Raise a standard!

“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭59:19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

There has been an argument over whether there should be a comma before the flood or not but for the sake of this post, I wouldn’t be delving into that.

Now back to the reference verse.

Have you ever read a portion of the scripture and each time, it seems the Holy Spirit gives a new interpretation to it?

I have always read this verse and interpreted it to mean spiritual attack and warfare so each time I am challenged either spiritually or physically, I quote it. While this is not out of line, recently I came to a new understanding of this verse.

What does it say?

’When the enemy shall come like a flood, the Spirit of God shall raise a standard against it’.

Who is the enemy? He is Satan – the devil and he comes in various ways and disguises. To raise a standard means to put up an ensign. The original Hebrew word used in the verse is ’nuwe’ which means ’to make flee’.

In what ways can he rise against us?

He comes through diverse ways and uses just about anything that would cause us to go against the works of the Spirit and operate in the flesh.

1. He tries to incite us

You encounter situations or people that may try to provoke you and cause you to overreact.

2. Hatred, bitterness, hostility, selfish ambition, gossip, malice, envy, slander.

3. Unforgiveness- If only we understood how damaging it is to our mental, spiritual and physical health, there would be no day wasted dwelling behind the bars of unforgiveness.

“When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit,

so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”

2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:10-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

’so that satan will not outsmart us’… Paul understood this and admonished the church in Corinth to forgive a man who had offended them as he forgives too so as Satan does not take advantage of the situation and overwhelm the man with discouragement.

Invariably, not only does our refusal to forgive negatively impacts us, sometimes, it affects the offender who may have genuinely repented and seeks restitution.

4. Fear of the unknown

What you don’t know would hurt you. If we are not informed and assured of the infallible nature of God and all the blessings bestowed upon us, how would we counter the lies of the devil?

Oh! He has got lies to feed us. Anything to rob us of our courage and get us to trade our faith. He will try to feed our minds with evil suggestions and by so doing, enlist us to do his bidding.

he put it first into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus.

In another instance, he got to Ananias and made him lie… “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the land?”Acts‬ ‭5:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬. It wouldn’t have happened if the man wasn’t greedy.

It is the devil who stirs appetite, rouse old habits and flames evil passions. If we recognize his ways, it would be easy to resist him when it comes.

Remember the verse that says we should resist the devil and he will flee.

Therefore, how can we resist him? By raising a standard. We stop an attack by launching a counter-attack.

We know who we are and proclaim it boldly stating where our devotion lies.

Our attitude and reaction to situations is the tangible representation of Christ Jesus, Jesus was a man of peace and across the scriptures, He clearly demonstrated his willingness to turn the other cheek and choose peace.

Anytime we choose righteousness, faithfulness, peace, joy, love, the devil gets a message of these ones are a no go zone. It is our measurement of value in Christ. No matter what confronts us, the Holy Spirit will rise within you and put a stop to it.

Where does strength come from?

The word of God!

In a hungry state, we feed off junk but if we plan our meals and eat healthily, the appetite for wrong meals that may be presented to us drys up. likewise, meditating on the word of God fills our mind with His truth and prevents us from becoming easy prey to the devil.

Even while at your desk working, going about daily chores and engagements, you can speak to God in your heart as time in His presence fortifies us and enables us to exhibit the character of Jesus and express the fruit of the spirit.

Fall in line with Jesus who resisted the devil by matching every offer with the scriptures. That was His truth and He spoke it to silence the lies of the evil one.

To be a true follower of Christ is not a walk in the park rather, intentional and firm. Good news is, God is in us therefore we are not powerless or defenceless against the evil one. We can do something about it. In us lives the Spirit of God which empowers us to make better choices in times of adversity or pressure.

“But you have raised a banner for those who fear you— a rallying point in the face of attack. Interlude”

Psalms‬ ‭60:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Dear friends, examine your hearts and take a stand today. Above all, pray always, Be alert and observe what comes from without into you and from within you.

May God help us on this journey and strengthen our feet that it may not stumble!

Stay blessed!

You are loved 💚💙💜

Angel