Anointed To Stand

Anointed To Stand: Standing For Jesus

An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps. "Where would you like to sit?" he asked politely.

"The front row please." she answered.

"You really don’t want to do that", the usher said.

"The pastor is really boring."

"Do you happen to know who I am?" the woman inquired.

"No." he said.

"I’m the pastor’s mother," she replied indignantly.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"No." she said.

"Good", he answered.

(Story of Jesse’s sons and David’s annointing)

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. 1 Samuel 16:13

Anointed, ‘mâshach’, means, “to consecrate” and in this case for service to God and the people. David was immediately set apart from the world around him.

When Samuel anointed David king, what must have been going through his mind, he was just given the promise of power and riches.

David knew how to take a stand:

I. Thought life

a. The Spirit of the Lord destroys the carnal mindset

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Romans 8:7-9

b. Measure your desires against the cross you are called to bear

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 zHe who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 10:38-39

David may have desired to take the throne at any point. His fleshly desire would be to consume all that God has for him now. David was chosen not for his stature, but for his heart. If you are consumed by carnal desire you have no time to bear the cross you were called to carry.

“Satan dines on what believers withhold from God”

c. Serving those in need

Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians in Church ~ they are my best workers.

Blessed are those who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked ~ I can use them in my business.

Blessed are those who are touchy. Soon they will stop going to church ~ verily, they shall be my missionaries.

Blessed are those who sow gossip and trouble ~ they are my beloved children.

Blessed are those who have no time to pray ~ for they MY prey.

Blessed are those who gossip ~ for they are my secret agents.

Blessed are you when you read this and think it has everything to do with other people, and nothing to do with you. ~ I’ve got room for YOU at my inn.

All too often we look at our desires as priority. David had a right to the throne, yet he went and served the rejected and distressed king.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, 1“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said 2to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43

Jesus was the perfect example, while hanging on the cross He was able to serve all who sinned, and he saved the first convert while hanging on the cross. How many of us struggle to keep a good attitude during trials, never mind lead someone to Christ.

d. Against the evil

(David and Goliath) 1 Samuel 43-47. Goliath threatened Israel for forty days, how long do we allow the enemy to be within hearing distance. David knew he was fighting for, and so should we. We all to often lose focus on what the battle is about. We do things in the name of Christianity, and defending the faith. We pick and choose our battles according to how much the opposition insults our Christianity. The battle belongs to the Lord Jesus. It’s all about Jesus. The all too famous WWJD phenomena handicapped us for certain. A trial comes our way and we ask what would Jesus do or have done, but we often forget how living Jesus is. The question is what is Jesus doing. In America we wonder why our nation is falling away from God so fast, and why miracles and revivals are happening in far away lands but not here; because Jesus has not been the focus in America. At Church On The Rock, Jesus is the focus. It does not matter what other churches do, what the best preacher is doing. We will cast all that aside for a chance to focus solely on Him. I have realized that when I take a stand for my best friend, Jesus, all hell breaks loose on me. When I put Jesus on some spiritual shelf in my life I begin to have it easy. The enemy knows that if I focus on Jesus I am a deadly spiritual weapon, but when I sheath the one who conquers all, the enemy understands I am already defeated.