1 Samuel 16:13
“So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.”
INSIGHT
-Oil has been used in numerous occasions to represent the presence of the Holy Spirit. The used of oil as revealed are both for cosmetic and non-cosmetic needs, and diverse functions are evident. The Spirit of the Lord having departed from king Saul, came upon David powerfully once he was anointed with oil. David was led and guided by the Holy Spirit, and we find him win all his battles against his enemies and his heart drew after God’s own heart. Elisha also anointed Jehu son of Jehoshaphat king over Israel with olive oil (2 Kings 9:1-3). Let us desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and He will help us in all our needs and purpose.
PRAYER
Abba Father we thank You for Your gift of the Holy Spirit. May You anoint us afresh with Your Holy Spirit that we may be empowered to run our race effectively and finish our course. May You draw us closer to You and teach us Your ways. You May You fill us afresh Holy Spirit with Your gift of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, according to Your grace and merciful love that we may lead well in our areas of calling. You make us fruitful in all our work and purpose for which You have called us. May You bless the work of our hands and bless our ministries dear Holy Spirit. We believe in You and hope in You in every area of our lives. We believe that we are more than conquerors with You in all things. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen
Further reading: Psalm 23:5
Exodus 28:41 NKJV
“So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests.”
INSIGHT
-The Lord commanded Moses to anoint Aaron and his sons, who were Levites to serve Him as priests. He anointed them with oil thus typical imparting in them the Holy Spirit and the grace necessary to serve God and the people. Through the sanctification by the anointing oil, the Holy Spirit set them apart, and devote them to the sacred office of priesthood ready to offer sacrifices and lead in the worship of God. He also sanctified the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. He also sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them (Leviticus 8:10-12). Consecration and ordination of priests is common practice today and God release the Holy Spirit and His grace to enable them to spiritually lead the people.
PRAYER
Holy Holy Holy are You Lord God Almighty, Who was, Who is and Who is to come. Holy Spirit we welcome You in our lives. You are so precious to us, we love You and adore You. May You anoint us with Your oil and consecrate us for the service that You have called us. May You bless all church leaders, and those who are called to serve You, that they may be vessels of honor always and serve You in truth, humility and wisdom. May You wash our children with Your precious blood dear Jesus that we may serve You graciously. May You deliver them from the snares of the devil that they may not be addicted to drugs and alcohol, pornography and mastubation, social media, affinity to LGBTQ issues and other immoral behavior. May they always honor You and respect their parents. May they grow in the fear of the Lord and in wisdom. May You bless our nation and our leaders, that they may fear You and always do what is right and pleasing to You. May You heal our nation and prosper our land economically, socially, spiritually and politically, we humbly implore You. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus mighty name. Amen
Further reading: Exodus 30:30
James 5:14-15 NKJV
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”
INSIGHT
-The ministers of Christ who have been called to oversee the flock, and have the gift of healing can anoint brethren with oil and the Lord releases forgiveness, healing and His blessings. Mark 6:13 reveals that disciples of Christ have been commissioned to anointed with oil those who are sick, and heal them by the power of the Holy Spirit. God reminds us to pray and apply faith as little as a mustard seed, and we will move mountains (Matthew 17:20-21). We know that it is by faith that the woman with the issue of blood was healed from her affliction (Mark 5:34).
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father we humbly submit ourselves at Your feet asking for Your mercy and grace. May You increase as we decrease. We lift Your name and enthrone You on high. All other gods are made by human hands, they cannot see nor hear our prayers but on You Lord are our true God, we trust in You. We praise You and exult Your holy name. We bless Your name and magnify You, for You are God and none can be compared to You. May You forgive us all our sins, sins of our families, sins of our forefathers, sins of our nation, and sins of the world. May You sanctify us and wash us with Your precious blood dear Jesus. May You heal all those who are suffering from cancer, diabetes, HIV and Aids, cerebral palsy, arthritis, stroke, glaucoma, and other diseases. May You heal all those who are sick and suffering among us and make them whole. May You grant freedom and a better life to all the street families. May You grant all those who do not know You and acknowledge You as our God, the gift of salvation dear Jesus. May You grant us Your sure peace in our nation and revive our economy. May You protect us all from harm or premature death, together with our loved ones. All glory, honor, power and victory belongs to You Lord, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Mark 6:6-13, Luke 17:19
Matthew 25:1-13 NKJV
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
INSIGHT
-The parable of the ten virgins clearly demonstrates the importance of continually burning the oil of the Holy Spirit. All the virgins had lamps so they knew Christ our Savior, even though five were foolish and five were wise. In their foolishness they lacked discernment, and never considered the importance of carrying extra oil lest the Messiah comes when they least expect it, like a thief (Revelation 16:15). They were lazy in their walk with Christ and their lamps grew dim by the day. Five were wise and they carried extra oil, the oil of the Spirit, in readiness to receive the Messiah. The Bible reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray always. Prayer can be continuous if we engage the Holy Spirit, and He intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered in both our conscious and subconscious minds. We are called to read the word, pray continuously, fellowship with one another often as we cultivate our relationship with the Holy Spirit, by His grace.
PRAYER
I will lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from. My help comes from You Lord, Who made the heaven and the earth. You will not allow my foot to be moved. You who keeps me will not slumber. My help and safety comes from You Lord my God. Help us and our families, and keep us safe. Help our nation and our leaders dear Jesus, that they may agree and choose peace. We refuse political instability and blood shed in our nation, may You help us dear Master. May You revive our economy and cause us to prosper. Thank You for redeeming us with Your blood even when we were lost and without Your light of salvation. We are the salt and the light of the world, thank You for choosing us and using us for the glory of Your name. We come to Your throne of mercy and grace that we may obtain Your grace during our time of need, may You help us and wash us with Your precious blood. May You help us to draw near to You Holy Spirit as You are with us, and teach us to always have communion with You. Teach us to pray always, to read and understand Your word. May You help to be ready always with our loved us and all Your people, for Your second coming. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Matthew 24:43, Ephesians 6:18
Isaiah 61:1 NIV
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,”
INSIGHT
-Jesus having been anointed to do that which no man could do, He died on the cross for our sins. He came to save us from the yoke of sin and death, and redeemed us with His precious blood. He also came deliver the message of salvation to the poor, deliver the heart broken, set free the prisoners and to bring light to the lost. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him (Acts 10:38). Let us then hold fast our faith in Christ so that when He comes back, He will find us faithful to Him.
SUMMARY
Oil is often times viewed as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and the anointed by Him and through Him, grants us the grace’s necessary to accomplish a specific purpose. Levitical priests were anointed with oil and thus able to serve God in His divine work through the help of the Holy Spirit. Moses anointed Aaron and his sons therefore consecrating and sanctifying them to serve God as priests (Exodus 28:41). The tabernacle, altar and all the utensils were anointed with oil to sanctify and consecrate them (Leviticus 8:10-12). The anointing of Aaron is likened to the unity of brethren and the Lord commands a blessing (Psalm 133:1-3). Kings were also anointed with oil and the Holy Spirit came upon them. In 1 Samuel 16:13 we find Samuel who anointed David as king over Israel and the Holy Spirit came powerful upon Him. In the new dispensation, once we believe in Jesus Christ, in His death and resurrection, and accept Him into our hearts, God anoints us with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and we are able to experience Him in a special way. He makes us priests and kings to Himself, and we receive the graces to rule here on earth (Revelation 5:10). Oil is also used to anoint the sick and they are healed by the power of the Holy Ghost. The disciples anointed the multitudes with oil and they got healed (Mark 6:13). The elders of the church have the obligation to anoint the sick brethren with oil and they will be made whole (James 5:14-15). The parable of the ten virgins reminds us to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in our hearts once we believe, as we continually read the word of God, pray always and have communion with the body of Christ, and His oil will never be extinguished in our hearts, as we wait in hope to inherit His heavenly kingdom (Matthew 25:1-13).
PRAYER
You are worthy dear Jesus to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and You have purchased us with Your precious blood out of every tribe, language, people and nation. Thank You for loving us and for making us a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and Your own special people, chosen to proclaim Your praises for You called us out of darkness into Your marvelous light. Thank You for loving us and choosing us. We surrender our lives, families, nation unto You that You may take charge. May You unite us with cords of love that cannot be broken and bless us. We submit our burdens and cares unto You for You care for us. Your burden is easy dear Jesus, may You grant us rest together with all those who are hard pressed. May You anoint us afresh with oil and release Your special graces required for us to serve You effectively in our God given purposes. May You bless us and keep us Lord. May You make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance upon us and give us peace in our hearts, families, nation and all the nations of the world. Amen
Further reading: 1 John 2:27, 1 Peter 2:9