At Saraland Church, we value systems, strategies, and excellent preparation—but we believe the anointing of the Holy Spirit is what truly makes the difference. No matter how good the service, the setlist, or the sermon, if the anointing is not present, nothing of eternal value takes place. Our mission is too important to rely on human effort alone. We must be filled with—and fueled by—the presence and power of God.

What Is the Anointing?

The anointing is not just a vibe, a mood, or an energy in the room. It’s not something that happens when the volume goes up or the lights come down. According to Scripture, the anointing is an external substance applied to a vessel—a person or object—setting it apart for supernatural use.

Exodus 30:22–25 (ESV)
The Lord said to Moses, “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil."

Anointing oil in the Old Testament was not symbolic only—it was fragrant, tangible, and intentional. It wasn’t applied lightly. It was poured on. When someone was anointed, they carried the weight, the scent, and the significance of that moment with them. They were visibly set apart for something only God could accomplish through them.

You Can Have Church Without the Anointing—But You Can’t Have Transformation

It’s possible to lead well, sing skillfully, preach powerfully, and organize everything perfectly—and still lack the power to change lives. You can “do church” on talent and strategy alone. But only the anointing saves. Only the anointing heals. Only the anointing delivers. Only the anointing baptizes people in the Holy Spirit. Only the anointing makes the difference.

That’s why we can’t confuse style for substance. We can’t let emotionalism, performance, or polished tradition become a substitute for the power of God. Faux Pentecost is a real thing—and we won’t entertain it. A loud church is not always an anointed church. A room full of movement doesn’t guarantee transformation.

In 1 Kings 14:25–27 (ESV), King Rehoboam replaced Solomon’s stolen gold shields with bronze replicas:

“In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord… so King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze.”

They looked right—but they weren’t right. They had the appearance of glory without the actual value. The same is true for any move of God that tries to imitate the anointing without being fueled by the Spirit.

The Anointing Is Applied, Extracted, and Atmosphere-Shifting

The anointing is not something you create within yourself. It’s applied from the outside, by the Holy Spirit. It’s also extracted—pressed out like oil from the olive. The anointing comes through pressure.

That’s why your participation in the atmosphere matters. When you lean in during worship, respond during the Word, and come with a posture of expectation, you help extract the anointing from the moment. The atmosphere shifts when people pull on the anointing, not when we sit back and spectate.

Worship is not just vertical—it’s contagious. Faith rises in the room when we engage with our whole body and voice. Responding with “Amen” or “That’s good” may seem small, but it shifts the momentum in the room. These are spiritual dynamics with real spiritual impact.

The Anointing Impacts What You Don’t See

The fragrance of the anointing traveled ahead of the priest or king before they arrived. People could smell them before they saw them. In the same way, we want people to sense the presence of God before they step into the sanctuary. The anointing doesn’t wait for the opening song or the last point of the message—it fills the space and works on hearts.

The anointing makes the overlooked fruitful. Just like David was overlooked by his father and left in the fields while the prophet looked for a king (1 Samuel 16:1–13), God often uses the obscure. People who have been set aside by man are often being set apart by God. The secret place is the training ground. If you’ve been overlooked, misunderstood, or ignored—don’t despise it. God is forming something in the dark that will bear fruit in the light.

The Five Biblical Ingredients of the Anointing

The anointing oil wasn’t random. It had five specific ingredients, each representing an element of how the anointing functions in our lives:

1. Myrrh – Brokenness

Myrrh was extracted from wounded trees. It symbolizes the pain and process that make us usable. You can’t fake brokenness. It’s not how you act—it’s what you’ve walked through. And without brokenness, we don’t have the depth of character to carry the anointing with humility.

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (ESV)
“Blessed be the God… who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction…”

1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)
“After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace… will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

2. Cinnamon – Passion

Cinnamon is fragrant, spicy, and energizing. This represents your passion—your fire. God anoints what you love. He puts His hand on what you are willing to pursue. The anointing won’t rest on what you resent. If you’re indifferent, you won’t be impactful.

3. Calamus – Flexibility

Calamus is a flexible, aromatic reed. It reminds us that the anointing flows through flexibility. God uses people who can shift when He says shift. If your heart is rigid, you’ll miss the move of God. Sometimes the anointing is forfeited because people love their traditions more than they love their future.

4. Cassia – Time in the Secret Place

Cassia is deep-rooted. It takes time to draw out its power. The same is true for intimacy with God. You want power in public? You need prayer in private. The more time we spend in the secret place, the more authority we carry in public places.

Matthew 6:6 (ESV)
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

5. Olive Oil – Grace and the Holy Spirit

The final ingredient—and the carrier of the anointing—is olive oil. This represents the grace and person of the Holy Spirit. You can have brokenness, passion, flexibility, and prayer—but it’s the Holy Spirit that makes it all effective. Without the Spirit, everything else is just performance.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

There are five ingredients. Five is the biblical number of grace. That’s no accident. The anointing doesn’t flow because we’ve earned it—but because God chooses to empower us with it.

We Don’t Need Faux Pentecost—We Need the Real Anointing

Not every move of God needs an altar call. Not every moment requires emotion. In a pastoral setting, we don’t operate like evangelists. We’re building consistency. We’re reaching people who may never have stepped into a Spirit-filled church before. We’re teaching the Word and trusting the Spirit to move.

Sometimes we expect God to meet us at the altar—but He might want to meet us at the offering. Or during the welcome. Or through the message. The anointing does more than spark a reaction—it causes real transformation.

When the Holy Spirit moves, you don’t have to hype it. You don’t have to make it happen. And when He’s not moving in a certain way, you don’t have to fake it.

If we want to be a Spirit-filled church, we must live with Spirit-filled integrity. That means we prepare like everything depends on us—and pray like everything depends on Him. We show up with our ingredients, but we trust God to supply the oil.

And we do it all for one reason: the anointing makes the difference.