A little dab isn't enough

Soaked in the Spirit: Why You Need More Than a Little Dab of God's Anointing

What if the reason you're struggling to hear God, to handle difficult conversations, or to navigate the chaos of everyday life isn't a lack of effort — but a lack of oil? Not literal oil, of course, but the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And what if the answer isn't trying harder, but learning to pour more of His presence over every single moment of your life?

The Question That Changes Everything

I want to start with a question I've been sitting with: How should I, like Jesus — committed to honoring the heart of the Father — respond in this moment?

That question needs to be the filter for everything. Before what I'm about to say, what I'm about to do, what I'm about to think — does it honor the Father? If we all asked that question consistently, we'd have a lot of people who stay silent. I'd be one of them.

We're called to look like Jesus. When He said to go make disciples in Matthew 28, He didn't say, "Go make people that look like you, Paul, Peter, Matthew." He said, "Make people that look like me." That's the role. So how do I respond like Jesus, who honors the heart of the Father, in every single moment?

No Condemnation — But Don't Miss the Point

In Romans 8:1, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

But can I pause there for a second? Condemnation is not the same as judgment or conviction. Condemnation speaks to the final judgment — standing before the King of Kings. Paul is saying that if you're in Christ, the final verdict is settled. But we've perverted this verse. Too many people use it to avoid conviction altogether — "I don't want anyone speaking into my life." No. We need that iron-sharpening-iron moment where someone says, "Hey, I think you missed the heart of the Father there." My goal is to get to heaven and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant" — not church attender, not tithe payer. Servant. And I need you walking with me to help me get there.

Walking in the Spirit — What That Actually Means

Paul goes on in Romans 8:2-9, and here's what he's driving at: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God."

Think about that. When I want my way — when I tell God, "I know what you said, but just give me this moment" — I'm not just sinning. I'm telling God, "Put your dukes up. I'm ready to fight." And you better not be fighting with God. He's going to win.

Paul uses the word spirit ten times in this passage. Ten times. I think he's trying to tell us something. Like ordering ranch dressing at a restaurant — when you think you've got enough, order one more. Paul is saying: keep ordering the Holy Spirit. We need to position ourselves — to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8) — and we cannot do that on our own. We need the oil.

The Oil Changes Everything

In the Bible, oil represents the Holy Spirit. And I want to talk about what happens when we stop treating the anointing like a little dab and start pouring it out as Samuel did over David.

You may know the story. Samuel was a prophet of God, sent to anoint Israel's next king. When he anointed Saul, it was a small amount of oil — and Saul's anointing didn't last very long. But when David came, Samuel brought a horn of oil — a large ram's horn. In Scripture, the word horn represents power. So this was the power of the Holy Spirit, poured out in full. And it ran down — not just covering David's head, but dripping all the way down.

David had failures. But the entirety of his life was that of a man with a heart after God. I believe it's because he wasn't anointed with just a little dab. He was soaked.

That should be our life. Dripping with oil. Everywhere we go, the presence of God is coming off of us and speaking into every situation.

Where Do You Need the Oil?

Theologian John Stott wrote that "the Christian life is essentially life in the Spirit — a life animated, sustained, directed, and enriched by the Holy Spirit."

Animated — When I'm down and out and don't know if I've got one more step in me, I go to the Holy Spirit and say, "Would you animate me? Would you breathe life back into me one more time?" I can tell you there hasn’t been a time I've asked that and God hasn't answered.

Sustained — Sometimes God's got to get me on the rack. Change some of my tires. Align me. Change my filters. Because if your filter gets clogged, you can't breathe. You can't feel the breath of God any longer.

Directed — The biggest question I get as a pastor is, "How do I hear from God?" My answer is always the same: listen. God will answer those who put everything aside and say, "God, I'm here until you speak."

Enriched — There's something about being in the presence of God called joy. When I'm in His presence, when I know He's speaking and I'm listening, there's a smile that comes. I am enriched by God. I've got everything I need.

I need the oil when I read my Bible. I need it in worship. I need it in conversation. We went to the park recently — weather wasn't cooperating — about 20 of us gathered, and we prayed, "God, we're here for one person today." Before long, two people walked by and were in tears by the time we finished praying. One of them said, "I just feel so much love right now. I needed God to speak to me in this moment." Why did that happen? Because we were sensitive enough to the Holy Spirit to say, "Would you speak through us?"

I need the oil with my family. I need to pour it over my marriage, my kids, my home, every situation — and say, "God, would you show me how to react in this moment?"

Putting It Into Practice

Here's the honest truth: this week was a week of practice for me. There were moments I had to check myself, calm down, and ask, "Holy Spirit, what would you have me do?" And there were moments I had to apologize — even for yelling at drivers who couldn't hear me — because I knew: God, that was not your heart.

So how do we get there? It's not complicated. It's just repetition. It's the conscious decision, every single moment of every single day, to submit. To pause before something comes out of your mouth and ask, "Holy Spirit, would this be the time to say this?"

The role of the Holy Spirit is to show us Jesus and to bring Jesus out of us. And the question I want to leave you with is the same one I started with:

Are you willing to submit every single area of your life — your marriage, your finances, your conversations, your reactions — to the Holy Spirit?

Because I believe God wants to speak into every aspect of your life. And when you pause and let the Holy Spirit do something, it always gets better. Always.

Don't settle for a little dab. Pour out the whole horn.