Isaiah 21:5 “They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink. Arise, O princes; OIL THE SHIELD“
For godly men and women, being engaged in warfare is nothing more than an exercise of our spiritual office as we are always found in one of three stages – Going into war, in the middle of war, coming out of war (having been victorious or defeated until next attempt).We are called to suit up in the armor of God and be found armed and dangerous at all times not so we can instigate the enemy but to combat the assailant in the face of assault, and above all, to be preserved at the end of it (Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”) Equipment for doing battle is both of the offensive and defensive kind, both of which require anointing. The preparation of arms with oil is done for a three-fold purpose – to preserve them, to polish them and to make them slippery and difficult to be countered by the enemy’s attack.
Now the ointment that we oil our artillery with is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that is poured out upon us from above. We might have acquired our divine armor and ammunition but it is the heaven-sent anointing that turns it into a mighty spiritual weapon in God to fight our spiritual wars (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”)
Two things happen when the Holy Spirit readies us and our equipment for battle- the enemy becomes a visible target and the Lord of Hosts sends an army to take its position behind us
The Enemy :
It can be difficult at times to perceive what form and shape the enemy takes to come against us seeing as we are not fighting an incarnate (Ephesians 6:12 “or we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”) But it is not the intention of our Heavenly Father that we be in the dark or be uncomprehending about our attacker. When we choose to use our faith under the government of the Holy Spirit, the formless enemy will not only be forced to reveal his identity but will also be unable to counter this deadly combo (Acts 6:8-10 “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.”)
The Army:
Seldom are we aware of all the help that God makes available to us in the face of peril. At best we feel ill-equipped with our faith being shaky at the knees and at worst we feel all- alone. But when we in our one-man capacity are willing to partner with God, our enemies are as good as conquered because He chooses to stand by our side and be our army and our ammunition rolled into one (Judges 6:16 “And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”) But sometimes, we yearn for a physical evidence of support for our cause which we are convinced no one else cares about as passionately as we do (1 Kings 19:14 “He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”) It is then that the Lord pours out His Spirit on us and causes a host of soldiers to be enlisted to back us up, only to comfort us and lift up our morale (Judges 6:34 “But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.”)
Dear Church, let us ready ourselves for war-waging. All we need do is seek the instructions of the Commander in Chief of the Lord’s army, polish our armaments with His Anointing and wait and see His Salvation….because the battle belongs to the Lord.
God Bless
bloodvessel 