Anointed: Sharing Life Together

Mattress Surfing at a Retreat

Anointed

Sharing Life Together

By Lori Kennedy

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good new to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners”

Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)

Do you ever wonder if there is a calling or an anointing on your life?  You think, well I don’t do anything special.  I’m just a parent to my child and/or a wife/husband to my spouse.  Maybe you get up each morning and head out to work and think there’s no purpose at your job past the paycheck you bring home to your family each week.

I looked up the word “anoint” and according to the dictionary (yes, the online one) it means to dedicate to the service of God.  If you are His child, then you are anointed and that anointing applies to every step you take, every move you make, and every interaction that you have with others.  When you give your heart to Jesus, you give yourself to the service of God and you are set apart.  Now your identity has changed, and you have become a child of God.  As you begin to grow in that new identity, a shift in perspective comes as well.  As you gain knowledge of His character, you can begin to see past yourself and even what stands right before you and you can start to look at a more eternal picture of His plans.  He doesn’t waste anything.  Not any experience that you’ve had; not any person that He places in your path; not even any pain or trauma that you’ve been through.  He can use it all for good (see Jeremiah 29:11 and Genesis 50:20).  It simply becomes a matter of what “good” is to you.  Is good what you’re going through now or could the term “good” possibly have an eternal significance with the spiritual eyes that you’ve now been given?

As I persevere in my spiritual journey, my knowledge of God’s character continues to increase.  One thing that He continues to show me is that relationship is one of the most important things that He’s called us to; relationship with Him first and foremost, and then relationship with others.  Matthew 22:37-39 says, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (NIV)

So with every single interaction you have with others – at work, in the grocery store, with your children or spouse – don’t forget that you are anointed!  Your story matters to others!  Your life matters to others!  You don’t have to have the right words to say.  Just let someone know they are important to you and share your life with them.  God will do the rest.  Revelation 12:11a says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (NIV)  The “him” in this passage means satan.  When you also include the passage from John about the Samaritan woman’s experience at the well with Jesus that says, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him (meaning Jesus) because of the woman’s testimony.” John 4:39a (NIV) can you see that God has called you to share your life with others?  That is your most important anointing.

God graciously allows me to speak into a precious life from time to time (oh I am so not worthy), but when I ask, "God, what do I say, I'm not wise enough to have this great responsibility" - He places this thought silently and peacefully in my heart - "Lead my children back to me - that's all I desire!"   Don’t forget that as His child, you have been anointed – the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on you – to preach the good news (by sharing what God has done and continues to do in your life) – to bind up the broken hearted (by sharing what God has done and continues to do in your life) – to proclaim freedom for the captives (by sharing what God has done and continues to do in your life) – and to release the prisoners from darkness (by sharing what God has done and continues to do in your life).  Ultimately, the purpose of that anointing is to bring His children back to Him.