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Question: What does it mean to be anointed as a warrior for Christ?Answer: The New Testament does not use the term, "Being anointed as a warrior for Christ," but it does describe the Christian life as a warfare. Ephesians 6:10-20, 1 Timothy 11:18, 2 Timothy 2:3,4, and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) relate to this matter.
First of all, the word "anointed" refers to the Holy Spirit enduement of power to do any spiritual task. Jesus would not suffer the disciples to leave Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high (Luke 24:47-49, Acts 1:4,5). That was because the proclamation of the message of salvation would not be effective through the use of human talents or abilities. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he did not come to them with excellency of speech or wisdom, or with the enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power. This was because their faith would not be able to stand on human wisdom, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). The Holy Spirit was sent by God on the day of Pentecost, to give the Church the power it needed to do its assigned task. We can accomplish nothing worthwhile in promoting the Kingdom of God unless we are anointed by the Holy Spirit to do it.
Notice that the apostle wrote that, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, that is of the flesh, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." Whose strongholds is he here referring to? The entrenched principalities and powers of the kingdom of darkness, controlled by the prince of this world, the Devil or Satan. He rules over a powerful hierarchy of evil, which has strongly entrenched itself in the world. Only the power of God, or the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Holy Trinity, can prevail to overcome the hold that Satan and his hosts have on the unbelieving world.
Paul wrote to Timothy that, "No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life." The warfare is so intense, and the opposition is so fiercely contested by the evil powers, that one can not engage successfully in spiritual warfare unless he is totally committed to it.
To be anointed to do God's work, we must seek the Lord with all earnestness, as the person in Luke 11:5-13. Jesus taught that the person seeking to receive the three loaves, in order that he could minister to the needs of his friend, could only get the needed bread by persistence. Halfhearted or perfunctory effort will never do. As we read on in this passage, we see that Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit's power do meet spiritual needs in others (Verse 13).
A lot more could be said about this subject, but truly, if we are at all serious about being Christians, we must earnestly, diligently, seek to be anointed by the Holy Spirit to overcome Satan's grip on the souls of men.
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