A Recipe for the Anointing

As Pentecostals we know the anointing is something very special. We often talk about "the anointing". We pray for the anointing of God on our lives, our ministries, our activities in everything we do. We realize that we need the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day. And we also realize if we don’t have the anointing, our ministry is really kind of useless. Really WORSE than useless because if we are attempting to minister in our own strength alone it’s worthless.

I’ve been there. I’ve both preached a sermon without the anointing and I’ve tried to minister without the anointing and it’s like you might as well give up and go home because nothing going to happen. We must depend on God. Zechariah 4:6 – “It’s not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.”

We know we must minister in the power of God - under the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit, but have you ever wondered, what is "the anointing". We talk about it all the time. We desire it. We pray for it. But what is it exactly? The most simple definition for the anointing is to think of it as a "setting apart". When God anoints something He sets it apart - it’s "holy" - separated for His use.

When a new king was anointed in Israel the prophet would take a horn full of oil and pour it over his head, and it would run right down his clothes. They would do the same thing when there was a new High Priest. The symbolism was that this person was "set apart" - to be God’s man; God’s instrument.

When we say someone "preached under a real anointing", or "that was an anointed song", or "an anointed moment" - it means it was set apart by God. God had His hand on that preacher or that song or that place. The anointing isn’t a "force" (like electricity), and it’s not just an emotion, although the anointing may produce emotion. The anointing is really nothing other than the presence of God in favor.

In the Old Testament the Tabernacle, and all the furniture and utensils used for worship in the Tabernacle, had to be anointed before they could be used. And they didn’t anoint with just any old oil - they had special oil for this anointing, made from a recipe that God gave them ... We read about it in Exodus 30:22-30.

The first ingredient was liquid Myrrh. Myrrh was used to prepare bodies for burial. But to get its beautiful sweetness you had to crush it. Myrrh speaks of death. And you know there is no anointing without death. If we want to know God’s anointing we have to die to ourselves. Die to the old person that we once were. Die to our own agenda - our own desires and dreams, not born of God. If we’re going to depend on God we have to die to our own abilities and resources.

The second ingredient was Cinnamon. Cinnamon was used for flavoring, and it gave off a very pleasant smell. Its fragrance was beautiful in the Tabernacle because it counter-acted the stench of the animal sacrifices. Cinnamon speaks of sweetness. If you want God to anoint you to use you, there has to be a sweetness about your life. God will anoint you and use you if there’s a sweetness about you. The sweetness of Jesus. This is what the fruit of the Spirit is all about that we can find in Galatians 5:22-25.

The third ingredient was Cane or Calamus (Kalamos). The Calamus plant grows in muddy or murky soil. To get this plant to smell you had to beat it. The more you beat it the better it smells. All of that beating reminds me of a school that I heard about.

There are many great universities in our land. Everyone knows about Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. In England there is Oxford University. But I’m thinking of another school. This other school has had more students and more graduates than any other school that ever existed. Its tuition fees are the most expensive on earth, but the lessons that are learned at this school do more for it’s students than those in any other school. I’m talking about the University of Hard Knocks.

God’s anointing is able to increase in your life the more you pass through the school of hard knocks, and God is able to fashion your character. Along with Paul I would imagine all of us at one time or another have been through some hard knocks? Some are harder than others aren’t they. But they are working in our character. As long as we respond to them as God wants us to. He’s fashioning each of us for anointing.

The fourth ingredient was a spice called "cassia" - kasía. This spice grows only at elevations above 8000 feet. You’ve got to get up on the mountain to get it. If you desire God’s anointing - you’ve got to reach up to the heights. Get on the mountain with God. There’s no shortcut to the anointing - we’ve got to seek God in prayer. Jesus lived in the anointing of the Spirit – and the price He paid for that anointing was that He maintained a close walk with His heavenly Father in prayer at all times.

Finally all the ingredients were mixed with olive oil. And it was a mixture that was called "holy". Over and over again in the Bible, oil symbolizes the Person of the Holy Spirit. In so many ways, in so many types and pictures, oil represents the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the principle character in the anointing of God. Of the three persons of the Godhead, anointing is primarily to do with the work and moving of the Holy Spirit. When God anoints, it is the outpouring of His Spirit.

Now look at the picture we have here. All these ingredients mingled together with oil produced the anointing compound that was called “holy”. Verse 25 says, Blend these ingredients into a holy anointing oil. The Lord will combine all the good and difficult things in your life with the oil of His Holy Spirit. A sweet anointing will form in you, and He’ll be able to use you in incredible ways.