Preparation for the New School Year – Part 7: Release the Anointing
We read in 1 John 2:27, “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie . . .. (NASB). Just think, you do not need a teacher to teach you how to receive the anointing; this verse says, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will teach you about all things.
The anointing spoken about is the power in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that resides in you, and it can be released at any time. It is not something that comes and goes, nor is it related to feelings.
Marilyn Hickey put it this way, “Your feelings have nothing to do with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit…He abides with you for the sole purpose of empowering you to live supernaturally…He wants to take you out of your problems and into victory. He wants to anoint you to be everything that you want to be and more.”
Judy Jacobs in her book, You Are Anointed for This, (2013) says, “In other words, the anointing – the Holy Spirit of God – is at home in you. He abides, stays, in your inner man! The anointing in your life is not based on whim or emotion. It is a lasting, abiding treasure in your ‘earthen vessel.’ She continues, “The illuminating power of the anointing will enable you to distinguish between truth and error, between the holy and the profane, so you handle it rightly. And, because the anointing is based in truth, it faithfully guides and teaches you, bringing you into the fullness of your purpose in God.”
For Christian educators the anointing is not an act or an event; therefore, it cannot be measured by performance. However, the anointing produces results. And it is up to you to release this anointing in your classroom. No one can do it for you. It is up to you. From the moment you walk into the classroom in the morning, you should declare out loud. “God has anointed me”
Releasing this anointing is enhanced by an understanding of the following four concepts. First, you must understand the difference between being prepared vs. being anointed. Many Christian educators do not see themselves as anointed. They see themselves as prepared to teach.
It is the anointing that takes the teacher beyond professional training, experience, and preparation. Preparation may help have a great lesson, but it does little to break the strongholds in the lives of students. It is these strongholds that keep students from accomplishing all that God intends, whether it be in academics, fine arts, or sports. These strongholds need to be broken. The anointing does this.
In Acts 10:38 we read, "How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by the power of the devil, for God was with Him.” (AMPC) And in 2 Corinthians 1: 21 we read, "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God.“ (NKJV) Thus, this same anointing of the Holy Spirit that resides in Jesus, resides in you. Why not go into your classroom both prepared and anointed.
Second, you must know the reasons for the anointing? Why do teachers and administrators need the anointing? For the same reason, Jesus needed it: for strength, ability, and power. Jesus said in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me . . .” (KJV) What Jesus could say about himself in Luke 4:18, we can say about ourselves.
Jesus was sent by His Father, and in John 20:21 (AMP) we read how Jesus sends us “… as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” One place he sends you is into the classroom. He sends you with this same anointing. Its purpose is so you will have strength, ability, and power and to destroy the yokes and chains that hold students and their families in bondage to sickness, fear of the future, anxiety, ill-will, unforgiveness, animosity, heaviness and guilt, or lack, any lack, whether in finances, academics, or behavior.
Another reason for this anointing is to help you accomplish the task that God has called you to do. Have you ever tried to do something under your own strength and power, only to feel overwhelmed, tired, or even discouraged? We have all been there! The anointing helps correct this situation. It brings energy to your body and excitement to your spirit.
How is this anointing released? How can you walk in this anointing? First, let me say this, It is not a matter of being taught. It is true; one can learn how to present a lesson and one can learn various techniques in dealing with young people who are experiencing challenges in their lives. The anointing does not supersede these, it surmounts them. It is the anointing that adds effectiveness to these techniques.
A good example of releasing the anointing inside of a Christian educator is Margaret, one of my elementary principals. Before becoming a principal, she had taught first grade for more than 20 years in public schools. When I hired her, it was her first experience in a Christian school.
One day a first-grade teacher was absent, so Margaret decided to teach the class herself rather than calling in a substitute teacher. Margaret didn’t have time to prepare, she just stepped into the classroom and taught; I guess 20 years of teaching first grade is sufficient preparation.
In the middle of the morning, Margaret came to my office all excited, explaining, "Dr. Demuth, you would not believe what just happened. In every curriculum course I have ever taken and in all my years of experience, I've never spent more than 30 minutes teaching first graders math in any single lesson. Well, today, I was teaching and just before the 30 minutes were up, something inside of me said ‘Don’t stop now, keep on teaching.’ I taught the lesson for an additional 40 minutes. My students paid attention for the entire time. I felt I could have taught math all day long. They were so interested and eager to learn everything in the lesson, and every student mastered the concepts.” And then she said, “I believe for the first time, I realized what it feels like, teaching math under the anointing. It was wonderful!” Can you imagine, after 20 years of teaching first grade, it was the first time that she sensed an anointing? Thank God, one does not have to wait 20 years to experience this.
What happened with Margaret? The anointing that resided in her was released to accomplish the teaching of Math. Two specific actions took place. First, in her recreated spirit, Margaret sensed a prompting of the Holy Spirit to continue teaching even when all the thoughts in her mind based on training and experience were saying it was time to stop. Margaret taught under this anointing because she believed she was anointed. What she experienced was a measure of the anointing that was already resident in her. All she needed to do was to step into the classroom and allow the anointing to be released. This anointing made for an exciting lesson, and it eliminated all behavior challenges and lack of attention.
Second, Margaret had to take a step of faith. She had to go against what her mind was saying. This took faith! As Margaret continued with her lesson, the Holy Spirit illuminated the content and what would have taken three or four class sessions to learn was acquired in one setting. Margaret had to be willing to step beyond her experience, a step of faith, believing that what she was sensing in her spirit to do, was from the Holy Spirit.
You might be thinking, How can I ever release the anointing like Margaret? it involves four simple actions: 1) Ask Him to become your co-teacher, as we mentioned in Part 6); 2) Invite His presence in your classroom. Then, 3) Listen to Him as he speaks to your recreated spirit as you prepare and present your lessons; Finally, 4) Release your faith in His power to accomplish what Jesus would accomplish if He were teaching.
Like Margaret, you must be willing to step beyond your experience, a step of faith, and believe that what you are sensing in your spirit to do is from the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, it can be something you experience every day, and in every period, not just during the Bible lesson, but in all subjects.
Remember, we are talking about being anointed, which surmounts being prepared – being prepared is a given. When the anointing is released as it was by Margaret, you will find yourself going beyond your preparation, and you will know that it was “the anointing.”
In our last post, we will show how Christian educators can increase this anointing in the classroom.