Is Anointing Oil Necessary for Healing?
Some people use anointing oil when praying for the sick, while others don’t use it at all. Is it actually necessary to use it at all for healing? Let’s look to the Word to see what it says about this.
Jesus sent out the 12 disciples by twos with authority to preach the Word, cast out demons, and anoint the sick with oil so that they would heal, see Mark 6:7,12-13. This is how we are to evangelize the world; it demonstrates God’s compassion and power to the lost and readies their hearts to receive Him as Lord and Savior.
Anointing with oil is not used only with the unbeliever, but also within the Church, specifically for those who need the added strength of someone stronger in the faith for healing. God has instructed the sick to call upon the elders and have them anoint them with oil for healing as it says in James 5:14, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
The actual healing power isn’t in the oil; it doesn’t possess magical powers. In the natural realm it’s an act of obedience to the Word of God and a physical point of contact for the receiver. In the spiritual realm, it’s a symbol of the power of the Holy Spirit. The act of anointing is a supernatural act of releasing the power of the Holy Spirit for healing.
Does the Holy Spirit have me anoint people with oil for healing? Sometimes He does, and other times he doesn’t. If we will learn to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, then we will know how He desires to move through us in a given situation.
Becky Dvorak is a prophetic healing evangelist and the Destiny Image author of DARE to Believe, Greater Than Magic and The Healing Creed. Visit her at authorbeckydvorak.com.
