Date: Thur, 13 May 1999 From: SWAuthor@usa.net - By Sandy Warner

Subject: FINDING YOUR METRON - A Teaching to Protect Intercessors Against Backlash

At a conference a few years ago, I overheard a man worshipping the Lord behind me. As he was worshipping, I heard the Lord whisper to me, "A man of authority." This of course stirred my interest and so I had to turn around and peek! I stared right into the face of a loving, prophetic intercessor (soon to be Apostle). I knew his testimony and yes he had definitely earned that title of a man of authority. A few years ago, this powerful intercessor asked the Lord why so many intercessors were receiving spiritual backlashes and why they weren’t covered. He asked the Lord this question for a long time. After unrelenting requests, the Lord finally answered him: "I will build My structure."

Frustrated, he said, "Lord, after my asking all this time and You didn’t answer, then You finally answer, and you say THIS?" "What does THAT mean?" I laughed when I heard this, because that sounded so much like God! Through time and revelation, he understood that God would build His government, and did not want the intercessors isolated, but under the covering and protection of the Apostles and Prophets. He applied this personally by asking the prayer backing of God’s chosen, when he was taking on assignments against heavy demonic forces.

In recent weeks I also have noticed that the intercessors are suffering backlash, some severely, and I have pondered the above and asked the Lord the same question: "Why is this happening?" The answer was immediate: operate within one’s metron. This word metron, also has to do with God’s government. Metron comes from the scripture: "But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure (3358) of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you." (2 Cor 10:13 KJV)

Metron is a Greek word meaning: (3358) metron (met'-ron); an apparently primary word; a measure ("metre"), literally or figuratively; by implication a limited portion (degree). We are each given a measure of authority, and it is important to understand our metron, or sphere of influence and authority in which He has placed us. We each give (pray, stand in the gap, and war) according to our own ability. He doesn’t ask us to give what we don’t have, rather He asks us to give what we do have. "If you are really eager to give, then it isn't important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven't." (2 Cor 8:11-12 TLB) And therefore, it is important to understand our metron, or sphere of authority. If you are not sure what your metron is, hopefully this small outline will help kindle your thoughts to find it.

1. KNOW TO WHOM YOU ARE CALLED. Whether you a parent, a teacher, a pastor a prophet, a public servant, etc you have a sphere of loved ones in which you have been called to nurture. If they belong to you, you have the authority to pray over what they are facing. "And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." (Mal 4:6 NASB)

2. KNOW YOUR GIFTS. If you don’t know your calling, your giftedness can be a mirror of what your cup contains. The Lord equips whom He sends what equipment has He given you? If you have the gift of mercy, your gift offers mercy for those deserving judgment, needing forgiveness and or needing healing.

If you are a warrior and you fight demons, your gifts of discernment, hearing and seeing will reflect that function. If you have the gift of mercy and have never fought a demon in your life, God is not asking you to single-handedly tear down a stronghold. If God has placed within you the tenacity of a bulldog to knock, knock, knock, ask, ask, ask, then keep on making supplications! These are all gifts and He is calling you to function with what He has given you, not with what He has not.

"For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them" (Rom 12:4-6 NKJV)

3. KNOW YOUR ASSIGNMENTS. As an intercessor, I have been given dreams and visions of specific assignments needing completion. I then "stand" (pray, war, hold onto His promise of victory, sacrifice, follow my conscience, etc) until it is completed. God gives each of us assignments according to our callings and when we face enemy obstacles that are a direct confrontation of completing that assignment, God gives us the authority and grace to complete it. If you have completed that assignment, then you have also won that authority for future battles.

"His master praised him for good work. `You have been faithful in handling this small amount,' he told him, `so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Begin the joyous tasks I have assigned to you." (Matt.25:21 TLB)

4. KNOW YOUR MEASURE OF FAITH. We each have been given a measure of faith, and that faith can grow as He builds it via spiritual exercise. These faith muscles grow as a direct result of pressing against resistance. (When we are standing in the gap and praying, our faith directly affects the angels freedom to go forth and fight battles on our behalf.) We are called to stand, and standing takes some effort in order to resist wavering. That faith can wobble if we live a life that is not pleasing Him. Faith and favor are directly related to following our conscience. The accuser is the first to point out the flaw and that will affect our faith to stand against onslaught. Our metron will be no larger than our faith to be able to stand in His favor.

"For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith." (Rom 12:3 NASB)

"Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. Get up, sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: "There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you." (Josh 7:12-13 NKJV)

5. KNOW YOUR PATTERN OF SUCCESSES. When entering into new territory, the Lord will build your faith with confirmations, to help you to understand His approval of your moving ahead in prayer. If you can look back and find a link of similar prayer successes, this will be a good indicator of your metron. We have a fellow at our church who began getting Words of knowledge of prayer needs. He took courage and started sharing what he believed the Lord was saying. Each time he did this, someone responded and he prayed for them. Each time they received answers to the prayers. This is a good indicator through a pattern of success, that he has been given a metron to pray for those whom he receives Words of knowledge. "I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land." (Ex 23:30 NASB)

6. KNOW YOUR OPPONENT. It is true that your greatest gifting (and or promise) will also be your greatest testing. Sometimes if you are suffering a backlash it is because the devil considers you a threat and he knows you are influencing his domain. If that is the case, be encouraged that you are making a difference. I know a man who bound the territorial spirit over Kosovo in Jesus Name. Suddenly he was standing in the west, looking east across Europe to Kosovo. He saw a small ball of light from Kosovo, shoot straight towards him and hit just above his head at someone standing right directly behind him. (He figured it was his angel.) I told him that his prayer must have had an impact or threat for the enemy to have noticed!

"Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River, being urged by the Spirit out into the barren wastelands of Judea, where Satan tempted him for forty days. (Luke 4:1 TLB)

7. KNOW REVELATION. The Lord will send you supernatural revelations of your portion. This comes through the many ways to hear Him and they puzzle together to give a good indicator of your sphere of influence. Ask Him for revelation to teach you your metron.

"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." (1 John 2:27 NKJV)

8. KNOW YOUR COVERING. God is raising up His government, and He is divinely moving His chosen leaders into place. If the leaders are saying to pray corporately against a demonic stronghold, then that is the covering and guidance in which to safely operate your gifts. Corporately means standing in one accord with other believers against a common cause. There is a synergistic effect when joining with others of likemindedness to fight a common enemy.

"You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight." (Lev 26:7-8 NKJV)

I close with a precious forwarded story that has a 2 fold theme. It reflects the heart of any true covering appointed by God, and it also reflects the Lord’s heart to us all: "A mother took er 8 year old son to a great concert hall, black tie event to hear Paderewski the famous composer-pianist. The boy became restless waiting for the concert to start so as his mother visited with friends he slipped from her side and onto the stage. He was drawn by the Steinway and climbed up on the stool and stared wide-eyed at the keys. He placed his small trembling fingers in the right location and began to play "Chopsticks." The roar of the crowd was hushed as hundreds of frowning faces turned in his direction. Irritated and embarrassed, they began to shout: "Get that boy away from there. "Who'd bring a kid that young in here?" "Where's his mother?" "Somebody stop him!"

Backstage the master overheard the sounds out in front and quickly put together in his mind what was happening. Hurriedly, he grabbed his coat and rushed toward the stage. Without one word of announcement he stooped over behind the boy, reached around both sides, and began to improvise a counter melody to harmonize and enhance "chopsticks". As the two played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy's ear: "Keep going, don't quit, son; keep on playing.. don't stop....don't quit." And so it is with us. We hammer away on our project, which seems about as significant as "Chopsticks" in a concert hall. And about the time we are ready to give up, along comes the master who leans over and whispers: "Now keep going; don't quit. Keep on...don't stop, don't quit!"

Hang in there! Lovingly, Sandy Warner

swauthor@usa.net http://www.thequickenedword.com/