144 GOOD MORNING, HOLY SPIRIT
of song.
What made the difference? My friend, it was the
anointing! It was the power of the Spirit in that lady's life.
During my ministry in Canada, we were one of the
sponsoring groups of a Billy Graham crusade. The
preparations for the meetings were as organized as anything
I'd ever seen. And the services themselves were "tame"
compared to what I was used to. But when Graham began
to speak, there was an unmistakable touch of the Spirit on
his message. The content was Christ, but I could tell I was
in the presence of a man who has a deep personal
fellowship with the Spirit.
Words That Stunned the Synagogue
Since creation people have been fascinated by the
anointing. It has been marveled at, manifested, and even
mimicked. But the true anointing has always been—and
still remains—a function of God the Holy Spirit.
What is its purpose? So that you might proclaim the
message with power.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD ... (Isa. 61:1-2)
But those are not just the words of an Old Testament
prophet. Jesus quoted them to a stunned audience at the
synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19).
You must never forget that to understand the Holy
Spirit you must know that He is God. That description may
seem foreign to you, but it is as basic as the Word itself. He