The Anointing

Pastor Alex Hall | June 14th, 2026

You Are Anointed: Discovering the Holy Spirit Within

There's a profound truth that many believers miss in their spiritual journey: the anointing you've been searching for isn't somewhere "out there"—it's already within you.

The word "anointed" comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning "the smeared one." In ancient times, anointing involved rubbing or pouring olive oil on someone's head to represent the flow and empowering of the Holy Spirit. It was a physical sign of divine authorization, marking prophets, priests, and kings as appointed by God for sacred service.

When Jesus stood in the synagogue and read from Isaiah, He declared His mission statement: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

This wasn't just Jesus' mission—it reveals the very nature of what the anointing accomplishes. And here's the revolutionary truth: if you've given your life to Jesus, that same anointing rests upon you.

The Danger of Secondhand Faith

In the early church at Corinth, believers fell into a familiar trap. They began dividing themselves based on whose teaching they followed. "I follow Paul," some would say. "Well, I follow Apollos," others would counter. They were acting just like the world around them—choosing sides, creating divisions, living through the spiritual experiences of others rather than cultivating their own relationship with God.

Paul's response was direct: "Who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed in the good news. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow."

This same pattern repeats today. We jump from conference to conference, from YouTube preacher to YouTube preacher, from one "anointed" ministry to another, constantly seeking the anointing somewhere outside ourselves. We experience God secondhand, through someone else's encounter, someone else's revelation, someone else's relationship with Him.

But 1 John 2:20 declares something powerful: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things."

You. Not them. You.

Living in the Last Hour

Scripture warns us that in the last days, many antichrists would come—not just one final figure, but many spirits working against the Holy Spirit, against the anointing, against truth itself. We see this reality all around us.

Yet the promise remains: "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams. In those days, I will pour out my spirit even on my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy."

This isn't a distant promise for some future generation. This is now. This is you.

The same Spirit that rested on Moses, the same Spirit that empowered the seventy elders, the same Spirit that filled the disciples at Pentecost—that Spirit lives in you if you've confessed Jesus as Lord and believe God raised Him from the dead.

The Heart of Moses

There's a beautiful moment in Numbers 11 that reveals God's heart for His people. Moses was overwhelmed, carrying the burden of leading Israel alone. God instructed him to gather seventy elders, promising to take some of the Spirit that was upon Moses and place it upon them as well.

When the Spirit rested on these elders, they prophesied. But two men—Eldad and Medad—who hadn't even come to the tabernacle also received the Spirit and began prophesying in the camp. Joshua, Moses' assistant, was upset by this and urged Moses to make them stop.

Moses' response reveals the heart of God: "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them all."

That wish has been fulfilled. The anointing isn't reserved for a select few. The Holy Spirit isn't limited to those on a stage or those with a certain pedigree. God has poured out His Spirit on all who believe.

Stop Looking, Start Listening

The anointing you need isn't found by chasing the latest revival or building a family tree of spiritual pedigrees. It's discovered by shutting off the noise, stepping away from the distractions, and spending time in silence and solitude with the One who already lives inside you.

You can hear His voice. But you need to learn to recognize it.

This requires getting into the Word of God. Jesus is the Word made flesh, and as you immerse yourself in Scripture, you learn to discern the Shepherd's voice from all the other voices clamoring for your attention. The sheep know their Shepherd's voice—but only if they spend time with Him.

The Holy Spirit wants to teach you, lead you, and guide you into all truth. He doesn't want you experiencing relationship with God through someone else's encounter. He wants you to know Him personally, intimately, directly.

Holding Joy and Grief Together

Walking in the anointing doesn't mean living in denial. It means learning to hold multiple realities at once—the fruit of a mature spiritual life. You can grieve and still hold joy. You can be sad about circumstances while trusting God's faithfulness. You can acknowledge pain without being consumed by it.

This is what it means to be fruitful. The Holy Spirit produces in us the capacity to live fully, to feel deeply, and yet to remain anchored in hope. We don't bury our grief or deny our sadness. We hold it with open hands, trusting the Healer to do His work while we continue walking forward in faith.

Your Calling to Leadership

Here's a truth that might make you uncomfortable: you're called to leadership. Not everyone will stand on a stage or hold a title, but every believer is called to bear the burden of building God's kingdom. You're called to help shepherd others, to speak life into dry places, to prophesy hope where there is despair.

You might protest: "I'm not ready yet. I don't know enough. I'm not there."

But "there" doesn't exist on this side of heaven. You'll never arrive at perfect. You'll never have it all together. But you can take the next step of obedience. And if you're even one step ahead of someone else, you can help lead them forward.

Don't be the burden—be the bear. Help carry the weight of reaching the lost, discipling the young, and contending for revival in your city, your state, and your nation.

The Promise

The anointing isn't something you achieve—it's Someone you receive. The Holy Spirit has made His home in you. He's not distant. He's not reserved for the super-spiritual or the exceptionally gifted. He's available, present, and ready to flow through every believer who will draw near to Him.

Stop chasing secondhand experiences. Stop looking for the anointing in everyone else. You are anointed. You have the Holy Spirit. You can hear God's voice. You can walk in power. You can live a Spirit-filled life.

The question isn't whether the anointing is available. The question is: will you step away from the noise long enough to discover what's already been placed within you?

Chase Him today. Draw near, and He will draw near to you. The anointing you've been searching for has been inside you all along.