Sanctified and Anointed Vessels
ICS Daily Devotions

1 Samuel 16:13 (NKJV) Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

This Scripture discusses how Samuel anointed David as king and how the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. David had a calling to be the King of Israel. The anointing was a sign that he was set apart to fulfil that role. The Holy Spirit came upon him to grant him the ability to reign, as he had previously been a shepherd boy. This anointing equipped him with wisdom, military strategy, and assistance in battle. This was the grace extended to David for the calling on his life, despite his imperfections.

The Holy Spirit wasn’t given to everyone in the Old Testament because of the people’s sin, but on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the people in the room. We, as New Testament saints, are ready and sanctified vessels because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Glory to God that we are redeemed by His blood, and God sees us in Christ despite our imperfections.

Just as the kings, priests, and prophets whom God called were anointed for their function before they stepped into their roles, we have the same anointing and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit resides in us, and there is an anointing upon our lives to carry out the work that God has designed for our calling. Therefore, we need to serve Him in the church and the marketplace, because we have the unction to function effectively in our calling.

1 John 2:27b (NKJV) but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

God cannot and will not bless rebelliousness and sin. Some people might sacrifice a great deal of money, time, and energy to achieve something for the Lord, but if it isn’t what God desires and what He has called them to do, it is pure self-centeredness to want God to bless their plans. True, absolute obedience and yielding to the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Christ over our lives will determine how much grace, anointing, and enablement we will receive. The abundant provision of wisdom, resources, favour, and strength is made available to us when we choose to abide in Him, and He will teach, lead, comfort, and exhort us throughtout the whole process.

The key is for us to abide in God. We need to be connected to the vine in order to bear fruit, whether it is the fruit of godliness, to understand His Word, or to do the work He has called us to do. When we abide in Him, we will hear from Him, tap into His enablement or anointing, and produce results that glorify His name.

Sermon Series：The Unction to Function