THE OIL THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

MONDAY 14 APRIL 2025

In today's article, you'll get to know the importance of the anointing of the Holy Spirit in your life and how to indulge His active presence in your life's situations and daily activities for your wholesome benefits. More below!

Reference: Psalm 23:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

"...You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings."

To the ancient Israelites, the oil or fat was quite symbolic. It was used for several purposes such as - an emollient conciliatory application, a fuel for lantern that produces light, a component part of ingredients used for varying nutritious diets, and more. More so, a scented olive oil was chosen to be a holy anointing oil for the Israelites. And till today, many Christians have continued the practice of using holy anointing oil as a devoutly sacred practice in various dignified ceremonies. However, the oil does not have any power of its own; it is only symbolic of what the power of God is doing.

Most of us wouldn't ask to have oil poured over our heads probably because oil is quite greasy, slippery, and oleaginous to wash off. But people who knew about raising sheep in ancient Israel - and still in some places today - would fully understand the blessing of oily anointing. David, the author of this very psalm, knew a lot about herding sheep, and therefore, as a caring shepherd, he would have applied olive or grain oil to a sheep's nose and ears.

Sheep are often troubled by insects that could linger around their heads and try to lay eggs on the moist membranes of the animal's nose and ears. If those parasites are left alone to continue, the sheep can become distracted and obsessed with keeping the bugs away, yet ineffaceably. So shepherds in those times applied oil as a soothing remedy that kept the pests away. And indeed, relief was immediate with the oil. It eradicated the aggravation, the paroxysm, the delirium, the irritability, and the restlessness, and also brought about an incredible transformation which represents a beautiful picture of the manifestation of anointing.

Describing himself as a sheep, the psalmist says to the Lord, his all-sufficient Shepherd: "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." The calming influence of oil on a sheep's head is meant for the saints as well. Or are you not aware that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is a precious gift from God and in Christ, it is apparently available for every Christian? (see 1 John 2:27 NKJV).

Beloved, the anointing you received from God remains in you, and in accordance with Johannine literature, it exerts a sublime teaching ministry. The anointing itself can teach you about all things because it is a real anointing, not counterfeit. In addition, it is instrumental in neutralising the irritants, the difficulties and the pressures of life, meaning that all of the aforementioned awful conditions can be improved or transfigured at once by the enabling influence of the oil.

The anointing is emblematic of the power of the Holy Spirit, and once you receive the Holy Spirit, all that is patently needful is to spend quality time with Him on a regular basis, and the anointing will be frequently stirred up within you, empowering you to handle the challenges of each day victoriously. Always allow the Holy Spirit to anoint you with fresh monumental grace, and reveal more of God's unconditional love to you every day because you need such to prevail in your Christian walk. Yes, spend time with Him deliberately and delightfully, and He will cause you to experience the richness of divine wholeness, abundance, health, prosperity and joyful peace from above.

Doubtlessly, no devil and wicked world can stand you or disorganise your soothing easement and influential impact, once you receive and function effectively in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The anointing makes you more than a man, conditions you to be indomitable and exuberant in any given situation, and empowers you to serve God gracefully. Yes, the anointing of God's Spirit enriches the joy of your salvation and fills your cup to the brim till it overflows. Shalom.

Scripture Reading - Isaiah 11:2; John 7:37-39; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 1 John 2:20.

Guided Prayer:

Lord God, I thank you for anointing me with the Holy Spirit, whose anointing is the river of life that flows in me and through me, empowering me to possess my inheritance in Christ, and positioning me to increase in wisdom, fortune and enduring influence in my world positively. As I spend ample time with Holy Spirit daily, I'm boldly energized with oil of gladness and I prevail and succeed in my world with ease, in Jesus' Name, Amen.