The Anointing

Throughout the generations, the anointing of Lord has been misused, abused, and prostituted. The Lord is seeking to release an understanding of the anointing, so that His end time generation will use the anointing in holiness. It is the Lord’s will to release His anointing to His church in fullness. Christ is the anointed One who lives in all of us. The measure of the anointed One living through us is determined by how much of our self-life (natural life of Adam) has been crucified by the Lord (through the carrying of our crosses).

True Christian maturity is based upon how much of Jesus is living through us. True leadership, is based on how much of Christ the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher is living through the person. Christ is the leader, and the church is His people. A real apostle is one who has yielded to Christ the apostle leading through them. An apostle is not a title, it is a leadership gift of Christ ministering and functioning through a weak vessel. A true leader is one who has been broken and understands how feeble they truly are, so that the glory and anointing of Christ can move through them.

A minister may title themself apostle or prophet, but do they have the anointing of the Lord flowing through them? The anointing flows through commissioned leaders. Not everyone who has a calling has been commissioned, as this is a process. Jesus had the anointing flowing through Him without measure, so that the power of God manifested everywhere He went (John 3:34). The anointing began flowing from Jesus when the Father commissioned Him into ministry at age 30. The true signs of an apostle will be evident through the anointing that is released:

“The signs that indicate a genuine apostle were performed among you fully and most patiently—signs and wonders and miracles.” (2 Corinthians 12:12 AMP)

Presence Ministry

The Lord is going to release a corporate anointing in the days ahead, in places of His choosing; where leaders and believers are allowing the Lord to build His houses. The Lord will release an anointing for His presence to manifest corporately that has been released in times past (and possibly even greater). This anointing of His presence will be released to groups of believers who make it their sole purpose to pursue and know the Lord. It will be released to groups who come together to worship the Lord in purity of heart, with no other motives or agenda. Those leaders who want to build their ministries, be known, and have a successful ministry (according to earthly standards); will be excluded. This anointing will be released to the pure in heart, for they shall be rewarded and see God manifest Himself (Matthew 5:8).

There is no greater thing than for the Lord to dwell among His people. The Lord will bring believers together in the the days ahead who really want Him, so that they can truly have Him. He will be present in the meetings, not just in theology; but in thick fire. He will be so strong that the leaders and the people will not even be able to stand, or finish the meeting (2 Chronicles 5:14). The Lord Himself will finish the meeting, as His people behold Him. The Lord will come among His people in His thick presence and glory, so that His people will experience transfiguration into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Lord’s church will simply gaze upon the King and behold His majesty.

The Lord will choose a people to form into His temple in the coming days. He will choose according to our choice for Him. Will we choose to give Him all of our hearts, so that He will position us where He will come in His glory? The Lord is going to release the much needed anointing for the unity of believers in these chosen dwelling places of the Spirit:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.” (Psalms 133:1-2 NKJV)

Before the Lord releases the anointing oil of unity, He will release the anointing to break heavy yokes and bondage. A corporate deliverance anointing is coming, so the Lord’s people who want to be set free of demons and sin, can be.

“It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.” (Isaiah 10:27 WEB)

The Smearing of Oil

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.” (1 Samuel 16:13 AMP)

The Hebrew word for ‘anointed’ used in this passage, also means: to smear, to paint, and to consecrate. When the anointing oil was poured on David, the Holy Spirit smeared the anointing into him. David was painted in the Spirit. Every demon could now see that the Lord was calling David, and the warfare was about to begin.

Whenever the Lord releases a public call to service through a prophet, the person called will suffer greatly. When the principality over that region, sees the anointing come upon a vessel; that ruling spirit will unleash a heavy assault against the vessel. Many times the ruling spirit will use other believers or ‘brothers’ to attack through, such as the case with Joseph. Why then would the Lord release a public call and anointing? So the person anointed will know with certainty that the Lord has called them, and that they might be able to stand against all opposition. The Lord releases a public call generally as confirmation to the person He is anointing. The Lord usually speaks to the person’s heart over time, but sets the call in stone by a public conformation. The Lord doesn’t always do it this way with everyone He calls. Sometimes He simply appears to the person and speaks privately with them as He did with Moses.

The public anointing gives the person a solid foundation. The anointed vessel will face the exact opposite of their calling in the days ahead, and will need the public anointing to use as a focal point for their faith; so they can contend for the calling when the battle comes. The enemy will always tell the person called that they are deceived, and not really called. Negative experiences in life, and hope deferred can help reenforce the lies of the enemy. The public call is a way for the Lord to crush this lie of the enemy, and help the believer stand in the will of the Lord. Between the calling and the commissioning, there can be many years of hard trials and preparation.

David found this out. He had to find the Lord in the journey and in the waiting. He found the Lord in the secret place while watching after sheep, and when he was on his own being persecuted by the government. David found the Lord in the caves he was forced to hide in them. He found Jesus, when only those who were suffering hardship, were in debt, and were discontented; gathered to his ministry (1 Samuel 22:1-2).

David did commit great sin, and did not walk perfectly with God; but his heart after the Lord is an example to us. David wanted the Lord to receive the glory and honor. David was judged and suffered great loss and conflict for his sins. However David did not have the Holy Spirit living in him, and was not a new creation. To whom much is given, much is expected and required. Because we have a new and greater covenant, our judgment for committing deep sin like David will be far more severe (Hebrews 10:26-31).

Leanness of Soul

Church history records men and women who have cried out for the anointing, and wouldn’t stop praying until the Lord gave it to them. We call this faith, but we must examine how their lives and ministries ended to determine the truth. Israel knew what God was capable of giving and doing, so they cried out for meat (Exodus 16:1-9, Numbers 11:4-15, 31-34). They cried out for it enough until the Lord finally gave them what their souls wanted (Psalm 78:29). Sometimes the Lord will give us what we continually hound Him for, to teach us a lesson:

“They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalms 106:13-15 NKJV)

God’s people didn’t want God Himself (the bread of life coming down from Heaven). They wanted things that God could do for them (tasty meat). They chose the natural over the spiritual, and did not wait for the Lord’s purpose or plan. God’s people didn’t wait for the proper timing of God, and cried out for it to happen right then. This serves as a warning and a lesson to revivalists.

Some past revivalists cried out for the anointing so much until the Lord simply gave it to them. But they were not yet mature enough to handle to anointing, and the revivals faded after a short period of time. By getting their request before God’s appointed time, it made their souls even more lean. The Hebrew word for ‘leanness,’ also means ‘wasting’. The definition of wasting is: “causing a person or a part of the body to become progressively weaker and more emaciated.”

When the Lord allows leaders or revivalists to operate in the anointing before they are properly prepared, their souls become progressively weaker over time. The Lord spends many years preparing vessels in the hidden place for a reason. King David is an example. A vessel cannot be properly prepared in the public eye while moving in a powerful anointing. The person prepared in the public will grow to love the public place, the attention, and the fanfare. This opens the door to pride, a fall, and the failure of the person and the ministry (and the damaging of precious believers).

The Lord has a process that we must complete before we are ready to carry the anointing. In His great mercy, He will withhold the anointing until we are ready. We must learn from those who received the anointing before they had the inward character to handle it. Those prepared in the secret place will grow to love that place more than the public. They will do what they are called to do in the public, but the craving of their soul will be for the Lord and His presence in the quiet place. Their souls will be fat with the desire and character of the Lord. When our souls have been conformed to the image of Christ in the private place, through intimacy and the cross; our souls are stable enough to handle the anointing. When our souls our too shallow, the attention that comes with the anointing will only make us more lean.

The Purpose of the Anointing

The year was 2012 and my wife and I were at a summer camp meeting in Hungry Horse, Montana. A 13 year old girl from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was invited to speak. Her name was Mishayle, and she had been either healed or resurrected from terminal cancer. She had been taken up to Heaven, and she had seen the Lord Jesus on her death bed. The Lord sent her back to tell His people about Him.

Mishayle was unpolished in speech, yet the fire of the Holy Spirit filled the atmosphere. The authority of the Lord was upon her, and you could tell that she had been with Jesus. Oh that we could have some more unpolished preachers that carry the fire and authority of the living God, instead of well spoken and energetic preachers that look and act like the world!

Mishayle didn’t move in the gifts of the Spirit or lay hands on anyone. She shifted the focus of the meeting to Jesus. There was a raw cry coming forth from her. The kind of cry that emanates from someone who only wants the Lord. Even thinking back on her desire for Jesus convicts me, and brings attention to my lack of pure focus on Him. I desperately want my focus to be only upon Him. Mishayle carried the anointing, and the anointing upon her pointed to the anointed One, Jesus Christ.

True messengers will use the anointing to unleash a burning desire for Jesus. The greatest anointing we can ever have, is a hunger and passion to seek the Lord. Above all other anointings, we should be asking the Lord to send a grace to seek Him and know Him. He will release this anointing to those who have a heart after Him. Press in to Christ until He gives this great anointing to you!

I still remember what Mishayle said at the end of her message. Everyone, including myself, was expecting her to pray for people. She said, “You don’t need anyone to lay hands on you and pray for you! Jesus is here right now! He can touch you! I need Him to touch me too! Worship Him!” With that she ended and went back to her seat. I could feel the Holy Spirit burning in the atmosphere, as my body was vibrating under His power. Mishayle had done at age 13, what many older ministers could not do; she shifted the attention from the anointed vessel to the anointed King, Jesus.

Even now I feel like the Lord is saying that this is the hallmark of true anointed ministry. The anointing must be used to completely turn people’s attention to Jesus. Anyone can speak and tell people that it’s all about Jesus. But when it really is all about Jesus in a person’s life, then a spiritual shift takes place in the hearts of the listeners. Jesus is exalted and glorified, and people leave the meeting wanting Jesus more. When the anointing is used to exalt the preacher, the people leave talking about how great a speaker and minister they are.

Character of Anointed Leaders

The Bible teaches that we should honor and respect leadership. The Lord appoints and anoints leaders, and has from the beginning. However true leaders will always point the people of God to God Himself. Throughout church history the people of God, have at times, placed too much honor on anointed vessels of the Lord. Some anointed leaders have allowed believers to view them as ‘chosen’ and special because of the anointing. This cannot be done or allowed from this point on. The anointing will draw the people of God to the vessel, but the anointing is not to be used by the vessel to draw people to themselves.

While the Lord does call certain people to ministry, it does not mean they are special. Just like the Lord calls certain people to be police officers or doctors. These people are not special, they are simply fulfilling the function that they were created for; or operating in the gifting that God gave them. The church has a bad history of exalting anointed ministers, even when their character was poor.

Jesus gave an anointing to Samson. The Spirit of the Lord would come so mightily upon him, that he could kill thousands of warriors by himself (Judges 15:14-16). Yet his character and inner life was poor, and he lived a life of sin. Samson did not walk in the will of the Lord, yet the anointing remained on him for 20 years as he judged Israel (Judges 15:20). Samson demonstrated that a minister can have the anointing of the Holy Spirit all while opposing God in much of their lifestyle and inward life. Although great on earth, these will find themselves to be least in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The life of Aimee Semple McPherson can speak to us if we will let it. As with Samson, the Lord teaches us through the lives of those who went before us. The danger of public ministry is that your life will be on display for all to see. Those who do not want this, should not be in public ministry. As with David, the Lord will expose hidden sin in order to instruct and teach His people. We must not view talking about their lives as dishonoring them. Those in Heaven want us to learn from them, so we don’t make the same mistakes they did; and so we can go further than they did. We are not better than those who have gone before us, and we need their help to finish our race.

Aimee got remarried after her first husband died from disease. This was her right to do as long as the marriage was in the Lord. Shortly after she was married, she thought God told her to fulfill her call and go preach. She left her husband and went to preach. Later her husband joined her, but then went back home. He eventually filed for divorce.

There are many problems with this situation. Most likely, Aimee was not in the will of God by marrying Harold McPherson. When we get out of the will of God and make decisions without Him, we can destroy our calling. However, once she got married, she could not just do whatever she wanted to anymore. But she did. Aimee decided to leave without her husband and without his permission. This contradicts scripture (1 Corinthians 7, 1 Timothy 2:12-15). Marriage is a partnership where the two become one flesh. If one half simply does its own thing without even asking or telling the other other half, then that person is dividing the one flesh.

Could you imagine if I just left my wife with the children and never told her I was going as Amiee did? Then sent her a letter telling her where I went, and that God told me to preach. This would create major division in our marriage. The Lord does not operate this way. This way of operation leads to divorce, which the Lord hates and is contrary to His word.

Aimee should have spoken to her husband, and the Lord would have dealt with him in regards to the calling to preach. The Lord has various ways of putting pressure on us so that we will obey His will, and surely would have done this if Aimee would have trusted Him. As we know, sometimes the Lord needs to do work in our hearts before we are ready to handle the anointing. Moving out too early in the anointing can destroy us. Sometimes we miss the timing of the Lord when He tells us we are called to go preach. We think the Lord means ‘now,’ but generally He works out the timing and it looks a little different than we thought.

I understood the Lord wanted me to go preach at the age of 27. When I was 28, I got married and thought I was ready to go preach like the Lord had said. However, it was not His time. If I had stepped out into ministry in 2009, I would have train-wrecked myself, the Lord’s ministry for me, and possibly even my marriage. The Lord had a different plan for me called ‘the cross.’ Jesus wanted me to be tested in the area of my family, before I could be approved to lead a group of people. Before I can be a spiritual father, I need to be a good father to my own children. Before I can be trusted with the Lord’s bride, I need to take care of my own bride. The Holy Spirit shows us His qualifications for leaders:

one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. (1Timothy 3:4-6)

So far, the Lord has only given me a partial commissioning to write, teach, and conduct an online ministry. I am still in the process of being approved by Him. I can not come out from under His hand until He releases me. I am still in the process of allowing Jesus to transform me into a good husband and father. I know I have come a long way, but I also know that the Lord has much work still to do in me. Only when He says I am ready to move in the anointing, and oversee a gathering of believers, will I proceed to hold public meetings.

Only the mature can handle the anointing, and be used by God to bring His people to maturity. A novice in ministry is one who entered ministry before they were approved by God in the stewardship of their own family. How can one be tested and approved by God is this area if they went into ministry in their early twenties before they even had a family, or when they were just starting a family? Maybe ignoring the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in the scriptures, has been the cause of much of our failure. The Lord has a path for us to follow if we will hear and obey.

After Aimee was divorced from her second husband, Jesus states that she is to remain unmarried (Matthew 5:31-32). However she had become a famous minister, and years later married another man; a musician and actor. Her third marriage lasted about three years before the two divorced. According to the Holy Spirit, a person should not be overseeing a ministry that has had more than one legal spouse (1 Timothy 3:2). So after Aimee married her third husband, she should not have been overseeing the ministry. I am not saying that, the Lord is. Fruit was being produced that was revealing Amiee’s inward character, and the fruit was showing the she was not qualified to lead God’s people in a ministry capacity. Jesus said we are supposed to discern by the fruit of the Spirit (Matthew 7:16-18).

Throwing out God’s word is a very slippery slope. Many believers have ended up in deep deception when they place the word ‘they heard’ over the written word. God will never contradict His word. But how then did Aimee build a successful ministry? Because the gifts and callings are without repentance (Romans 11:29). The anointing did not leave Samson until his life was nearly over. He lived in sin most of that time, and died in a way that the Lord did not intend. So did Aimee, from an overdose of barbiturates.

Some would reason that it must have been the will of the Lord to use people like Samson and Aimee to accomplish the work they did. Initially it would have been. But a lifestyle of unrepentant sin disqualifies from the earthly calling, as an entire generation of the children of Israel found out. The Lord can always raise up another person to fulfill a certain ministry. It may not be His first choice to do so, but He does not need us. I am not under any delusion. The Lord doesn’t need me, and He can certainly use someone else if He chooses. Pride creeps in very easy when we start believing that we are the only one that can be used for a certain work.

Still others would argue that Aimee’s ministry produced much fruit. The Lord will obviously be the judge of that. I will say, that the Lord judges fruit differently than many think. He judges fruit by maturity. Were disciples made, and did they come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ? Or was the crop underdeveloped, and never went on to ripen? Secondly, did the minister demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). A minister is approved by God for their character, not by outward demonstrations of power or miracles:

“Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME [you are banished from My presence], YOU WHO ACT WICKEDLY [disregarding My commands].’” (Matthew 7:22-23 AMP)

Jesus makes it abundantly clear that just because we think someone had a ‘fruitful’ earthly ministry, because many works were accomplished by them; does not mean that He approves of them or even had a relationship with them. The Lord judges very differently than many in the church. His ways are not our ways, so let us come to know Him and conform to His ways.

It takes a humble heart and repentance, but a leader who has disqualified themself can choose to step down from ministry and give their life to the high calling; seeking, knowing, and becoming like Jesus. This step of humility would prevent the Lord from taking His vessels home to Heaven before it’s their time to go. Many anointed vessels have died prematurely, because they could not handle the anointing and would not step down from ministry. Ministry has become an idol to many leaders throughout church history.

Ministry and the anointing is a secondary calling that should never be placed above the primary calling. Maintaining the secret place, and carrying one’s cross are the keys to having a successful ministry. Becoming famous has been the downfall of many. There is safety in the hidden place, and is the reason Jesus withdrew often to pray (Luke 5:16).

When people think of some famous ministers; they think of the celebrity status, large buildings, the shows, the crowds, the miracles, the drama, major denominations started, the anointing, and the controversy. If this is what we think of when a ministry comes to mind, something is wrong. We can learn a lot from a pure 13 year old girl who only wanted Jesus. The cry coming from Mishayle’s heart was ‘Jesus only.’ She didn’t want the focus on her, and she was simply giving testimony to who He is and what He had done. Because her heart wanted the Lord, an anointing to turn people’s hearts to the Father manifested corporately. It was beautiful. It was genuine. And there was no ‘show’ to it.

The simple ministry of a ‘nobody’ 13 year old girl from a poor Indian reservation in Browning, Montana; moved my heart closer to the Lord because her desire for Jesus was true. It matters who we are, and the level of inward purity. Proper heart motives for Jesus to receive all the glory, honor, and praise; means everything when it comes to pure ministry. Taking attention from the Lord causes chaos in ministries, and causes them to fall far short of their purpose. Jesus loves using pure vessels like Mishayle who will allow Jesus to have all the glory, as He so rightly deserves. Oftentimes the Lord will use the weak things to confound the wise so that He can arise:

““Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will be exalted; now I will be lifted up.” (Isaiah 33:10 AMP)

The Sending

We are approaching the time when the Lord will anoint and send His ministers. These ministers have been being prepared in the private place like Joseph, David, Elijah, and John the Baptist. They will come forth in the anointing of God when the Lord Himself says that they are ready. They will not cry out for the anointing to come prior to the proper time. They will wait on the plan and purpose of the Father, and their prayer will be that of Christ; “not my will but yours Father.”

These burning ones will ask the Father not to send them until they are ready. They understand that Christ must arise in them before He can minister through them in power. Their relationship with the Lord comes first before ministering in the anointing. In fact, there is a great chasm in between the two. The burning ones hate anything in their heart that seeks glory and recognition. They ask the Father to crucify it and remove it from their heart. They want purity and to see the Lord’s people focused on Jesus only (not themselves as anointed vessels). The anointed burning ones are coming forth in these last days. This final scripture speaks volumes of both the private and public lives of the anointed ones that are coming:

“And looking around, they suddenly no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus only.” (Mark 9:8 AMPC)

Their eyes will not be on themselves, the crowd, or on other anointed ministers; only Jesus. Because of this, people will see Jesus only.

-Ty Unruh (2021)