We’re getting ready for a great harvest, and God is preparing us to be the harvesters. There’s not a great army coming; we are the great army. The Master of the Harvest is Jesus, and He’s commissioning and strengthening us.

In Acts 1:4-5, Jesus ordered the disciples to “wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’”

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not just a one-time event, because for some of us, the pressure of life drains the anointing. The Father needs to fill us up again. There’s one baptism and one confirmation, but God wants us to operate from an overflow. He wanted his apostles to be “clothed with power from on high” (Lk 24:49). He wanted them to be his witnesses throughout the world, and He wants the same for us today.

God knew the disciples were going to face hard things—and we’re going to face hard things. To stand and proclaim the Word of God, we must adopt a posture of humility, docility, anointing, power, authority, holiness, and freedom.

We need to remain open to the Lord and teachable. When serving the Lord, don’t say, “Look at me and the things I can do.” It’s not about us; He gives the gift of anointing—and He always has a fresh anointing for us. Yesterday’s anointing is not for today. Today’s anointing is for today—and we don’t need to worry about God running out! He doesn’t want for anything. Don’t say, “I already did that.” Don’t look back to the beginning of your journey and be content with having received baptism in the Holy Spirit decades ago. The Lord has something new for us. He gives us both power and authority to divinely enable us for this moment.

We must open ourselves up to the power from on high that Gideon received in the Book of Judges. Gideon was hiding, but God called him a “mighty man of valor” (Jgs 6:12)—a champion. Finally, Gideon was ready to go into battle, and he gathered 32,000 men. God told him to send home the fearful ones—and ten-thousand men remained. God said that was still too many, and He gave them another test—and only three-hundred men remained. God was saying that the victory would come not by Gideon’s power or might, but by the Lord.

God also sees us as his champions. It doesn’t matter if you feel insufficient. God says, “You’re not able, but I’m giving you divine enablement and a fresh anointing.” God raises up new people; He’s raising up new people now. We must acknowledge our sin and cry out to the Lord.

God wants to position us for his kingdom’s purposes. The Holy Spirit came down in Acts to help the apostles be ready to testify and to preach and teach God’s Word. The Holy Spirit wants to give us the same gifts today. God knows there will be pressure and strongholds against us. We need to pray against the strongholds that keep us from receiving the anointing.

What strongholds are you facing? Where do you need healing? In the name of Jesus, we need to break every chain: addiction, anxiety, depression, despair, bitterness, confusion, anger, and more.

Jesus is a Way Maker; there is power in his name. Rebuke these spirits, bind them, and take authority over them in Jesus’ name. Tell them to be gone in the name of Jesus Christ. Come into agreement with the Father’s plan for your life so that you can live in the freedom of the sons and daughters of God.

This article is condensed from a talk given at the 2025 Lift Jesus Higher Rally in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can listen to it here. The article originally appeared in Renewal Ministries’ June 2025 newsletter.