The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound – Isaiah 61:1
Before His coming on the day of Pentecost in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was referred to as the Spirit of the Lord in the Old Testament. Christianity as a whole would be very boring, and a display of powerlessness without His ministry in the life of the believer. If Christ, who is God couldn’t do without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit while on earth (as a man); how much more do we need His empowerment today to serve the purpose of God in our generation. The prophet Isaiah speaking allegorically about Christ the Messiah affirmed the release of the Spirit upon Him for Kingdom exploits. He was not ashamed to make bold that the Spirit of the Lord upon Him was the key to the great works He did while on earth. Christ was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Luke 4:17-21).
Christ has done His part and left us an example to follow, this Scripture finds relevance and fulfillment in our lives today as we yield totally to Him. We are assured that “For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself” – Acts 2:39. Call upon Him today, and He’ll come upon you in the fullness of His power.
In this first part of the article, we will examine two purposes the anointing is meant to fulfill in the life of the carrier.
To Preach The Good Tidings
To be anointed is to be filled or empowered by the Spirit of God to do good and great works (Acts 10:38). In Isaiah 61, the prophet clearly spelt out the purpose of the anointing. It is clear from the above passage that the anointing is not for showmanship or self-gratification but, first, for the purpose of preaching the gospel to the poor. The poor here symbolize a dying world in dire need of the gospel. If the anointing we received is only deployed in Church service on Sundays, then it’s an underutilization of the anointing. This anointing is to be in operation every day and everywhere God positions us – home, neighbourhood, market, office, school, etc. There are sinners in need of the Saviour all around you and you can’t afford to look away; that’s what the anointing is meant for. It is for their salvation! So arise today, and deploy the anointing towards the salvation of the unsaved.
It is clear from the above passage that the anointing is not for showmanship or self-gratification but, first, for the purpose of preaching the gospel to the poor.
To Heal The Brokenhearted
As we carefully look at the reasons why God bestows the anointing upon His children, we must remember that the world is full of breaking news that leaves many heartbroken. Each day greets men with cases of war, famine, natural disasters, terrorism, kidnapping, accidents, and a host of other heart-wrenching issues. As children of the Kingdom, we’ve been given the anointing to heal and bind up the broken hearts of men. Healing is a core function of the anointing; whether healing of the spirit, soul, or body – the anointing is capable of healing and lifting men from the dungeon of depression and anxiety.
As you go about your work and business on a daily basis, God expects you to bring healing to a world battered with so much trouble.
As you go about your work and business on a daily basis, God expects you to bring healing to a world battered with so much trouble. You can administer this healing by speaking words of hope to the hopeless by the Word of God. You can stand in the gap in intercession for nations and regions devastated by terrorism, natural disasters, crisis, and all forms of predicaments. Finally, you can also show love by reaching out to the destitute with this world’s goods. By so doing, you will have fulfilled the second mandate of the anointing – to heal the brokenhearted. Shalom!
World Changers Magazine 