Anointed

2 Corinthians 1:21-22, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us in God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Coming from the full gospel, charismatic, evangelical flavor of Christianity I have heard the term “anointed” thousands of times to describe people, a message, a song, or even a place. From time to time my friends or my mother will send me a song from youtube or other source with the message that I have to listen to it because it is so “anointed.”

I think Kim Walker is “anointed.” I think Robin who worships at the church I am a member of is “anointed.” In fact the two songs below were anointed for me a couple of weeks ago in our Sunday service. But what does the term mean? What is the spiritual process?

I believe there is a misconception prevalent in the body of Christ that says anointed is used to describe a belief that a person, song, place has been set apart by God with perhaps a position or gift that ties the presence of God to that person, place, song, prayer, etc. The misconception relates the presence of God to the person, to the song, to the place. Reality is far different.

The spiritual reality is the presence of God is felt or sense, and then we as humans go looking for something to attribute it to. When in fact we are the ones who are anointed, and the experience of the presence of God was not because someone else was the carrier, but rather the environment was such that we were able to be aware of it. After all, the presence of God is abiding and in you at all times if you are saved. Connecting to it is where we all fail.

My friend Shawn Mullins led worship of years in a church that many claimed to feel the presence of God in what is commonly called revival. Shawn was attributed my many, including myself as being “anointed.” I would go to lunch with him after every service and talk about the wonderful presence of God in the worship, and many times he would say, “I didn’t feel a thing.”

Why is that?

In part I was in a place where distractions were minimized, where I was able to focus on the Spirit, and experience the presence of God. Shawn in his prayerful selection of songs, in his demanded perfection of the music and sound allowed us in mass to have as few distractions as possible. So we in mass became aware of God’s presence. Shawn on the other hand might be distracted by a musician off by half a beat. He could be distracted by a microphone not set perfectly.

Preachers come to town and big services happen. Why?

It is because people go expecting. They go with the distractions minimized. They go with purpose to experience God’s presence and as a result become aware of what is already there.

As I write this I am experiencing the presence of God. Is my writing anointed? No, but my awareness is heightened because I am focused on God.

Nearly 100% of the time when I am in the car alone I experience the presence of God. Is that because my car is anointed? No, it because I have found that a place to focus on Him and to be aware of His presence.

Ultimately I want to come to a place where that awareness is 24/7 regardless of distraction. I want to sleep in the storm with the awareness that Christ is sleeping in the same boat next to me. I am not even close to being there, but what I have learned is that I am anointed. I am established in Christ. I am sealed. I have the Holy Spirit as a pledge of a future in heaven face to face with the Father. The only difference between me basking in the awareness of His presence is in me, and whether I choose to focus on something other than Him.