Finding Your Unique Anointing
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
We tend to shy away from the word “anointing.” It can feel embarrassing or even conceited to describe our gifting in such a way. Sure, we believe certain individuals are anointed. It’s just hard to imagine we are in our role as kindergarten teacher, songwriter, fitness instructor, or electrician. Yet God anoints us, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in specific realms of gifting and authority.
When God chose Bezalel as a craftsman for the Temple, he “filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts” (Exodus 32:3-5 NIV). He, along with Oholiab, didn’t strive to do amazing things. They were anointed to do them. We see a similar process—except with a noticeably different gifting—for Jeremiah:
Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV)
We, too, were knit together by God with intimacy and intention before we were born (Psalm 139:13-16). This empowering isn’t what we might choose or can master through our own effort. Anointing doesn’t come from us. It is from God...for us. When we operate in it, we can run without being weary and shine without straining.
Ask God to reveal the specific talents he has anointed you with—and how they might converge. The four questions below may prove helpful as well. The goal isn’t to come up with your best guesses but to allow God to reveal the answers.
Where do you most sense God’s anointing when you create?
How do you see the world uniquely from everyone else?
In what ways has your creative gifting been opposed?
How might your presence be needed for such a time as this (Esther 4:14)?
If you’re having trouble answering some of these questions, don’t worry. There’s an empty auditorium in the next reading that will help add clarity.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God.Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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