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Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is My Banner

posted Apr 25, 2010, 12:30 PM by Website Administrator   [ updated Apr 25, 2010, 12:31 PM ]

April 25, 2010        

Key Passage: Exodus 17: 8-16 

“Jehovah Nissi – The Lord is My Banner” 

Miraculous exodus out of Egypt, even taking all the material goods of those who’ve oppressed you?  Check.  Divine delivery via the Red Sea from a swarm of chariots and soldiers?  Check.  Moaning and complaining because of lack of food and water, only to have both delivered daily?  Check.  No GPS?  No problem – pillar of fire and supernatural cloud to lead.  Check.  Yet the grumbling, complaining, moaning, and sinning continue.  If you think I’m talking about the Israelites, you’re right…but I’m talking about us as well.  For the love, how long will our patient Savior tolerate our grumbling and complaining while his daily provisions for us are evident from the moment we get up to the minute our head hits that comfy pillow at night?!?  And for crying out loud, can we PLEASE stop using 1 John 1:9 (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive…”) as a spiritual Band-Aid to mutter once we’ve sinned so we can go back and do the same thing again?!?  Today, in the 17th chapter of Exodus, we see for the very first time God say to someone in the Bible to “write this down and remember it.”  The Lord is My Banner – Jehovah Nissi.  Our God stands as a glistening reminder that He WILL conquer sin and bring us to the Promised Land.  We’d be wise to write it down and remember it as well…! 

Exodus 17:8-16  Four Truths for Consideration… 

  1. Victory may not come according to our time frame, but it is assured!
 
    • Some of us have battled personal sins for a long time (porn; gossip; prescription drug use; anger, etc.)  Some have given up, many just simply give in; however, the Bible is clear that we’re victors b/c of what Christ has done for us. 
    • See Romans 8:37; Psalm 60:12; 1 John 5:4-5
 
  1. The keys to victory are prayer and obedience…
 
    • It’s a delicate balance between wholly depending on God and still “doing our part.”  Someone once put it this way – “Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you.”
 
  1. We need friends who will battle with us and pray for us…
 
    • Frankly, most of us are carrying burdens too heavy to bear alone.  Moses needed the strength of others in order to pray.  The troops needed each other in battle.  Let me be crystal clear about this: you are doomed in your spiritual walk if you don’t have others who will not only support you but hold you accountable.
 
  1. Keep a journal to help you remember what God has done in your life…
 
    • As I mentioned, following this battle was the first time in Scripture we see God asking anyone to write something down and remember it.  I hate to use the example of taking notes in class…but I will.  If you don’t take notes, how in the world will you be prepared when the test arrives?!
 

Q:  If, as they say, attitude is everything, what does your attitude about prayer say about your

      relationship with Christ? 

Bottom Line: A study of the names of God is a great step for any Follower to take in growing their relationship with Christ.  “The Names of God,” by Ken Hemphill, is a thorough yet easy to read analysis of what each of the names of God means.  Also, I get $5 for every book you buy………….kidding.