“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38 KJV)
“How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38 AMPC)
As we can see from these Scriptures, it is the enemy, satan, who is the oppressor. It is he that oppresses people; produces fear, sickness, and hardships; not God! Many people like to blame God for their problems, but it is not God, but rather, the enemy of our souls, satan, who seeks to harm us.
To oppress means “to crush, trample, or to weigh down spiritually.” It usually works against the mind. That's just like the devil–to play mind games. He tries to trick you and deceive you into thinking that there is no hope or no future for you. But there is hope, and there is a future, and His name is Jesus Christ. There is a future for you, and it's found in the arms of Jesus.
The devil has a pattern that he uses against the child of God. First, he tries to steal your joy. Then if he succeeds at that, he will begin to oppress you. And then, finally, he'll try to put you into a state of depression. He uses this pattern to try to slowly beat you down and wear down your resistance. But I have good news. There is an answer to defeat this pattern of the enemy.
The Bible says that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” When your joy is gone, your strength is gone as well. That is when the oppressing spirits work against your mind. But praise be unto God, this is also where the Holy Ghost works as well. Acts 10:38 says that “God anointed Jesus who healed all that were oppressed of the devil.” Jesus healed, not through medicine, but through the mighty anointing of the Holy Ghost. The Word of God says, “it is the anointing that breaks the yoke.” Satan, the oppressor, is defeated by the power of the Holy Ghost.
The good news for us is this same anointing and power is available today for the Christian warrior who wants it. Acts 1:8 says, “You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you.” The Holy Ghost is the answer. He anointed Jesus, and He anoints us now. Many people today try to live on just their salvation experience alone. But may I tell you, friend, that there is another level of power in God that you can possess, and it is known as the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The word “power” in Acts 1:8 comes from the Greek word dunamis, which means “inherent power able to reproduce itself like a dynamo.” There is no shortage of God's power. It just keeps on reproducing itself. God's power knows no height, knows no depth, and it knows no breadth. Jesus said that “ALL power belongeth unto Me.”
We get our English word “dynamite” from this Greek word dunamis. There are three things that make dynamite ineffective. They are: one, if the fuse is ruined. Two, if the powder gets wet. Or three, there is no purpose for its use. Now compare that to Christians. We, as spiritual warfighters, are ineffective if our convictions are watered down. We are ineffective if we never use the power we have. We may brag about our power, but unless we have a good connection with God (a good fuse) we just fizzle. It takes fire to light dynamite.
John the Baptist said of Jesus in Matthew 3:11, “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE.” Supernatural power is given to us by the Holy Ghost, and it comes through the anointing of God. One of God's prophets said, “It feels like fire shut up in my bones.” Deliverance can be found through the power of the Holy Ghost–through the power of the fire of God.
Now that we know that God has the power to deliver, there's something else we need to know. We need a point of contact for our deliverance. Allow me to explain what I mean. First, God must have a vessel. God has always used human vessels to bring deliverance for His glory and honor. Faith heroes of old such as Elijah, Elisha, Moses, and Sampson, were human vessels of power. In the New Testament, for example, the apostles were used in a great way. The very shadow of Peter became the point of contact for miracles. Paul's handkerchiefs and aprons were also a point of contact for miracles.
As we look at this theme of deliverance through the Holy Ghost, we will also realize that there is a point of contact for our miraculous deliverance through the power of God. Our faith in our God must be greater than our faith in anything else in the universe. Our belief in a sovereign God who has power and authority over all the power and authority of the enemy must be a central part of who we are as spiritual warfighters. We must move in the power of the Most High God. We must have the anointing of the Lord God of Host upon our being.
I am so glad that when Jesus ascended back to the right hand of the Father, He said that He would not leave us alone, that He would not leave us comfortless, but that He would send the Comforter from above. And that He would be our guide to the truths of God's Word. That He would speak of all things that Jesus Christ did. In the power of the Spirit, today, dear fellow warfighter, we have that same power available to us. The baptism of the Holy Spirit that came on the day of Pentecost was not just for them. This promise was for them, and to their children, and to their children's children, and to all them that are far off. Deliverance through the power of the Holy Ghost is available for us today.
Just like the Word of God declares that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, we need to understand that the unchanging Lord of the universe still has a pattern of deliverance for us today. The New Testament makes it clear that all blessings, healings and deliverances are wrought through one person. His name is the greatest name you'll ever hear, a name that even the demons of darkness know, a name that every knee shall bow to, a name that every tongue will confess to, and His name is Jesus. This is the power and the working of the Holy Ghost in our lives today. To show us how to live, operate, work, move, and have authority in the power of Jesus Christ.
When we pray in His name, all of heaven comes alive. When we pray in His name, the Holy Ghost will activate power to be used against the forces of darkness. Deliverance comes when the Name of Jesus is used because the Holy Ghost backs that Name with deliverance. I like what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:10 about God's delivering power. It says, “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.” Praise God, He has delivered us, He is delivering us, and He will continue to deliver us! There is deliverance through the anointing and the power of the Holy Ghost.