Friday, August 21, 2020
Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is our Banner)
Moses built an altar and
named it The LORD is My Banner; and he said, "The LORD has sworn; the LORD
will have war against Amalek from generation to generation."
Exodus 17:15-16
Sometimes in life we just run up against one dead end after another and one problem after another. It is hard to keep going and not give up. We may feel like the Lord has given up on us causing us to feel discouraged. Discouragement can lead to feeling defeated. One of Satan’s great weapons against Christians is a spirit of defeatism. Defeatism is a curse that can overwhelm us and make us lay down our weapons before the battle has begun. In the Exodus passage from above, Moses was not about to forfeit to the Amalekites. He turned to the Lord for wisdom, guidance and direction. Basically he told God, You brought us here, you will have to take care of us. If we did more of that today, we would run up against a lot less walls in our life! God directed Moses in what to do, and Moses followed. After this he set up and altar and named it after something he had learned about God.
Jehovah – Nissi is an unusual thing to say about God. It means that He is our Banner, or The Lord is my sign of conquest. Moses had learned that God would always conquer the enemies of his people. He learned to let God lead the way and he would taste victory; when he followed God, he conquered. We fail to experience the victory we could if we only will let God be our Banner. Many times we try to lead and expect God to follow along behind us. If we are going to have victory in our lives, Jehovah Nissi – God the Banner must lead the way.
God gives us victory over so many things that we could never list them all. There are four very important victories that all Christians should claim:
- Victory over Sin - 1John 1:7 tells us if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. He cleanses us from all our sin, not just some of our sins. Jesus is our Banner. He has won this battle against Satan for us. We only have to claim the victory.
- Victory over habits - So if the Son makes
you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:36 This is close in relation to victory over sin. We are free from the habits that keep us from serving God. Drinking , smoking, whatever the habits are, we are no longer enslaved once we claim the victory with the help of Jehovah Nissi. - Victory over Self – Galatians 2:20 says I have been crucified with Christ: and it is no longer I who live; but Christ lives in me. Satan wants us to believe that our own wisdom is better than God’s. We have to put ourselves aside and let God have control. This is where we follow even when we want to do it our way. With the help of the Lord our Banner we can conquer our selfish desires.
- Victory over Sorrow – Life is hard. Problems come and sad things happen. Sometimes we don’t understand why these things happen to us. We can easily be overcome with grief and loose our vision. God will give us victory over the sorrow that would otherwise overwhelm us.
Let God be your conqueror. No matter what comes your way, no matter what sorrow, sadness, or defeat, He can withstand the battle when we are battle worn. Soldiers come back from war waving their banners high, a symbol of victory. Let Christ be your banner. He is our victory over sin, selfishness, sorrow, sickness, and so much more. Step aside and let Him lead you to victory today.
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37
