When a talented singer comes to a church who can bring down the house with a five-octave range, people leave amazed and say, "Wow, they are so anointed!" Maybe, maybe not...

There is a massive misunderstanding between being gifted and being anointed. The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable, and He will never take them away (Romans 11:29). This means that a person can operate in their gifts while robbing a liquor store. They could still hit all five octaves, but they won't be anointed, for the Lord's anointing will dry up and leave if you do not maintain the nature of the Lamb.

The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism and remained on Him. John apparently had seen the Holy Spirit descend on others in the past, but this time it stayed. That was the sign that John the Baptizer was told to look for.

(John 1:32-34 NKJV) And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

The anointing is more than goose bumps. It is the actual power of God flowing through someone, and it changes everything. When the Holy Spirit came on Saul, he became another man (1 Samuel 10:6). It can make uneducated fishermen say things that blow the minds of lifelong scholars.

(Acts 4:13-14 NKJV) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

Gifts always work, and they can be astoundingly diverse. There are over twenty spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament:

(Romans 12:6-8) lists gifts such as prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) describes gifts like wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. (Ephesians 4:11) identifies offices such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

In the Old Testament, we see that Samson was granted immense strength, Solomon received wisdom, and Joseph and Daniel were given the ability to interpret dreams. Bezalel was gifted in craftsmanship and design. This is just a brief flip-through, not a detailed list. The prophet Joel spoke of the Spirit being poured out on all flesh in the last days, and the Apostle Peter stated that it began in Acts chapter 2.

(Acts 2:14-18 NKJV) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.

I knew a man at our church who could touch a wart, and within a few days, it would fall off. I had one that I had tried everything to get rid of, but it kept coming back. One Sunday morning, he saw it, shook my hand, and said, "Wart, I give you seven days to be gone." A few days later, it started to peel and then fell off. I went back to church the next Sunday, and there was no trace of it, and it never came back. That was a strange but practical gift that always worked. He had done it a hundred times. The variety of gifts the Lord gives to His people is astonishing.

The anointing does not operate like a gift. There are different levels of it, or sometimes, just none at all. Those in ministry know the feeling well when a message just flows out of you while you are under the anointing. All the right words come. At other times, my message is the driest, most boring thing I have ever heard, and I just want to get to the end as soon as possible.

There are different levels of faith: There is a "measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). There is "great faith" (Matthew 8:10). Jesus said twice that He saw "such great faith" (Matthew 8:10) (Luke 7:9). Likewise, there is joy (Luke 6:23), great joy (Acts 8:8), and then joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8).

There are also different levels of anointing. Elisha received a "double portion" anointing, while Jesus was given the "Spirit without measure," an unlimited supply. (2 Kings 2:9) (John 3:34).

Another key difference is that anointing brings deliverance and sets you free. It is the anointing that breaks the yoke (Isaiah 10:27). A gifted singer can really bless an audience, but an anointed singer can trigger deliverance and cause demons to flee.

Preaching works the same way. One message can be highly intellectual, but the people remain unchanged. Another can be extremely simple, but a few words spoken under the anointing trigger a change in someone's life. It can resonate with them on a spiritual level, and they know God is speaking directly to them.

So gifts remain in our lives, but the anointing can dry up depending on our actions. It requires cultivating the gentle nature of the Lamb, denying yourself, loving and serving others. Some fall into continual sin, but their gifts continue to work, so they believe God is with them and He must be OK with it, but the anointing, His precious presence, is gone. This is dangerous. Consider this Scripture in that light:

(Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

I have always considered that verse a bit scary, as this group of people thought they were going to heaven and could prophesy, cast out demons, and do wonders in His name, but they didn't actually know Him. Their gifting continued to work while they practiced lawlessness. Now, these are not people who lost their salvation; they never had it. Jesus said, "I never knew you."

Consider this list of moral corruption that the Apostle Paul said we would see in the last days. I see everything in this list in the news nearly every day:

(2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB) But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

They have a form of godliness; so these are religious people, but they love themselves, love money, love pleasure, are unloving to others, and do not love God. Paul said to avoid such people.

Hypocrites (actors) can go unnoticed in the church today, but when the clock strikes, they will burn like chaff. One thing is clear: on the day the Lord returns, there will be no discussion. There will be no explaining your intentions or how you meant well. What you did to the least of the brethren will be what you did to Him. His return will be sudden, surprising, and will catch people off guard. No one knows the day nor the hour; do not be deceived.

No one will wake up that day and find they were "left behind." It will not occur secretly in the quiet of the night. There will be nothing left on the day after the Lord's return. There will be no second chance to repent. The fruit you have produced in your life will tell him what kind of tree you really are, and words spoken on that day will not change your destination. It was decided yesterday. Here are some things we know:

* The day of the Lord's return will be like lightning flashing from the east to the west (Matthew 24:26-27).

* He is coming in the clouds and every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7).

* As in the days of Noah, people were eating, drinking, and getting married until the door of the ark was shut and the rain began. Once God sealed the door, no one else could enter (Luke 17:26-27).

* As in the days of Lot, when he went out of the city, it was burned behind him with fire and brimstone. There was nothing left but ashes and rubble. (Luke 17:28-30).

* There will be the sound of a great trumpet, and the angels will gather up His people (Matthew 24:30-31).

* The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

* The day of the Lord that is coming will burn like an oven, and the wicked will become ashes (Malachi 4:1-3).

* The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10).

Notice how noisy the return of the Lord will be, with shouts, the voice of an archangel, trumpet blasts, and great noise. It does not describe a secret catching-away, at least if I were trying to do it.

People get ready for a great day is coming and you won't miss it.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day. Please help me balance life, see others through Your eyes, and walk closely with You. Help me treat others as I would like to be treated. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!