The Standard of Anointing

Isaiah 59:19
"...when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of The Lord shall lift up a standard aginst him..."

It was Friday night of HYC, the Louisiana State Youth Choir was singing, my mind was fixated on the 4,000+ young people who were passionately involved in worship when this scripture ran across my mind. My first reaction was less than spiritual to say the least, I simply filed that thought under randomness and continued in the service. But no mater how intently I tried to engage myself in the service my mind was suddenly arrested with these words.. when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of The Lord shall lift up a standard against him... It echoed like a PA system, as random as it seemed I knew now that this was not a random passing thought, I knew that God was trying to tell me something. So I paused for a second to hear these words.... I have released an elevated standard of anointing...

When we examine the layout and the conditions of the world in which we live, it is unquestionable; the enemy has come like a flood. I love how detailed the Bible is, when we imagine the effects of a flood, we can sense the dread and the destruction it leaves in its wake. Floods are destructive by nature, and they strike sometimes without warning. This is how hell operates, without warning it unleashes trajedy after trajedy until you feel completely overwhelmed beneath the surge and rising tide of evil. Notice the words of the prophet, WHEN the enemy...not IF. We have to understand that the objective of your adversary is not to simply cause you to have a bad day, his mission is to destroy you. But I'm glad to know that God didn't stop with that, he continued... the spirit of The Lord SHALL lift up a standard against him! I get the picture in my mind of a powerful dam, designed and structured by God. It's this standard of anointing that will serve as the dam that keeps the flood of evil at bay!

As I went home from that meeting I was still captivated by that passage, but my mind was consumed with preperations for Easter Sunday; and this passage has nothing to do with an Easter message... so I thought. As I began to pray and seek The Lord, suddenly I began to realize what The Lord was trying to show me...

Isaiah 40:29-31
"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint."

God has promised to empower the weak and to strengthen those who have no might. Why? Because the prophecy states that even the youth will faint and they'll become weary, and the strongest of young men will fall. Dependance on youthful energy and youthful enthusiasm isn't the avenue of success. It may work for a season, but there will come a time when the words of this prophecy will be revealed. But the scripture tells us that they that wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength. That word renew literally means to exchange. It means God will remove your strength from you, and replace it with his strength! And with this transformation comes a 3 dimensional promise of anointing! God promised those who experience the transformation of strength would fly, run and walk. That reveals to us the 3 dimensions of anointing; Elevation, Acceleration and Determination.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the first standard that God raises up is the standard of Elevation. God will literally take you to a higher dimension in him. Peter experienced this 6 days after his proclamation of faith; thou art the Christ! Jesus knew, with revelation comes a stronger wave of demonic activity, he knew that at the base of that mountain would be a boy possessed with a demon that they had never experienced before. That's why 9 disciples stood there powerless and clueless about what to do. But in order for the church to be successful against this new wave of radically advancing sin, it required Peter, John and James to travel to the Mt of Transfiguration; because the only counteraction against a surge of demonic activity is to ascend to a higher dimension of revelation and understanding. What I'm trying to instill into the hearts of our people is, if we are to be successful in this hour against the onslaught of evil  is to have willingness to journey to a higher altitude of revelation and understanding. We will not be able to withstand the flood of the enemy with the experiences, revelations and understanding of yesterday! We desperately need an elevation of the spirit to take us to a dimension of God we never knew existed!!

Secondly God will raise a standard of acceleration. Once you reach that altitude of revelation and understanding, things will begin to accelerate in your life. When David as a youth, walked into that valley to fight a Giant he was ill prepared physically to fight; he climbed into a higher dimesnion of revelation. He didn't walk into that valley thinking he could kill a giant, he walked in there with an understanding that God could kill a giant. That's what revelation is, it's reconizing who God is! And once David graduated from stage 1 things began to progress rapidly. Saul never allowed David to go back home, and shortly after it is recorded in scripture, the people began to chant; Saul has killed his thousands, and David has killed his ten thousands. Although Saul didn't like the accelerated anointing, there was nothing he could do to stop it. We see men and woman of God advance very quickly, we think they seemingly came out of no where, but in reality God has simply given them an accelerated anointing! What I believe is going to happen to those who are willing to travel to the mnountain of revelation is this, God is about to accelerate your minitries. Your about to start preaching things you're not smart enough to preach! You're about to start teaching Bible studies your not equipt to teach! How? It's the accelerated anointing of God! 

Finally, God will raise a standard of determination. In Luke 17:20, Jesus was asked of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus answered them and said, the kingdom of God does not come with observation, but the kingdom of God is within you! What he was telling them is this; there was a time when a structure was in place. This structure was for me to respond to your cries and for me to do all the work. However, shortly this structure will be broken, and you will no longer have me here with you to do all your bidding. But I have told you I will not leave you comfortless, and you will be filled with power! In other words, once you've been equipt with revelation and understanding, and once God begins to accelerate your ministry, you will then be expected of God to develop a spirit of determination. What Jesus was trying to get them to understand is, no longer do you have to wait for something to happen, you now have the power to make it happen! Now you've got the power to pray things into existence! We need revival, make it happen! We need a miracle of healing, make it happen! Not out of your power, but from the power that God has given you! My power has been exchanged for His power!! 

 We need a standard of anointing to flow throughout our churches! Let's elevate to accelerate, and allow our faith to be transformed to determine in our hearts, it will happen!