"The LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1)
What is the purpose of the anointing of the Holy Spirit? Why should we long to be clothed with the anointing of God? Simply put, the Lord anoints to set the captive free.
The Lord anointed Jesus, and he anointed Peter, and he anointed Paul. He will anoint you too. The Lord anointed Ananias (Acts 9), a man who had a quiet time one day, so that when he laid his hands on the newly saved terrorist named Saul, Saul's eyes popped opened, scales fell off, and Saul himself was clothed with the life-empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. And in that story, we see the vitality of the anointing of God.
The Lord anoints an apostle like Paul and a regular believer like Ananias and uses them to be his messenger and conduit of salvation in this world. God chooses to manifest his power in the lives of those who are far from God and without hope in this world through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
For the Christian, God has called us to be witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth; and he fully intends to anoint us for this task. He anoints us to preach. He anoints us to bind up. He anoints us to proclaim without hesitation the joyful truth that the prison gates have been flung open.
If we long for the poor to know peace and security, if we long for the brokenhearted to know love, if we long for those bound in chains to sin and Satan to be free, if we long for hell to be plundered and heaven to be full, than we must long for the pouring out the Holy Spirit. As we step out in faith as Ananias did, the anointing of God will set even the most bound prisoner free. This reality is Good News.
Prayer Points
Father, teach me to trust the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Father, send me to the poor, the captive, and the prisoner.
Father, give me the boldness to step out in faith into where your Spirit is calling me.
Father, release your anointing upon my life and our church that we might fulfill your mission in this world.
best one yet!
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