The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today (22 page)

When my father went to be with the Lord back in 1999, I stepped up to pastor the church although I had never ministered before. Every voice told me, “You are not a minister. You can’t get up there in front of people. You’re not going to know what to say. Nobody is going to listen to you.” Instead of dwelling on those thoughts, I would look at myself in the mirror and say, “Joel, you are anointed. You’re the man for the job. This is your moment. You’ve been raised up for such a
time as this.” What was I doing? Adding fuel to my car. I was stirring up the anointing.

There will always be negative voices that try to talk you out of your dreams, try to convince you to settle where you are, but let me encourage you. You’re the man or woman for the job. You’ve been raised up. You have what it takes. You’re qualified. You’re anointed. You’re approved. You’re talented enough. You’re strong enough. You’re experienced enough. You and God are a majority. Quit discounting yourself. Quit making excuses.

If you will start taking steps of faith, doing what you can, God will do what you can’t. He will bring the right people and open the right doors. He will give you the wisdom and the creativity. He will make it all come together. Don’t settle for mediocrity. You were created for greatness. You have a king’s anointing. You may be in the shepherd’s fields right now. It may feel as though you’re doing something insignificant, but where you are is not where you’re staying. That’s not permanent. That’s temporary. You are going to come out. You haven’t reached your highest potential. Start talking to yourself the right way. “I’m the right person for the job. This is my moment. I’ve been raised up. I’m going to step into the fullness of my destiny.”

David spent years in the shepherd’s fields, but the key was he never forgot he had a king’s anointing. It would have been easy for him to think,
I must have heard Samuel wrong. I know he anointed me, but I sure haven’t become the king. He must have missed it this time.
No, every day he kept reminding himself, “I am anointed. My time is coming. I will make a difference with my life.” What was he doing? Adding fuel to his car. It didn’t look as though he was going anywhere. It sounded as though he was just wasting his breath and getting his hopes up, but God sees what you’re doing and hears what
you’re saying. Every day that you live in faith, with expectancy, you are one day closer to seeing your dreams come to pass. God knows when the right time is. If it hasn’t happened yet, that means it’s still on the way. God is getting you prepared. You’re growing. You’re getting stronger. Sometimes God knows the blessing is going to be so big we couldn’t handle it if it happened right now, so He is getting us matured. What God has in your future is going to be greater than anything you’ve seen in the past.

Paul said it this way: “Don’t get tired of doing what’s right. In due season you will reap, if you don’t give up.” Your due season is coming. You’re going to step into that king’s anointing, that queen’s anointing. You’re just getting started. God’s dream for your life is so much bigger than your own. If He would have done it earlier, you wouldn’t have been prepared. Now is your time. You’re about to step into what you were created to do. You’re going to step into a new level of your destiny. The disappointments, the delays, and the setbacks in the past were all a part of the plan to get you prepared for right now. Nothing was wasted. It strengthened you. You developed trust, endurance, and confidence. Now you’re prepared for this time. You’re on the runway about to take off. You’re going to see the exceeding greatness of God’s favor!

David was out in the shepherd’s fields. It didn’t look like anything was happening, but he came into his due season. King Saul sent a message saying, “Send me David who is with the sheep. I need him in the palace.” David started working for Saul. That was another step on the way to his destiny. He wasn’t on the throne yet, but at least he made it to the palace. Notice this phrase: “Send David, who
is with the sheep…” You may feel like you’re with the sheep today. In other words, you’re doing something that feels insignificant. You know you have more in you, but you’ve been in the background year after year. Don’t get discouraged. Your time is coming. You’re not going to stay with the sheep. God is going to take you from the background to the foreground. You may be in the shepherd’s fields, but don’t put your stakes down. Don’t get comfortable there. You have a king’s anointing. You are destined to do great things. The palace is coming. Victory is coming. Promotion is coming. People can’t stop it. Bad breaks can’t stop it. Sickness can’t stop it. Almighty God has anointed you. What He has spoken over your life will come to pass.

I talked to a single mother a few years ago. She told me about how it was such a struggle to make ends meet. She was having to work two jobs, long hours. She felt bad that she couldn’t be there with her children. She had no free time to date or have any kind of social life. It looked as though it would always be that way. She was “with the sheep,” so to speak. She was in the shepherd’s fields. She could have gotten discouraged and settled there, but she knew deep down she had this queen’s anointing. She knew she was made for more than just constantly struggling, enduring, and not having enough. She kept reminding herself that the anointing can break any yoke. Poverty, lack, and barely getting by are a yoke. Do not accept that as your destiny. Jesus came that you might live an abundant life. We are to be the head and not the tail. And yes, we all go through dry seasons, but they are not permanent. They are temporary. At some point the drought will come to an end, and you will see an abundance of rain, an abundance of favor.

I like how David put it in Psalm 23. He said, “God anoints my
head with oil.” He went on to say, “Because I am anointed, my cup runs over.” When you walk in your anointing, knowing who you are and whose you are, at some point your cup will run over. You will see God pour out blessings that you cannot contain. Don’t you dare settle with the sheep in the shepherd’s fields. The palace is coming.

One day the single mother was invited to dinner by a couple that lived down the street from her whom she had only met once. That night they handed her the keys to a brand-new car that they had bought for her. She was able to sell her car and pay off most of her debts so she didn’t have to work so much. Just recently I learned she married an executive from a large company. Now she and her children are no longer with the sheep. They’re in the palace. God has blessed them. He has done exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond.

Friend, you were not created to barely get by, to take the leftovers, to live out in the shepherd’s fields. You were created for victory, for abundance, for the palace. The same God who increased the single mother can increase you. The anointing on your life will cause people to be good to you. It will cause you to be at the right place at the right time, bringing favor, promotion, and increase.

David was in the palace playing the harp for King Saul. It was a temporary position. He wasn’t supposed to be there long. But David was so good at what he did, King Saul created a new position exclusively for David. He became an armor bearer. If you will be your best right where you are and excel in what you do, the right doors will always open for you. There may not be room for promotion at your work as far as you can see right now, but don’t worry. Your gifts will make
room for you. If there is not a position, God can cause them to create a new position. Maybe you are part-time, believing for more work. You need to get ready. As David did, you’re going to become full-time. You’ve passed the test. You’ve been faithful in the shepherd’s fields. You knew you had more in you and you didn’t slack off. You didn’t complain. You stayed in faith, trusting God’s timing. Now your due season has come. You’re going to step into that king’s anointing. What God promised you, He will bring to pass.

Years later, King Saul was killed in a battle. Now it was David’s time. He was thirty years old and about to take the throne. At this time, Israel was divided into two kingdoms—Judah and Israel. Second Samuel 2 says, “The men of Judah came and anointed David king over Judah.” He served there seven and a half years, then he brought the two kingdoms together. When he was thirty-seven years old, the men of Israel joined the men of Judahgdoms together. When he was thirty-seven years old, the men of Israel joined the men of Judah, and they anointed David again to be the king over all of Israel.

What’s interesting is that David was anointed as a teenager to become the king. When the men of Judah came to anoint him again, he could have said, “Guys, I’ve already been anointed. No need. It happened when I was a teenager. Samuel did it.” Seven and a half years later when the men of Israel came to anoint him king over all of Israel, he could have said, “This is not necessary. I was anointed twice already. I don’t need to be anointed again.” But David understood the importance of having a fresh anointing. You can’t win today’s battles on yesterday’s anointing. You need to have a fresh anointing.

Too often we are trying to do things in our own strength. It’s a struggle. No promotion. No increase. It’s weighing us down. We don’t realize that all we have to say is, “God, I need a fresh anointing.
God, fill me with new strength, new ideas, new creativity, and new passion.” When you do that, God will breathe freshness onto your life. The reason things get stale and we just endure our marriage, endure the job, and drag through the day is we’re not stirring up the anointing. On a regular basis we need to pray, “God, I need a fresh anointing in my marriage, a fresh anointing on my career, a fresh anointing on my mind and my thoughts. God, help me to see things from the right perspective.”

If David would have taken the throne without the fresh anointing, he wouldn’t have had the success and the favor that he had. When you humble yourself and say, “God, I can’t do this on my own. I need Your help. I need Your favor. I need Your wisdom. God, I need a fresh anointing,” you’re showing your dependency on Him. When you acknowledge God in that way, He will give you wisdom beyond your years. He will help you accomplish things that you could have never accomplished on your own. Whenever you start a new job or even a new position, always ask for that fresh anointing. Parents, when you have a baby, pray, “God, give me a fresh anointing to raise this child.” Students, when you start a new class, humbly ask, “God, give me a fresh anointing for this semester.” You’re saying, “God, I’m ready for new opportunities, new abilities, new friendships, and new ideas.” Maybe you’re facing a challenge today—your health, your finances, a relationship. Instead of complaining about it, why don’t you say, “God, give me a fresh anointing to overcome this challenge.” It’s the anointing that breaks the yoke.

Just as the men of Judah anointed David for his new season, I believe today God is releasing a fresh anointing in your life. You’re
going to go where you’ve never been. You’re going to see negative situations turn around. Chains of addictions and bad habits are being broken. Healing, promotion, and restoration are coming. You’re going to step into the fullness of your destiny. Friend, you have a king’s anointing, a queen’s anointing. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Stir up the anointing. Every morning remind yourself, “I am anointed. I am equipped. I am empowered.” Remember to always ask for that fresh anointing. If you do this, I believe and declare, as David did, you will make it to your throne and step into the fullness of your destiny.

I
n life we’re always waiting for something—waiting for a dream to come to pass, waiting to meet the right person, waiting for a problem to turn around. When it’s not happening as fast as we would like, it’s easy to get frustrated. But you have to realize that the moment you prayed, God established a set time to bring the promise to pass. God has a set time for you to meet the right person. There is a set time for the problem to turn around, a set time for your healing, your promotion, and your breakthrough. It may be tomorrow, or next week, or five years from now.

But when you understand that the time has already been set, it takes all the pressure off. You won’t live worried, wondering when this is ever going to happen. You’ll relax and enjoy your life, knowing that the promise has already been scheduled by the Creator of the universe.

Maybe you have been praying about a situation for a long time and don’t see anything happening. You could easily be discouraged. But what if God were to pull back the curtain and allow you to see into the future, and you saw that on February 12 at 2:33 in the afternoon, you were going to meet the person of your dreams? You
wouldn’t be discouraged. You would be excited. You would start working out and go buy some new clothes. Why? You know the big day is coming.

Here’s where it takes faith. God promises that there are set times in our future, but He doesn’t tell us when they will be. Your set time may be tomorrow morning at 9:47. You’ll get the phone call you’ve been waiting for. Your set time may be October 25, two years from now. You’ll get a good break, and that will thrust you to a new level.

My question is, “Do you trust God enough to believe that your set times are coming?” Are you willing to wait with a good attitude, knowing that they’re on the way? Or will you get discouraged and think,
I don’t know, Joel. I’ve been trying to break this addiction since high school.
You have to have a new perspective. God has a set time for you to break that addiction. It’s already in your future. Don’t let the negative thoughts talk you out of it. There is a set time for you to be completely well, a set time for God to turn the legal situation around. Now, quit worrying about it. Quit living stressed out, thinking,
What if I don’t meet the right person? What if I don’t ever get well?