THE HEALING ANOINTING  RECEIVING THE ANOINTING

"...Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give..." Matthew 10:8

The church hall in the small Kenyan town, a suburb of Nairobi, was filled with pastors and their wives. Unbeknownst to me, and to almost every one else there, one pastor's wife was suffering from a dread disease that would be fatal if God did not intervene. As I was teaching on the gifts of the Spirit, I looked up at her and saw in the Spirit the sign that the Lord shows me when He wants me to deliver a gift of healing. I presently put my Bible down, walked around behind her, laid hands on her shoulders and commanded the power of God to come upon her. Then I went back up front and continued teaching.

The next day she came with a thrilling testimony. She told of how she had been afflicted with cancer. She had even been scheduled to be operated upon. But she felt she could not go through with the operation and expect to live. She came to the conference in great pain. She said, "When you prayed for me, the power of God went through me and the pain left! I am healed!" Today I am told there is not even a scar where the cancer was, bless God forever.

The verbs in Matthew 10:8 are all in the imperative mood in the Greek text, which means they are commands. We are commanded to heal, cleanse, raise and cast out, all of which is giving freely. It is our responsibility to search out HOW to receive the ability to fulfill those commands.

We are to be zealous to receive the healing anointing. I Corinthians 12:31tells us that we are to be covet earnestly the 'best gifts'. What are the 'best gifts'? Could one gift of God be better than another? No. The best gift is the gift that is needed to do the will of God in that situation.

How do you receive the healing anointing? By earnestly asking for the best gifts and waiting in the manifest presence of God until He gives you the gifts that you will need, one of which may be the healing anointing.

That the man ( or woman, as the case may be ) of God may be perfect, throughly furnished ( equipped ) unto all good works. 2 Tim 3:17KJV

2 Timothy 3:17says that we are to be fully equipped, having every anointing we need to accomplish everything we are to accomplish. This truth is so simple, yet so profound, that we miss it a lifetime.

How do you enter into the manifest presence of God? First, you must understand that there is a difference between the promised presence and the manifest presence. God is everywhere present. But this does not mean that He is outwardly manifesting His presence every where. Someday the earth will be filled with the manifest presence of God ( Numbers 14:21). Jesus said that if we loved Him and kept His commandments, He would manifest Himself to us ( John 14:21). The manifest presence is God 'showing up. The gifts of the Spirit are called the manifestation gifts ( 1 Corinthians 12:7 ), because through them God 'shows up'.

To receive the healing anointing, or the other gifts, is not difficult because they are received 'freely'. To receive these free gifts, you simply spend enough time praising, praying, asking and listening.

Remember that sin will separate you from your God, so confess any that you may have on your plate. Seek His face early in the morning. Ask Him to equip you with the gifts that you will need that day ( week, month, year, season, trip, etc. - you can receive the anointing for as far into the future as your faith can reach out, as the Spirit leads. Just be honest with yourself ). The Holy Spirit can show you the future ( John 16:13), so that you can 'pray in' the gifts that you will need.

If you know you will be publicly ministering, you better 'pray in' the anointing to prophesy, the ability to say the right word at the right time that brings faith. If God wants you to pray for the sick, you better 'pray in' the healing anointing. If you are counseling or planning, you better have the anointing of wisdom.

The best gifts are determined by what the situation will require...and we are commanded to covet earnestly the best gifts. The key to receiving is to wait on Him until He releases you. When it comes to prayer, most people 'leave in the middle of the service', so to speak. They end their prayer time before God releases them. This grieves the Holy Spirit, and causes them to miss the impartation of God. You will know in your spirit when He releases you. He may not release you for three hours, or three days. Time is not important... getting the power to effectively minister is important.