THE ANOINTING TO LEAD
INTRODUCTION
1 Samuel 10:1 - Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head. And he kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you over His inheritance as ruler?
The Father wants Christian leaders to be successful and to impact our world for His Kingdom. The question is, how can you (I) be that kind of leader? Of course, knowing practical areas and general leadership skills will help you become a successful leader.
However, the most important thing for Christian leaders is to be anointed by the Holy Spirit.
"Without the anointing of God, nobody can reach the full potential of their leadership, and no leader can have the maximum impact that God would desire."
In this post, we will look at the anointing for leadership and what that means. I will give a brief definition of the anointing, some of the various examples of anointing found in the Bible, and then some further thoughts regarding the leader's anointing.
ANOINTING – WHAT DOES IT MEAN
To "anoint" means to dedicate or consecrate someone or something by applying oil. Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.
JESUS, OUR EXAMPLE – THE ANOINTED ONE
The name "Christ" in the Greek language means "the anointed one." Jesus introduced His earthly ministry by proclaiming: Luke 4:18-19 - “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
"We need always to remember if Jesus needed to be anointed to minister, then how much more essential is the anointing necessary in our lives and especially for those in leadership."
THE PRIESTS ANOINTING: HOLINESS
Christian leaders need to experience the priestly anointing. We can read about this in Exodus 29 and 30 and Leviticus 8. The priestly anointing was for holiness, being set apart to God for His service by right living and behavior.
As a leader, we must experience the priestly anointing of holiness and be set apart for the service and purposes of God. This requires us to live in harmony with His leading and His Word, which will mean that there may be things you cannot do because of the holiness of your position as a leader.
THE LEADERS ANOINTING: POSITION AND POWER
Another type of anointing found in the Old Testament is the leader's anointing. It was an anointing for those who would guide God's people as leaders, such as kings, prophets, captains, etc. The leader's anointing established a leader's God-placed position and gave him the power to fulfill the role.
Example: The anointing of Saul was to the position of captain over God's people.
1 Samuel 10:1 - Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head. And he kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you over His inheritance as ruler?
Example: The anointing of David as King. This passage makes it clear that the power of the Lord came upon David because of the anointing:
1 Samuel 16:12-13 - So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy with beautiful eyes and a good appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came on David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
The anointing of leadership was to impart the position, power, and authority of the office. With this anointing, God's Spirit comes upon a person so he can properly lead God's people.
The New Testament anointing of leadership is described in Ephesians 4:11-12 - He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service, and for the building up of the body of Christ,
God has anointed certain people to be leaders in the Church and has provided the anointing of power to equip them to fulfill their callings and carry out His purpose.
THE ANOINTING IS FROM GOD
The anointings mentioned above were symbolic of what the leaders must experience, and all come from God. This is not something that comes from within one’s desires; this is not a position or title resulting from self-appointment. God is the one who establishes and anoints for leadership.
When Samuel anointed Saul, he said, "Has not the Lord anointed you..." (I Samuel 10:1; 15:17).
When Jesus proclaimed His anointing, He said "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me" (Luke 4:18)
"It is God who calls and raises the anointed leader."
THE BASIS FOR ANOINTING
God does not anoint based on intelligence, education, experience, or abilities. Natural skills are important, but again that is not the basis for anointing. The anointing is not based on outward appearance. It is founded upon the attitude of the heart.
When Samuel went to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king, he was looking for a man with a great outward appearance. 1 Samuel 16:7 - But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees. For man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Notice what God says about David. Acts 13:22 - When He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified, saying, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will fulfill My entire will.’
"God is looking for leaders who are after His own heart
and who will fulfill His entire will."
PURPOSES OF THE LEADERS ANOINTING
Please note, this is not an exhaustive list.
ANOINTING TO FULFILL THE PURPOSES OF GOD
The anointing is given to leaders to enable them to fulfill God's purposes. Jesus made this quite clear in Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
ANOINTING TO GIVE THE WISDOM TO LEAD
The anointing of leadership gives you the wisdom to lead others. 1 John 2:27 - But the anointing which you have received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. For as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and just as it has taught you, remain in Him.
ANOINTING TO DESTROY THE YOKES THAT BIND PEOPLE
Isaiah 10:27 - In that day his burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck; and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
Acts 10:38 - how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
The anointing destroys the spiritual yokes (bondages) that bind the men and women to which you will lead and minister. These yokes include the yoke of sin, the enemy, habits, sickness, and anything else that binds people. Traditions, guilt, disease, depression, unhealthy life patterns are all broken through the anointing.
These yokes will not be destroyed by teaching or positive thinking. They will not be destroyed by education, counseling, or organization.
They will be destroyed by the anointing of God that is upon spiritual leaders who know how to bring help and healing to those in places of bondage.
ANOINTED LEADERS CAN EXPECT OPPOSITION
If God anoints you, you can expect opposition from Satan and his forces, as well as ungodly people.
Psalms 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed, saying,
Psalms 89:51 which Your enemies taunt, O Lord, with which they mock the footsteps of Your anointed king.
Ungodly forces want to hinder you because they know an anointed ministry accomplishes God's purposes. They will do everything possible to thwart and oppose the purposes of God.
THE LEADERS NEED FOR A FRESH CONTINUAL ANOINTING
David speaks of "fresh oil," which is symbolic of the fresh, continued anointing of God.
Psalms 92:10 But my horn You have exalted like the horn of the wild ox; You have anointed me with fresh oil.
Ephesians 5:18 Do not be drunk with wine, for that is reckless living. But be (continually) filled with the Spirit.
A leader maintains a fresh anointing of God's power through continually experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit in their personal life.
As we delve into the significance of the anointing for leadership, have you personally experienced the transformative power of God's anointing in your leadership journey? How has it shaped your approach to leading and fulfilling God's purposes?
Help us reach more people, please share this post with others. Thanks!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please consider supporting this ministry. Click support for more information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------