Son of Jesse, The Lord’s Anointed

Leadership Traits of the World’s Greatest Leader (second to Jesus)

Trait #4- Confident in His Calling

“Arise, anoint him; for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward,” (1 Samuel 16:12-13).

David had no doubt that this was a holy moment. He understood how the current and first official king of the Jews was instated to his throne by the prophet Samuel. “Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on (Saul’s) head, kissed him and said, ‘Has not the LORD anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?’” (1 Samuel 10:1).

Samuel was known by everyone as the prophet to the nation and considered to be God’s voice and judge on the earth. Whatever he said went. And now he was before David in obedience to God’s instructions: “Now the LORD said to Samuel, ‘…Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons,” (16:1).

The oil was poured upon David’s head, and he was declared by heaven as king long before it would ever take place on earth. David was confident in the prophetic declaration over his life and never doubted it.

But the oil wasn’t the only thing David was anointed with. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit as He came upon him mightily. This was different than the presence of God he was familiar with from his intimate worship times. It was the actual power of God resting upon him. Something had shifted in him. Things weren’t the same this evening as they were this morning.

A new power was upon him, a “mantle,” if you will. All of the sudden, he wasn’t just “David, the Shepherd Boy;” he was “David, the Soon Coming King.” He had been clothed in a new kind of divine power that would cause him to rise in favor, kill giants, impart courage, chase armies, create wealth, navigate trials, build the house of God, and lead a nation. Never again would he be the unnamed peasant. He was now “The Lord’s Anointed.”

If the prophetic utterance that announced his office as king wasn’t enough to keep him convinced of his calling, the presence of the Spirit of God that remained was more than enough to confirm it.

David had a long journey ahead of him before his promise would be fulfilled. However, although it would be many years before he was a king outwardly, he began living like a king inwardly. He never wavered in his confidence of who God said he was.

We need to identify what the prophetic promise of God is for our lives and believe in it. Whether we received a calling prophetically by someone else, a dream, directly from the Lord, or a deep conviction, the main thing that matters is that the Holy Spirit confirms the calling to our heart. If it truly is from God, it will resonate deep within and will feel right because we do, after all, know the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:3), and the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth (John 16:13-14).

When God speaks prophetic destiny into someone’s heart, it almost always touches a hidden longing which is awakened by that word of hope. And it always stimulates passion that must see fulfillment. A prophetic promise from God will be much bigger than we could accomplish on our own strength. Thus, we can know for sure that with any calling the Lord gives, He also releases an anointing from the Holy Spirit to empower us so we can achieve the impossible.

As we choose to believe God’s promises of who we will become and what we will accomplish for His kingdom, we need to begin identifying ourselves in that light right now because that is our identity. He already sees our end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and He considers us as the finished product. He is “the author and finisher of our faith,” (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV).

If we will begin to carry ourselves in accordance with our prophetic destiny today, the anointing will take over and bring into our pathway the things that are ahead of us. We will step right into it.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them,” (Ephesians 2:10).

see also:

David’s Trait #5: Dependent on Anointing

David’s Trait #3: Shepherd at Heart

David’s Trait #2: Least Likely to Lead

David’s Trait #1: Lover of God