And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. Exodus 30:25

How to anoint your home with oil. That was the article title on a well-known Word of Faith minister’s website. In this article, the author stated that believers are promised protection from calamity in life, based on Psalm 91 and the blood of Jesus. However, this protection is not instant and needs to be appropriated by your own doing. This could be accomplished through anointing oil, which is used to consecrate one’s home as a believer who is simply “releasing their faith in the finished work of Christ.” The article then gave instructions for anointing your home, such as removing any items with evil roots, praying aloud, inviting the Holy Spirit to fill every room, rebuking the powers of darkness, pleading the blood of Jesus, and applying oil to the door frames.

Using anointing oil for the purposes of protecting my home, family, and possessions was not an uncommon practice personally. I believed in the power of the anointing, as I had been taught, it is the anointing that destroys the yoke (Isaiah 10:27). This among other verses is common when referencing the anointing of God. But the appropriation of the anointing went beyond the contextual understanding of Scripture, and certain descriptive passages were used prescriptively. Pieces of cloth napkins were cut into squares and anointed with oil so that those who needed healing or breakthrough in their personal lives could have it as those who needed healing and deliverance did in the time of Paul (Acts 19:12). Personal vials of anointing oil were owned by some and used when ministering to people.

This practice is continuing to be popular as individuals make their own anointing oil, praying over it and then using it in their homes to ward off demonic entities and to bless and release power in the atmosphere. Exodus 30:24,25 is cited for support in such practices, but I have found it interesting that when referring to this passage, proceeding verses are ignored in telling the Jewish people that the oil in Exodus 30 was holy and only to be used for the tent of meeting, the priestly utensils, and the priests themselves. It was not to be produced and used personally (Exodus 30:32,33), according to God’s instructions.

Exodus 12:22 is also used in support of anointing the door posts of a home. The teaching is that since the Jewish people brushed the blood across the doorposts, we can do the same with anointing oil while pleading the blood of Jesus. Neither pleading the blood of Jesus nor proof texting a passage and inserting oil in place of the blood on the doorposts can be found in Scripture. This also misses the main point of the account in Exodus 12, which is pointing to the spotless Lamb who would come and fulfill Passover and be the propitiation for sins.

Many who teach this practice will state that the power is not in the oil but in God. Yet, there seems to be an emphasis on the oil and the anointed individual praying over the oil and with the oil. This teaching also leads people to believe that they have power and authority through such a means that they can rebuke demons from a set distance from their homes while commanding angels to encamp and protect them. We must go back to the Word of God and ask if these practices and beliefs are commanded or forbidden in Scripture and where the emphasis is being placed with regard to power and authority.

Scripture does not forbid us to do this. Scripture also does not instruct us to anoint our homes and all of our possessions with oil. Though James 5:14 states that an ill believer should call for the elders to come and pray for him and in doing so, the elders will anoint that person in the name of the Lord, the focus is not on the oil but on the prayer and ultimately, God. The oil is simply symbolic of setting that person apart unto the Lord in their time of need. Dealing with sin before the Lord is also encouraged in this passage for fellow believers. We should also note that this passage is also used in support of the teaching to anoint our homes. This is not stated in the text. We should not go beyond what is written in prescribing acts not instructed or commanded in Scripture.

Those who do not anoint their homes are not less than those who do. All believers have the same anointing from the same Third Person of the Trinity (1 John 2:20, 27). The very act of using anointing oil holds no power in and of itself. Rather, the power to heal and to deliver is found in the God to whom we pray. Is it okay for us to ask God to bless our homes and to even protect them? Yes, we can petition God in these things. Our trust is not in any act that we have done or that we are claiming our rights to possess. Our hope is in Christ, regardless of if our homes are physically protected or not. As believers, we want our families within our homes to honor and to glorify Jesus Christ, and eternal treasures should be of utmost priority. As believers in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit, and His anointing is sufficient in accomplishing every good work for which the Father has made for us to accomplish for His glory and according to His will.

Listen to this episode discussing a recent teaching on the topic of anointing your home with oil and if it is instructed in Scripture: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Should I Anoint My Home and Personal Objects? on Apple Podcasts