Fasting Day 6: Expecting Anointing, Part Two
“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing…
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
— Psalm 23:1,5
As I stated in Part One of this post, fasting prepares us for new anointing—for new things, new growth and expansion through the Holy Spirit. Anointing means to rub, pour or sprinkle on an oil; to consecrate or make sacred; to dedicate to the service of God.
The Bible speaks of three occasions of anointing.
1. An anointing of respect or hospitality. A person was anointed to signify respect and hospitality. This was also a way to welcome guests into a home. (Mk 14:8; 16:1; Luke 7:46)
2. An anointing for service, for priests (Ex. 28:41), prophets (1 Ki. 19:16) and Kings (1 Sam. 10:1).
3. An anointing for medicinal purposes (I Sam. 1:6; Lk. 10:34; Jas. 5:14 & Rev. 3:18).
As you are fasting, shedding the old wineskin and preparing for new anointing, I believe you can expect the Spirit of God to:
1. Feel welcome in your life and thus inhabit your moments and days in powerful ways.
2. Anoint you for service; enable you to fulfill your role as priest and king and give you prophetic revelation.
- Equip and anoint you for service. (It doesn’t have to be full-time service. This can mean being a greater witness and testimony to Christ on your job, or being equipped to be the parent God has called you to be.)
- Give you fresh anointing to fulfill your calling as both king and priest unto God (Rev. 1:5-6). The practice of our priestly ministry (worship and prayer) is the key to exercising our kingly authority in Christ.
- Reveal God’s will to you – show you the end from the beginning (Is. 46:10-11) and fill you with total expectation of fulfillment. Prophets were men who could foretell what was to come based on God’s revelation. God still speaks the same way today (Is. 46:10-11, Rom. 4:17). He gives us personal promises that reveal in advance what He is going to do. As the result of my fast in 2010, God gave me a word that He was going to provide help for Shades of Grace. We need staff and help in many areas, but we also needed someone to lead worship at Passionate Pursuit. This was one of my causes for fasting. In August, God spoke through Ps. 72:12, telling me He would provide help. On October 2, He sent that help through Zach and Stephanie Richardson – and it is exceedingly, abundantly above all I could have asked or imagined. The ladies of Passionate Pursuit will testify! God rewards when we begin the year with fasting and prayer! He gives back to us all year long!!
3. Bring healing where it is needed
The Anointed One
Jesus Christ, “the anointed one,” is the summation of all three types of anointing referenced above.
- Scripture speaks of how “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38).
- Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
Notice that “anointing” includes:
- spiritual power
- healing
- freedom for prisoners
- release for the oppressed
- sight where it has not existed before
- proclaiming the Lord’s favor
Because we have given the first of our year to God through fasting and prayer, I believe we can expect this year to be a year of God’s favor and blessing.
Anointed by the Good Shepherd
Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). The Bible refers to you and me as His sheep. In real life, the shepherd would anoint the sheep in order to:
1. Heal wounds
2. Protect against insects
3. Protect against snakes
Wounds
As they would enter the fold, the shepherd would examine the sheep individually. With a horn of oil, he would anoint a knee bruised by rocks or a side scratched by thorns.
We, like sheep, can have wounds—wounds of the heart and mind.
Were you wounded by a relationship last year? Did the bumps and bruises of life leave you depleted? You can expect supernatural anointing as the result of your fasting and prayer!
In the passage above from Luke chapter 4, Jesus was quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, which says,
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted…”
Beloved, the Spirit of the LORD will bind and heal your wounded heart and weary mind.
Insects
A good shepherd would anoint the head and horns of his sheep with oil to keep insects away.
There is a nose fly that can harass a sheep to death. They lay their eggs in the sheep’s nose. When the eggs hatch, the worms make their way into the sheep’s head. To relieve the inflammation, the sheep will beat their heads against rocks and trees.
An alert shepherd would notice these flies when they first appeared and anoint the sheep’s head and horns with an oil-like repellant. The fragrance kept the insects away and the sheep could continue to graze in peace.
The new anointing that is going to come as a result of your fasting and prayer will enable you to peacefully graze on God’s goodness and Truth in the midst of pesky problems and small things beyond your control—things that would otherwise “bug you to death.”
Snakes
In advance of bringing the sheep into an area to graze, the shepherd would check the ground for snake holes. When the snakes sensed the sheep grazing, they would jump up and bite the sheep on the nose.
Consequently, the shepherd walked off the entire area searching for snake holes before using the area for grazing. When he found the holes, he poured oil into the entrance of each hole. The oil prevented the snakes’ slick bodies from getting traction and crawling out of the hole.
The enemy of our soul first appeared to Adam and Eve as a serpent. In no way since that time has he slacked off of his intention to steal, kill and destroy.
No doubt our enemy is even more bent on causing you grief because of your fasting and prayer. However, your Shepherd has gone ahead of you this coming year, foiling the enemy’s plans to harm you.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll have the perfect year, free of all problems or annoyance, but it does mean that you’ll have an extra measure of the Holy Spirit’s power, protection, wisdom and discernment as a result of your fasting and prayer. You will walk in victory!
Table
“You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.”
Psalm 23:5
When the shepherd scoured the land for snake holes, he also looked for poisonous plants, removing any that he found. These were of grave danger to the sheep.
A good shepherd knows the land and the threats well. He prepares a perfect and safe feasting table for his sheep. After clearing the poisons and taking precautions in advance, the shepherd watched his beloved sheep enjoy a picnic in the presence of their enemies.
I believe you are going to be able to picnic in God’s presence—feast on God though the enemy might be near—because of this season of fasting and prayer.
Cup Overflows
At night, when the shepherd took his sheep to the fold, they each had to pass by him one at a time. He anointed the wounded, but what about the weary? For this worn and exhausted sheep, the good shepherd bathed its face and head with the refreshing olive oil, then took his two-handled cup, dipped it brimming full into the water provided for this purpose and let the weary sheep drink.
God cares not just about the wounded and the endangered, but also about the worn and weary.
Did you barely crawl out of last year emotionally, mentally and spiritually? Does it feel like you have been running on fumes, and now the fumes are gone? Well, weary one, Jesus has new anointing in store for you! Your cup will overflow!
“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5).
Question: How does it encourage you to know that during this time of fasting, you are preparing and positioning yourself for a season of anointing by your Shepherd and Savior?
PART ONE OF THIS POST
FASTING DAY SIX FROM THE ARCHIVES
- An Outline for Repentance, Part Three: Sins of Commission
- Praying for Government Leaders (Part 1): A Prayer for the President
- Fasting Day 6: Expect Opposition
- Fasting Day 6: On The Attack
- Fasting Day 6: When You Fast and Pray
- Fasting Day 6: The Living Water
- Fasting Day 6: Following in the Footsteps of our Heroes
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