Power from on High, Part 1

“God parted the clouds and began to pour something into my soul that flooded my very being. The anointing was so fresh and new that I felt I had never been touched by the Spirit before. I was lifted into the Father’s presence.”

The Bible is filled with examples of God’s anointing— a supernatural power from on high—on people. Anyone who studies these examples is naturally filled with a desire for a such an anointing.

Today, because of the victory won by Jesus Christ on the cross, you have no need for lack of God’s power in your life, for He has provided an abundance of anointing and resources for every believer. The answer is a fresh and continual outpouring of the Spirit.

As with a barren, forsaken land, God can cause it to thrive, to be useful, and to prosper again. And He desires to do the same through the Holy Spirit with you and me today!

Almighty God’s plan for you is an unending, fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

He doesn’t want to give you a single bountiful outpouring. He wants to keep showering you with blessings “until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest” (Isaiah 32:15).

With a God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and has reservoirs larger than all the oil cartels combined, why is it that the Church, the body of Christ, is deficient and often running on empty?

It’s time to realize that our fuel is not self-generated. Your intellect, enterprise, and connections are hollow shells in the sight of God.

Total reliance on Him and His anointing is your only solution!

Total Helplessness

I must confess there was a time, even after I had discovered and been blessed immensely with the power of the Holy Spirit, when it seemed the touch of God had left me. That came as a shock after all the Lord had done in the past.

God had already performed miracle after miracle in my life. It was difficult to imagine the Lord would choose a young man with a stuttering problem as a communicator of the Gospel. Yet He did. If you have read my life story, you know I could not even talk properly to my family or friends at school. But I was completely delivered of my speech impediment. The Lord placed His anointing on me and thrust me into the ministry.

Why did the Lord begin to use me? Because I was an open vessel, crying to be filled. I had the simple faith to believe that the Holy Spirit was a personality.

I believed I could talk to Him, and I did.

I believed He was my wonderful, gracious, and kind partner.

I believed that the Bible meant what it said in 2 Corinthians 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.”

I took at face value the Scripture that says:

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

I came to Him as a little child and said, “Holy Spirit, You know the Father. Holy Spirit, You know the Word. Please help me know Him.” And He did.

Instantly, things began to change in my life. I started to read the Word, and suddenly life was there. It was marvelous. My capacity to understand Scripture was multiplied. My prayer life changed. Jesus became so close that I could not go anywhere without feeling His presence.

The ministry the Lord had given me seemed to explode.

However, at the same time, something dangerous began to take place. I became so caught up in doing the work of the Lord that I did not realize what was happening. In my whirlwind of spiritual activity, I had forgotten the discipline that brought me to that point of being anointed.

Sometimes, I did not have time to pray as I once did—and I struggled to give the Word enough of my attention.

Like Samson of old, the anointing was slipping away, and I hardly realized what was happening. Scripture records how Delilah called out to Samson:

“The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him” (Judges 16:20).

One day I woke up and realized that I was operating on the residue of an old anointing. It was a feeling of total helplessness. My vessel began to empty.

I was doing God’s work, yet misery began to enter my life. When it happened, I thought, “Well, that is just part of the ministry.” But it wasn’t.

When the Spirit is upon you, there is fruit, not desolation. There is life, not death. My oil almost evaporated. There was a leak in my vessel. The anointing was thin and had lost its freshness. It needed to be replaced.

The Clouds Parted

What was the answer for me? I returned to my first love. I cried out to the Lord as never before in my life. I literally fell to my face and begged God, “Don’t take your Spirit from me!” Day after day I stormed the gates of heaven until the answer came.

God parted the clouds and began to pour something into my soul that flooded my very being. The anointing was so fresh and new that I felt I had never been touched by the Spirit before. I was lifted into the Father’s presence.

From that moment, I promised Him I would never allow a day to pass without seeking a fresh awakening of the Spirit. I have kept my part of the bargain, and He has never let me down.

Total Obedience

There is no substitute for a fresh, daily visitation of the Spirit. Paul the apostle wrote to the church at Philippi, “I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:18-l9).

Isn’t it better to have the Lord fighting for you than against you?

Consider the words of Isaiah: “They rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them” (Isaiah 63:10).

If the Holy Spirit ever leaves, you are finished. It is over! There’s danger when you allow His anointing to run dry.

You can’t expect to have God’s blessing when you live in disobedience: “We are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him” (Acts 5:32).

What a dreadful thought it is to lose your anointing. It happened to King Saul, as David lamented:

“Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil” (2 Samuel 1:21).

Saul knew the Lord and even prophesied. Now, however, it was as if the Lord never knew him.

Knowing what happened to Saul, David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me” (Psalm 51:10-11).

The anointing is not automatic. Far from it! There are conditions to be met.

The Word says, “Seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7). And the opposite is also true. From Genesis to Revelation you can read of the judgments of God that fall on those who refuse to seek Him.

Speaking of those who follow their own ungodly desires, Jude wrote, “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit” (Jude 19). And he added this advice: “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (verse 20).

If you are touched by the Spirit, there will be a dramatic difference in your life. The Bible makes it clear. We are admonished to:

“Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20).

God’s Pipeline

There are many questions people have about this wonderful anointing. I remember one time after a glorious service, a man stopped me and asked if I would pray for him.

“Pastor Benny,” he said, “I want to receive the anointing.”

“Exactly what do you expect to receive?” I responded.

“I’m not really sure, but I have heard about it and I want it,” was his reply.

Many people like this man seek the anointing as a one-time experience, like salvation or water baptism. They believe that if a minister touches their forehead with oil and says a little prayer, their life will be gloriously transformed.

There is a great deal of difference, however, in “being anointed” and “having the anointing.” Just as you don’t eat a great meal on New Year’s Day and expect it to last all year, you don’t receive an “instant” touch that lasts forever.

While it is true that there are special times of dedication or consecration to the Lord, more is available.

The anointing you need is the continual presence of the Almighty. And that only comes through daily renewal.

Seven Revelations

The oil from Alaska doesn’t arrive one barrel at a time. There is a pipeline that creates a constant flow. And that is exactly how the Lord wants His Spirit to operate in your life, as a very special passage in Psalms shares.

Seven divine truths from the 89th Psalm illuminate how the oil flows and affects your life.

Bear in mind that these seven revelations are not limited to what God wants to pour into you. He also desires that the anointing stream from you.

1. The anointing strengthens you.
The Lord wants you to have strength in the power of His might: “I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him” (Psalm 89:20-21).

God’s touch gives you the energy and the authority to stand against every foe.

2. You cannot he harmed by the enemy.
When the anointing prevails in your life, it is as if you are shielded by a wall of protection. “The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him” (Psalm 89:22). Satan cannot touch you. I believe that even sickness will flee in the presence of the anointing.

In Eastern countries, when shepherds want to keep flies from bothering the sheep, they rub them with olive oil. In Scripture, flies represent demons. If you want to put satan and the demonic forces of hell on the run, you need that same oil of protection. The Bible states, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want…Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (Psalm 23:1, 5).

3. The enemy will be destroyed and defeated.
God says if the anointing is active in your life, He will decimate the wicked: “And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him” (Psalm 89:23). Through you, He will actually destroy demonic strongholds around you.

Through you, He will step on the devil’s face. The Word says God will soon “bruise Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20). But this only takes place when there is a God-given covering over your life.

4. The anointing establishes your authority.
As a Christian, one name establishes your authority—the powerful name of Jesus. “But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted” (Psalm 89:24).

The word “horn” speaks of authority. We will act with authority in His name as the Holy Spirit flows through us.

5. You will influence others.
The Lord promised that the anointing would begin to flow through David: “I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers” (Psalm 89:25). But it was not for him alone. David was to take God’s touch and influence the world.

When the Bible talks about “the sea,” it is referring to people. And that same promise is to you.

What should you do if members of your family are not serving the Lord? Move into the anointing, and your home will be mightily influenced.

The Bible says that David was anointed “among his brethren.” He influenced his brothers, and later they became mighty men of Israel. At first they mocked him, but then they stood with him. The Spirit made the difference.

6. God’s love will never leave you.
The Lord’s abundant mercy will be on you continuously, as long as the anointing remains: “My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him” (Psalm 89:28). What a promise!

Remember, God took His mercy off of Saul because he lost the anointing. And once it was removed, Saul became possessed by a demon. However, it did not happen to David. Thank God for the oil of the Holy Spirit that keeps God’s love and mercy on your life.

7. The anointing will endure.
This final promise is the best of all. It is for you, and your children, and their children: “His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven” (Psalm 89:29). Christ was in the line of David. That means you are included in the same family tree.

The anointing in your home will keep your children aware of God and His presence.

And should your sons or daughters stray, there is something about an atmosphere saturated with the touch of God that will draw them back. Even if your children are no longer in your home, it is never too late to claim an anointing. I’ve seen the Spirit repair and mend families that had been tattered and torn beyond human hope.

Claim These Promises for Yourself

Begin this moment to claim these seven truths as your own. Open your heart to the outpouring of God’s anointing.

Become a pipeline flowing with oil from heaven. It will be the greatest surge of His anointing you have ever known. Then, and only then, can you be prepared for His anointing and mighty, unprecedented harvest!

Just look around and you will see a world that desperately needs Jesus. Millions surround us who are driving full speed on the highway to hell. We must wake up and say: “Lord! Give me your anointing, that I may win them.”

You see, the moment the Spirit falls upon you, there will be a burden for the lost like you have never known. Suddenly the phrase “He that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30) becomes more than a Sunday school memory verse.

As for me, this world can take everything from me—all that I have, or ever hope to have. My only cry to the Lord is, “Please don’t take Your anointing from me. Don’t take Your presence away. May I never pray without sensing Your nearness.”

Is that also your prayer? God wants you to be filled with His Spirit. No more running on empty.

The best news is that in God’s economy, the supply will forever exceed our demand. His oil of anointing will never run dry.

Next week: Watch for Part 2, as we continue our study, not only on God’s anointing, but also on His double-portion anointing available to you!

My Request to You

Almost 45 years ago, I began serving my wonderful Lord in this glorious ministry. It was in those early days that I began to understand that true biblical victory, especially in the area of abundance, is not an accident. It is a decision based on the Word of God that we as believers must make, even when things aren’t going right.

And I discovered long ago that God’s laws concerning giving and receiving are fixed, immutable laws that no man and no circumstance can change. The Lord has promised that when we sow seed in faith toward the spread of the Gospel, we will reap a harvest. That is an unfailing and eternal promise that cannot be broken.

Breakthrough success comes from the Lord:

“Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

Will you prayerfully ask Him what you should plant today into the fertile soil of this international ministry, then sow your most generous financial seed-offering so multitudes can hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

As you do, remember our Father’s promise to both give you seed and multiply that seed as you sow it.

I am eager to hear from you very soon, and I pray that your gift will bring multitudes of lost souls to the cross. At the same time, I pray that your seed-gift will be multiplied into a vast harvest of financial blessings in your own life, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ!

With great expectations for you,

Benny Hinn