When God Appoints You, He Anoints You
By Rick Warren
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV).
God never asks you to do something without providing what you need to do it. Anointing is a sign of God’s equipping you to fulfill an assignment he’s given you. When he gives you an assignment, a plan, or a strategy, he is going to empower you.
Just as a lamp won’t shine unless it’s plugged in, your light won’t shine unless you’re plugged into your power source. You cannot fulfill the purpose you were created for apart from the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV).
If you want God’s power to work through your life, you need to understand what it means to have his anointing and keep a few things in mind.
1. When God says to do it, you can count on his anointing. Jesus’ last assignment to his disciples was impossible. There was no way they could possibly take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. It could only happen through his power. God will often give you an assignment that looks physically impossible, but he will make it possible.
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV).
2. God’s anointing makes difficult tasks easier.Your resources are limited. Your energy is limited. Your knowledge is limited. Your wisdom is limited. Your talent is limited. God’s is not. With God’s anointing, you can handle things better, last longer, and go farther.
“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources [God] will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit” (Ephesians 3:16 NLT).
3. God’s anointing makes the impossible possible. In your business, marriage, health, and relationships, you’re going to come up against insurmountable problems. God is a competent Father. He can handle any problem you give him. Nothing is beyond his ability or his resources.
“What is impossible for people is possible with God” (Luke 18:27 NIV).
4. God anoints your life to bless others. Jesus came to comfort the afflicted, the broken-hearted, those who are enslaved to habits, those who don’t know how to get out of debt, and those who are blind. And he anoints you to comfort others as well.
“Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him” (Acts 10:38 The Message).
5. For every new challenge, you need fresh power from God. Anointing by the Holy Spirit cannot be stored up. You cannot handle today’s problems with yesterday’s anointing. You certainly can’t handle the problems you’re going to have tomorrow, next week, and next year with yesterday’s anointing. Stay in touch with God so that he can constantly fill you with his grace, love, and power. Ask for God’s anointing again. James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask God” (NIV).
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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