I believe God is saying, ‘I have a fresh anointing ready to release upon your faith! That enemy that has been resisting you will not hold you back any longer. Instead, that enemy is about to get knocked back.’
A few days ago, I was worshipping in our church when a picture came to my mind’s eye. I saw someone crouched over a shield, with a container of oil and a cloth. The person was using the cloth to rub the oil into the shield.
When I looked up a Bible dictionary, I learned that ancient shields were made either of several thicknesses of leather, or of wood covered in leather. They were cared for by the application of oil, which kept them supple. [1,2]
In Isaiah 21, for example, the prophet is sounding an alarm to Babylon and he cries out, ‘Get up, you officers, oil the shields!’ (Is 21:5b, NIV)
Right now is the time to apply the Spirit’s anointing to our faith.
Are you facing a battle?
Be encouraged today. It’s time to oil your shield.
You can have anointed faith; faith that has been in contact with the Presence of God.
The Bible has much to say about the importance of our faith. Here are some keys I believe our Father is bringing to our attention, as we seek freshly anointed faith:
1. Take Time Aside with God
Oiling a shield was done aside, away from the battlefront. It was done in the place of preparation.
Preparation means separation. Hear Jesus say, ‘Come away with Me!’ It’s time to come aside to spend time in the secret place, with God and His Word.
There is greater value in this, and more at stake, than you have been aware of.
The Greek word translated anointed, ‘chrio’, means to rub or smear with oil (Strongs G5548). The word’s imagery speaks of the physical act of anointing. It is used metaphorically of being anointed with the Holy Spirit.
In Acts, the religious leaders were amazed by the faith and courage displayed by the Apostles. We read: ‘When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.’
When we take time to be with Jesus, then His faith, His Spirit will be imparted to us. What is on Him will ‘rub off’ onto us. Our faith will be anointed.
2. Meditate on The Power of Jesus’ Shed Blood
‘Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.’ (Psalm 5:12 NIV)
God has a shield of protection for us that completely surrounds us! It is the favor of God. Favor and faith go together. But we will never experience this grace as long as we are trying to earn it. We must simply receive it.
‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.’ (Rev 12:11)
When you confess and declare what the blood of Jesus has done for you, your faith is anointed. It becomes unshakeable.
You grow bold in faith, because you realize that your right-standing with God is not as a result of anything you have done or deserve.
3. Be Intentional About Strengthening Your Faith
The Apostle Paul wrote
‘…above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.’ (Eph 6:16, NKJV)
The Roman soldiers of Paul’s time knew how to care for their shields. They knew how to look after them, how to bear their weight, and how to hold them for maximum protection.
Paul reminds us that faith has to be ‘taken’ in order to be used. The Greek word is analambano (Strongs G353) and means to take up, to raise up in order to use.
Receive a fresh anointing as you declare today:
‘I am not wavering in unbelief regarding the promise of God, but I am strengthened in my faith. I am giving glory to God! I am fully persuaded that God has power to do what He has promised.’ [3]
4. Make Your Prophetic Declaration
As I continued watching the vision of the shield, the picture changed:
I saw that person in the battle, in close engagement with an enemy. Suddenly, that anointed shield shone so brightly it turned into a mirror.
Now, that enemy was facing a mirror image of himself in that shield. And what he saw dismayed him—for right behind him was an angel of the Lord; larger and stronger than he was and about to take him down!
As I prayed about this, I felt the mirrored shield was symbolic of the spoken declaration of our faith, prophesying the enemy’s downfall. I was reminded of the story of David and Goliath (1 Sam 17).
~Fear is when we listen to the enemy’s intended outcome for us
~Faith is when we declare to the enemy God’s intended outcome for him!
Your Faith is About to Knock the Enemy Back
Whatever you are facing, you can do this, because God has got this.
Today, you can be like David. When David stepped forward to fight the giant Goliath, the only shield he had was the shield of faith. In stark contrast, Goliath had a massive shield, carried before him by an armor bearer (1 Sam 17:7)
When David stepped out onto the battlefield, Goliath mocked and cursed him. But David was undaunted. He didn’t believe Goliath for a moment.
Instead, he declared God’s outcome for that battle.
That young shepherd boy prophesied Goliath’s downfall. And then, he unleashed his slingshot and cast that stone. Too quick for the enemy’s shield-bearer, David’s stone found its mark right in Goliath’s forehead.
Hear your Father saying:
‘I have a fresh anointing ready to release upon your faith! That enemy that has been resisting you will no longer hold you back. Instead, that enemy is about to get knocked back.’
Notes
[1] When we’re not out traveling or ministering, my husband and I love worshipping at our home church, which is Planetshakers Church here in Melbourne, Australia.
[2] DAVIS, J.G. Davis Dictionary Of The Bible. 1972. London: Pickering & Inglis
[3] Declaration based on Romans 4:21 ~ concerning Abraham’s faith
Related Post:
How to Receive Your Fresh Anointing
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Has today’s word spoken to you? Leave a comment below, or on our Facebook page to share with others how this teaching is meaningful to you this week.
© 2018 Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
Enliven Ministries
In the David McCracken Ministries family
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
Dear Helen, what A Rhema word!! Thank you for sharing because I know in my Spirit that it is time to prepare for battle. God also speaks to me through dreams and always have since I was a young child and it is not until I became an adult that I understood that. It sometimes is challenging to speak with others about things of the spirit because they don’t understand. Again, thank you for your obedience and offering a forum where others like myself have a way to connect with like-minded individuals. Wishing you Peace and Prosperity!!
Hi Grace and thank you.
Operating in the realm of dreams is very significant and I pray you are strengthened in that area!
Helen, I am blessed indeed that I am ready to receive the anointing for Faith.
Amen Margaret
I am at the spiritual maturity finally where I can put my trust in the Lord for everything. It took a lot of years for it to sink in though I have always sought out his Word and worshipped him in praise, prayer, serving and in many other areas, I know that I am only not a filthy rag because of Jesus, and I know that I am not living in the world for myself but to fulfill the needs that he created me for and put me here to do. Now instead of freaking out and stressing out when a problem presents itself, I can tell the Lord that I do not know how he is going to change or help me but I trust that he will and he always does. My husband and I signed up to do a short term mission next year in Kenya Africa. I really enjoy reading the Word daily because it helps me keep Christ minded instead of getting involved in worldly thoughts and ways. I am praying for us all at all levels in our walks with God to seek him and to be like him as much as we can. I also pray that all who read this realize that we cannot come to God but through Jesus who sacrificed himself instead of us to go through a major torture, humiliation, emotional trauma, and abandoned and all for us because he wants to love us and be with us though he does not need us. I am thankful for all that he has done for me and I hope you all realize that he loves each and everyone of you in a personal way. That means that you matter to him. He loves and cares about you. I will be praying for us all as we go through these end times that you and I will keep growing in our relationship with him and that we will learn to love others more than ourselves. Someday it will be like that. Praise God!!!
Thank you Laura, yes and amen to all of that!
Gooday Helen thanks for your email. About oiling the shields. As a Messianic Jew which we know is a modern name from the 1960’s, for a Nazarene or a Jew who has excepted their Meshiach, kinsmen redeemer Yeshua (Jesus). I am sure you know this already Helen but I must share with you, just before I read your email on oiling the leather. I had been rubbing penetrating oil into my leather jacket, getting it ready for the English stormy winter ahead. And I remembered way back when? I had been delivered from curses which were on a mother of pearl present, given to me by an Aborigine tribes leader whilst invited to their bush party, and working in the bush out of Queensland. The deliverance team of international Christians then pored the oil of anointing over my head. After leaving the deep see net fishing in the Ocean. And North Sea of Scotland. I am now a sculptor artist and author on my first manuscript, to help my kinsmen the lost sheep of the House of Israel, to come into our Olive Tree in Romans, through our Meshiach Yeshua ( Jesus).
Bless you Helen for sharing your gift.
Shalom always Kenneth Shergold Weston
Hi Kenneth, wow that’s very significant thank you for that – and I pray you will touch many appointed by God through your work
Am grateful for such an awesome post in its rightful time.
Thanks Baron, for some reason you just reminded me of the different metaphors for faith – Jesus spoke of faith as a mustard seed and Paul of a massive shield. Faith protects and faith works. That mustard seed is powerful to work and move mountains.
This is a timeless message for a timely season. Tremendously blessed, and
is a confirmation of what the Lord ministered to my heart. Thank you, Helen.
That’s awesome, Beloved- Ezeh
Praying for you right now