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—continued from page 27— In 2015, at a popular women’s conference in Texas, a stranger handed me a word of prophecy, written on a note card. The prophecy was based on Isaiah 61:1-4. In order to honor Jesus and weigh up the words given to me, I spent a long time in careful study of the passage. I wondered what I could uncover, but the truth is, God uncovered a lot of unknowns hidden inside me. Isaiah 61 is a power-packed chapter and begins with a foundational fact — I am not alone. The Spirit of the sovereign Lord can’t be on me without also being with me. I began to realize my songwriting craft was never to be a skill practiced on my own. God wants me, through the Holy Spirit, to create with Him.
I started to see how anointing leads to action. The whole of Isaiah 61 is filled with “doing words.” I was struck by the way the Scripture called me out of being someone who felt content to pray for and financially support missionaries. I saw that I too was meant to be a missionary.
This change of perspective didn’t require a move to China or a shift in my regular routine. 28. leadinghearts.com
Instead, I realized that Jesus has called me to do all the verbs found in Isaiah 61 and to behave as a missionary right where He’s put me.
ANOINTED ACTION What does anointed action look like? Continue on through Isaiah 61 and we’ll find a fabulous list of achievable and inspired deeds. God calls His anointed to preach the good news. Those words became vibrantly alive to me. As a musician, I fell in love with the way lyrics can tell how God rebuilds, renews and restores our broken lives. Songs can be filled with the good news of Jesus, with hope and comfort. Break open your Bible and find all of the verbs in Isaiah 61. I want you to see the actions you are created and anointed for. I’d been confused by the way I’d heard the phrase, “anointed” bandied around in church circles. People have often said, “Your voice is so anointed,” or, “You’re such an anointed worship leader,” but I just couldn’t believe them because I’m not perfect. I know the “ugly” that goes on in my head.
Through the grace of God, I learned that He doesn’t anoint the perfect. He anoints those with whom He dwells. If you love Jesus and He lives in you, then you are anointed. Yes, say it aloud: “I am anointed!”
