WHAIT IS THE ANOINTING?

DEFINING THE ANOINTING




There are two books for our reference in this teaching series. The first is the book that I have written called “The Anointing of the Holy Spirit.” The second book is “Understanding the Anointing” by Kenneth E. Hagin. We will teach on this subject matter systematically. We will go into practical areas when we talk about tangible anointing. (For this written transcript, references to “The Anointing of the Holy Spirit” will be indicated in italics and denoted by AHS. References to Kenneth E. Hagin’s book, Understanding the Anointing will also be in italics and denoted by UA. - Ed.)

In our first lesson, we are going to touch on defining the anointing. In this teaching series, we hope to cover this subject of the anointing of the Holy Spirit as thoroughly as possible. What we teach would probably go further than what our reference books have touched on. However, we would still recommend that you get hold of the books, if you have not already done so.

We have to define what the anointing is.

The impartation of God’s ability into our lives to do His work is called “the anointing.”

All through the Bible, we read about God calling and anointing people to do His work.

Aaron and his sons were anointed to the priesthood (Ex. 30:30; Lev. 8: 12). Moses had an anointing of God’s Spirit upon him (Num. 11: 17). Joshua had the anointing imparted upon him through the laying on of hands (Deut. 34:9). Saul was anointed to be king (1 Sam. 10: 1). David was anointed to be king (1 Sam. 16: 13). Jesus was anointed to manifest His Messiahship (Acts 10: 38) [AHS]

The word anointing has been used in Old Testament many times even before the New Testament uses it. We see the word anointing in the book of Exodus when it mentioned that Moses anointed the whole tabernacle.

Let’s look at Isa. 61:1The Spirit of the Lord God 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 opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

In Luke 4:10-19, The Lord Jesus quoted this scripture, revealing Himself and the anointing of God’s Spirit upon Him. Now the word anoint in the Hebrew language speaks about a rubbing in and an impartation of oil. In the Old Testament, Moses used oil to anoint that whole tabernacle. Then at a later time, we see how Samuel the prophet took that anointing oil and came to David the son of Jesse and poured it on him. The word anointing in Hebrew speaks of a rubbing and an impartation. Now the anointing can strictly be spoken of as an impartation. Something is transacted. There is an impartation of something. You cannot say, “I received an anointing,” and then you cannot show it. An impartation and transaction have taken place. Something has been given in the supernatural and spiritual realm.

A common Christian cliché is, “God does not look for our ability, but He looks for our availability.” So many people avail themselves to God but He has not given them the ability. They try to do God’s work without the ability, and they don’t succeed. God not only wants our availability, He wants us to receive His ability too. To avail ourselves is one side of the story. The other side is to learn to receive an anointing from Him.

If you know God well enough, He does not give the anointing that easily. He chooses you and tests you before He gives the anointing to come on your life. The anointing is precious. A lot of people cry out for the anointing but fail God’s tests so it never comes on their lives. Many people ask God to anoint them to prosper but they have never proven themselves in every test in their lives and hence block God’s blessings in their lives. Many people desire to do great exploits and miracles in God but they never pass the tests. Hence, the anointing never comes on their lives. Even though God may have a call on your life, the anointing does not come until you pass the test. In other words, the anointing is not automatically given to anyone. The anointing is not something automatic.

Some say, “If God has designed me to be an evangelist, then when the time comes for me to be an evangelist, I will be an evangelist. The evangelistic anointing will drop on me in whatever I do and wherever I am.” I am sorry to say this - it will not happen. People called to be evangelists have lived and died without moving into that office. The anointing to operate in an office or ministry is not automatic. You may be called, chosen, and predestined to function in certain offices and ministries but the anointing is not automatic. Too many people are looking for automatic anointing. There is no such thing. There is a price to pay in order to get the anointing. Even when God has chosen and predestined you, the anointing is so precious that you must be tested before it comes on your life. Therefore, to make ourselves available is only half the story. When we avail ourselves, God tests us until we are ready. O glorious day when that anointing comes.

The anointing that God puts on His servants is such a precious commodity that God expects consecration from His vessel before He puts it upon them. Aaron was told that the anointing he received was so holy that he could not leave the tabernacle for seven days or he will die (Lev. 8:33-35). When a sad event happened in his family, he was not even allowed to cry! (Lev. 10:6) The anointing is holy! [AHS]

Too many people look at the wrong side of anointing. They see the anointing seems so easy on some ministers’ lives. They can quote many stories of men of God whose characters and lives were not up to the mark, how they fell and disgraced the name of Christ. Remember this: before the anointing came on them they paid a price. After it came, they became complacent and slowly lost the anointing. The gifts and calling of God are given without repentance but the anointing to function in these gifts and calling of God can be taken away. Although there is a grace period for such fallen ministers to repent and change, the grace period is not forever. So remember this whenever you hear stories of fallen ministers, don’t think that the anointing is cheap. It is not cheap. It is very expensive, priceless.

Why is it so priceless? The anointing is the supernatural ability of God imparted to human beings. There are many types of anointing as we are going to see in this course. You could be the skinniest tiny little lady but if Samson’s anointing comes on you, you could lift an elephant with just your small finger. It does not mean that when the anointing came on Samson, that he suddenly became like the Incredible Hulk and performed superhuman feats. Samson may look like an ordinary person. He may be muscular but not that muscular like people imagine him to be. All the children’s cartoons I see of Samson shows him about six feet four with muscles bulging up. Every Christian cartoon and video shows Samson as a huge, muscular, and macho man. He may not be that way. The anointing gave him the superhuman strength. He accomplished great victories over the bear, the lion, the foxes, and the Philistines just by the anointing and ability given by God.

How do we know that? When the anointing came on Elijah, he too experienced supernatural strength like that of Samson. Remember in I Kings 18, when he came down from Mount Carmel after slaying the four hundred false prophets, he told King Ahab to rush back to Jezreel because rain is coming. King Ahab started riding in his chariot and suddenly comes this sound. He turned and looked at his commander and asked, “What is that?” The commander replied, “It is Elijah.” Under the anointing, Elijah was running as fast as King Ahab’s chariot. An anointing came on his life. A supernatural ability caused him to do tasks beyond human and physical capabilities.

Many people share stories to show that the anointing is not important. Some key church leaders in Malaysia recently told me after being in the Charismatic movement for the last ten to fifteen years, they have seen too much emphasis being placed on power and anointing. They say that God now wants them to emphasize on character building. Hold it there. God does not want us to emphasis one truth in opposition to the other. Character building has been an emphasis for eons of church ages. Why should we start emphasizing on character building when it should have there all the time? If it was neglected, it does not mean that now is the only time to re-emphasize it. You see it would be very wrong for us to emphasize a truth to the neglect of another truth. We may like hotdogs and French fries but we do not eat hotdogs and French fries all the time.

Now without a doubt, we realize the body of Christ needs to emphasize the development of Christian character. However, let me tell you, if today you put emphasis on character to the neglect of power, in five years time you will regret it. Now you may not see it. Just look at many historic churches that have disregarded the anointing and power for ministry. Many of them are in a poor spiritual state. Their numbers are declining. The Bible puts an equal emphasis on power and love. Some say they want quality and not quantity. They have not been growing for the past forty years. They started with four and now they have three members – the pastor, his wife and their son. Grandpa has just died. They say, “That’s alright; we want quality people.” The only problem we ask is this: What kind of quality are they talking about if that quality does not produce disciples and growth? True quality produces quantity. Their kind of quality is not productive. Thus, it is not a question of either quality or quantity. It is the question of having both quality and quantity. In the same way, we need to have an equal emphasis on character and anointing. We are also going to see that character is crucial to the anointing too. There needs to be an understanding of the supernatural.

Let me tell you there is no way we can reach this world without the power of God or the supernatural. You could emphasize character for the next forty years and you will win only a handful of people to Christ. You just raise up a dead person to life and you can win the whole city for Jesus Christ. Therefore, we cannot neglect power just because now we see so many failings of men and women of God. Remember people have a lop-sided view because they see from the outside and not from God’s view. They do not understand that some of these so-called men or women of God who once upon a time were anointed and later fell did pay a heavy price to get the anointing. Some think that these fallen generals of God got the anointing easily and that is why they failed. That is not the reason. The only reason some men and women of God fall is that they give less time to prayer and the Word. Before a person falls, they start neglecting prayer, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and meditation on the Word. If you keep these tools strong all the time, you are immoveable.

I could name every one of them who have fallen and I can tell you the price they paid to get the anointing. Some of them were proven and tested. Finally, the anointing came and with the anointing, came success. Then they did not have enough Word and prayer in their life. The anointing is costly and a heavy price must be paid before it comes.

Kathryn Kuhlman paid a heavy price. She would turn to Jaime Buckingham many times because he was the one chosen to write her biography. She looked him straight in his eyes with tears running down and said she would have given anything to be just an ordinary country housewife having a nice little farm somewhere with a husband and kids. She said because of God’s call she had given up much.

The anointing is costly and precious. It is God’s supernatural ability that He imparts to His chosen ones who pass the test. That means that God could have a prophecy hanging over your head that may say that you are going to be anointed to be and do something. There are things in life that are free but they are not cheap. They are free because somebody has paid the price. When I speak to many people who are coming up in the ministry, they have this idea that God’s call will come in its own time, in spite and despite of what they do. It will not. God will prove and test and only when one passes His test will the anointing come. What happens if they fail the test? They may live and die without entering and receiving the anointing. The anointing is so important since it makes you what you are. You can have a million people prophesy over you that you are a prophet. They can lay hands on you until they wear off the crown of your head and make you look like Ezekiel but it will not make you a prophet until the actual tangible anointing comes then you are one. You may be predestined to be one but you are not one until the anointing comes and hit you and is imparted into your life. The anointing makes the difference. You could have a call of God to be an evangelist and you are doing all you can to get into that ministry. You could have the best mission board to support you. You could have arranged for twenty sponsors to support you financially and spiritually. You planned, write, begged or borrowed to get a place. You could knock on doors and beg to minister there. If the anointing is not there, you could very well fold your ministry up like an umbrella and be kept aside. What is lacking is the anointing. The anointing makes you what you are in God’s kingdom. It is very dangerous to move into any ministry without an anointing.

Let’s define what an anointing is, what it actually does, and its importance. We realize that all through the Bible the secret behind men achieving great works is the anointing of God upon them. Think about the vast difference the anointing makes. Jesus in His thirty years had the Spirit but did not have the anointing on Him as a Messiah yet. He was called, He was chosen, He was predestined, He was obedient, and none of us could doubt the flawlessness of His life, the integrity of His character or the blamelessness of His walk. None of us could question His life. Yet, in all His thirty years there was not a single miracle. In all His thirty years, there was no impact on the world that He lived in. Can you imagine there are people who want us to believe that all you need to do to impact the world is to be a man of integrity? I know that will affect some people but it is not enough. Think about it the problem that we have for the world to be won to Jesus is not the problem of a lack of integrity or character. Although we have people who have fallen here and there in the kingdom of God, they are only a handful. Many others are faithful. Think about people like Billy Graham. You cannot doubt his integrity. Think about many others who are men and women of character. It does not take character to win the world for Jesus. Jesus lived a blameless life for thirty years and the world around Him did not know about God. Once the anointing of God came upon His life, within a few months the Word of God says His fame was spread abroad. What was the difference? Was His character different? No. He was still having the same character. Was His love different? No. He was still having the same love. Was His integrity different? No. He was still having the same integrity. Was His holiness different? No, He was still having the same holiness. The difference was the anointing had come on His life. When the anointing came, the power was present in His life to impact the world. Just imagine people were talking about winning the whole country to Jesus. We will never succeed in winning nations to Jesus unless we show the power of God and the demonstration of the Spirit of God before their eyes.

It was Jewish law that a son was subject to his parents until he was 30 years old. When Jesus was 30 he sought John the Baptist. John the Baptist was Jesus’ first cousin – their mothers were sisters – but John’s father was a Levite and a high priest in the temple. John inherited this and was the true High priest of Israel at that time. John baptized Jesus and he had the authority to anoint Jesus. God the Father then said, “Behold this is My Son. Today I have begotten Thee.” Some texts say, “Today I have become your Father.” Some say, “In whom I am well pleased.” Nevertheless, the authority of Jesus’ earthly parents according to law was relinquished and Jesus had the fullness of His heavenly Father in Him and on Him. Jesus obeyed the law to its fulfillment.

Can you imagine ten people with amputated limbs growing new arms and legs? Ten million people will come to know the Lord. Imagine the impact that signs and wonders can have. It can only come through the anointing of God. We are not undermining the importance of character. This is a course on the anointing. To maintain that anointing, we need to have godly character and integrity. Deep in the heart of every born again man or woman they know the power of God was the key to change them. For example, a philosopher, an atheist, and a scholar could out argue and out talk everybody. They are skillful in the art of oratory. However, if they see one miracle, they are won to the Lord where one million arguments have failed to convince them. Just one work of God could win that whole person to Jesus. You do not come to God by argument. You confront them with the supernatural. The world’s greatest minds have broken down when they contact the supernatural. When they come over to God’s kingdom, they realize and begin to understand the relationship of God’s love, which they never understood before. The breakthrough point for them to come to God many times is not through some fantastic arguments you give them. They cannot explain the power of God, no matter how brilliant they are. We need to confront the atheism of this world, the unbelief of this world, the technology of this world, the complacency of this generation with the power of God and anointing of God. The anointing breaks the yoke over people’s life. Seeing is important.

The anointing is an impartation of God’s ability. Therefore when it comes there must be a change and difference. A person may not change and differ in personality although they may. There must be a change when the anointing comes. You cannot say that you have received an anointing from God and not be able to affect the people around you. The anointing affects something. There will be a definite change. It depends on the measure we receive. Sometimes it is a lesser measure and sometimes it is a greater measure of the anointing we receive. The anointing effects a change in you so that we could say you are changed to another person. Now if we are without ability but we give our availability to God, and He gives us the ability, isn’t it reasonable to say that there should be something different. See something was added. You came in minus the ability; then the anointing is a plus to you. Something was imparted to you. So, when you walk out there must be a plus there. Something different shows up after the anointing came. Whether it is of a greater or lesser difference, there must be something.

Let’s look at I Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance? When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. But now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you saying, What shall I do about my son? Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will see a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

Notice there was a symbolic anointing where Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it over Saul’s head. Saul was literally drenched with oil. In the Old Testament days, that was how they pour the anointing oil. Psalms 133 tells us the anointing of God was like the oil that flowed down from Aaron’s beard down to the border of his garment. If I were to pour just a little bit of water over you, it wouldn’t even get beyond your eyebrow, let alone reach your beard, if you have one. Now there is plenty of oil flowing all over Aaron. Some men of God try to follow it literally. It is not very practical to do it. Can you imagine if I were to do it with everybody that way? I would have to use gallons of oil. The way the Old Testament folks used plenty of oil was symbolic of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

As Saul went ahead, he saw everything taking place as prophesied by Samuel. People carrying the goat and the wine and then he goes there. Here comes the Spirit of God on him. He turned into another man. What does it mean, “Turned into another man”? What did he become like? When the Bible says, “Turned into another man,” it must be dramatic. Something must have taken place. In other words, Saul was never the same person after the anointing came. The anointing has the power to turn you into a different person. That is why when you move and operate under an anointing you feel like you are a different personality altogether. Kathryn Kuhlman described her experience under an anointing as being out of the body experience. She says she feels like she is just outside and somebody else was speaking through her when the anointing is operating. That is a very high level of anointing of God. The anointing is like another part of a personality taking you over so that literally when you yield to it, you could be like a different person. Now the anointing does not force us but we have to yield to it. If you really yield to that anointing, you are like a different person. What happened in the yielded stage was his first experience. Saul yielded to it and he was a different person.

Now the next statement made by Samuel is important. Verse 7 And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. This is a powerful thing about the anointing of God. When the anointing of God is over your life there are things that you say and do that carries the weight of God’s power that you may not even be worthy of. Remember when God’s ability is working through your life, you may do things you would normally never do or is foreign to your character. Some people think that the anointing will work with your personality. It may be different from your personality. I am not talking about a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde where both the good and evil force resides in one person. It can seem like two different personalities. As we go through this course, we need to learn how to harmonize the two personalities together and let it flow as one. It can be like having two personalities. You could be a soft-spoken lady but when the anointing comes upon you, you preach like a machine gun. People do not understand the impact the anointing can have on your personality. You could be different when the anointing is upon you. It could turn you into another man or another woman.

Now Saul’s problem was his inferiority complex. In spite of his big size, he felt as inferior as a tiny little kitten. When he met Samuel and Samuel said, “God has chosen you,” the first thing Saul said is, “Who am I? Who is my father’s house? I come from the smallest family of the smallest tribe.” He was just a little kitten. As we study through this course, we will find certain men in the Bible who do not know how to conform their personality to their anointing. The anointing and the personality will appear to be diametrically opposing. Samson was a powerful man under the anointing but when the anointing is not there, he was easily influenced, easily falling for women because he did not know how to rein his personality and subject it to his anointing.

The anointing is the supernatural ability imparted by God to a yielded human vessel to perform His task. When the impartation comes, we need to understand the change that is involved. It could change you to a totally different person. We sometimes experience the difference between our spirit and our soul. Good thoughts and bad thoughts struggle inside us and we have to make a choice in God. As you mature in God, you keep making the right choices.

Now the anointing is like another factor working inside you, speaking to you, influencing your life, when it comes upon your life. It’s a tremendous factor that can influence your life. It is sometimes like another person’s voice speaking in you. The anointing depends on the degree your personality yields to the Holy Spirit. In order to convey the strength of it but not to in any way degrade the value of the personality of the Holy Spirit, I will use the negative illustration. Sometimes you got to use a stronger illustration to give people the impact and understanding.

When demons possess or attach themselves to persons, they begin to manifest their personalities. If a person is perfectly normal and a deaf and dumb spirit gets into this person, that person becomes deaf and dumb. If a person is bold in the natural but the spirit of fear attaches itself to that person, that person becomes a timid and fearful coward. Now not all fear comes from evil spirits. There is a human and emotional aspect of fear. Some sicknesses are demonic in origin but some are organic. When a demon spirit possesses a person, the degree it possesses a person will be the degree it manifests its demonic and evil nature. In other words, let’s says a spirit of fear or a spirit of suicide comes on a person. At first the person experiences an oppression of his mind and emotions only. Under oppression, a person only has those thoughts occasionally. So occasionally, they have a strong feeling to commit suicide. They do not want to commit suicide so they resist the thoughts. Occasionally, the suicidal thoughts come back again. When the spirit gets into a person and literally possesses a person, within twenty-four hours that person will be trying to kill him or herself. This is what we call total possession. Possession can be in different degrees.

What is the positive illustration? The anointing is the Spirit of God, with due respect to Him, “possessing you.” His personality is so powerful that He could possess you until you become an extension of His being. Stephen was described as being full of wisdom in Acts 6:5 whereas Jesus was described as coming in the power of the Spirit in Luke 4: 14. So, the anointing is actually the Spirit possessing us. Think about that – it is powerful. The anointing is not just a sword He gives you and then you go and fight. No, it’s the Spirit all over you, and possessing you. You are carried by the flow of the Spirit. Just flow along with the Spirit of God. Just be carried by the tidal waves of the Spirit of God. Just go along with that.

Now from time to time, Saul flowed into that. In one of his first good things that he did after he was proclaimed king in I Samuel 11:4 So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept. Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field, and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused.

That was not the ordinary Saul. Remember under normal circumstances, he was just a timid guy always looking down on himself. He did not want to be in the limelight. The Spirit of God came on him, and the Bible even uses the word, his anger was greatly aroused. That is a very natural comparison. An angry person does things he normally would not do. If someone videotaped you during your moments of anger and you replay it later, you would be so ashamed. O my, I was like an animal. We realize that under anger people do funny things that are completely out of sync with their personality. When the Spirit of God came on Saul, he began to show traits out of character with his personality. He made the decision under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Now demonic possession is different. Demonic possession eradicates your free will and subjugates it all together. Holy Spirit possession gives you freedom. That’s what I like in 1 Samuel 10:6-7, “Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.

When the anointing is on your life, you are sort of possessed by the Holy Spirit. To a certain degree, you could pray for people. Although the Spirit of God possesses us, our free will is intact. Let’s say you are ministering under an anointing and there are some persons waiting to be ministered. God gives you some free choice. We are going to talk about some specific instructions that He may give at times. Sometimes He does not give you specific instructions. Even if He tells you to lay hands on the people, there are many styles of placing hands on people, like by placing your palms firmly on a person’s head, or placing it on the person’s shoulder. Either way, the anointing still works.

Sometimes God does not give you any instruction and that gives you some freedom to move according to a style comfortable to you. When the anointing of the Spirit of God is there whether you shout or speak softly, it works any way. That is an interesting part about God’s anointing. When you are possessed with the anointing of God, you are given certain liberty. Here is where we have to be careful about passing judgments on some ministers’ styles of ministering under the anointing. Some may be flamboyant and may take their coats off and wave them at people and they start falling left and right. Some may be stiff, glued to the pulpit, speak in a monotonous tone and are downright boring. In either extreme of personal styles, if the anointing is there on their lives, they will still do God’s work. Within the liberty is what I call personal preferences and personal styles. What happen if people do not differentiate between the personal style and preferences and the actual anointing? Many people think that when the anointing comes on a man of God, they become robotic - that every move and word they make or say is God. No, it is not so. A certain amount of liberty is given to you to channel the anointing of God.

When a demon possesses a person, there is no more free will. When the Spirit of God and the anointing of God rise within your life, you have a certain amount of free will or movement within a certain boundary. A certain freedom is given to you to move within the framework of the anointing.

However, there may be some specific commands He gives. My soft-spoken nature would make it difficult for me to obey if the Holy Spirit gives me a hard command. I remember once the Spirit told me to hit a person’s stomach three times. The phrase “hit the stomach” three times could be interpreted differently. If you were a boxer like Mike Tyson, you could punch that person three times but you had better be sure that you are under the anointing. Otherwise, you may be sued for ministerial abuse and be thrown into prison. “Hit the stomach” could mean hitting with an open palm. Within His instruction is a framework you could move about.

His instruction sometimes makes you function beyond your personality. The Holy Spirit does not limit to just your personality but beyond your personality. Sometimes He tells you to shout. It may not be your nature to shout but then you have to shout because He tells you to shout. For some other people they are just looking for the time to shout. Their personality is rather loud and glitzy and they would love to shout anytime. However, the Spirit of God may tell them to whisper, which is foreign to their personality. Is that possible? Yes. The Lord told Moses to take the rod and hit the rock. He hit the rock and the water came out. Then the next round the Lord told Moses to speak to the rock. Moses hit the rock instead and the Lord said, “Alright, no Promise Land for you.”

The anointing can transform our personality altogether when it comes upon us. That is the impact of God’s anointing. That is what the anointing does. We are defining what the anointing does to our life. The anointing will change us to be like a different person. When you have the anointing on your life and you learn to flow with it, you have the potential to become a totally different person. The anointing need not change your personality but it can. You could flow into it so much so that the anointing becomes your nature and you become part of the anointing. If you do not flow along with the anointing, your natural personality and the personality that comes with the anointing of God may be so diametrically opposed that you will look like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and you would feel like one too.

In case you have not read Robert L. Stephenson’s novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, let me digress here. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one and the same person. However, he had two different personalities: the outside world saw a serious hard-working doctor known as Dr. Jekyll, but there was also a fun-loving, young man in him known as Mr. Hyde. He wanted to find a drug that could give each side of his character its own separate face and body. So, he mixed a liquid and drank it. In the beginning, he enjoyed the strange new thoughts and passions, but as time passed, Hyde became more and more evil and stronger than Dr Jekyll. He needed larger doses in order to stay in Jekyll's body. Eventually the chemicals he used were no longer prepared, and so Mr. Hyde committed suicide and sent Jekyll off his body.

There was once a well-known healing evangelist in the US who had problems with alcoholism. Outside of the anointing, he was an alcoholic but under the anointing, he was a powerful evangelist and faith healer. During the service, he would sit in his chair drunk. When it was time for ministering, he would get up and start ministering powerfully under the anointing. After the service is over, he would get back into his inebriated state. It is quite possible for a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ministry because such ministers have not learned to harmonize the two natures in them. On one hand, they desire to serve God but on the other hand, they have not died to their flesh. They may have paid the price to secure some levels of anointing by earnest and constant praying and fasting. However, they have not taken care to uproot strongholds from their flesh. In the weaker and unguarded moments of their private lives, they give in to their strongholds and indulge in secret sins.

We are showing the impact and power of the anointing that God gives. The anointing that comes is so powerful you can even feel like separate personality that God gives to you to be a part of your life. Notice here in I Sam. 10:6 again and I want to emphasize the fact Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands, for God is with you. You do as the occasion demands for God is with you. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you are turned into another man. There is the possibility of taking a different personality, different thought pattern, different emotions as if a new personality is added to you.

That is why under an anointing you can feel God’s emotion to a certain extent. Like for example under the anointing you could sometimes feel a greater special love for people. Outside of the anointing, you do not feel as much. This is what Kathryn Kuhlman said in her biography, “A Glimpse of Glory.” When she is under the anointing and she sees a sick person like a sick child the feeling inside her is so immense that she feels like she could give her life so that this child could live and she dies. That is not a natural human emotion. There is something else coming out now through the being of a person.

We have to look at the negative side when a demon possesses a person to really understand what makes a person a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You could be a respected professional by day and a shadowy underworld figure by night. You could be an angel in church but a devil at home. What causes this? The demon. The demon literally gives the person a different personality and a different set of emotion.

Now seeing that in the negative, let’s understand the positive side. The anointing is such that it actually has the potential to change you if you keep flowing in it long enough. It is like a habit is formed if you keep repeating the action for a long time. If you keep yielding to a certain characteristic of the anointing, it can become a part of your life and change and transform you. I have seen through the past years as I slowly yield to one type of anointing after another that my personality is totally different from where I was before. People who had seen me in action when I first started tell me I am completely different today. When I started ministering, I was different from today. In those days when I preach, people would stare at me. I would preach on repentance, hell and judgment. I would point out the people’s faults and sins. That was probably why they stared at me. Either they were seething with anger in their heart or else, they were mentally scrutinizing my life to see whether I had the same faults and sins I was preaching against. Somehow, when the pastoral anointing came over my life and when I preach, people do not stare any more. I began to develop an understanding why people has failings and faults and began to teach the Word as an antidote and solution to their problems. Somehow, as you grow older in the ministry, you find that you grapple with some of your own difficulties that also plague your congregation. I have changed, not the people. Now when I preach, the people laugh. At least laughing is better than staring. I do not prepare jokes purposely to be a comedian and entertainer. No, I prepare my sermons but I do not prepare the jokes. It just comes out naturally in the course of my preaching. When God gives you an anointing, He literally wants to become a part of your nature through time. In the end, you personify the message and the message is preached through your life. You and the message are one and the same. That is the wonderful part of the anointing.

It would be just like one of David’s mighty men who fought until his hand cleaved to the sword. He fought so hard and so long that he and the sword were like one. That is what happens when the anointing changes your personality. I have seen how the anointing can change a very introvert guy into an extrovert. I was an introvert before. Even my personality has changed. In those days, if I were to sit in a house meeting where there were many people around, if you want to talk to me, you will have to come to me. I was too shy to make the first move. Now it is different. I do not even make myself do it. It comes naturally. When I see a person I would start a conversation and get to know that person. If somebody is alone with no one to talk to, I would go to that person.

That gives us hope. Many have a wrong picture of the anointing. We always think that the anointing has to flow with our personality. It does not have to. Our anointing may be an indication of our personality but it does not have to because the anointing has the power to turn us into another person. When it does, we still have our personality and we have to differentiate the two.

There may appear to be a little contradiction here but it is not. In the book of I Sam. 10:6-7 it says here, And then the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.

Notice in 1 Samuel 13:8-9 Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me,” And he offered the burnt offering. However, God did not approve Saul’s offering.

My question is, “Why is it that I Sam.10:7 Saul was told to ‘do as the occasion demands’ and here he did whatever the occasion demanded at that time and it was considered a wrong thing?” Saul waited seven days for Samuel to show up and there was supposed to be a sacrifice before they go to war. He did as the occasion demands. He made the sacrifice. He did everything possible to help the situation. When Samuel came after Saul made his sacrifice, he gave him a strong rebuke. Why was it not possible for Saul to make that sacrifice when I Sam. 10:7 gave him the allowance for that?

There are two differences. I Sam.10:7 is qualified by verse 6. Only when the anointing comes you do as the occasion demands. If the anointing does not come and you do what the occasion demands, then it is not of God.

The second thing is the anointing never contradicts the written law and the written Word. The written law the Word of God in Saul’s time did not permit him as a king to offer sacrifices. Even though I Sam. 10: 7 says to “do as the occasion demands,” it takes for granted that you understand that it is within the context of the Word. Doing as the occasion demands does not mean that you go against the written Word.

Just like some people read Mark 11: 24, Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. What happens if someone asks for the wrong things that are against God’s Word? It takes for granted that you understand the fact that your prayer must be based upon the Word. If you do things contradictory to the Word, your prayer is completely cancelled out. The “do as the occasion demands” is not automatically operative in all situations.

Saul failed to recognize two factors. He failed to recognize that he must wait for the anointing to come upon him; and he failed to realize that the anointing does not give you permission to contradict God’s Word. In other words, if the anointing is on your life and if you are a man it does not give you permission to lay hands on a woman’s sensitive parts. If you are a woman, it does not give you permission to lay hands on any part of a man that would embarrass him. Having the anointing does not give you the license to contradict the Word. You cannot give an excuse that you were operating under the anointing of God. The anointing will change your personality and you have certain liberty to operate a certain context. There are boundaries set by the written Word.

Secondly, the anointing must come. If the anointing does not come, it will make no effect. When the anointing is not there and people are not falling under the power, some ministers deliberately push the people down. I have been in the ministry long enough to know when a person is pushing where the average person do not know. There are many skills of pushing people down. Normally when the anointing has not come yet, Kathryn Kuhlman would not minister. Some people say she is long winded but she cannot help it because if the anointing does not come, she cannot do anything.

However, if you read her biography, you would find that towards the end of her ministry, her anointing seems to have stopped and in her services, she started pushing people down. Her biographer, Jaime Buckingham felt sorry for her in her latter services when he too saw that the anointing has already stopped. He stepped forward to be ministered by her and fell deliberately on the floor - not under the anointing but to save her face, so to speak. Kathryn Kuhlman also suffered from cancer and despite many anointed men and women of God praying over her, she was not healed. A recent report from a visit to heaven clarified this matter. Some Christians from a local church had made a study trip to heaven under the direction of the Holy Spirit. One of them spoke to Kathryn Kuhlman and she said the reason why the anointing stopped towards the end of her life and ministry was because God wanted her to retire and spend her remaining years with Him. However, she still insisted on serving God despite the anointing being stopped. When she persisted in her willfulness, the Lord had to allow cancer to afflict her in order to slow her down. That was why she was not healed, despite being visited by so many anointed men and women of God. God is always gracious to His servants. After laboring so many years for Him, God may grant a period of rest to His servants to spend time with Him before they depart from this earth. However, some do not take heed to God’s desires and in the end, are afflicted with sicknesses and diseases.

Kenneth E. Hagin has a very interesting insight in his book, Understanding the Anointing. He quotes Isaiah 10: 27, And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed BECAUSE OF THE ANOINTING.

Sometimes we turn that phrase around and say, “It’s the anointing that destroys (or breaks) the yoke.” That’s saying absolutely the same thing: The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

This is true in our lives and ministries as well: The yoke of sickness or anything else that the devil tries to put on us will be destroyed because of the anointing. [UA]

In Kathryn Kuhlman’s case, the anointing was lifted up in her latter years to enable to take a rest from her ministry. Unfortunately, she did not heed the Lord’s request, and the enemy took advantage of the situation by placing some sickness upon her. As the anointing was already lifted up from her, there was no more anointing to break the yoke of sickness upon her.

William Branham can preach a sermon but he had to wait for the angel of God, before he could minister. The angel of God is the manifestation of his anointing on his life. I saw a film of him in one of his services. After he preached, he walked up and down the stage waiting for the angel of God to come. For several minutes, he kept everybody waiting. Why, because he was waiting for the manifestation of the anointing. For him the anointing was the manifestation of an angel. You can only do as the occasion demands when the Spirit has come. If the Spirit does not come, do not try to fake it. So many men of God sometimes do as occasion demands when the Spirit did not show up yet. It looks like they are creating an impact but it is a big bluff. If you have about thirty guys lining up there for you to minister, you could start praying over them one by one. The problem is the anointing only came over you when you reached the fifth or sixth guy. Then people started falling under the power. However, the first few people you pushed down will get disappointed with you.

The funny thing is the response of people. You can fool those who cannot sense the anointing. However, you cannot fool me since I am familiar with the anointing. Whether people fall or not is not the criteria. You could push two hundred people down but if the anointing is not there, it is not there. What happens is this. That is what I call the law of percentages. If you push down the first four persons, the rest will become more yielded. They become more expectant. It helps them but did not help the first four. The general audience does not see the things that are going on. When they see people falling, their faith level rises. So, the “skilful” minister pushes the first ten percent down in order to get the ninety percent to believe. This is not the way. Some people stand so close to you that you just want to go backward. Anyway, this is not the way that God wants you to minister. I mean if they fall praise the Lord. If they do not fall, also praise the Lord. They will receive if there is an anointing there. I know it when the anointing is coming upon me. I know the anointing comes on people even though they did not fall but their tears were running down. They know something has come on them. For some it may take some time before they fall.

So we are talking about this anointing of God and how it flows. If its not there you cannot do what the occasion demands. In I Sam. 10 verse 6, And then the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon you qualifies verse 7, do as the occasion demands. Only when the Holy Spirit comes, then you do what the occasion demands. Let me tell you, you realize in I Sam. 11 Saul did what the occasion demands even though he was in a fit of anger. Why because the Spirit of God was on him. That makes the difference. Whether he was in perfect or imperfect state of emotion, still the anointing took place. In I Sam. 11:6-7 Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. That tells me the rest of the things he did had some anger involved. Now the Spirit of God was on him that was O.K. but the anger part I am not sure about it. I do not think it is quite O.K. Yet in spite of that God still works. God works in spite of the anger that Saul had.

It was the same way with Samson. Samson did certain things that were not from the Lord but when the Spirit of God came upon him, he was able to work mighty exploits. When the Spirit of God comes upon you, there will be some blessings coming forth. You can be sure of that. That is why some people do not understand about the anointing of God and they would think that a person really had to be that perfect before he can receive something. No, as long as there is a genuine anointing upon you, you can receive something from God. You can receive what the anointing came to do and to bring.

Demonstration of the Anointing

The following types of anointing were demonstrated in another church service by another pastor but this verbatim report is added here to expand on the above teaching (Ed.).

Spill Over Anointing

After the pastor has given his teaching, he told an elder sitting in the front pew to stand up. He said, “This brother here has been sitting in front here throughout the service. Unknown to him, he was absorbing the anointing that is present on me. This is called the spilt over anointing. This anointing won’t last long.” He then called a man who had persistent coughing to come up and touch the elder. Straightaway, the man with the persistent cough was slain. When he got up, he found that his throat has returned to normal and has no more irritations.

“That is why some people attend some Christian conferences and were imparted some anointing by the anointed minister of God. They come back to their churches and they operate in the anointing for about six months or so. After that, their anointing wane and they are back to their former selves. Actually, what happened is that these ministers did not know how to maintain their anointing by faithfulness in their communion with the Holy Spirit and in their prayer life. “

“In the end times, there will be an accelerated mountain of anointing on chosen vessels. God will take the anointing on these chosen vessels and transmit it to their co-workers during the service. They will then multiply the work all over the place during the service.”

“To be able to absorb such an anointing upon a chosen vessel, make sure that the power is first on them. It is not only a matter of faith, but you have to make sure that there is a source of power in that vessel. Never try to build your faith on the Word by your mind, but let the Holy Spirit reveal the truth to you. Do not overemphasize the act of stepping out in faith when you know that there is no anointing on that particular minister. If there is no anointing on a particular minister, there is no point stepping out in faith to absorb any anointing from him or her. You will get nothing.”

“How do we touch the source of power? You must observe the ways of God.”

Anointing Upon an Object

Pastor now touched the mike to transmit the anointing onto it. He selected five persons in the congregation who have coughing problems and told them to prepare themselves spiritually by asking for forgiveness and for grace. Each of them goes to the mike and holds it. They reacted as if they were experiencing some electric shock and were slain in the Spirit. When they got up, they found their coughs gone. Later, many others who wanted healing for their coughs too lined up, touched the mike, and were healed too.

Pastor commented, “The point is this: the healing is done by the anointing and not by the human vessel. The anointing can be on the human vessel and it can be on any material thing. If you want to receive such an anointing from God, you must prepare yourself. God is faithful and He will bless you accordingly. Some ways of transmitting this kind of anointing have been declared in the Word. For example, the woman with the issue of blood had the wisdom to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. She touched the source of power. However, some ways are not declared in the Word. I will show you.”

Pastor then stood on a red mat for a while and then walked away. He then asked two men to stand on the mat, one by one, and as they stood, they manifested violently and the demons left them.

Pastor then stood again on the red mat and increased the anointing on the mat. He said. “This anointing on this mat will make you paralyzed like a statue.” He then called two men and one woman to stand on the mat. As each one of them stood on the mat, they suddenly froze and became like statues. The elders lifted one by one like they were carrying statues and laid them on the floor. When the pastor clapped his hands, they came out of their frozen state and became normal. After that, they were trembling and crying because of the fear that they may not come out of the frozen state.

“In the end times, the Lord will release a special anointing for protection over His chosen vessels. People may come in numbers to attack these chosen vessels, but when they get near to them, they would be frozen on the spot. Their friends and relatives would have to carry them away like they were carrying statues. It would be a matter of weeks or days before they die. The only person who could release them from their frozen state would be the chosen vessel that they tried to attack. If he comes and prays over them, they would be healed. If he chooses not to come, these people would perish.”

“These types of anointing that the Holy Spirit is revealing to you will become the norm for the chosen vessels that the Lord is preparing and raising up in secret. What can hinder you from flowing in such anointing will be the man-inspired teachings and doctrines of your past. The devil will use the wrong teachings implanted in your mind as certification to block these types of anointing from flowing in your life and ministry. The Holy Spirit takes time to undo the wrong teachings in your mind and heart. If you do not give time to the Holy Spirit to teach you now, your mind and heart will be a major block to these new types of anointing that the Holy Spirit has prepared for the end times. The second blockage to the anointing is sin in your life. The third is when you are not prepared properly and spiritually. The fourth blockage will be an external one and will come from your loved ones, like your spouses. The fifth blockage is the wrong attitudes in your spirit and it is not easy for the Holy Spirit to undo if you are not willing to change. The devil will bombard you by reminding you of this scripture and that scripture and this teaching and that teaching in order to prevent these new types of anointing to flow in your life. If you do not have the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth about these scriptures and teachings, the twisted interpretation and deception given by the devil and his agents will hinder you.

Stationary and Flowing Anointing

“We must also observe the flow of the anointing. Sometimes the anointing does not flow and nothing will happen, even though the anointing is present on a vessel or on an object.”

Pastor touched the pulpit and says, “I have transmitted the anointing onto this pulpit but the anointing is not flowing. It is stationery.” He called a woman to come forward to touch the pulpit. Nothing happened.

Now he touches the pulpit again and says, “The anointing is now flowing. This anointing has the spirit of joy.” The same woman comes up and touches the pulpit. She started laughing hysterically in the Spirit.

“You not only have to be sensitive to the anointing but you also have to be sensitive whether the anointing is flowing or not. If the anointing is not flowing, you cannot do anything. You have to wait until the anointing begins to move, and then you act accordingly as the Holy Spirit directs you. There is such a thing as a stationary anointing and a flowing anointing in the same service.”

“Now the Holy Spirit wants to move the anointing of the Spirit of joy over the congregation. Those on the right side of the aisle raise your hands.” The people on the right side of the aisle raised their hands, and as soon as pastor waved his right hand over them, they burst out laughing.

“Those with pain in your hands also raise your hands.” When they raised their hands, they went into coughing. Later, many came to the mike to testify of healing of various pain in their hands, like bone ache, arthritis, joint pain, muscle pull, etc.

Power Shot Anointing

“This anointing is very powerful. It will be like receiving a cannonball in the stomach and you will be flung behind for several feet.” Pastor then called out Andrew and told him to prepare himself, ask for forgiveness and grace. Andrew then stood in the middle of the aisle about twenty feet away from pastor. The pastor pointed his finger at Andrew, and Andrew let out a scream and was flung several feet down the aisle before collapsing on the floor. “This power shot anointing is for blasting away very deep-rooted strongholds or strong demonic presence in an instant. What would have taken several praying over sessions before a person experiences complete deliverance can be done in an instant with this power shot anointing.”

Anointing Through the Vessel’s Eyes

“Demons screamed when they saw the Lord Jesus Christ because the anointing was flowing from Him.” Pastor then called out a woman to the front. Then he asked her to quickly look into his eyes. She screamed and fell to the floor. When she got up, she went to the mike and told the congregation, “When I looked into pastor’s eyes, I saw they were like balls of fire. Some bright laser light shot out from his eyes and entered into my body and I saw some black shadow leaving me.”

Pastor then told the congregation, “When I say, ‘Look at me,’ look at my eyes immediately.” After pausing for a few seconds, he looked up and said, “Look at me.” Everyone in the congregation quickly looked at his eyes and started to cough violently and many demons were expelled from them.


Anointing Through Cloth

Pastor then asked for a white piece of cloth and wrapped himself with it. He took it out and asked for anyone in the congregation who wants deliverance to come forward. Those who came forward and wrapped the white cloth around themselves manifested violently and experienced deliverance.

Breathing Anointing

“God breathed the Spirit into Adam. The breath of God blew over the valley of dry bones, and it became a mighty army. Jesus also breathed the Spirit into His disciples. There is a breathing anointing too. I will breathe the Spirit of joy into this pot of flowers.” He called out some people to come forward and breathe in from the pot of flowers. When they breathe in, they burst out laughing. Pastor said, “The more you breathe in, the more Spirit of joy you will get.” They breathe in even more and burst out laughing hysterically. Everyone in the congregation also laughed. “God can breathe into you, or into material things.”

Transmitted Anointing

“This anointing is a very high level anointing. You can pray for people thousands of miles away and God can touch them.” Pastor then tells the woman monitoring the P. A. system in the room at the back of the hall to get ready. He said, “I am going to touch this pulpit here in front, and the anointing is going to bounce onto the lady in the P.A. system room at the back.” He touched the pulpit, and the woman in the P.A system room screamed and fell on the floor. The congregation caught the whole action on the TV sets placed at various points of the church hall.