Stewarding Your Anointing
1Corinthians 4:20 – For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
While attending Virginia Tech I checked out a number of fellowships and churches. I found that most of them sang the same songs with similar instruments and similar skill level, but at certain fellowships I could feel the presence of God much more strongly. I also noticed that when certain praise leaders led worship that the presence of God would be really strong. It wasn’t necessarily their skill or talent that brought the presence of God because some of them were still a bit raw in learning to lead. These certain praise leaders were simply stewarding their anointing much better than the others.
What is the anointing? The anointing is the presence of the Holy Spirit and the specific grace God has given you. Every believer is anointed (Isaiah 61:1-3, 1John 2:20). Every believer has the presence of God living within them (1Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:11). But, not every believer has the same gifting. The Bible is clear that each believer has their own specific gifting from the Lord (1Corinthians 12:7, Romans 12:6). The word gifting in these passages is “charisma,” or, “grace.”
Every single person on earth is marked by God’s grace. Acts 17:28 states, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” God sends rain for both the righteous and for the wicked. Not all receive God’s saving grace, but all creation does live under God’s common, providential grace (Hebrews 1:3). Many of the “giftings/grace” listed in Romans 12 and 1Corinthians 12 are actually not solely spiritual (serving, giving, administering, teaching, encouraging, governing). Everyone, Christian or not, has an anointing. Michael Jordan clearly had a grace for playing basketball well. Michael Jackson clearly had a grace for singing and dancing. Tom Hanks clearly has a grace for acting. Samson in the Bible clearly had a grace for great strength. Saul in the Bible was clearly anointed and given grace to be king over Israel (1Samuel 10:6). Not all used their grace for the glory of God (Samson and Saul included).
Did Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, and Tom Hanks each practice and hone their craft so that they became excellent at it? Of course! They stewarded their anointing. Many others have had just as much gifting as those three but they didn’t work hard enough at it or seek enough opportunity. But could anyone attain to their levels in their respective fields? Of course not. No matter how hard I could try in my lifetime, there is no way I could play basketball, sing, or act as good as them. There is no chance! I am simply not as gifted (anointed!) as they are in those areas.
Jesus shared a parable about one man receiving 5 talents, another receiving 2, and another receiving 1 (Matthew 25). The person with 1 talent was not expected to perform as well as the one with 5 talents, but a level of performance was still expected. In Jesus’ parable the master wasn’t upset at the man with 2 talents for only getting 2 more while the man with 5 talents got 5 more, instead the master praised them both the same. The master was far more concerned with how they stewarded what they received than by the results.
Some praise leaders may practice and practice but only attain to a certain level of skill and anointing. That is fine, as long as they are faithful and worship from a sincere heart of love for God. Other praise leaders I know have amazing talent and skill, but they don’t know anything about stewarding the anointing. Despite their practice, the presence of God can barely be felt when they lead worship. So how do you steward your anointing?
1) You need faith. Michael Jordan believed he could win. Michael Jackson knew he was good. Regardless of what your gifting/grace is (praise leader, teacher, artist, counselor, athlete, etc), you need to have faith that you are indeed gifted! If you aren’t sure, then show some of your work/skill to someone in that field and get their opinion. If they encourage you, then believe their words. So many are too insecure to really try hard and grow. Some need to be pushed. Those that steward their gifting the best have chosen to meditate on their ability to do well (Philippians 4:13). They are confident. I preached a message on this called “What’s On Your Mind.” To grow in faith you must meditate on the truth that you are gifted and on the words/moments that have encouraged you regarding your gifting. Let faith increase!
2) You must practice. Everyone’s grace has a different ceiling compared to others, but we are all called to attain to that ceiling (1 talent, 2 talents, 5 talents, etc). Honestly, some people never discover their gifting and very few steward their gifting to their full capacity. Practice, practice, practice. And as you practice, you must continue to meditate on the truth (point one).
Important point: You might not like your gifting. But if God has given it to you, you shouldn’t neglect it. Moses didn’t like his gifting that much (Exodus 4), but he chose to obey God and exercise it. Timothy had to be encouraged by Paul to stir up the gifts inside him and to not neglect them (1Timothy 4:14-15, 2Timothy 1:6, 14). I think everyone wants to find something they enjoy rather than what they are anointed at. For me, as a kid I enjoyed football and video games (still do). When I was little I wanted to grow up to either be a football player or a video game tester. Thank the Lord I didn’t stick to those dreams. I would have failed miserably and my true giftings would have never surfaced. Again, you might not like your gifting. Ask God for grace to enjoy it. Practice and develop it, doing it all for the glory of God (Colossians 3:23). We aren’t here to enjoy life. We are here to glorify God and to love others. You will feel much more fulfilled at the end of the life if you used your anointing for the glory of God to bless others than if you just lived for your own selfish pleasure.
For a personal example of growing in stewarding the anointing… there is an anointing whenever I lead prayer for Korea. There is usually a level of anointing when I lead prayer in general because I have grown a lot with God in prayer over many years and I feel God has gifted me in this area, but when I lead prayer on behalf of Korea the anointing is usually the strongest. The reason for this is because I hold a prayer meeting for Korea every Friday and have been doing so for over five years. I have also meditated a lot on God’s plans and visions for Korea, so there is a deep faith within me regarding these things. Because of this strong faith regarding God’s promises for Korea, there is a strong conviction when I lead prayer regarding it. People tend to get stirred up!
On the other hand, there is a weaker anointing when I lead prayer on physical healing or certain other topics I haven’t meditated on as much. While I have prayed some regarding physical healing, I haven’t prayed nearly as much about them compared to Korea and the children. Because of this, my faith isn’t as strong in those areas. Some people have been healed, but in all honesty the anointing isn’t as strong, at least not yet. We all are marked by God’s grace and we are all able to pray to a degree for people’s healing, but God has yet to reveal to me a strong gifting regarding physical healing ministry. Inner healing ministry on the other hand is an area God has revealed a gifting in, and I have also meditated on it and developed it. There is a much stronger grace upon me for that. If I had never meditated on inner healing and taken the opportunities to counsel people, that anointing would have never developed.
The best athletes go into a match meditating on the fact that they are really skilled and can win. Their practice and previous experiences have helped strengthen their faith regarding their skill and ability to win. There is a reason why the best of the best athletes earn millions of dollars and are watched all around the world… it’s powerful to watch the most anointed people at their craft (think the same of actors, speakers, musicians, artists, etc).
The most anointed praise leaders I have met have a genuine heart for the Lord (have spent time with God and grown in His love and His truth), have practiced their craft, and have a strong conviction that they have been anointed to lead God’s people into the presence of God. From this conviction, there is power as they lead. Their anointing is not about them, it is about God’s glory and about God’s people being blessed.
Steward your anointing! Pray into it! Ask God for opportunities to develop it. And when you are given such opportunities, meditate on both how God has anointed you and why he has anointed you (to bless others!). Don’t be like King Saul or Samson who often used their anointing for themselves. Don’t neglect what God has given you and what God has called you to do. Live a fulfilling life! Steward your anointing!
