The One Thing You Need for Victory in Battle!

Okay, to be really transparent and vulnerable with you guys, in this season I have faced the greatest attack that I have ever been through in my life. And therefore, I have had to be in the greatest battle that I have ever faced in my life. But I am here to testify to you today that you truly can be in a place like that and come out leaning on your beloved, feasting in the presence of your enemies and dripping in his oil. And I want to share with you today what the Lord showed me about his oil as I believe it is absolutely key to walking in victory.

Um, I'm going to start by sharing Psalm 23:es 4 and 5. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil and my cup overflows. So, a lot of us know these verses, but to dig into what his oil actually signifies is amazing. In ancient times, it was customary in hot climates for a host to provide their guests olive oil um to put on their head to protect them from excessive sweating. and athletes anointed their bodies because it refreshed and invigorated them making them fit for action. So the Lord in the same way blesses and anoints us um his believers with the Holy Spirit which signifies that oil and it is to protect, invigorate, refresh and prepare us for his service.

Prepare us to be in action for his kingdom. So he literally anoints us to not sweat it. Like you know sweat can symbolize anxiety or fear or worry and he anoints us in order to not sweat when the enemy attacks us. Instead we're focused on the mission.

We're ready and prepared for action. So when the enemy attacks, we just respond with I'm busy. I'm busy doing the Lord's work. And um I also wanted to share that in ancient days, shepherds anointed their sheep with oil to protect them from insects, especially flies, which who is the lord of the flies?

Um and the oil had different functions. So one, it would soothe the sheep because the insects would fill their eyes and ears and nose and lay eggs. It would cause discomfort and even death. Um, so it would help soothe their irritation and dryness, especially in the hot sun.

And that's what the Lord does with us. He gives us that oil in the battle to soothe us from the heat, which can symbolize, you know, uh, trials, suffering, attack, um, and to soothe our discomfort and protect us from the discomfort and even death. And then secondly, the oil would protect the sheep. So it acted as a barrier against the pests so that they couldn't collect on them and burrow into them and lay their eggs.

So in the same way the Lord anoints us with the oil in the battle to protect us to literally put a shield over us against the enemy um so that he can't come at us with the lies and burrow into even our brains and and thought patterns and things like that. So this act of anointing is used to symbolize God's care, comfort, relief, peace, protection, and provision for his people. So just as a shepherd cares for and ensures the well-being of his sheep, the Lord does the same for us and anoints us for that purpose. And the last thing he showed me is pure oil nourishes and fills you.

It can be a healthy fat that fully saturates and saturates you. And so, um, we can instead of frantically looking for solutions or looking to the world to save us, you know, whether that's finances or other people's advice or wisdom or whatever that looks like, we can literally look to him, receive the anointing, and be saturated, be satisfied with that and filled with him. And the other thing that I wanted to share was um Psalm 23 again verses four and five but in the passion and it says even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkest darkness fear will never conquer me for you already have. Your authority is my strength and my peace.

The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I'll never be lonely for you are near. You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your holy spirit and you give me all I can drink of you until my cup overflows.

And I want to share the cliff notes here. The Septuagent which is the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures translates verses five verse 5 as your cup cheers me like the best wine. And then the Vulgate which is a 4th century Latin translation of the Hebrew scriptures translates verse 5 as my chalice that inebriates me how goodly is it. And so I just want to encourage you if you're facing a battle or attack, nothing and no one can take away the Lord's cup from you.

Nothing and no one can take away how he inebriates and fills us and cheers us like the best wine. So um drink your fill. Drink your fill of his cup if that's the place that you are in and receive that anointing oil to overflowing because that his comfort, his peace, his empowerment, his preparation for action, his cheer, his joy, that is your portion in any and all battles.