes enough.
enough.
Job 23:10 says, "But he knows the way
that I take. When he has tested me, I
will come forth as gold."
The testing is never wasted. The
breaking is never without reason. And
the fire is never sent to consume you.
It is sent to purify you until the only
thing left is him.
So if you are in a season of crushing,
lift your eyes. God has not abandoned
you. He is preparing you. The pain you
feel now is proof that something sacred
is forming. The tears you cry are
watering something powerful. And though
it hurts, the oil that will flow from
your life will carry healing,
deliverance, and revival. You will be
used greatly. But first you must be
broken deeply. And now let us go even
deeper into this mystery because
sometimes the very area you are anointed
to set others free in is the same area
where you yourself are still struggling.
Five. You may be anointed in areas where
you are still struggling. One of the
most difficult and dangerous realities
of the anointing is this. God may use
you mightily in the very place where you
are still bleeding. You may carry grace
for others while carrying pain in your
own body. You may pray boldly for
deliverance while quietly contending for
your own. You may set captives free in
areas where you are still seeking
freedom. This is not a contradiction. It
is a divine mystery.
God does not wait until you are perfect
to pour oil on you. He anoints broken
vessels. He chooses the unlikely. He
fills the weak. And in doing so, he
reveals his glory in ways that human
strength never could. The Apostle Paul
understood this. In 2 Corinthians 12
7-9, he speaks of a thorn in his flesh,
a weakness he begged God to remove. But
the Lord responded, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness."
Paul went on to say, "He would boast in
his weakness." Because it was there that
Christ's power rested on him. You may
carry the power to pray for the barren
and see them conceive while your own
womb remains empty. You may be a
counselor for marriages while your own
relationship is in crisis. You may
preach healing while quietly managing an
affliction. This is not a sign that you
are unqualified. It is a sign that the
power is not yours. It is God working
through you in spite of you. And that
too is part of the anointing. But this
struggle can also be a test. Not only a
test of your obedience, but of your
trust. Will you still serve when you do
not see results in your own life? Will
you still lay hands on others when you
are waiting for someone to lay hands on
you? Will you still intercede for others
to rise while you feel stuck in the same
place? The anointing presses you into
deep trust. Not trust in what you see,
but trust in who God is.
There are times when this struggle is
also strategic. The devil often targets
you in the very area where you are most
effective. He sees how God uses you to
break chains in a specific realm. And so
he launches attacks there to wear you
down, confuse you, and silence your
boldness. It is a form of spiritual
warfare. The enemy's goal is not just to
stop your growth. It is to make you
doubt your calling, to make you feel
disqualified, to make you stop praying
for others in the very place you carry
authority. But you must stand your
ground. You must remember that your
struggle does not cancel your anointing.
In fact, your anointing often shines
brightest in your weakness. God can
still use you while he is healing you.
He can still move through you while he
is mending you. The oil does not wait
for perfection. It flows through
obedience. It flows through humility. It
flows through faith. This kind of
struggle keeps you grounded. It keeps
you from pride. It reminds you that
ministry is never about you. It is about
God working through a yielded vessel.
And that is exactly what you are. Not a
flawless figure, but a surrendered one.
Not a person with every answer, but one
who continues to seek the face of God
even in the dark. If you are
experiencing this tension, this painful
place where you are both pouring and
waiting, do not despise it. Let it
deepen your intimacy with God. Let it
push you into the secret place. Let it
increase your compassion for those you
minister to. You are not alone. Many of
the people God used in scripture faced
the same reality. Joseph interpreted
dreams while in prison. Elijah called
down fire while running from fear. David
led Israel while battling inward
brokenness. The struggle does not
disqualify you. It shapes you. And as
you keep pouring even while you wait,
something beautiful happens. You begin
to understand that the greatest gift you
carry is not your strength. It is your
surrender. And through your weakness,
God reveals himself strong. This is the
fifth and final danger we have explored,
but it is not the end of your journey.
It is only the beginning. Now that you
see what the anointing truly costs, the
question remains, will you still say
yes? Now, let's look at God's way of
revealing the anointed. You have seen
the cost. You have whispered your yes in
the secret place. But now a new
dimension begins. Because when God has
truly anointed someone, he does not
leave their life to chance. He marks
them. And in many cases, he announces
them long before they even understand
what is happening.
Some announcements begin from the womb.
Jeremiah was one of them. Before his
mother ever held him, the word of the
Lord had already spoken over him. Before
I formed you in the womb, I knew you.
Before you were born, I set you apart. I
appointed you as a prophet to the
nations. That was not a gentle
suggestion. It was a divine decree. His
calling did not begin with his voice. It
began with God's voice. Jesus was also
announced long before his birth. An
angel interrupted Mary's life with the
announcement of heaven. You will
conceive and give birth to a son, and
you are to call his name Jesus. He will
be great and will be called the son of
the most high. His assignment was not
created when he turned 30. It was spoken
before he took his first breath. Samson
was another. An angel appeared to his
parents and gave strict instructions
about how he was to live. His anointing
began before his actions. God's power
was assigned before his personality ever formed.
formed.
This is how deeply God takes ownership
of those he calls.
You are not an afterthought. You are not
an accident. You were in his mind before
you ever cried your first cry.
Sometimes the announcement is not public
at first. It may only be known by your
parents or a prophet or a few quiet
witnesses. But heaven keeps records. And
when the time comes, that early
announcement begins to echo through your
seasons. People begin to discern the
weight you carry, not because you told
them, but because something about your
life carries the fragrance of purpose.
Then comes the Jordan moment, the
unveiling. Just like with Jesus, when
the heavens opened and the Father spoke,
not for his sake, but for the sake of
those watching.
When God speaks about you, he silences
every other opinion. That is what the
anointing does. It silences accusation.
It interrupts expectation. It reminds
every voice that you are not here by
chance. You were sent. Paul's life
followed this pattern, too. Though he
was not a child when called, his
announcement was just as dramatic. Light
flashed from heaven. A voice called him
by name. And when his eyes were opened,
the Lord said of him, "This man is my
chosen instrument to proclaim my name to
the Gentiles."
It was divine. It was disruptive. But it
was clear. God was the one revealing
him. But make no mistake, God's
announcement is not always through fire
or thunder. Sometimes it is a quiet
elevation, a divine stirring. like David
who was pulled from the field by the
prophet Samuel and anointed in the
presence of his brothers. No campaign,
no strategy, just oil. The kind of oil
that heaven honors. When God announces
you, it is not always in the way you
expect. It may come after deep loss,
after long delay, after failure. But
when it happens, you will know it was
not your doing. You did not open that
door. You did not force that stage. You
did not manipulate that opportunity. You
were revealed. You were sent.
And this is what you must understand.
The anointing is not just about being
used. It is about being revealed in
God's timing. Some try to announce
themselves too early and fall under the
weight of what they were never graced to
carry. But when God does it, he not only
sends you, he sustains you. If God has
marked you, trust him to speak for you.
Even when it feels like no one sees you,
even when it feels like you are
forgotten, the same God who whispered
over your womb will speak again over
your destiny. And when he does, it will
not be about making you famous. It will
be about making his name known through
you. But before the announcement, before
the stage, before the visibility, there
is a season many forget to honor. The
season of hiding, not punishment, not
rejection, but preparation.
The cave where profits are shaped. The
desert where leaders are forged.
The silence where the oil settles.
Let us now step into that holy mystery.
What really happens in the hidden place?
Why does God conceal what he has already anointed?
anointed?
The next chapter will take you there.
Before Jesus stepped into public
ministry, he spent 30 years in
obscurity. Before David wore the crown,
he spent years in the wilderness. Before
Moses became a deliverer, he wandered
through the desert. You see, the
announcement may come early, but the
unveiling takes time.
God often hides those he has anointed.
This hiding is not rejection. It is
protection. It is not punishment. It is
preparation. The anointing you carry is
weighty and holy. It cannot be exposed
too soon or it will be misunderstood. So
God shields you. He tucks you away from
eyes that are not ready to see, from
voices that will try to define what they
cannot discern, from stages that will
crush what has not yet been rooted. In
this place of hiding, things are
stripped. Pride is broken. Motives are
tested. Your hands may not be busy with
ministry, but your heart is undergoing
surgery. You begin to learn how to love
the secret place more than the
spotlight. You begin to crave God's
affirmation more than people's applause.
Your intimacy deepens because you
realize he is your only audience right
now. Elijah knew what it meant to be
hidden. After calling down fire on Mount
Carmel, he was led to a cave, alone,
exhausted, depressed. Yet God whispered
to him in that place. Not in the wind,
not in the earthquake, not in the fire,
but in a still small voice. This is what
the hidden place teaches you, to hear
whispers louder than applause.
David was anointed as king while still
smelling like sheep. He went back to the
field with oil dripping down his head.
He killed lions and bears in private
before he ever faced Goliath. He learned
obedience when no one was watching.
That is how God hides his anointed. He
trains them in places that seem
insignificant. But nothing is
insignificant when God is in it. Joseph
was hidden in pits and prisons, misunderstood,
misunderstood,
forgotten. Yet every season of hiding
was building something in him. When the
time came, Pharaoh said, "Can we find
anyone like this man in whom is the
spirit of God?"
Joseph did not need to introduce
himself. God had prepared him and then
revealed him. Being hidden feels lonely.
You watch others rise. You wonder if you
were truly anointed. You question the
silence. But God is not delaying. He is
protecting. The hidden place is not
wasted. It is where identity is formed.
It is where foundation is laid. It is
where endurance is built. Without it,
the anointing will leak. There will be
days you want to step out too soon. Days
you feel the fire burning, but no one is
calling your name. Resist the urge to
make things happen on your own. Do not
announce yourself. Do not force a
platform. Wait for the release of
heaven. Because when God reveals you, no
one can unsee it. And when he hides you,
no one can find you until the time is right.
right.
This season may not come with applause.
It may come with pruning. But it is here
you learn the voice of God without
distractions. It is here you realize
that visibility is not always the goal.
Being hidden in God is the safest place
for any anointed person. Because when
the time of revealing comes, you will
not crumble under the weight. You will
carry it with grace.
Jesus told his brothers, "My time has
not yet come." That is the language of
someone who understands divine timing.
Do not be in a hurry to be seen. Let God
finish his work in the secret place. He
knows when you are ready. He knows when
the crowd is ready. and he knows how to
bring both together. The hidden place is
not easy, but it is necessary. It
protects your purity. It matures your
calling. It anchors your soul. And when
you finally emerge, you will not just
carry oil. You will carry history with
God. And so the question becomes, what
is God doing with you in the secret
place? Why is he hiding you now? The
next chapter will open that door and
show you what heaven builds in silence.
You may be waiting in what feels like a
long pause. No one is calling your name.
No doors seem to be opening. You feel
oil on your life, but no outlet. You
know God has spoken, but everything
around you feels quiet. This is not just
delay. This is divine construction. When
heaven hides you, it is not ignoring
you. It is building you. God is not only
interested in what you will do for him.
He is far more interested in who you are
becoming in him. Silence is not a sign
of absence. It is often where the
deepest transformation takes place.
Heaven builds you in stillness so that
you do not fall apart under pressure. It
is in the silence that God teaches you
to hear him clearly, not through noise
but through stillness.
Moses was 40 years in the desert. God
was not just making him a shepherd of
sheep. He was forming a shepherd of
people. In the silence of obscurity,
Moses lost the pride of Egypt. He became
familiar with the backside of the
mountain. He learned humility. So when
God finally spoke through a burning
bush, Moses was not just hearing
instructions. He was hearing the voice
of a friend. Paul too had his moment.
After his conversion, he did not
immediately go into ministry. He was
taken into Arabia, a place of
wilderness, a place of silence. But it
was there he encountered revelation. It
was there he received insight that could
not come through human hands. Silence
became a school. And in that school,
Paul was equipped for a calling far
beyond his imagination.
Do not despise your Arabia. Do not rush
out of your wilderness. God is not
punishing you. He is preparing you. In
silence, he sharpens your discernment.
He teaches you how to wait. He teaches
you how to serve. Not with a microphone,
but with a towel. He breaks your
attachment to performance and builds a
foundation of presence. In the silence,
God uncovers your idols. He removes your
dependence on applause. He shows you
where you crave validation. He reveals
how easily you could turn the anointing
into a tool for fame. He tears down the
idea that you must be seen to be
significant. This is the mercy of God
because a person who is anointed but
unbroken can damage others. But a person
who is built in silence will carry the
glory without touching it. It is in
silence that character is formed. You
learn to forgive in silence. You learn
to obey when no one is watching. You
learn to pray without posting about it.
You learn to fast without seeking
credit. You learn to love people who do
not see your worth. These are the
lessons of heaven's school. And when
your time comes, you will not minister
out of ambition. You will minister out
of overflow.
God builds endurance in silence. When
the storms come later, you will not fall
because your roots went deep in the
place no one applauded. You know how to
survive drought. You know how to live
without noise. You know that the oil is
not the result of charisma but of
crushing. The silence will not last
forever, but its impact will. You will
always carry the weight of what God did
in that secret place. You will never be
the same because you learned how to walk
with God when no one was clapping. You
learned how to be still, how to be
content, how to die to the need for
quick promotion. So if it feels like
nothing is happening right now, look
again. Something sacred is being built.
The silence is not empty. It is holy.
And when God has completed this chapter,
he will turn the page. What he builds in
silence will one day speak louder than
any platform.
In the next chapter, you will begin to
understand how the oil that was prepared
in silence becomes your weapon when the
battle shows up. Because the anointing
is not just for speaking. It is for war.
When you are anointed, it is not only
for beauty or recognition. The oil is
not for decoration. It is for warfare.
It is God's divine equipping placed upon
a person for divine assignments. And
those assignments almost always come
with opposition. Because the moment you
carry something sacred, you become a
target in the spirit. The anointing
invites attention not just from people
but from principalities. David was not
targeted until he was anointed. Before
then he was simply a shepherd boy. But
the moment Samuel poured oil on his
head, battles began to form. He faced a
jealous king. He faced insults. He faced
betrayal. But he also faced giants. And
he did not face them empty. He faced
them with oil. The oil on your life is
what gives you power to stand when
others fall. It gives you authority to
speak and darkness flees. It gives you
the weight of God's presence that cannot
be fabricated. But make no mistake, the
same oil that causes doors to open is
the same oil that attracts resistance.
You will begin to notice that your
presence stirs things not because of who
you are in yourself, but because of what
you carry. The early church was
anointed, but that anointing came with
great persecution. They were not just
gifted. They were graced to endure.
Paul cast out devils and healed the
sick. But he also faced imprisonment,
beatings, and shipwrecks. He was not
just carrying revelation. He was
carrying responsibility.
And that responsibility drew warfare.
When Jesus began his public ministry,
the spirit descended like a dove. But
right after, the spirit led him into the
wilderness to be tested. That is what
the oil does. It will draw testing. It
will draw temptation, but it will also
empower you to overcome. The oil does
not exempt you from battles. It equips
you for them. Ephesians says to put on
the whole armor of God. That language is
not poetic. It is preparation. You do
not need armor unless you are in a
battle. And the moment you begin to walk
in your anointing, you are no longer a
civilian. You are a soldier. You cannot
afford to live casually. You cannot
afford to be prayerless because the oil
attracts attacks.
But here is the beauty. Every battle you
face with the anointing builds a deeper
dependence on God. You do not fight
alone. You are not just anointed. You
are backed by heaven. There are angels
assigned to you. There is a word over
your life. There is fire in your bones.
And with each battle, your oil becomes
purer, stronger, more potent. The oil
also gives you strategy. There are
things you will see in the spirit that
others cannot perceive. You will know
when to speak and when to be silent. You
will sense danger before it comes. You
will discern motives before people
reveal them. That is the war advantage
of the anointed. God sharpens your
senses. He increases your spiritual
intelligence. But this also means you
must stay close to the one who anointed
you. You cannot afford disconnection.
You cannot live off yesterday's oil.
Battles require fresh supply. And that
only comes in the place of intimacy. The
oil must be preserved. It must be
guarded. It must be treasured. Do not be
afraid of war. Do not run from it. God
did not anoint you to retreat. He
anointed you to advance, to take
territory, to push back darkness, to
lift burdens, to destroy yolks. That is
the assignment of the oil. And with it
comes both fire and favor. So if you
find yourself in a season of strange
battles, strange pressure, or strange
resistance, do not panic. It might just
be a sign that the oil on your life is
increasing. Hell does not fight what is
empty. It fights what is effective. And
if the enemy has shown up at your door,
it is because you are carrying something
precious. As you read on, the next
chapter will reveal how this oil not
only wages war externally, but also
transforms everything internally.
It does not just equip your hands for
battle. It purifies your heart for God.
The anointing is not just about what you
do. It is about who you are becoming.
Before God can use your hands, he often
deals with your heart. The oil may rest
upon you, but the true work begins
within you. The vessel that carries the
oil must be shaped, purified, and made
ready because the weight of glory cannot
rest on an unyielded life. Many ask for
the anointing without understanding the
process that follows. God does not pour
oil into vessels that refuse to be
refined. The transformation begins when
you allow him to crush everything in you
that resists his will. The pride, the
fear, the need for approval, the hidden
sins, the false identity, all come to
the surface. The anointing exposes what
is impure. Not to shame you, but to
sanctify you. Paul said he died daily.
That is the life of the anointed. You
die to the applause. You die to the
platform. You die to your own ambition.
You die to your way. So that the life of
God can fully live in you. It is not a
glamorous death, but it is a glorious
one. Because from that place of
surrender, the fragrance of the oil
becomes stronger. The anointing
transforms your appetite. You no longer
crave what you used to. You find your
joy in obedience. You find your strength
in worship. You start to walk
differently, talk differently, live
differently. The oil marks you. People
begin to sense something on you even
before you speak. There is a weight in
your presence, a fire in your voice, a
clarity in your words. Not because you
are perfect, but because you have been processed.
processed.
David did not become a man after God's
heart just by being chosen. He became
that man through crushing, through
repentance, through seasons of hiding,
through brokenness.
His psalms flowed from a life deeply
transformed by the oil. He made
mistakes, but he always returned to the
altar. And that made him a vessel God
could trust. The transformation does not
always come in public. It happens in
secret. It is in your private tears,
your silent prayers, your quiet battles.
God is working on you. Sometimes through
trials, sometimes through correction,
sometimes through waiting. But all of it
is holy because all of it is shaping the
vessel for the oil to remain. The Holy
Spirit is not only the giver of power.
He is the spirit of holiness. When he
rests upon you, he will convict you. He
will purify you. He will call you
higher. And if you ignore his whisper,
the oil begins to leak. Because the
anointing is not maintained by gifting.
It is maintained by intimacy. The
anointed life is a surrendered life. You
may lose some relationships. You may
outgrow certain environments. You may be misunderstood.
misunderstood.
But in exchange, you gain something
eternal. You gain a nearness to God that
cannot be bought. You gain the authority
that flows from purity. You become a
living altar. You cannot carry oil and
remain the same. The fire will change
you. The presence will burn away what
does not belong. You will begin to long
for deeper consecration.
You will be drawn to the secret place
more than the stage. You will be more
concerned about obedience than opinions.
You will crave his voice more than visibility.
visibility.
This transformation is not a one-time
event. It is a daily surrender, a daily
dying, a daily dependence. But each time
you say yes, the oil goes deeper, the
glory becomes heavier, the presence
becomes sweeter, and the fruit becomes
visible in your life.
In the next chapter, you will begin to
understand that the anointing is not
only a call to transformation, but also
an invitation to compassion.
Because those who are truly anointed are
not lifted to be praised. They are sent
to serve. The anointing is not a throne
for pride. It is a towel for service.
When God pours oil on your life, it is
not so you can be seen. It is so you can
lift others who cannot stand. You are
not anointed to be worshiped. You are
anointed to serve the weak, the wounded,
and the weary. Jesus, the most anointed
man who ever lived, bent low to wash the
feet of men who would later betray and
abandon him. He carried the fullness of
the spirit. Yet he knelt with compassion.
compassion.
That is the posture of the anointed. The
more oil you carry, the lower you go.
The higher God lifts you, the deeper you
bow. Because the anointing is not for
performance. It is for compassion. When
Jesus read the scroll in the synagogue,
he said the spirit of the Lord was upon
him. Not to boast, not to dominate, but
to bring good news to the poor, to heal
the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives. The anointing is always
followed by a mission. And that mission
always involves people who are in pain.
If your oil only flows when you are on a
platform, then you have misunderstood
its purpose. Because the real weight of
the anointing shows when you visit the
sick. When you weep with the grieving,
when you mentor the confused, when you
fight for the oppressed, that is when
the oil is most alive. That is when
heaven is most pleased. The woman with
the alabaster jar understood this. She
broke her most valuable possession and
poured it on the feet of Jesus. And he
said her story would be remembered
wherever the gospel is preached. Not
because she preached a sermon, but
because she understood the value of
pouring out her oil in service, in
surrender, in love.
There is a tenderness the anointing
produces. It softens your heart for
people. You begin to see beyond
appearances. You begin to feel what God
feels. You cannot walk past pain and
stay unmoved. You cannot hear broken
stories and stay silent. The anointing
makes you an extension of the heart of
God on earth. Isaiah described the
anointing as a force that lifts burdens
and breaks yolks.
That means where there is heaviness,
your presence must bring light. Where
there is bondage, your words must bring
freedom. Where there is confusion, your
voice must bring peace. But this does
not happen by talent. It happens by oil.
The greatest test of your anointing is
not how loud you speak. It is how deeply
you love. Can you love people who do not
love you back? Can you pray for those
who persecute you? Can you serve when no
one says thank you? That is the call.
That is the cost. Jesus touched lepers.
He dined with sinners. He stood with outcasts.
outcasts.
That is what the anointing does. It
gives you eyes to see who others reject.
It gives you strength to carry those who
cannot walk alone. It gives you words
that heal the soul. And it gives you
hands that bring heaven down. If your
anointing does not lead you to
compassion, it is not from God. Because
the Holy Spirit is not just a force. He
is a person, a comforter, a counselor, a
gentle presence that moves through you
to reach others. And when you yield to
him, your ministry becomes a river of
healing. You may be called to preach, to
write, to sing, to teach, but underneath
it all, you are called to serve. That is
the core of every true anointing.
Servantthood, not for applause, not for
recognition, but because the love of God
compels you because the burden of others
becomes your burden. Because the
father's heart beats in your chest. In
the next chapter, we will explore how
that love expressed through the
anointing births supernatural boldness.
Because those who serve with oil are
also called to stand with fire. The
anointing does not only come with
tenderness. It also comes with boldness,
a holy courage that cannot be explained
by human strength. When the oil of God
rests on your life, fear begins to lose
its grip. You stop trembling before men
because you have already bowed before
God. You speak truth even when it shakes
the room because you know who sent you.
The disciples were once ordinary men who
hid behind closed doors. But after the
Holy Spirit came upon them, they stood
in the streets with fire in their bones.
Peter, the same man who denied Jesus
three times, preached with such
authority that thousands were saved in a
single day. That is the transformation
that comes with the anointing. Boldness
is not loudness. It is clarity in the
face of confusion. It is obedience when
others compromise. It is refusing to bow
to cultural pressure. It is standing
firm in what God said even when it costs
you everything. The anointing does not
make you arrogant. It makes you fearless
because your confidence no longer rests
on your ability. It rests on the spirit
that is upon you. Jeremiah tried to
silence himself. He said he would not
speak again in God's name. But the word
in his heart was like fire shut up in
his bones. He could not hold it back.
That is what the anointing does. It
compels you to speak. Even when you feel unqualified,
unqualified,
even when you are misunderstood, even
when the room grows cold, because your
boldness is not emotional, it is spiritual.
spiritual.
Elijah stood alone on Mount Carmel and
called down fire. He did not need a
crowd. He needed obedience. The
anointing will teach you to move when
God speaks, not when people clap.
Boldness in the anointing will require
you to confront idols, to challenge
systems, to tear down lies, but it will
also empower you to build altars, to
raise truth, to host glory. Jesus spoke
with such boldness that crowds marveled,
not because of how long he spoke, but
because of the authority with which he
spoke. And this same boldness is
available to you. Not just for
preaching, but for parenting, for
leading, for making decisions, for
walking into dark places carrying light.
The enemy fears your boldness. That is
why he tries to make you timid. He uses
shame. He reminds you of your past. He
brings up your flaws,
but the anointing overrides your
history. It clothe you in the authority
of heaven. You are not speaking for
yourself. You are representing the one
who called you. And he never sends you
without equipping you. Paul wrote that
God has not given you a spirit of fear,
but of power, love, and a sound mind.
That is your portion. The anointing
makes you bold in truth and gentle in
love. It teaches you when to roar and
when to whisper. It shows you when to
confront and when to comfort. But in
every moment, it keeps you fearless. You
will not be popular for your boldness.
You will not always be accepted. But
heaven will stand with you because God
honors those who honor him. And when you
stand in obedience, he will confirm his
word with power. The anointing gives you
not just a message, but a voice, a sound
that cuts through darkness, a fire that
cannot be quenched. Do not shrink back.
Do not second guessess. Do not apologize
for the fire on your life. The world
does not need a watered down witness. It
needs a burning one. And you have been
called for such a time as this. Let the
boldness of the spirit find full
expression in you. In the next chapter,
you will see that with this boldness
also comes a deep call to intercession.
Because those who carry oil must also
carry burdens. You are not only a voice,
you are a watchman and your prayers have
power. There is a quiet weight that
settles on those who are truly anointed.
It is the burden of intercession. When
God anoints you, he draws you into his
heart and begins to share with you what
others cannot see. You start to feel
what he feels. You begin to sense the
urgency of heaven over the lives of
people and it becomes impossible to
ignore. You may find yourself awake in
the middle of the night with someone's
name on your heart. You may feel a heavy
pull to pray before certain moments. That is not ordinary. That is
That is not ordinary. That is intercession. Birthed by the spirit,
intercession. Birthed by the spirit, Moses stood between God and the people.
Moses stood between God and the people. He pleaded for mercy even when they had
He pleaded for mercy even when they had turned away. That is what intercession
turned away. That is what intercession looks like. You stand in the gap. You
looks like. You stand in the gap. You lift burdens that others are not even
lift burdens that others are not even aware of. You carry the weight of
aware of. You carry the weight of regions, families, generations in the
regions, families, generations in the place of prayer. Not for show, not for
place of prayer. Not for show, not for reward, but because the spirit will not
reward, but because the spirit will not let you rest until heaven's agenda is
let you rest until heaven's agenda is fulfilled. Paul wrote that the spirit
fulfilled. Paul wrote that the spirit himself makes intercession for us with
himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. When
groanings that cannot be uttered. When you are anointed, your prayer life
you are anointed, your prayer life deepens. Words begin to run dry.
deepens. Words begin to run dry. Groanings take over. You weep and you do
Groanings take over. You weep and you do not know why. You pray in tongues for
not know why. You pray in tongues for hours and your mind cannot explain it.
hours and your mind cannot explain it. But your spirit knows. Heaven is moving
But your spirit knows. Heaven is moving through your voice. The anointing does
through your voice. The anointing does not just make you a vessel of miracles.
not just make you a vessel of miracles. It makes you a vessel of prayer. You are
It makes you a vessel of prayer. You are called to war on your knees. You are
called to war on your knees. You are called to birth destinies through
called to birth destinies through travail. You are called to cry for
travail. You are called to cry for cities, to fast for nations, to carry
cities, to fast for nations, to carry the weight of heaven and release it on
the weight of heaven and release it on earth. This is the hidden ministry that
earth. This is the hidden ministry that fuels every public manifestation.
fuels every public manifestation. Jesus, though fully God, constantly
Jesus, though fully God, constantly withdrew to pray. He interceded for his
withdrew to pray. He interceded for his disciples. He prayed for Peter so that
disciples. He prayed for Peter so that his faith would not fail. Even now, he
his faith would not fail. Even now, he sits at the right hand of the father
sits at the right hand of the father interceding for us. This is the pattern.
interceding for us. This is the pattern. If Jesus intercedes, then so must you.
If Jesus intercedes, then so must you. If he prays without ceasing, then you
If he prays without ceasing, then you must also build a life that is anchored
must also build a life that is anchored in continual communion. Do not ignore
in continual communion. Do not ignore the burden when it comes. Do not silence
the burden when it comes. Do not silence the nudge to intercede. That name that
the nudge to intercede. That name that keeps coming to you, that situation you
keeps coming to you, that situation you cannot shake off, that unusual stirring
cannot shake off, that unusual stirring to go on a fast. All these are
to go on a fast. All these are invitations into deeper partnership with
invitations into deeper partnership with the spirit. They are signs that you have
the spirit. They are signs that you have been trusted with more. And with that
been trusted with more. And with that trust comes the responsibility to carry
trust comes the responsibility to carry it in prayer. Hannah was not just crying
it in prayer. Hannah was not just crying for a child. She was travailing for a
for a child. She was travailing for a prophet. Elijah did not just call down
prophet. Elijah did not just call down fire. He bowed low and travailed until
fire. He bowed low and travailed until rain returned. These are not emotional
rain returned. These are not emotional moments. They are prophetic acts.
moments. They are prophetic acts. Intercession births what words cannot.
Intercession births what words cannot. It shifts atmospheres. It opens doors.
It shifts atmospheres. It opens doors. It breaks chains. You may never be seen.
It breaks chains. You may never be seen. Your name may never be called. But your
Your name may never be called. But your prayers are shaking foundations. Your
prayers are shaking foundations. Your intercession is preserving lives. You
intercession is preserving lives. You are not wasting time. You are partnering
are not wasting time. You are partnering with eternity. You are fulfilling the
with eternity. You are fulfilling the highest assignment of the anointed to
highest assignment of the anointed to stand in the gap. to stand between
stand in the gap. to stand between judgment and mercy, between death and
judgment and mercy, between death and life, between bondage and freedom.
life, between bondage and freedom. If you feel overlooked, misunderstood,
If you feel overlooked, misunderstood, or unseen in your call to pray, do not
or unseen in your call to pray, do not stop. Heaven sees, God hears, and your
stop. Heaven sees, God hears, and your voice is registered in the courts of
voice is registered in the courts of heaven. Your prayers are incense. They
heaven. Your prayers are incense. They rise before God and provoke divine
rise before God and provoke divine movement. Never forget that intercessors
movement. Never forget that intercessors hold the gates open. They keep the fire
hold the gates open. They keep the fire burning. They make room for the
burning. They make room for the miraculous. This is your assignment.
miraculous. This is your assignment. This is your place. In the secret place,
This is your place. In the secret place, in the quiet groan, in the still
in the quiet groan, in the still whisper, in the long night. That is
whisper, in the long night. That is where you are most powerful. That is
where you are most powerful. That is where heaven leans in. That is where
where heaven leans in. That is where chains are broken before the world even
chains are broken before the world even knows they existed. In the next chapter,
knows they existed. In the next chapter, you will see how the anointed carries
you will see how the anointed carries heaven's burden. As God's anointed, you
heaven's burden. As God's anointed, you are not just called to be seen. You are
are not just called to be seen. You are called to carry something. Heaven does
called to carry something. Heaven does not anoint for performance. Heaven
not anoint for performance. Heaven anoints for alignment. When the oil
anoints for alignment. When the oil touches your life, it places a weight on
touches your life, it places a weight on your spirit that is not always visible,
your spirit that is not always visible, but deeply felt. You begin to sense the
but deeply felt. You begin to sense the pulse of heaven. You begin to carry
pulse of heaven. You begin to carry burdens that are not yours but God's.
burdens that are not yours but God's. This burden is not anxiety. It is not
This burden is not anxiety. It is not restlessness. It is holy concern. It is
restlessness. It is holy concern. It is divine urgency.
divine urgency. You could be sitting in a room full of
You could be sitting in a room full of laughter and still feel pulled into
laughter and still feel pulled into prayer. You may find yourself weeping
prayer. You may find yourself weeping for nations you have never visited. You
for nations you have never visited. You may wake up in the night with a name, a
may wake up in the night with a name, a vision, or a stirring that will not
vision, or a stirring that will not leave until you kneel. That is not
leave until you kneel. That is not emotion. That is assignment. In the
emotion. That is assignment. In the story of Nehemiah, when he heard about
story of Nehemiah, when he heard about the broken walls of Jerusalem, he wept,
the broken walls of Jerusalem, he wept, he fasted, he prayed. He could have
he fasted, he prayed. He could have turned away, but the burden would not
turned away, but the burden would not let him go. That is what the anointing
let him go. That is what the anointing does. It ties your heart to heaven's
does. It ties your heart to heaven's agenda. You cannot ignore what God cares
agenda. You cannot ignore what God cares about. You cannot stay silent when he is
about. You cannot stay silent when he is speaking. You cannot stay still when he
speaking. You cannot stay still when he is calling. Sometimes people may not
is calling. Sometimes people may not understand. They may wonder why you are
understand. They may wonder why you are suddenly withdrawn, quiet, intense. They
suddenly withdrawn, quiet, intense. They may think you are being dramatic, but
may think you are being dramatic, but they do not feel what you feel. They do
they do not feel what you feel. They do not hear what you hear. You have been
not hear what you hear. You have been summoned into alignment. God is sharing
summoned into alignment. God is sharing a part of his heart with you. You are no
a part of his heart with you. You are no longer a spectator. You are a carrier.
longer a spectator. You are a carrier. Carriers of burden are often hidden.
Carriers of burden are often hidden. They may not hold microphones, but they
They may not hold microphones, but they carry nations in their spirits. They may
carry nations in their spirits. They may not post their prayers, but they shift
not post their prayers, but they shift things in the spirit. They are the
things in the spirit. They are the reason why some storms are calmed before
reason why some storms are calmed before they reach the city. They are the reason
they reach the city. They are the reason why some hearts find peace before they
why some hearts find peace before they speak a word. They carry heaven quietly
speak a word. They carry heaven quietly but powerfully. The prophet Daniel
but powerfully. The prophet Daniel carried burden through fasting and
carried burden through fasting and prayer for weeks without applause. He
prayer for weeks without applause. He was not moved by attention. He was moved
was not moved by attention. He was moved by revelation. That is the posture of
by revelation. That is the posture of the anointed. Heaven can trust you with
the anointed. Heaven can trust you with secrets, with burdens, with blueprints
secrets, with burdens, with blueprints because your heart does not run from the
because your heart does not run from the weight. It receives it in worship. Do
weight. It receives it in worship. Do not despise the tears that come without
not despise the tears that come without warning. Do not ignore the heaviness
warning. Do not ignore the heaviness that falls when others feel light. Do
that falls when others feel light. Do not silence the call to pray when sleep
not silence the call to pray when sleep tries to hold you down. These are
tries to hold you down. These are invitations. You are being marked as a
invitations. You are being marked as a watchman. You are being trusted as a
watchman. You are being trusted as a vessel. And you will find that the more
vessel. And you will find that the more you obey, the more your spirit grows in
you obey, the more your spirit grows in clarity and strength. There is no
clarity and strength. There is no revival without burden. There is no true
revival without burden. There is no true breakthrough without someone carrying it
breakthrough without someone carrying it in prayer. You may never know how many
in prayer. You may never know how many souls were rescued because you
souls were rescued because you responded. But heaven keeps record.
responded. But heaven keeps record. Heaven rewards those who carry its
Heaven rewards those who carry its weight with humility and consistency.
weight with humility and consistency. You are not wasting time in the secret
You are not wasting time in the secret place. You are shaping destinies. Even
place. You are shaping destinies. Even Jesus before healing, before calling
Jesus before healing, before calling disciples, before facing the cross,
disciples, before facing the cross, withdrew to pray. He carried what no man
withdrew to pray. He carried what no man could carry. And he carried it with his
could carry. And he carried it with his father. That is your pattern. That is
father. That is your pattern. That is your strength. Carry the burden with
your strength. Carry the burden with God. Do not try to figure it all out.
God. Do not try to figure it all out. Just stay available, stay yielded, stay
Just stay available, stay yielded, stay close. The anointing teaches you that
close. The anointing teaches you that ministry begins long before people
ministry begins long before people notice. It begins in the hidden place.
notice. It begins in the hidden place. It begins with tears, with worship, with
It begins with tears, with worship, with groaning, with stillness. And from that
groaning, with stillness. And from that place, true power is released. From that
place, true power is released. From that place, you become a bridge between
place, you become a bridge between heaven and earth. In the next chapter,
heaven and earth. In the next chapter, you will see how to discern destiny
you will see how to discern destiny distractions. Not every battle deserves
distractions. Not every battle deserves your attention. Not every opportunity is
your attention. Not every opportunity is from God. Not every open door leads to
from God. Not every open door leads to purpose. As someone who carries the oil
purpose. As someone who carries the oil of God on your life, one of the greatest
of God on your life, one of the greatest challenges you will face is learning to
challenges you will face is learning to discern distractions that look like
discern distractions that look like destiny.
destiny. The enemy is subtle. If he cannot steal
The enemy is subtle. If he cannot steal your oil, he will try to waste it. If he
your oil, he will try to waste it. If he cannot stop your calling, he will try to
cannot stop your calling, he will try to detour it. Distractions do not always
detour it. Distractions do not always come in the form of sin. Sometimes they
come in the form of sin. Sometimes they come as premature platforms, unhealthy
come as premature platforms, unhealthy relationships, unnecessary arguments, or
relationships, unnecessary arguments, or even good things wrapped in wrong
even good things wrapped in wrong timing. When you are anointed, your life
timing. When you are anointed, your life is not your own. You must protect what
is not your own. You must protect what you carry. Your focus becomes a weapon.
you carry. Your focus becomes a weapon. Your discernment becomes a shield. Your
Your discernment becomes a shield. Your silence becomes strategic.
silence becomes strategic. Samson was anointed, but he lacked
Samson was anointed, but he lacked discernment. He gave his secrets to
discernment. He gave his secrets to someone who served his enemy. Delilah
someone who served his enemy. Delilah was not just a woman. She was a
was not just a woman. She was a distraction packaged to drain strength.
distraction packaged to drain strength. You must be watchful. You must be
You must be watchful. You must be prayerful. And above all, you must be
prayerful. And above all, you must be surrendered. The more valuable the oil,
surrendered. The more valuable the oil, the more guarded the vessel must be.
the more guarded the vessel must be. Let's consider four ways to protect
Let's consider four ways to protect God's oil on your life. The first way is
God's oil on your life. The first way is to guide your relationships.
to guide your relationships. One of the greatest threats to the oil
One of the greatest threats to the oil on your life is not always what you do,
on your life is not always what you do, but who you walk with. When God anoints
but who you walk with. When God anoints you, he does not just place a calling on
you, he does not just place a calling on your life. He calls you to be watchful
your life. He calls you to be watchful over your associations.
over your associations. The people closest to you can either
The people closest to you can either protect the oil or pierce the vessel
protect the oil or pierce the vessel that carries it. Guarding your
that carries it. Guarding your relationships is not about pride or
relationships is not about pride or suspicion. It is about preservation. The
suspicion. It is about preservation. The oil on your life is costly and not
oil on your life is costly and not everyone around you is willing to carry
everyone around you is willing to carry the weight of it with honor.
the weight of it with honor. Scripture is filled with examples of how
Scripture is filled with examples of how relationships affected the trajectory of
relationships affected the trajectory of destiny. Consider Joseph. He had a
destiny. Consider Joseph. He had a divine dream, but when he shared it too
divine dream, but when he shared it too soon and too freely with brothers who
soon and too freely with brothers who could not carry his vision, it led to
could not carry his vision, it led to betrayal. His brothers were not
betrayal. His brothers were not strangers. They were family. Sometimes
strangers. They were family. Sometimes the threat to your anointing does not
the threat to your anointing does not come from the outside world. It comes
come from the outside world. It comes from those closest to your circle who do
from those closest to your circle who do not carry the spiritual maturity or
not carry the spiritual maturity or purity of heart to walk with you through
purity of heart to walk with you through the process God is taking you through.
the process God is taking you through. This does not mean you must isolate
This does not mean you must isolate yourself in fear, but it does mean you
yourself in fear, but it does mean you must pray for discernment and be
must pray for discernment and be sensitive to what people carry into your
sensitive to what people carry into your life. Some come to add, others to
life. Some come to add, others to subtract, some come to sharpen, others
subtract, some come to sharpen, others to dull your edge. You need people who
to dull your edge. You need people who can correct you in love and still
can correct you in love and still celebrate the oil on your life. You need
celebrate the oil on your life. You need friends who can carry your burdens in
friends who can carry your burdens in prayer without carrying your secrets to
prayer without carrying your secrets to the world. You need those who can speak
the world. You need those who can speak truth even when it stings and still
truth even when it stings and still stand beside you when the fire grows
stand beside you when the fire grows hotter. Jesus, though he loved the
hotter. Jesus, though he loved the multitudes, did not entrust himself to
multitudes, did not entrust himself to everyone. He walked with 12, but
everyone. He walked with 12, but revealed his deepest agony to three. And
revealed his deepest agony to three. And even within the three, John leaned
even within the three, John leaned closest to his heart. Jesus teaches that
closest to his heart. Jesus teaches that access must be stewarded. Not everyone
access must be stewarded. Not everyone should be given equal weight in your
should be given equal weight in your personal life. Some are meant to be
personal life. Some are meant to be loved from a distance. Others are
loved from a distance. Others are permitted to walk closely but with clear
permitted to walk closely but with clear boundaries. And very few are called to
boundaries. And very few are called to sit in the place of deep counsel and
sit in the place of deep counsel and spiritual vulnerability.
spiritual vulnerability. Many have fallen not because they lacked
Many have fallen not because they lacked anointing but because they lacked
anointing but because they lacked accountability.
accountability. They surrounded themselves with people
They surrounded themselves with people who admired their gift but ignored their
who admired their gift but ignored their character. They kept voices near them
character. They kept voices near them that only praised but never warned. This
that only praised but never warned. This is dangerous. You must welcome voices
is dangerous. You must welcome voices who are not seduced by your anointing
who are not seduced by your anointing but are committed to your alignment with
but are committed to your alignment with God. Relationships are not just about
God. Relationships are not just about connection. They are about direction.
connection. They are about direction. Who you walk with determines the pace,
Who you walk with determines the pace, purity, and path of your journey. Lot
purity, and path of your journey. Lot walked with Abraham, but his heart was
walked with Abraham, but his heart was drawn to Sodom. Eventually, the
drawn to Sodom. Eventually, the separation had to happen so that the
separation had to happen so that the full promise over Abraham could be
full promise over Abraham could be revealed.
revealed. The wrong person in your space can delay
The wrong person in your space can delay what God has declared. They can drain
what God has declared. They can drain you emotionally. They can distract you
you emotionally. They can distract you spiritually. They can divert you from
spiritually. They can divert you from the clarity of your assignment. You must
the clarity of your assignment. You must also discern hidden agendas. There are
also discern hidden agendas. There are people who are only present for the
people who are only present for the benefits of your oil but have no burden
benefits of your oil but have no burden for your soul. They are drawn to what
for your soul. They are drawn to what you carry, not to who you are in God. If
you carry, not to who you are in God. If your prayer life dries up, they will not
your prayer life dries up, they will not notice. If your heart starts growing
notice. If your heart starts growing cold, they will not ask. They are there
cold, they will not ask. They are there for what you do, not for who you are
for what you do, not for who you are becoming. Guard your heart against such
becoming. Guard your heart against such company. Paul warns clearly in 1
company. Paul warns clearly in 1 Corinthians 15 that bad company corrupts
Corinthians 15 that bad company corrupts good character. It does not matter how
good character. It does not matter how anointed you are. If the environment you
anointed you are. If the environment you remain in is toxic, it will eventually
remain in is toxic, it will eventually begin to infect your oil. You cannot sit
begin to infect your oil. You cannot sit at every table. You cannot agree with
at every table. You cannot agree with every voice. You cannot allow people to
every voice. You cannot allow people to stay in your inner circle when God has
stay in your inner circle when God has clearly shown they do not belong there.
clearly shown they do not belong there. As you grow in the anointing, God will
As you grow in the anointing, God will often begin to prune your relationships.
often begin to prune your relationships. It may feel painful, but it is
It may feel painful, but it is protective. He is not just calling you
protective. He is not just calling you to greater heights. He is securing your
to greater heights. He is securing your foundation. Do not hold on to what God
foundation. Do not hold on to what God is cutting off. And do not mourn what he
is cutting off. And do not mourn what he is removing when he is making room for
is removing when he is making room for what is holy. Once you begin to walk
what is holy. Once you begin to walk with the right people, you also need to
with the right people, you also need to remain anchored in the presence of God.
remain anchored in the presence of God. The secret place is where your oil is
The secret place is where your oil is not just preserved but multiplied.
not just preserved but multiplied. Let us now enter the second layer of
Let us now enter the second layer of protection. Let us talk about the place
protection. Let us talk about the place where fire falls, motives are purified
where fire falls, motives are purified and the anointing is refreshed daily.
and the anointing is refreshed daily. Let us talk about staying rooted in the
Let us talk about staying rooted in the secret place. Thank you for the
secret place. Thank you for the clarification.
clarification. Let's now write the 700word teaching on
Let's now write the 700word teaching on stay rooted in the secret place.
stay rooted in the secret place. continuing with your preferred tone and
continuing with your preferred tone and flow. No dashes, no bullet points, and
flow. No dashes, no bullet points, and including scripture as needed. There is
including scripture as needed. There is a place where the oil never runs dry, a
a place where the oil never runs dry, a place where your strength is renewed
place where your strength is renewed daily, a place where battles are won
daily, a place where battles are won before they even reach you. It is called
before they even reach you. It is called the secret place. The one who is
the secret place. The one who is anointed must never grow familiar with
anointed must never grow familiar with it. The moment you become too busy to
it. The moment you become too busy to dwell in it is the moment you begin to
dwell in it is the moment you begin to leak without realizing it. The secret
leak without realizing it. The secret place is not just a prayer routine. It
place is not just a prayer routine. It is a sacred meeting ground between your
is a sacred meeting ground between your spirit and the spirit of God. It is
spirit and the spirit of God. It is where the anointing is preserved, where
where the anointing is preserved, where clarity is sharpened, where burdens are
clarity is sharpened, where burdens are exchanged for strength.
exchanged for strength. Psalm 91:1 says, "He who dwells in the
Psalm 91:1 says, "He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall
secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty."
abide under the shadow of the almighty." That verse is not a suggestion. It is a
That verse is not a suggestion. It is a spiritual law. The word dwell does not
spiritual law. The word dwell does not mean visit. It means to remain. You
mean visit. It means to remain. You cannot carry the weight of the anointing
cannot carry the weight of the anointing on your life and treat the presence of
on your life and treat the presence of God like an emergency room. You cannot
God like an emergency room. You cannot come only when you feel drained and
come only when you feel drained and expect to stay filled. To remain rooted
expect to stay filled. To remain rooted in the secret place is to schedule your
in the secret place is to schedule your life around the presence of God, not the
life around the presence of God, not the other way around. It is to protect your
other way around. It is to protect your hours of intimacy with him as if your
hours of intimacy with him as if your oil depends on it because it does. Many
oil depends on it because it does. Many are publicly anointed but privately dry.
are publicly anointed but privately dry. Many carry mantles they no longer have
Many carry mantles they no longer have the fire to sustain because the secret
the fire to sustain because the secret place became optional once the platform
place became optional once the platform arrived. But God does not anoint for
arrived. But God does not anoint for performance. He anoints for communion
performance. He anoints for communion and for assignment and that communion
and for assignment and that communion must be sustained daily. Jesus though
must be sustained daily. Jesus though fully God modeled this for us. In Luke
fully God modeled this for us. In Luke 5:16 it says Jesus often withdrew to
5:16 it says Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. He healed
lonely places and prayed. He healed multitudes. He preached with power. He
multitudes. He preached with power. He delivered the oppressed. But he never
delivered the oppressed. But he never let public success replace private
let public success replace private surrender. He constantly returned to the
surrender. He constantly returned to the father. If the son of God could not
father. If the son of God could not sustain ministry without the secret
sustain ministry without the secret place, how can you? In the secret place,
place, how can you? In the secret place, God does not only pour, he also prunes,
God does not only pour, he also prunes, he corrects, he aligns, he strengthens.
he corrects, he aligns, he strengthens. It is not always emotional or loud.
It is not always emotional or loud. Sometimes it is quiet. still weighty.
Sometimes it is quiet. still weighty. But it is in those moments that your
But it is in those moments that your roots grow deep. You are not just known
roots grow deep. You are not just known by how high you rise, but by how deep
by how high you rise, but by how deep you are anchored. The secret place is
you are anchored. The secret place is where that anchoring happens. The enemy
where that anchoring happens. The enemy fears believers who are hidden in God.
fears believers who are hidden in God. He may try to fight you, but he cannot
He may try to fight you, but he cannot trace you when you are covered under his
trace you when you are covered under his shadow. That is why warfare decreases
shadow. That is why warfare decreases and discernment increases when you are
and discernment increases when you are consistent in the secret place. Your
consistent in the secret place. Your eyes begin to see clearly. Your heart
eyes begin to see clearly. Your heart remains tender. Your mind stays renewed.
remains tender. Your mind stays renewed. You stop reacting from your flesh and
You stop reacting from your flesh and begin responding from your spirit. You
begin responding from your spirit. You are no longer easily offended, easily
are no longer easily offended, easily distracted or easily drained. The oil
distracted or easily drained. The oil keeps flowing. You also find rest in the
keeps flowing. You also find rest in the secret place, not laziness. Not
secret place, not laziness. Not spiritual passivity, but real rest. The
spiritual passivity, but real rest. The kind that makes you move from striving
kind that makes you move from striving to surrender. The kind that teaches you
to surrender. The kind that teaches you that being with God is more important
that being with God is more important than doing for him. Isaiah 30:15 says,
than doing for him. Isaiah 30:15 says, "In returning and rest, you shall be
"In returning and rest, you shall be saved. In quietness and trust shall be
saved. In quietness and trust shall be your strength." Many collapse under the
your strength." Many collapse under the weight of the anointing, not because
weight of the anointing, not because they were not called, but because they
they were not called, but because they never learned to rest in his presence.
never learned to rest in his presence. To stay rooted is to make the secret
To stay rooted is to make the secret place your priority even when life gets
place your priority even when life gets full. It is to carry that intimacy into
full. It is to carry that intimacy into your day, not just visit it in the
your day, not just visit it in the morning. It is when your life becomes an
morning. It is when your life becomes an altar and everything you do flows out of
altar and everything you do flows out of worship. It is when you pray not just
worship. It is when you pray not just for power but to know him. It is when
for power but to know him. It is when you read scripture not just for sermons
you read scripture not just for sermons but for transformation. It is when your
but for transformation. It is when your heart whispers to him throughout the day
heart whispers to him throughout the day even when your lips are silent. Your
even when your lips are silent. Your survival is in that place. Your oil is
survival is in that place. Your oil is stored there. Your discernment is
stored there. Your discernment is sharpened there. Your purity is
sharpened there. Your purity is protected there. If you are too busy to
protected there. If you are too busy to go back there, you are too empty to move
go back there, you are too empty to move forward. Let your roots go deep. Let
forward. Let your roots go deep. Let your time with God be guarded. Let the
your time with God be guarded. Let the secret place become your daily refuge.
secret place become your daily refuge. As you learn to stay hidden in him, you
As you learn to stay hidden in him, you become harder for the enemy to target
become harder for the enemy to target and more trusted with heaven's secrets.
and more trusted with heaven's secrets. It is in that place that you are
It is in that place that you are preserved, prepared, and poured out
preserved, prepared, and poured out again.
again. Now that you understand the power of the
Now that you understand the power of the secret place, let us explore the next
secret place, let us explore the next key to protecting the anointing. It is
key to protecting the anointing. It is time to learn how to discern between
time to learn how to discern between assignment and ambition.
assignment and ambition. Not everything you are capable of doing
Not everything you are capable of doing is what you are called to do. In this
is what you are called to do. In this generation where opportunity is often
generation where opportunity is often mistaken for purpose and popularity is
mistaken for purpose and popularity is confused with calling, discerning
confused with calling, discerning between your God-given assignment and
between your God-given assignment and your personal ambition is critical. The
your personal ambition is critical. The anointing on your life is too sacred to
anointing on your life is too sacred to be poured into pursuits that God never
be poured into pursuits that God never ordained. You were not anointed to
ordained. You were not anointed to impress. You were anointed to obey.
impress. You were anointed to obey. Ambition is not always evil. It can
Ambition is not always evil. It can start with a pure desire to do more for
start with a pure desire to do more for God. But when left unchecked, it begins
God. But when left unchecked, it begins to serve self instead of submission.
to serve self instead of submission. It shifts the motive from glorifying
It shifts the motive from glorifying Jesus to glorifying effort. and slowly
Jesus to glorifying effort. and slowly the oil begins to mix with flesh. The
the oil begins to mix with flesh. The result may still look fruitful to
result may still look fruitful to people, but in heaven it registers as
people, but in heaven it registers as disobedience.
disobedience. Jesus never moved ahead of the father.
Jesus never moved ahead of the father. Even though he carried unlimited power,
Even though he carried unlimited power, he said clearly in John 5:1 19, "The Son
he said clearly in John 5:1 19, "The Son can do nothing by himself. He does only
can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever
what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the father does, the son also does. This
the father does, the son also does. This is the posture of the anointed. Not
is the posture of the anointed. Not striving, not guessing, not comparing,
striving, not guessing, not comparing, but waiting on divine instruction.
but waiting on divine instruction. The danger of confusing ambition for
The danger of confusing ambition for assignment is that you will end up
assignment is that you will end up succeeding at something God never asked
succeeding at something God never asked you to start. You may build platforms.
you to start. You may build platforms. You may gather crowds. You may perform
You may gather crowds. You may perform signs. But without obedience, it is all
signs. But without obedience, it is all vanity. In Matthew 7:22,
vanity. In Matthew 7:22, Jesus warned that many will say, "Lord,
Jesus warned that many will say, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and
and in your name cast out demons and perform many miracles?" And he will say,
perform many miracles?" And he will say, "I never knew you. Depart from me."
"I never knew you. Depart from me." God is not impressed by performance. He
God is not impressed by performance. He is moved by obedience. And obedience is
is moved by obedience. And obedience is costly. Sometimes your assignment will
costly. Sometimes your assignment will not look as glamorous as your ambition.
not look as glamorous as your ambition. Sometimes it will lead you into
Sometimes it will lead you into hiddenness instead of popularity.
hiddenness instead of popularity. Sometimes it will ask you to release
Sometimes it will ask you to release things you thought you were ready for.
things you thought you were ready for. But where the assignment is, there is
But where the assignment is, there is provision. Where the assignment is,
provision. Where the assignment is, there is protection. Where the
there is protection. Where the assignment is, the oil will flow. One of
assignment is, the oil will flow. One of the greatest examples of ambition
the greatest examples of ambition turning into destruction is found in the
turning into destruction is found in the story of Saul. He was anointed king by
story of Saul. He was anointed king by God. But he allowed the fear of man and
God. But he allowed the fear of man and the hunger for approval to overtake his
the hunger for approval to overtake his obedience. In 1st Samuel 15, God told
obedience. In 1st Samuel 15, God told him to utterly destroy the Amalachites.
him to utterly destroy the Amalachites. But Saul spared what he thought was
But Saul spared what he thought was good. He partially obeyed and tried to
good. He partially obeyed and tried to cover it up with sacrifice. The prophet
cover it up with sacrifice. The prophet Samuel said, "To obey is better than
Samuel said, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than
sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."
the fat of rams." Saul lost his throne not because he
Saul lost his throne not because he lacked ability, but because he lacked
lacked ability, but because he lacked alignment. Assignment requires
alignment. Assignment requires stillness. It requires patience. It
stillness. It requires patience. It requires sensitivity.
requires sensitivity. You do not get your assignment from
You do not get your assignment from social media. You get it from the secret
social media. You get it from the secret place. Your next move must come from the
place. Your next move must come from the mouth of God. Even when it looks small
mouth of God. Even when it looks small to others, if it is what God has asked
to others, if it is what God has asked of you, it carries eternal weight. The
of you, it carries eternal weight. The anointing is not just for action. It is
anointing is not just for action. It is for accuracy.
for accuracy. Before Jesus chose his 12 disciples, he
Before Jesus chose his 12 disciples, he spent the night in prayer. Before Paul
spent the night in prayer. Before Paul began his ministry, he spent time in
began his ministry, he spent time in Arabia being taught by the spirit.
Arabia being taught by the spirit. Before David stepped into the palace, he
Before David stepped into the palace, he was faithful in the field. These were
was faithful in the field. These were men who moved by assignment, not
men who moved by assignment, not ambition. And because of that, their oil
ambition. And because of that, their oil did not leak with pride or become
did not leak with pride or become polluted by pressure. When ambition
polluted by pressure. When ambition drives you, burnout is inevitable. When
drives you, burnout is inevitable. When assignment leads you, grace sustains
assignment leads you, grace sustains you. Assignment brings peace even in
you. Assignment brings peace even in warfare. It brings clarity even in
warfare. It brings clarity even in complexity. It aligns you with heaven's
complexity. It aligns you with heaven's calendar and heaven's authority. And
calendar and heaven's authority. And most of all, it keeps you under the
most of all, it keeps you under the weight of God's hand. You must
weight of God's hand. You must continually ask the Holy Spirit to
continually ask the Holy Spirit to search your motives. Why are you saying
search your motives. Why are you saying yes to this opportunity? Who told you to
yes to this opportunity? Who told you to start that project? What is fueling your
start that project? What is fueling your movement? Is it faith or fear? Is it
movement? Is it faith or fear? Is it instruction or insecurity?
instruction or insecurity? The anointed life requires brutal
The anointed life requires brutal honesty with God and with yourself. Now
honesty with God and with yourself. Now that you are learning to distinguish
that you are learning to distinguish your divine assignment from selfish
your divine assignment from selfish ambition, there is one more layer of
ambition, there is one more layer of protection needed. It is often
protection needed. It is often overlooked, but it is powerful. There
overlooked, but it is powerful. There are seasons when God calls you to
are seasons when God calls you to silence, not because you have nothing to
silence, not because you have nothing to say, but because your obedience is
say, but because your obedience is louder than your words. Let us now
louder than your words. Let us now explore how to protect the oil by
explore how to protect the oil by practicing spiritual silence and deep
practicing spiritual silence and deep surrender. Certainly. Here's the next
surrender. Certainly. Here's the next 700word section titled practice
700word section titled practice spiritual silence and obedience.
spiritual silence and obedience. Continuing from the previous chapter
Continuing from the previous chapter with no dashes.
with no dashes. There is a silence that is spiritual. It
There is a silence that is spiritual. It is not weakness. It is not fear. It is
is not weakness. It is not fear. It is surrender.
surrender. When you are anointed, there will be
When you are anointed, there will be moments when God tells you to stay quiet
moments when God tells you to stay quiet while others speak loudly, to wait while
while others speak loudly, to wait while others run, to be still when everything
others run, to be still when everything in you wants to explain, defend or
in you wants to explain, defend or announce yourself. But those who carry
announce yourself. But those who carry oil must learn that the voice of
oil must learn that the voice of obedience is sometimes heard through
obedience is sometimes heard through silence.
silence. Silence is not the absence of power. It
Silence is not the absence of power. It is the alignment of power under the hand
is the alignment of power under the hand of God. Jesus stood before Pilate, fully
of God. Jesus stood before Pilate, fully anointed, fully God, fully innocent. Yet
anointed, fully God, fully innocent. Yet he said nothing. He did not defend
he said nothing. He did not defend himself. He did not argue his way out.
himself. He did not argue his way out. He understood that silence was part of
He understood that silence was part of his obedience.
his obedience. Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and
Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his
afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the
mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its
slaughter and as a sheep before its sheerers is silent. So he did not open
sheerers is silent. So he did not open his mouth. There will be seasons when
his mouth. There will be seasons when the spirit of God calls you to retreat
the spirit of God calls you to retreat from noise and from crowds. Not because
from noise and from crowds. Not because you have lost your fire, but because God
you have lost your fire, but because God is refining it in secret. These are not
is refining it in secret. These are not wasted seasons. They are weighty ones.
wasted seasons. They are weighty ones. When God hides you, he is not punishing
When God hides you, he is not punishing you. He is preserving you. The anointing
you. He is preserving you. The anointing thrives in stillness. It deepens in the
thrives in stillness. It deepens in the absence of distraction. You must also
absence of distraction. You must also understand that spiritual silence is not
understand that spiritual silence is not just about what you say. It is about
just about what you say. It is about what you refuse to say. There are times
what you refuse to say. There are times when God will show you things and tell
when God will show you things and tell you to say nothing. He will give you
you to say nothing. He will give you dreams and revelations that are meant to
dreams and revelations that are meant to be pondered, not posted. Look at Mary,
be pondered, not posted. Look at Mary, the mother of Jesus.
the mother of Jesus. Luke 2:1 19 says, "But Mary treasured up
Luke 2:1 19 says, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in
all these things and pondered them in her heart. She was carrying the most
her heart. She was carrying the most anointed child to ever live. Yet she did
anointed child to ever live. Yet she did not publicize every encounter. She kept
not publicize every encounter. She kept it in her heart. Not everything God
it in her heart. Not everything God gives you is meant to be shared
gives you is meant to be shared immediately. This kind of silence builds
immediately. This kind of silence builds a different kind of strength. It teaches
a different kind of strength. It teaches your soul to submit to God's timing. It
your soul to submit to God's timing. It trains your spirit to be sensitive to
trains your spirit to be sensitive to his whispers. It makes you safe to carry
his whispers. It makes you safe to carry what others cannot. When God finds
what others cannot. When God finds someone who can stay quiet until the
someone who can stay quiet until the right moment, he finds someone he can
right moment, he finds someone he can trust with weight. Samuel grew in
trust with weight. Samuel grew in silence. David was trained in
silence. David was trained in hiddenness. John the Baptist was
hiddenness. John the Baptist was prepared in the wilderness. Jesus was
prepared in the wilderness. Jesus was mostly unknown for 30 years before his
mostly unknown for 30 years before his public ministry began. Heaven values
public ministry began. Heaven values process over performance. Obedience
process over performance. Obedience flows out of that silence. It is not
flows out of that silence. It is not obedience if it is only offered when it
obedience if it is only offered when it is convenient or comfortable. True
is convenient or comfortable. True obedience often looks like surrendering
obedience often looks like surrendering your own understanding. Like Noah
your own understanding. Like Noah building an ark in dry land. Like
building an ark in dry land. Like Abraham leaving a familiar land without
Abraham leaving a familiar land without a full map. Like Esther waiting for the
a full map. Like Esther waiting for the right moment to speak. like Hosea
right moment to speak. like Hosea marrying someone no one else would
marrying someone no one else would understand. It may not make sense to
understand. It may not make sense to others. It may not even make sense to
others. It may not even make sense to you. But if God says it, you do it. That
you. But if God says it, you do it. That is obedience. One of the greatest
is obedience. One of the greatest dangers to the oil is delayed obedience.
dangers to the oil is delayed obedience. When you hear God clearly and choose to
When you hear God clearly and choose to wait, to analyze, to negotiate, or to
wait, to analyze, to negotiate, or to question it beyond what he allows, you
question it beyond what he allows, you begin to leak. The anointing rests on
begin to leak. The anointing rests on quick obedience, not rushed action, but
quick obedience, not rushed action, but quick surrender. That means your answer
quick surrender. That means your answer to God must be yes, even before he
to God must be yes, even before he finishes the sentence. You obey not
finishes the sentence. You obey not because it feels right, but because he
because it feels right, but because he is right. Every time you choose
is right. Every time you choose obedience in silence, the oil thickens.
obedience in silence, the oil thickens. Every time you submit to divine
Every time you submit to divine instruction without needing recognition,
instruction without needing recognition, heaven takes note. It is in these
heaven takes note. It is in these moments that the anointing on your life
moments that the anointing on your life is purified and multiplied. This is
is purified and multiplied. This is where the difference between the called
where the difference between the called and the chosen begins to emerge. So let
and the chosen begins to emerge. So let God quiet you. Let him pull you back if
God quiet you. Let him pull you back if he must. Let him interrupt your plans
he must. Let him interrupt your plans and close doors that seem good. Your
and close doors that seem good. Your silence may not be understood on earth,
silence may not be understood on earth, but it is loud in heaven. Your obedience
but it is loud in heaven. Your obedience may go unnoticed by man, but it is
may go unnoticed by man, but it is written in fire before the throne. Now
written in fire before the throne. Now that you have learned the sacred power
that you have learned the sacred power of silence and obedience, it is time to
of silence and obedience, it is time to explore how God qualifies the called.
explore how God qualifies the called. You may not feel qualified. You may not
You may not feel qualified. You may not look like the one others would choose.
look like the one others would choose. Your voice may shake when you speak.
Your voice may shake when you speak. Your hands may tremble when you try to
Your hands may tremble when you try to step forward. But when the oil of God
step forward. But when the oil of God comes upon your life, your past, your
comes upon your life, your past, your weakness, and your self-doubt no longer
weakness, and your self-doubt no longer get the final say, God does not call the
get the final say, God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called. This
qualified. He qualifies the called. This is one of the greatest tensions anointed
is one of the greatest tensions anointed people face. The gap between how God
people face. The gap between how God sees you and how you see yourself. You
sees you and how you see yourself. You look in the mirror and see weakness. God
look in the mirror and see weakness. God looks at you and sees a warrior. That is
looks at you and sees a warrior. That is exactly what happened to Gideon in
exactly what happened to Gideon in Judges chapter 6. Israel was under
Judges chapter 6. Israel was under oppression and Gideon was hiding, not
oppression and Gideon was hiding, not praying, not leading, just trying to
praying, not leading, just trying to survive. Yet when the angel of the Lord
survive. Yet when the angel of the Lord appeared, he called him a mighty man of
appeared, he called him a mighty man of valor. He spoke to his identity, not his
valor. He spoke to his identity, not his insecurity.
insecurity. Gideon immediately responded the way
Gideon immediately responded the way many anointed people do. He began
many anointed people do. He began listing excuses. He said his clan was
listing excuses. He said his clan was the weakest. He said he was the least in
the weakest. He said he was the least in his family. He questioned why God would
his family. He questioned why God would choose him at all. But God ignored all
choose him at all. But God ignored all of it. God simply said, "Go in this your
of it. God simply said, "Go in this your might."
might." God did not argue with Gideon's fears.
God did not argue with Gideon's fears. He just called him higher. When the oil
He just called him higher. When the oil is on your life, God will never let you
is on your life, God will never let you settle into your insecurity. He will
settle into your insecurity. He will keep calling you out of it. You may try
keep calling you out of it. You may try to hide behind your past, but he will
to hide behind your past, but he will still push you into purpose. You may
still push you into purpose. You may tell him you are too young, too broken,
tell him you are too young, too broken, too introverted, too ordinary, but he
too introverted, too ordinary, but he will remind you of what he has already
will remind you of what he has already placed inside of you. The truth is the
placed inside of you. The truth is the anointing does not erase your humanity.
anointing does not erase your humanity. It just gives heaven permission to work
It just gives heaven permission to work through it. Moses stuttered. Jeremiah
through it. Moses stuttered. Jeremiah was young. Esther was an orphan. David
was young. Esther was an orphan. David was forgotten. Peter denied Paul had a
was forgotten. Peter denied Paul had a thorn. But they were all anointed. They
thorn. But they were all anointed. They were not chosen because they were
were not chosen because they were perfect. They were chosen because they
perfect. They were chosen because they were available. Low self-esteem becomes
were available. Low self-esteem becomes dangerous when you allow it to silence
dangerous when you allow it to silence your obedience. When you begin to
your obedience. When you begin to believe that your inadequacy
believe that your inadequacy disqualifies you. The enemy loves to
disqualifies you. The enemy loves to whisper that lie to those who are
whisper that lie to those who are anointed. He wants you to feel too small
anointed. He wants you to feel too small to step out, too broken to speak up, too
to step out, too broken to speak up, too messy to minister. But the oil on your
messy to minister. But the oil on your life is not intimidated by your
life is not intimidated by your insecurity. It just needs your
insecurity. It just needs your surrender.
surrender. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, "We have this
2 Corinthians 4:7 says, "We have this treasure in earthn vessels that the
treasure in earthn vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God
excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." That means you were
and not of us." That means you were never supposed to feel worthy of the
never supposed to feel worthy of the oil. The treasure is not in your
oil. The treasure is not in your perfection. It is in your surrender.
perfection. It is in your surrender. When you are weak, then he is strong.
When you are weak, then he is strong. When you feel least prepared, his power
When you feel least prepared, his power is made perfect. The oil is not proof of
is made perfect. The oil is not proof of your strength. It is proof of his
your strength. It is proof of his presence. Do not hide your light because
presence. Do not hide your light because you fear being seen. Do not shrink back
you fear being seen. Do not shrink back because your voice trembles. Do not
because your voice trembles. Do not disqualify yourself from assignments God
disqualify yourself from assignments God already gave you. It is not about
already gave you. It is not about confidence in yourself. It is about
confidence in yourself. It is about confidence in the one who anointed you.
confidence in the one who anointed you. Your boldness comes from intimacy. Your
Your boldness comes from intimacy. Your strength comes from the secret place.
strength comes from the secret place. You do not need the world's affirmation.
You do not need the world's affirmation. You carry heaven's approval. Like
You carry heaven's approval. Like Gideon, your oil may call you into
Gideon, your oil may call you into battle before you feel brave, but you
battle before you feel brave, but you will not go alone. God told Gideon,
will not go alone. God told Gideon, "Surely I will be with you. That is the
"Surely I will be with you. That is the promise for every anointed one. You are
promise for every anointed one. You are not being sent in your own name. You are
not being sent in your own name. You are being sent in the strength of the Lord.
being sent in the strength of the Lord. So rise from that pit of self-doubt.
So rise from that pit of self-doubt. Cast down every lie that tells you that
Cast down every lie that tells you that you are not enough. You are chosen. You
you are not enough. You are chosen. You are called. You are anointed. You are
are called. You are anointed. You are not who people say you are. You are not
not who people say you are. You are not even who your fears say you are. You are
even who your fears say you are. You are who God says you are. And when he
who God says you are. And when he anoints you, he equips you. When he
anoints you, he equips you. When he sends you, he surrounds you. It is time
sends you, he surrounds you. It is time to break the agreement with low
to break the agreement with low self-esteem.
self-esteem. It is time to come out of hiding. The
It is time to come out of hiding. The oil on your life is not for decoration.
oil on your life is not for decoration. It is for impact. And the world is
It is for impact. And the world is waiting for what God has placed inside
waiting for what God has placed inside of you. Now that you understand how God
of you. Now that you understand how God qualifies those he calls, let us look at
qualifies those he calls, let us look at exhibiting excellence as God's anointed.
exhibiting excellence as God's anointed. Certainly.
Certainly. Here's chapter 8. The spirit of
Here's chapter 8. The spirit of excellence.
excellence. How the anointing demands more. Written
How the anointing demands more. Written in your preferred style and tone with no
in your preferred style and tone with no dashes and supported by scripture. The
dashes and supported by scripture. The anointing does not make things easier.
anointing does not make things easier. It makes things heavier. It raises the
It makes things heavier. It raises the standard. It deepens the weight of what
standard. It deepens the weight of what you carry. And it sharpens how heaven
you carry. And it sharpens how heaven expects you to represent it. When God
expects you to represent it. When God places his oil on your life, he is not
places his oil on your life, he is not just empowering you. He is setting you
just empowering you. He is setting you apart. You cannot live like everyone
apart. You cannot live like everyone else. You cannot give halfway effort.
else. You cannot give halfway effort. The anointing comes with a call to
The anointing comes with a call to excellence. Excellence is not
excellence. Excellence is not perfection. It is not performance. It is
perfection. It is not performance. It is alignment. It is obedience. It is doing
alignment. It is obedience. It is doing everything with the awareness that God
everything with the awareness that God is watching and the world is learning
is watching and the world is learning about him through you.
about him through you. When Daniel was taken to Babylon, the
When Daniel was taken to Babylon, the Bible says he had an excellent spirit.
Bible says he had an excellent spirit. He was chosen not just for his knowledge
He was chosen not just for his knowledge or his skills, but because the spirit of
or his skills, but because the spirit of God within him made him rise above
God within him made him rise above compromise.
compromise. Even in a culture that did not honor
Even in a culture that did not honor God, he did not lower his standard. His
God, he did not lower his standard. His excellence was a response to who God
excellence was a response to who God was, not where he was. The anointing
was, not where he was. The anointing demands that you show up when no one is
demands that you show up when no one is clapping, that you finish the assignment
clapping, that you finish the assignment when no one is watching, that you serve
when no one is watching, that you serve with integrity when no one is thanking
with integrity when no one is thanking you. This is where many people fall
you. This is where many people fall short. They want the oil without the
short. They want the oil without the order. They want the influence without
order. They want the influence without the structure. They want the impact
the structure. They want the impact without the diligence. But heaven
without the diligence. But heaven promotes faithfulness, not just
promotes faithfulness, not just giftedness.
giftedness. Excellence means preparing before you
Excellence means preparing before you are asked. It means praying before the
are asked. It means praying before the meeting. It means fasting when your
meeting. It means fasting when your flesh wants ease. It means studying when
flesh wants ease. It means studying when you feel like you already know. Because
you feel like you already know. Because when the spirit of the Lord is upon you,
when the spirit of the Lord is upon you, what you carry is holy. Your words are
what you carry is holy. Your words are not random. Your leadership is not
not random. Your leadership is not casual. Your ideas are not ordinary.
casual. Your ideas are not ordinary. Heaven sees it all as sacred. Romans
Heaven sees it all as sacred. Romans 12:1 says to not be slothful in zeal but
12:1 says to not be slothful in zeal but to be fervent in spirit and serve the
to be fervent in spirit and serve the Lord. That means your diligence matters,
Lord. That means your diligence matters, your attitude matters, your consistency
your attitude matters, your consistency matters even in the little things,
matters even in the little things, especially in the little things. Because
especially in the little things. Because God watches how you manage what seems
God watches how you manage what seems small to prepare you for what is great.
small to prepare you for what is great. If you despise the little, you will not
If you despise the little, you will not be trusted with the increase. If you do
be trusted with the increase. If you do not show excellence in hidden spaces,
not show excellence in hidden spaces, you will not carry weight in public
you will not carry weight in public ones. When Saul was chosen as king, he
ones. When Saul was chosen as king, he was anointed, but he lacked excellence.
was anointed, but he lacked excellence. He disobeyed divine instructions. He cut
He disobeyed divine instructions. He cut corners. He sought the approval of
corners. He sought the approval of people more than the pleasure of God.
people more than the pleasure of God. And it cost him the throne.
And it cost him the throne. But when David was anointed, he was
But when David was anointed, he was already trained in excellence. He knew
already trained in excellence. He knew how to kill lions when no one saw. He
how to kill lions when no one saw. He knew how to play the harp when no one
knew how to play the harp when no one listened. He knew how to seek God even
listened. He knew how to seek God even when no one praised.
when no one praised. Excellence was part of his private
Excellence was part of his private rhythm. And when the oil came, it found
rhythm. And when the oil came, it found him ready. You cannot just rely on your
him ready. You cannot just rely on your anointing. You must also carry the
anointing. You must also carry the discipline to refine it. Excellence is
discipline to refine it. Excellence is not a one-time action. It is a lifestyle
not a one-time action. It is a lifestyle of worship. It is saying to God, I will
of worship. It is saying to God, I will not give you anything that costs me
not give you anything that costs me nothing. It is offering him your best
nothing. It is offering him your best even when your best is broken. It is
even when your best is broken. It is surrendering your craft, your ideas,
surrendering your craft, your ideas, your speech, your leadership, and your
your speech, your leadership, and your effort to his glory because you know the
effort to his glory because you know the oil is not yours. You are only a vessel.
oil is not yours. You are only a vessel. So yes, the anointing is a gift. But
So yes, the anointing is a gift. But with that gift comes a weight of
with that gift comes a weight of responsibility.
responsibility. You are not just called to be used. You
You are not just called to be used. You are called to reflect. You do not just
are called to reflect. You do not just preach. You reveal Christ. You do not
preach. You reveal Christ. You do not just sing. You shift atmospheres. You do
just sing. You shift atmospheres. You do not just lead. You host the presence of
not just lead. You host the presence of God in how you serve. That is what
God in how you serve. That is what excellence looks like when the oil is
excellence looks like when the oil is real. Do not let sloppiness become your
real. Do not let sloppiness become your culture. Do not allow laziness to hide
culture. Do not allow laziness to hide behind grace. The more you carry, the
behind grace. The more you carry, the more heaven expects. And it is not
more heaven expects. And it is not pressure. It is honor. You have been
pressure. It is honor. You have been trusted with something divine. Let your
trusted with something divine. Let your life prove that God did not make a
life prove that God did not make a mistake when he chose you. You were not
mistake when he chose you. You were not anointed for average. You were anointed
anointed for average. You were anointed for kingdom expression. And everything
for kingdom expression. And everything you touch should smell like the oil that
you touch should smell like the oil that rests upon you. The more excellent your
rests upon you. The more excellent your spirit becomes, the more room heaven
spirit becomes, the more room heaven gives you to influence. In the next
gives you to influence. In the next chapter, you will see what often follows
chapter, you will see what often follows excellence,
excellence, jealousy.
jealousy. Because when the oil flows, so does the
Because when the oil flows, so does the resistance.
resistance. Let us look now at how to handle the
Let us look now at how to handle the backlash you did not ask for. When God
backlash you did not ask for. When God anoints you, he also exposes you. And
anoints you, he also exposes you. And with that exposure comes attention. Not
with that exposure comes attention. Not all of it will be admiration.
all of it will be admiration. Some of it will be opposition. Some of
Some of it will be opposition. Some of it will be jealousy. You may not have
it will be jealousy. You may not have asked for it. You may not even see
asked for it. You may not even see yourself as a threat. But the moment you
yourself as a threat. But the moment you begin to carry something different,
begin to carry something different, others will begin to respond to you
others will begin to respond to you differently.
differently. Joseph only shared a dream. He did not
Joseph only shared a dream. He did not fight. He did not brag. But that dream
fight. He did not brag. But that dream revealed a future where his life would
revealed a future where his life would stand out and his brothers hated him for
stand out and his brothers hated him for it. The jealousy was not because of what
it. The jealousy was not because of what he had. It was because of what he
he had. It was because of what he carried. You may think your life looks
carried. You may think your life looks ordinary now, but what you carry is not.
ordinary now, but what you carry is not. The oil is noticed long before the
The oil is noticed long before the throne is seen. That is why some people
throne is seen. That is why some people shift when you walk in the room. That is
shift when you walk in the room. That is why you sense silent battles in circles
why you sense silent battles in circles that once felt safe. The anointing
that once felt safe. The anointing reveals hearts. The pain is not always
reveals hearts. The pain is not always in the opposition. Sometimes the pain is
in the opposition. Sometimes the pain is in the fact that it came from people you
in the fact that it came from people you loved, people you supported, people you
loved, people you supported, people you never expected to turn cold. David
never expected to turn cold. David served Saul faithfully. He fought his
served Saul faithfully. He fought his battles. He respected his throne. Yet
battles. He respected his throne. Yet the very man he honored began to hunt
the very man he honored began to hunt him. Why? Because the oil had moved.
him. Why? Because the oil had moved. Because heaven had chosen another. And
Because heaven had chosen another. And even though David had not taken the
even though David had not taken the throne, the presence of God was already
throne, the presence of God was already resting on him. That alone made him a
resting on him. That alone made him a target. It is important to understand
target. It is important to understand that jealousy is not always loud.
that jealousy is not always loud. Sometimes it shows up in silent
Sometimes it shows up in silent sabotage, in withheld support, in
sabotage, in withheld support, in unspoken competition, in strange
unspoken competition, in strange distance. The anointing you carry can
distance. The anointing you carry can trigger insecurities in others. It can
trigger insecurities in others. It can challenge their comfort. It can expose
challenge their comfort. It can expose their stagnation. You are not trying to
their stagnation. You are not trying to outshine anyone. You are just obeying
outshine anyone. You are just obeying God. But obedience itself carries a
God. But obedience itself carries a fragrance. And not everyone can handle
fragrance. And not everyone can handle the scent. So what do you do when the
the scent. So what do you do when the anointing draws jealousy?
anointing draws jealousy? You guard your heart. You refuse to
You guard your heart. You refuse to fight with flesh. You let God defend
fight with flesh. You let God defend your name. You stay in love. You keep
your name. You stay in love. You keep your spirit clean. You stay low. Because
your spirit clean. You stay low. Because the enemy's goal is not just to make
the enemy's goal is not just to make people jealous of you. He wants to use
people jealous of you. He wants to use jealousy to make you bitter. But you
jealousy to make you bitter. But you cannot carry oil and offense together.
cannot carry oil and offense together. Bitterness leaks the anointing.
Bitterness leaks the anointing. Romans 12:18 says, "As much as it
Romans 12:18 says, "As much as it depends on you, live peaceibly with
depends on you, live peaceibly with all." That does not mean forcing
all." That does not mean forcing friendship. It means refusing to let
friendship. It means refusing to let another person's poison become your
another person's poison become your mindset. Jesus knew Judas would betray
mindset. Jesus knew Judas would betray him. But he still washed his feet. He
him. But he still washed his feet. He still gave him access. He still loved.
still gave him access. He still loved. Because real anointing is not just
Because real anointing is not just power. It is purity. And it shines
power. It is purity. And it shines brightest when tested by betrayal. The
brightest when tested by betrayal. The jealousy may come, the opposition may
jealousy may come, the opposition may rise, but the oil cannot be stopped.
rise, but the oil cannot be stopped. What God has poured on you is not at the
What God has poured on you is not at the mercy of people's opinions. The very
mercy of people's opinions. The very things that were meant to crush you will
things that were meant to crush you will become the evidence that God was with
become the evidence that God was with you. That is what happened to Joseph.
you. That is what happened to Joseph. That is what happened to David. That is
That is what happened to David. That is what happened to Jesus. What others used
what happened to Jesus. What others used to destroy them, God used to establish
to destroy them, God used to establish them. So when jealousy shows up, do not
them. So when jealousy shows up, do not shrink. Do not retaliate. Keep your eyes
shrink. Do not retaliate. Keep your eyes on the one who anointed you. Your
on the one who anointed you. Your assignment is not to explain yourself.
assignment is not to explain yourself. It is to stay faithful. Heaven sees.
It is to stay faithful. Heaven sees. Heaven knows. And when the time is
Heaven knows. And when the time is right, heaven will speak on your behalf.
right, heaven will speak on your behalf. You do not carry this oil alone. The one
You do not carry this oil alone. The one who gave it is your defender. The one
who gave it is your defender. The one who called you is your sustainer. You
who called you is your sustainer. You can walk with your head high even when
can walk with your head high even when arrows fly. You were not anointed to win
arrows fly. You were not anointed to win popularity. You were anointed to fulfill
popularity. You were anointed to fulfill purpose. And sometimes walking in
purpose. And sometimes walking in purpose means letting go of people who
purpose means letting go of people who cannot go with you. It means blessing
cannot go with you. It means blessing those who curse you. It means staying
those who curse you. It means staying rooted even when your roots are shaken.
rooted even when your roots are shaken. Because the oil you carry is not
Because the oil you carry is not ordinary and neither is your process.
ordinary and neither is your process. Now that you have seen how opposition
Now that you have seen how opposition comes for the anointed, let us take a
comes for the anointed, let us take a deeper look at how to stay within the
deeper look at how to stay within the boundaries of what God has truly given
boundaries of what God has truly given you.
you. Not every opportunity is a divine
Not every opportunity is a divine assignment. The oil flows where the call
assignment. The oil flows where the call is real. Let us now explore what it
is real. Let us now explore what it means to be assigned and not assumed.
means to be assigned and not assumed. There is a difference between being
There is a difference between being available and being assigned. There is a
available and being assigned. There is a difference between doing something for
difference between doing something for God and being called by God to do it. In
God and being called by God to do it. In a world full of platforms and gifts, it
a world full of platforms and gifts, it is easy to confuse talent for
is easy to confuse talent for assignment. It is easy to assume that
assignment. It is easy to assume that because you are good at something, you
because you are good at something, you are supposed to build your life around
are supposed to build your life around it. But the anointing does not rest on
it. But the anointing does not rest on assumptions. It rests on assignments. In
assumptions. It rests on assignments. In Numbers chapter 16, Kora and his
Numbers chapter 16, Kora and his followers rose up against Moses. They
followers rose up against Moses. They wanted the same spiritual influence.
wanted the same spiritual influence. They were Levites chosen by God for holy
They were Levites chosen by God for holy service, but they were not called to
service, but they were not called to lead Israel. Their rebellion was not
lead Israel. Their rebellion was not just against Moses. It was against
just against Moses. It was against divine order. They stepped into
divine order. They stepped into something they were not assigned to, and
something they were not assigned to, and the ground swallowed them up. It was not
the ground swallowed them up. It was not a fight between Moses and his critics.
a fight between Moses and his critics. It was a clash between assumption and
It was a clash between assumption and assignment. When God anoints you, he
assignment. When God anoints you, he also gives you boundaries. There are
also gives you boundaries. There are rooms you are not called to enter. There
rooms you are not called to enter. There are tasks that are not yours to take.
are tasks that are not yours to take. There are stages that may look tempting
There are stages that may look tempting but were not built for your feet. The
but were not built for your feet. The danger comes when you try to walk in
danger comes when you try to walk in what looks like purpose, but is really
what looks like purpose, but is really pressure. You were not created to
pressure. You were not created to fulfill someone else's call. You are not
fulfill someone else's call. You are not anointed to copy a voice that is not
anointed to copy a voice that is not yours. Even Jesus said in John chapter 5
yours. Even Jesus said in John chapter 5 that he only did what he saw the father
that he only did what he saw the father doing. He could have gone anywhere. He
doing. He could have gone anywhere. He could have done anything but he stayed
could have done anything but he stayed within the frame of his assignment. That
within the frame of his assignment. That is why his life was powerful. That is
is why his life was powerful. That is why his words carried authority. He was
why his words carried authority. He was not trying to impress crowds. He was
not trying to impress crowds. He was sent to redeem and he stayed faithful to
sent to redeem and he stayed faithful to that assignment until the end. The
that assignment until the end. The anointing flourishes in alignment. It
anointing flourishes in alignment. It dries up in disobedience. You may be
dries up in disobedience. You may be talented enough to do many things, but
talented enough to do many things, but you must be sensitive enough to know
you must be sensitive enough to know what has God's breath on it. The true
what has God's breath on it. The true test of maturity is not how much you can
test of maturity is not how much you can handle. It is how much you are willing
handle. It is how much you are willing to let go of simply because God did not
to let go of simply because God did not give it to you.
give it to you. The assignment will not always be
The assignment will not always be flashy. Sometimes it looks like
flashy. Sometimes it looks like obscurity.
obscurity. Sometimes it looks like years of
Sometimes it looks like years of planting without recognition.
planting without recognition. Sometimes it looks like being faithful
Sometimes it looks like being faithful in a room no one applauds. But that room
in a room no one applauds. But that room might be the very place where the oil is
might be the very place where the oil is preserved. Not every loud place is a God
preserved. Not every loud place is a God place. The voice of God still speaks in
place. The voice of God still speaks in whispers. Gideon never saw himself as a
whispers. Gideon never saw himself as a mighty man of valor. Yet that was the
mighty man of valor. Yet that was the assignment. David was anointed king
assignment. David was anointed king while he was still tending sheep. Yet
while he was still tending sheep. Yet that was the assignment. Paul was sent
that was the assignment. Paul was sent to the Gentiles even though everything
to the Gentiles even though everything about him looked Jewish in training. Yet
about him looked Jewish in training. Yet that was the assignment. They did not
that was the assignment. They did not assume. They obeyed.
assume. They obeyed. Assumption will drain your strength. It
Assumption will drain your strength. It will make you strive where you should be
will make you strive where you should be still. It will lead you to build altars
still. It will lead you to build altars God never asked for. But assignment will
God never asked for. But assignment will keep you grounded. It will clarify your
keep you grounded. It will clarify your focus. It will sustain your oil. That is
focus. It will sustain your oil. That is why you must seek God for clarity. You
why you must seek God for clarity. You must sit with him long enough to receive
must sit with him long enough to receive divine instruction. Without it, you may
divine instruction. Without it, you may be running fast in the wrong direction.
be running fast in the wrong direction. Do not let comparison make you abandon
Do not let comparison make you abandon your lane. Do not let fear convince you
your lane. Do not let fear convince you to pick up what God never handed to you.
to pick up what God never handed to you. What he has called you to is enough.
What he has called you to is enough. What he has graced you for is powerful.
What he has graced you for is powerful. When you stay in your assignment, you
When you stay in your assignment, you will see supernatural results. But when
will see supernatural results. But when you move by assumption, you may gain the
you move by assumption, you may gain the world and lose the oil. So ask yourself
world and lose the oil. So ask yourself again, what did God actually give me?
again, what did God actually give me? What did he place in my hands? What has
What did he place in my hands? What has his fire touched? These are the
his fire touched? These are the questions that guard the anointed life.
questions that guard the anointed life. These are the questions that protect
These are the questions that protect your soul from distraction and burnout.
your soul from distraction and burnout. Now that you understand how dangerous it
Now that you understand how dangerous it is to walk in what was never given, let
is to walk in what was never given, let us go deeper into what it means to stay
us go deeper into what it means to stay humble even while carrying power. The
humble even while carrying power. The oil is holy. The vessel must remain
oil is holy. The vessel must remain surrendered.
surrendered. Let us now explore how to remain holy
Let us now explore how to remain holy but human. Here is chapter 15. Holy but
but human. Here is chapter 15. Holy but human. How to stay surrendered while
human. How to stay surrendered while anointed written in your preferred
anointed written in your preferred 700word format. You are anointed, but
700word format. You are anointed, but you are still human. The oil on your
you are still human. The oil on your life does not cancel your need for God.
life does not cancel your need for God. It amplifies it. The deeper your
It amplifies it. The deeper your anointing, the greater your need to
anointing, the greater your need to remain surrendered. Some fall because
remain surrendered. Some fall because they forget this truth. They begin to
they forget this truth. They begin to rely on the grace that flows through
rely on the grace that flows through them and forget that grace must also
them and forget that grace must also work within them. But the spirit of God
work within them. But the spirit of God does not dwell in pride. He rests on
does not dwell in pride. He rests on those who know their help comes from
those who know their help comes from above. Elijah called down fire from
above. Elijah called down fire from heaven, but moments later he was running
heaven, but moments later he was running from Jezebel. Peter healed the sick, but
from Jezebel. Peter healed the sick, but still struggled with fear when
still struggled with fear when questioned by a servant girl. Paul wrote
questioned by a servant girl. Paul wrote letters that shaped the early church.
letters that shaped the early church. But he also said that a thorn was given
But he also said that a thorn was given to him to keep him from being exalted
to him to keep him from being exalted above measure.
above measure. The Bible does not hide the humanity of
The Bible does not hide the humanity of the anointed. Instead, it reminds you
the anointed. Instead, it reminds you that the power comes from God, not from
that the power comes from God, not from you. Being holy does not mean being
you. Being holy does not mean being perfect. It means being set apart. It
perfect. It means being set apart. It means staying yielded. It means letting
means staying yielded. It means letting the Holy Spirit keep you grounded even
the Holy Spirit keep you grounded even when people start to celebrate you. When
when people start to celebrate you. When applause comes, you return the glory to
applause comes, you return the glory to the one who called you. When attacks
the one who called you. When attacks rise, you do not respond in the flesh.
rise, you do not respond in the flesh. You run back to the secret place.
You run back to the secret place. Because the more people look to you, the
Because the more people look to you, the more you must look to God. You are not
more you must look to God. You are not anointed because you are flawless. You
anointed because you are flawless. You are anointed because you are chosen. But
are anointed because you are chosen. But being chosen comes with a weight. It
being chosen comes with a weight. It comes with the responsibility to guard
comes with the responsibility to guard your heart.
your heart. Pride is always waiting at the door of
Pride is always waiting at the door of the anointed. Pride makes you think the
the anointed. Pride makes you think the oil belongs to you. But the truth is you
oil belongs to you. But the truth is you are only the vessel. The spirit is the
are only the vessel. The spirit is the power behind the vessel. Jesus walked
power behind the vessel. Jesus walked with the fullness of the spirit yet he
with the fullness of the spirit yet he washed feet. He raised the dead yet he
washed feet. He raised the dead yet he would still go off to pray. He could
would still go off to pray. He could have commanded the angels but he chose
have commanded the angels but he chose the cross. That is what it looks like to
the cross. That is what it looks like to stay holy and human. It means keeping
stay holy and human. It means keeping your soul in check. It means not letting
your soul in check. It means not letting the oil become your identity. Your
the oil become your identity. Your identity is in Christ. The oil is the
identity is in Christ. The oil is the tool, not the crown. The enemy loves to
tool, not the crown. The enemy loves to tempt the anointed into performance. He
tempt the anointed into performance. He wants you to think you always have to
wants you to think you always have to produce results. He whispers lies like,
produce results. He whispers lies like, "You cannot afford to be weak." Or, "If
"You cannot afford to be weak." Or, "If people see your struggle, they will
people see your struggle, they will question your calling."
question your calling." But God is not intimidated by your
But God is not intimidated by your humanity. He knew your frame when he
humanity. He knew your frame when he called you. He is not impressed by the
called you. He is not impressed by the image you try to protect. He is drawn to
image you try to protect. He is drawn to honesty. He lifts the humble.
honesty. He lifts the humble. Psalm 51 shows you David's heart after
Psalm 51 shows you David's heart after failure. He was still king. He was still
failure. He was still king. He was still anointed, but he cried out, "Do not cast
anointed, but he cried out, "Do not cast me from your presence or take your holy
me from your presence or take your holy spirit from me." He knew the value of
spirit from me." He knew the value of the oil. He knew that sin would harden
the oil. He knew that sin would harden his heart and grieve the spirit. That is
his heart and grieve the spirit. That is the posture that keeps the anointed
the posture that keeps the anointed safe. Not the denial of weakness, but
safe. Not the denial of weakness, but the surrender of it. To stay holy while
the surrender of it. To stay holy while human, you must be intentional.
human, you must be intentional. Stay in the word. Surround yourself with
Stay in the word. Surround yourself with voices that hold you accountable. Be
voices that hold you accountable. Be quick to repent. Be slow to speak when
quick to repent. Be slow to speak when angry. Keep your prayer life alive. Do
angry. Keep your prayer life alive. Do not feed on your own press. If God uses
not feed on your own press. If God uses you, rejoice. But do not forget who you
you, rejoice. But do not forget who you were before he found you. That
were before he found you. That remembrance keeps your heart soft.
remembrance keeps your heart soft. Sometimes the greatest strength you can
Sometimes the greatest strength you can show is vulnerability. Let God correct
show is vulnerability. Let God correct you. Let him strip you when needed. The
you. Let him strip you when needed. The oil flows best through brokenness. Not
oil flows best through brokenness. Not the brokenness of shame, but the
the brokenness of shame, but the brokenness that says, "I am nothing
brokenness that says, "I am nothing without you." That is where the Holy
without you." That is where the Holy Spirit loves to rest. If you feel the
Spirit loves to rest. If you feel the pull of pride or pressure, run back to
pull of pride or pressure, run back to the altar. If you feel dry, return to
the altar. If you feel dry, return to worship. If you feel alone, remember
worship. If you feel alone, remember that the one who anointed you has not
that the one who anointed you has not left you. The same spirit that raised
left you. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives inside of
Christ from the dead lives inside of you. He is not looking for perfection.
you. He is not looking for perfection. He is looking for surrender. You are
He is looking for surrender. You are holy. You are human. But most
holy. You are human. But most importantly, you are his. Let that truth
importantly, you are his. Let that truth anchor you. You have seen the weight of
anchor you. You have seen the weight of the anointing. It is not just about
the anointing. It is not just about being used by God. It is about being
being used by God. It is about being shaped by him. The oil comes with
shaped by him. The oil comes with responsibility, with warfare, with
responsibility, with warfare, with breaking, with surrender. But it also
breaking, with surrender. But it also comes with the privilege of walking
comes with the privilege of walking closely with the one who called you. If
closely with the one who called you. If God has anointed you, it means he trusts
God has anointed you, it means he trusts you with something sacred. Protect it,
you with something sacred. Protect it, guard it, nurture it, stay humble, stay
guard it, nurture it, stay humble, stay yielded, and stay near to his presence.
yielded, and stay near to his presence. The road may not be easy, but the grace
The road may not be easy, but the grace is available and the reward is eternal.
is available and the reward is eternal. So as you carry this oil, carry it with
So as you carry this oil, carry it with fear and trembling. Carry it with joy
fear and trembling. Carry it with joy and reverence. And always remember the
and reverence. And always remember the anointing is not a platform. It is a
anointing is not a platform. It is a calling, one that requires your life. If
calling, one that requires your life. If you are still willing to say yes, then
you are still willing to say yes, then let us pray. Let us seal this moment
let us pray. Let us seal this moment before God. Father, I come before you,
before God. Father, I come before you, not in my own strength, not in the
not in my own strength, not in the confidence of my gifts, but in the
confidence of my gifts, but in the humility of one who knows I am nothing
humility of one who knows I am nothing without you. Thank you for the oil you
without you. Thank you for the oil you have placed upon my life. Thank you for
have placed upon my life. Thank you for the call. Thank you for choosing me
the call. Thank you for choosing me before I ever knew what it would cost.
before I ever knew what it would cost. Thank you for believing in what you
Thank you for believing in what you placed in me, even before I believed in
placed in me, even before I believed in myself. Today I acknowledge that the
myself. Today I acknowledge that the anointing is not for show. It is not for
anointing is not for show. It is not for applause. It is not for titles or
applause. It is not for titles or popularity. The anointing is for
popularity. The anointing is for purpose. It is for assignment. It is for
purpose. It is for assignment. It is for obedience.
obedience. And I do not take it lightly. I do not
And I do not take it lightly. I do not treat your presence as common. I do not
treat your presence as common. I do not treat your spirit as something to be
treat your spirit as something to be used. I want to be the vessel that you
used. I want to be the vessel that you can trust. I want to be a carrier of
can trust. I want to be a carrier of your glory, one who walks with clean
your glory, one who walks with clean hands and a pure heart. Father, where
hands and a pure heart. Father, where pride has entered in, purge me. Where I
pride has entered in, purge me. Where I have looked to people more than I have
have looked to people more than I have looked to you, forgive me. Where I have
looked to you, forgive me. Where I have allowed applause to get louder than your
allowed applause to get louder than your whisper, help me to return to stillness.
whisper, help me to return to stillness. I do not want the oil to become a
I do not want the oil to become a burden. You did not design. I do not
burden. You did not design. I do not want to perform in the place where I was
want to perform in the place where I was meant to minister. I want to pour from
meant to minister. I want to pour from intimacy. I want to serve from overflow.
intimacy. I want to serve from overflow. Let your fire refine me. Let it burn
Let your fire refine me. Let it burn away the ambition that is not of you.
away the ambition that is not of you. Let it purify my motives. If I ever
Let it purify my motives. If I ever begin to chase platforms more than I
begin to chase platforms more than I chase your presence, pull me back. If I
chase your presence, pull me back. If I begin to prioritize being known more
begin to prioritize being known more than being faithful, convict my heart. I
than being faithful, convict my heart. I do not want to just be anointed. I want
do not want to just be anointed. I want to be pleasing to you. I want to walk
to be pleasing to you. I want to walk worthy of the calling you have placed on
worthy of the calling you have placed on me. Lord, I give you my fears. I give
me. Lord, I give you my fears. I give you the fear of failure. I give you the
you the fear of failure. I give you the fear of rejection. I give you the fear
fear of rejection. I give you the fear of being misunderstood. And I give you
of being misunderstood. And I give you the fear of not being enough. You are my
the fear of not being enough. You are my sufficiency. You are my confidence. You
sufficiency. You are my confidence. You are the one who makes all things
are the one who makes all things possible. Even when I feel like Gideon
possible. Even when I feel like Gideon hiding in fear, you still call me
hiding in fear, you still call me mighty. You still see purpose. You still
mighty. You still see purpose. You still see destiny. And I say yes. I say yes to
see destiny. And I say yes. I say yes to the secret place. I say yes to waiting.
the secret place. I say yes to waiting. I say yes to pruning. I say yes to the
I say yes to pruning. I say yes to the process. I say yes to obedience even
process. I say yes to obedience even when it hurts. I say yes to carrying the
when it hurts. I say yes to carrying the cross before the crown. I say yes to
cross before the crown. I say yes to walking by faith even when I cannot see
walking by faith even when I cannot see the way. Lord, I trust you even when the
the way. Lord, I trust you even when the oil brings warfare. I trust you even
oil brings warfare. I trust you even when the anointing draws jealousy. I
when the anointing draws jealousy. I trust you even when I do not understand
trust you even when I do not understand why you chose me. I trust you.
why you chose me. I trust you. Strengthen me to walk in purity. Keep me
Strengthen me to walk in purity. Keep me from hidden sin. Guard my eyes. Guard my
from hidden sin. Guard my eyes. Guard my ears. Guard my tongue. Teach me to walk
ears. Guard my tongue. Teach me to walk in holiness. Let my life be an altar.
in holiness. Let my life be an altar. Let my thoughts be pure. Let my words
Let my thoughts be pure. Let my words carry weight because they are birthed
carry weight because they are birthed from your heart. Let me not just speak
from your heart. Let me not just speak for you, but let me speak with you. Let
for you, but let me speak with you. Let me not just represent you publicly while
me not just represent you publicly while ignoring you privately. Make my private
ignoring you privately. Make my private life even more consecrated than what
life even more consecrated than what people see. Lord, I pray for
people see. Lord, I pray for discernment. Teach me to know who to
discernment. Teach me to know who to walk with. Teach me to see beyond
walk with. Teach me to see beyond flattery and applause. Help me to
flattery and applause. Help me to recognize distractions that are sent to
recognize distractions that are sent to drain the oil. Show me how to protect my
drain the oil. Show me how to protect my space without building walls around my
space without building walls around my heart. Show me how to love like Jesus
heart. Show me how to love like Jesus while staying anchored in wisdom. Not
while staying anchored in wisdom. Not everyone is assigned to my journey and
everyone is assigned to my journey and not everyone can carry the weight with
not everyone can carry the weight with me. Help me to walk in love but also in
me. Help me to walk in love but also in discernment. I also ask for discipline
discernment. I also ask for discipline not just in ministry but in my thoughts,
not just in ministry but in my thoughts, in my habits, in my finances, in my
in my habits, in my finances, in my relationships. I do not want to be
relationships. I do not want to be powerful in public and undisiplined in
powerful in public and undisiplined in private. Help me to master my appetite.
private. Help me to master my appetite. Help me to resist the pull of the flesh.
Help me to resist the pull of the flesh. Let me walk in step with your spirit.
Let me walk in step with your spirit. Let my life be a reflection of your
Let my life be a reflection of your character. Let holiness not be a message
character. Let holiness not be a message I preach, but the way I live daily.
I preach, but the way I live daily. Father, I lift up the pain that
Father, I lift up the pain that sometimes comes with the anointing, the
sometimes comes with the anointing, the rejection, the isolation, the
rejection, the isolation, the misunderstanding, the betrayal, the
misunderstanding, the betrayal, the spiritual warfare, the moments where I
spiritual warfare, the moments where I feel alone even when surrounded by
feel alone even when surrounded by people. Teach me to run into your arms
people. Teach me to run into your arms and not away from your presence. Teach
and not away from your presence. Teach me to trust your process even when it
me to trust your process even when it breaks me. I know you are the potter and
breaks me. I know you are the potter and I am the clay. Shape me, mold me, use
I am the clay. Shape me, mold me, use me, but please never leave me. When my
me, but please never leave me. When my strength fails, let your strength take
strength fails, let your strength take over. When my faith feels weak, remind
over. When my faith feels weak, remind me of every time you came through. When
me of every time you came through. When I feel unseen, remind me that you are
I feel unseen, remind me that you are the God who sees. When I feel unheard,
the God who sees. When I feel unheard, remind me that you still speak. When I
remind me that you still speak. When I feel like giving up, remind me that the
feel like giving up, remind me that the calling is still sure. When I question
calling is still sure. When I question my worth, remind me of the cross. God, I
my worth, remind me of the cross. God, I ask for clarity.
ask for clarity. Show me what you want from me in this
Show me what you want from me in this season. Show me where to pour. Show me
season. Show me where to pour. Show me where to plant. Show me what to stop and
where to plant. Show me what to stop and what to start.
what to start. I do not want to move without you. I do
I do not want to move without you. I do not want to run ahead of your spirit. I
not want to run ahead of your spirit. I do not want to settle for what is good
do not want to settle for what is good when you have called me to what is God.
when you have called me to what is God. Let my life follow divine instruction.
Let my life follow divine instruction. Let my heart stay aligned with your
Let my heart stay aligned with your will. And Lord, I ask for courage.
will. And Lord, I ask for courage. Courage to step out when you call me.
Courage to step out when you call me. Courage to obey even when I feel
Courage to obey even when I feel unqualified. Courage to say no to things
unqualified. Courage to say no to things that look good but are not from you.
that look good but are not from you. Courage to endure seasons that feel
Courage to endure seasons that feel silent. Courage to walk away from what
silent. Courage to walk away from what you did not send.
you did not send. I know that fear has no place in my
I know that fear has no place in my calling. You have not given me a spirit
calling. You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound
of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Thank you for the oil. Thank you
mind. Thank you for the oil. Thank you for the calling. Thank you for every
for the calling. Thank you for every door you will open. Thank you for every
door you will open. Thank you for every door you will close. Thank you for the
door you will close. Thank you for the yes that still stands over my life. I
yes that still stands over my life. I will not compare my path with others. I
will not compare my path with others. I will not envy what you have not given
will not envy what you have not given me. I will focus on the lane you have
me. I will focus on the lane you have assigned to me. I will honor what you
assigned to me. I will honor what you have placed in my hands. I will carry
have placed in my hands. I will carry the oil with reverence. Let my life be a
the oil with reverence. Let my life be a resting place for your spirit. Let my
resting place for your spirit. Let my voice echo your heart. Let my walk
voice echo your heart. Let my walk reflect your character. Let my ministry
reflect your character. Let my ministry point people back to you.
point people back to you. And when all is said and done, when
And when all is said and done, when people remember my name, let them say
people remember my name, let them say that I was faithful. Not famous, not
that I was faithful. Not famous, not celebrated, but faithful. Faithful to
celebrated, but faithful. Faithful to the end, faithful in the small things,
the end, faithful in the small things, faithful in the hidden places, faithful
faithful in the hidden places, faithful in the fire, faithful with the oil.
in the fire, faithful with the oil. Thank you, Lord, for trusting me. I
Thank you, Lord, for trusting me. I choose surrender over striving. I choose
choose surrender over striving. I choose you over everything else in Jesus' name.
you over everything else in Jesus' name. Amen.
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