01/25/2026
Have you ever been anointed with oil? Has a Pastor, or elder, prayed over you as they took oil, and applied it to you? Did you understand what was happening at that moment, or did you think it was merely an aromatic balm, a lotion; and simply something symbolic we do in church? No, it is much more than that, anointing is a sacred practice and is Holy; when we do this the one being anointed is made Holy, Consecrated, and set apart for the use of God. Let’s look at this further.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
James 5:14 ESV
In the New Testament we read of anointing the sick with oil, and we read of receiving an anointing where oil is either replaced with or joined by the Holy Spirit. How closely tied are these two events to one another, and what happens when this occurs? To understand this better we can read Exodus 30:22-32 because these verses are the instructions given as to how anointing oil for the temple and priests is to be made, what is to be anointed, and a warning regarding anointing unbelievers with it. When speaking of the items in the temple and priests this passage of scripture says this:
“You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. And you shall say to the people of Israel, 'This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.”
Exodus 30:29-31 ESV
And as for the everyday Joe? Listen to this warning:
“It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.”
Exodus 30:32 ESV
Anointing oil has great significance, it is more than symbolic, and carries with it the actual impartation of Holiness, and Consecration. To be anointed with either oil or the Holy Spirit is to enter into a spiritual realm, a place where God comes so close that you can feel His breath on your skin and smell the sweetness of Him. If you are anointed, and don’t come to this place, then pray fervently that He joins you there because you are at the veil where few may enter. This is where the fear of God becomes real and trembling is a Holy act. If you don’t feel these things then you might as well have been anointed with kitchen oil and been standing before a bathroom mirror because you will have attempted to step into the swirling vapor of heaven in ignorance, or disbelief.
To have received an anointing is a powerful experience, and it prepares us for an amazing step in our spiritual life with God that is far greater than our everyday walk.
I carry a vial of anointing oil in my pants pocket everywhere I go. I don’t do this lightly, and the tiny vial, smaller than my little finger, has not been depleted in the years I have carried it. I pray for many people each week, and yet not all prayers demand anointing. God tells us when we are to anoint, and at this moment I know of two men that I must anoint soon.
By means of example, I was in an airport in Washington DC where I met an Ethiopian Pastor as we waited for our flight. I don’t speak to everyone I meet, but I spoke to this man because I felt something in him. Then, when we boarded the plane God seated him right beside me... the Holy Spirit was very strong. We talked of our faiths, and he told me of his calling... it was powerful, and dangerous. As our flight was approaching Nashville I was given a Word for him and then told to anoint and pray for this man. I asked if he had physical ailments, and then I anointed him with oil, and prayed for his calling, and healing in the midst of our flight... we were several thousand feet above the earth... with witnesses all around... it was a powerful moment and we both felt it. When we were preparing to land, this Pastor, who smelled of the temple, looked at me and said that before this night we had not known each other, and yet our spirits knew one another. He was right, and this is the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and oil.
“you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
Acts 10:37-38 ESV
Anointing begins something. It takes the everyday and separates it from us... it makes us Holy... Consecrating us to God. The anointing of Jesus with the Holy Spirit was such a moment, and our own anointing leads us into our journeys of faith as well.
So, we anoint with oil and are anointed with the Holy Spirit. These are not simply symbols, but real events in our spiritual lives. They make us Holy and whatever touches us from that moment forward becomes Holy as well. A bit of heaven, a scent of God, a healing, a mission, and a call to the gospel… any of these things rubs off on others at a mere touch... by association.
“She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!" But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me."”
Luke 8:44-46 ESV
The anointing is powerful, and the response to it should be one of fear and trembling. Listen as we read further about this woman’s experience...
“And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."”
Luke 8:47-48 ESV
So, we anoint and are anointed. We tremble, we fear, and then in the fullness of our faith we go forth in peace, taking with us the power of God. This is the oil on our skin, and the Holy Spirit within us. This is the Word of God flowing real over us.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your anointing, and I thank you for your Holy Spirit that separates and consecrates us. I thank you Holy Father for the healing we receive at the hand of the elders, and the oil of their anointing. I thank you for the oil of new beginnings in our faith as pastors, and others you have been called, and I thank you as we are anointed in your presence and filled with your Spirit. You are powerful Father, and your anointing is a measure of that strength being imparted to us. The aroma of your closeness, and the warmth of your breath they comfort me in my moments of need and strengthen me as you send me out. I praise you Lord, and the smell of your incense quickens my spirit. Let the hem of your garment brush against my side, and the oil of your hand be placed upon my head. I am yours Father and made Holy unto you. Praised be your name always, and Holy, Holy, Holy are you the fountain of our anointment!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
“But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.”
1 John 2:20-27 ESV
Amen
Rich Forbes