Understanding the Anointing pt 8
We’re continuing on the subject of the Anointing of God in our lives. Last time we were ministering on “Paying the Price for the Anointing,” and I want to pick up from there.
I) Last week I gave you 6 thing that are needed in our lives in order to be candidates for the anointing of God.
A) The 1st thing is to be sitting under the Word of God.
1) (Hebrews 10:25) Says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” KJV
(a) What are we to be EXHORTING THEM TO DO? COME TO CHURCH.
2) (HEB 10:25) from the AMP translation says, “Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing – warning, urging and encouraging – one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.”
(a) Notice that Paul says, “WARNING ONE ANOTHER.”
(b) Warning them about what?
(i) Warning them that if they’re not in church on a regular basis the anointing and the power of God in their lives will begin to dry up.
(c) Paul then adds, “AND all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.”
(i) We’re in the last days; we need more of God’s power and His anointing in our lives then ever before.
(ii) We should try to be at church whenever we can.
B) The 2nd thing that we need in order to be those candidates for the anointing is PRAYER.
1) Develop a prayer life, where you can fellowship with the Lord.
2) # 3 HAVE A FRESH INFILLING OF THE SPIRIT EVERY DAY.”
(a) Find time to read the Word of God, spend time in worship, praise, and in fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
3) # 4 REPENT
(a) Turn away for sin and don’t go back to it.
4) # 5 “Be led by the HS.”
(a) Listen to the voice of the HS and follow His leadings. When you do you’re going to step right into the anointing.
5) And # 6 “Keep doing what He’s told us to do.”
(a) Don’t be flighty, Jumping from church to church, or from job to job in the church.
(i) Do what the Lord has given you to do. It might be more then 1 job; it might be 2 or 3 jobs.
(ii) Do it faithfully unto the Lord without murmuring or complaining.
(iii) The children of Israel learned that lesson; they began to murmur and complain and they lost the victory. They ended up spending 40 years in the wilderness because of it.
(b) Be committed in the things that the Lord has given you to do.
(i) Jesus said in (Matthew 24:46) “Blessed is that servant, when the Lord returns finds him so doing.” KJV
II) Now that we’ve established the foundation, we’re ready to PURCHASE THE ANOINTING.
A) Did you say PURCHASE THE ANOINTING, pastor? Yes I did.
1) Operating in the anointing is not free and it is not cheap.
(a) There is a price to be paid.
2) Many times we go to a meeting and we say, “I want their anointing or I want an anointing like so and so.”
(a) But that anointing will never be yours until you have paid the price for it yourself.
B) Turn to ISA 55:1
1) In the Word of God “WATER” represents the Holy Ghost.
(a) In (John 7:38-39) It says, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.” KJV
2) Water refers to the HS.
(a) If you’re thirsty for the anointing, you must go to the WATER and BUY.
(b) The word “BUY” is very significant in (ISA 55).
(i) Isaiah didn’t say, “Come to the water and pick or choose.”
(ii) He said, “BUY.”
(iii) When you BUY something, there has to be an exchange.
(iv) If it’s a soda that you want, there has to be an exchange to get it. In this case it would be money.
(v) You must give up something in order to receive.
(c) You must also “BUY” the anointing.
(i) But no one can buy it for you. NOR can you buy the anointing with money, yet there must be an exchange between you and God.
(d) If you thirst for that anointing bad enough, you will spend hours in fervent prayer, there will be times that you will give up food in fasting and you might have to give up some of your time watching TV, MOVIES, or spending time with friend.
(i) If you really thirst for the anointing you will be willing to give up everything to quench that thirst.
(ii) But it’s worth it, many times over, because that when you’re going to see the power of God working your live, in your job, in your family, in your body, and in your situations.
C) DAVID had that THIRST. PSA 63 1-2
1) David proclaimed that his soul is thirsty for God and his flesh longs to see God’s power manifested as he has seen it in the sanctuary.
(a) He wanted to see the miracles that happened at church happen in his personal life.
(b) That should be your attitude as well.
(i) If that’s you, you would say, “God, I’m so thirsty for what you have that I will rise early every morning to seek it. I will do whatever it takes to receive the fullness of Your anointing. I’ll spend hours in prayer. I’ll give up anything that stands between me and Your power.”
(ii) You might think that sounds extreme, and I’m sure it does to some people, but it all depends how badly you want to know God power and anointing.
(c) When you really want something, you’ll find a way to get it. If you really want it bad enough.
(i) If you really want your own house. You will do what it takes to get it. It might mean work more, save more, cut expenses, both work.
(ii) When you really thirst for something, you’re determined to get it. When I was in football in high school, we had practice in the middle of summer and 1 week in the middle of August we had practice for 6 hours a day.
(a) After practice we were so thirsty that we would go over to a Taco Bell and drink 1 of their 32-oz soda. Then we would go over to a small store, dig in our pockets to find whatever money we had, and buy 1 of their 2 liter beverages and drink it right down.
(b) We were so thirsty, we needed something to drink and nothing was going to stop us from getting it.
(d) You should be the same way about the anointing.
(i) If you really want it nothing is going to keep you from it. You will do what ever it takes. You will pay whatever the price; you’ll seek God for as long as it takes to get it.
(ii) To put forth that kind of effort, you must really thirst for it.
III) All right, maybe you’ve come this far and you say, “Pastor, I’ll pay the price, but where do I begin?”
A) Look at ZECHARIAH 10:1
1) Rain is a symbol of the anointing and outpouring of the Holy Ghost.
(a) He says, “Ask for the rain.”
2) If you do not have the anointing of God operating on your job, ask for it.
(a) If you do not have the anointing of God to get your body healed, ask for it.
(i) (JAMES 4:2) says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.”
(b) We’re told in Zechariah to ask for the anointing in the time of the “LATTER RAIN.”
(i) We’re living in that time.
3) Once you have pressed in to the things of God and your seeking His face, all you have to do is go to God and say, “Lord, give me the anointing. I ask for the rain. Anoint my life.”
(a) If you do this, it will begin to rain on you.
(i) Those showers are the anointing, and all the power and blessings that come with it.
B) Once you have begun to pray and release your faith for the anointing, add action to your faith.
1) Begin to stir things up with THANKSGIVING, PRAISE and TESTIMONY.
(a) (Psalm 92:1) Says, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.” KJV
(b) We’ve seen and heard a lot about singing to the Lord with thanksgiving, praise and worship.
(i) It’s an important part in pressing in to the things of God, and it’s going to stir up that anointing that’s in your life.
2) But giving testimony of what the Lord has done is also going to stir you up.
(a) Look at PSA 77:10-15 (Asaph goes on to the end of the chapter remembering what the Lord has done.)
(i) (Deuteronomy 5:15) Says, “Remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm.” KJV
3) Remember when David was getting ready to fight Goliath?
(a) The 1st thing that David did was to testify. He said, “I killed the Lion, I killed the bear. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1SAM 17:26, 36)
(b) His testimony stirred up the anointing inside him.
4) You can do the same thing.
(a) When you receive a bill that you cannot pay, say, “I paid the light bill. I paid the gas bill. What is this medical bill that it should defy the child of the Living God?”
(b) Or when sickness comes, say, “He healed me of headaches. He healed me of a backache. What is this sickness that it should defy the child of the living God?”
(c) Testimony like that stirs up the anointing. When the anointing is stirred up you have the power to win.
(i) That’s why John said in the book of REV that we “Overcome the Devil with the blood of the Lamb and with the word of our TESTIMONY.” (REV 12:11)
5) So pay the price, ask for the anointing, give thanks and praise to the Lord, stir up the anointing by giving testimony of what the Lord has done, and get ready to overcome.
WOLCC Sunday, August 17, 1997 From Creflo Dollar’s book Understanding God’s purpose for the Anointing Chapter 6