Touré Roberts - The Anointing - Part 3

I’m going to be teaching today about activating the anointing. You see, when you receive the Lord Jesus, you receive the Spirit of the Lord, and the Spirit of the Lord is the source of the anointing. However, having the source does not mean that you’ve activated it in your life. For instance, there are many arguments about whether you become a believer when you start speaking in tongues or whether there’s another sign that you have the Holy Spirit. The sign that you have the Holy Spirit is that you have proclaimed that Jesus is Lord, because you cannot do that without the Spirit of God.

Having the ability to speak in tongues—I’m using this example because I have a personal story attached to it—does not negate your salvation experience. It simply means that you have access to the source, but you have not yet activated its ability; you have not activated what is available to you through the Spirit of God. You see, I gave my life to the Lord at nine years old, but it wasn’t until many years later that I began to speak in tongues.

Actually, it’s an interesting story, though this message is not primarily about tongues; just bear with me, as this will connect. First of all, this message on the anointing is so critical to your life that I need your undivided attention right now. The beautiful thing, family, is that because the Lord is with me, if you feel like you are not blessed—which I think would be impossible—I will ask that He adds this minute to your lifespan, so nothing is lost.

Here’s the thing: when we talk about speaking in tongues, my experience with it came while I was studying the Word of God and learning how the disciples spoke in tongues. The people around them were hearing and interpreting what the disciples were saying, and I became so intrigued by this. I thought, «Wow, there is the ability through the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues that already exists on the earth.» Since the Holy Spirit embodies all knowledge and wisdom, He knows every language that exists. Then there are also the tongues we call our heavenly language, the one discerned by the Father.

I was so intrigued by this that I went home—everyone’s story is different—and I desired it. I said, «Lord, I see that it’s available right here; Peter was speaking in tongues, and I’m no different than Peter. Lord, I want to speak in tongues.» One of the things the Bible tells us is that it is unfruitful to the mind, so it’s not that your mind is connected to what you’re doing. I literally thought, «I need proof that what I’m doing is speaking in tongues.» So I wanted to start with speaking a language that exists on the earth. This is hilarious, right? I took out my laptop and went to what every believer does: Google Translate.

I opened my laptop, went to Google Translate, and said, «Lord, I desire to speak in tongues for my spiritual maturity. It’s available in You, and I have Your Spirit, so I should be able to do this.» I decided I would open my mouth, and whatever came out, I would write it down to the best of my abilities. So I did, and whatever I was saying, I wrote it down as best as I could. I then put it into Google Translate—English to whatever it was to English—and Google, being as wise as it is, detected the language I was speaking.

There was one particular phrase I said that stood out to me, and I still carry it to this day: «Joseph is a position of circumstance.» Just stay with me, family; we’re getting there. The interesting thing about that statement is that when I asked the Lord why the Spirit was praying this, He revealed that when you pray in the Spirit, the Bible calls it a perfect prayer. I asked Him, «Why did this come out?» The Lord began to show me that my spirit was actually praying for my ability to endure.

Everyone wants to know the end story of Joseph, right? This isn’t the Joseph who was the husband of Mary, but rather Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. Joseph had a dream when he was a child, a dream given to him by God, one that showed he would be in a position of authority. Later in his life, that dream manifested, but there were many trials and tribulations before he got there. So, when he finally reached that position, there was a need for the ability to endure.

The Lord began to show me, saying, «Your spirit was praying for your ability to endure, because, like Joseph, the place that I’ve called you to is a position of circumstance. You’re going to go through many things, but you need to know how to endure it.»