As a preacher or teacher, you cannot change someone’s life – it’s the anointing that changes people’s lives.

One question you may ask is – how do I operate out of a greater anointing when preaching? 

The first topic covered in the Reach & Influence course, by Ps Robert Fergusson, Hillsong’s Teaching Pastor, is all about understanding and operating within the Holy Spirit’s anointing.

Here’s six practical tips from Robert Fergusson to make the Holy Spirit your F.R.I.E.N.D. as a preacher.

1. Fix your eyes on the unseen.

In 2 Corinthians 4:18, it says don’t fix your eyes on the seen, the temporal world, but on the unseen, the eternal world.

If you’re going to operate in the anointing of God, you need to understand that there is a supernatural realm. Do you remember when Elijah and his servant were surrounded?

Elijah was at ease praying meanwhile the servant was panicking. The servant saw that the enemy surrounded them. Then Elijah just simply prayed, “Oh, Lord, open his eyes.” Suddenly the servants saw into the supernatural realm that greater were those that were for him than those that were against him.

2. Receive an anointing by faith.

In 1 John 2:20, it makes it very clear that each one of us has an anointing already.

You’re anointed as a gifted person. You’re anointed and called to do something. So, you already have something.

Nonetheless, you need more of that. Robert encourages you to receive an anointing by faith, but confess that God is going to give you more.

3. Ignite your passion.

In other words, create a desire. Perhaps this is not something that you do on a regular basis, but read books about previous revivals.

The great preacher, Martyn Lloyd Jones, who is the preacher in Westminster Chapel in London, used to say “There is no greater tonic for your soul than to read the history of revivals.”

Here’s a list of Robert’s favourite books about revival…

4. Exercise your spirit.

If we’re going to relate to the supernatural realm we need to operate in the gifts of the Spirit. 

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:2-5 that as we speak in tongues, we speak to God, we speak mysteries. We speak from our inner man to God who is spirit. And verse 4 and 5 say that we build up our spirit. Paul said, in that same passage, that he speaks in tongues more than all of them.

Robert encourages us to speak in tongues if we want to know what is going on in the supernatural realm.

5. Normalize your relationship with the Holy Spirit.

We need to have a real relationship with the Holy Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 13:14, it says, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Robert notes that it’s interesting how much we talk about the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, how much we talk about the love of the Father, but how little we talk about the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. 

The word “fellowship” is a rich and evocative word. It means, “to share in common with”. Imagine that we share something in common with the Holy Spirit. We are his friends.

Jesus, when He left this Earth he said, “I’m going to leave you with a counselor, a comforter, a friend, a parakletos, the one who is called alongside.”

Normalize that relationship and get used to the idea that God the Holy Spirit has anointed you and empowered you for the task.

6. Depend on the Holy Spirit.

If you’re going to have more anointing, put yourself in what Robert calls a “risky position”. 

For example, when you’re preaching try not to fill in all the details in your notes; or leave out the illustrations and pray to God to give you the illustrations that you need for the service in the moment itself.

God knows every single person receiving your message. He knows their stories, he knows their background, he knows what they need.

So purposefully leave out certain things and take the risk to depend on the Holy Spirit.

By following these six tips it is sure to increase your friendship with the Holy Spirit, and enable the Holy Spirit’s anointing to flow through in even greater measure.

Andy Hopper

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