The Power of an Anointed Word

What God anoints brings freedom and liberty. The anointing breaks the yoke. Isaiah 10:27. Yet, so many today live under so many yokes. Is this the life offered to us in Christ — Wait to die to make it to heaven? Or is there something greater that we are missing out on? In reality, Christianity has been reduced from its original intent. Yes, it has been reduced in every way, especially in power. The Church was and is meant to be a vessel of God’s power. We are meant to carry the power of an anointed word from God that breaks yokes and liberates those held captive by sin and Satan. The Church Jesus died to save is a Church filled with God’s raw supernatural power. At least, that’s who the Bible teaches we are and were meant to be — a Church filled with power. That’s what I’d like to talk about in this post.

Power. It makes all the difference in the world. When we have it, the forces of hell are on the run. When we lack it, we get what we have today — a namby pamby Church, a wimpy Church, a Church retreating from the gates of hell. May it never be so, the Church was and is meant to charge the gates of hell — to save as many from that dark, demonic place as possible. As some have said, “the lost at any cost”. But we don’t have that today, do we? Honestly, no. We have a weak Church filled with weak Christians who don’t walk in God’s power. What are we missing? Every sincere minister of the gospel should be asking that question. 

The Apostle Paul described a different experience in his letters to the Church. In 1 Corinthians 4:20, New Heart English Bible, “the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” Here, the great apostle sums up genuine apostolic Christianity in a single word that’s balanced on one word — power. Does that sound like a man retreating from the gates of hell? Or does that sound like a man running towards the gates of hell to save as many as he can? That’s what apostolic authority looks like — it has power. What we have is a lot of talk. 

                            “It’s in our place of lowly neediness where we experience moves of God’s supernatural power.”—Scott Wallis

The Apostle Paul describes how he came to minister to the Corinthian Church. We can hear his owns words in 1 Corinthians 2:1, ESV, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom…”, and 1 Corinthians 2:3, 4, Berean Standard Bible, “I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”. The Apostle Paul relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to communicate the efficacy of the Gospel. 

The Gospel, when it’s preached in power, is extremely effective. It’s hard to argue against a miracle. A miracle demands a response. A miracle demonstrates a different reality than the one we are used to experiencing. Miracles are necessary for the Church to demonstrate the resurrection of a living Christ. Yes, necessary. Miracles are an absolute must have weapon for the Church to invade hell. As the late Reinhard Bonnke would say, “plundering hell, populating Heaven.” How did he do it? Power! God’s power! 

Reinhard Bonnke

In Psalms 110:3, ESV, we read, “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.” We are living in the day of God’s power. The Holy Spirit has been poured out upon the Church. He’s here. What is He waiting for? He’s waiting on us. What?!!! Yes, He’s waiting for the Church that learns to rely on Him, a Church who knows how to tap in to God’s power. That begs the question: How can we plug into the power of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you want to know the secret to walking in God’s power?

The Holy Spirit doesn’t need our strengths. No, He needs our weakness. What do I mean? I mean a strong people will rely on their own ability to preach the gospel. And often, they preach from a place of pride. The Apostle Paul couldn’t do that. No, he was a murderer who compelled Christians to blaspheme. He was a man haunted by his past. He knew his own sinful nature, his own weakness, his own lostness, his own deception. No illusions. Just the cold, hard reality of who he’d been — a weak, deceived, lost, prideful, and sinful man — “I was the worst sinner of all!” 1 Timothy 1:15, CEV. Think about that a second. The Apostle Paul didn’t describe himself as the best of the apostles. No, he described himself as the worst of sinners. 

How do we see ourselves? Do we think we’re ready? Or are we fearful and trembling, like the Apostle Paul, knowing we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit’s power? That’s the secret to walking in God’s power, remaining in the place of weakness. There, it’s not our message, our presentation, our persuasiveness, our personality, or any other humanly thing that is the basis for the gospel we preach. Rather, we know we must solely rely on God. It’s in our place of lowly neediness where we experience moves of God’s supernatural power. That’s where the preaching actually makes a difference and brings men and women to the place of salvation — not only from a burning hell, but from themselves and the evil of their own ways. 

Yes, the anointed word still saves, heals, and delivers. And that’s what we need in our day. AI can deliver knowledge. It takes a gospel preacher to bring God’s power. That’s what God is looking for today — a humble vessel carrying the weakness of his or her own frame AND the power of Jesus’s name, the power of the blood of His cross, and the power of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Not fluff, not smoke, not talk. No! Fire from heaven! Let it fall!

Hallelujah!

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis