Good Morning Gorgeous,

It’s a brand new day. A fresh new start. I am rejoicing this morning because the Lord has helped me to rise and get before Him for time with Him.

I have shared before that I struggle at times to rise in the mornings and spend time in the Word. Getting up hours before my family doesn’t come naturally or easy for me. I love staying snuggled in my bed with my husband and my littles who by morning have come and snuggled into my bed.

But no matter how warm and cozy my bed is, time with Jesus will ALWAYS provide me with more life sustaining power and fill my cup in a way that more sleep simply cannot.

And this morning through lots of prayer, I was able to be victorious and get up early. And I am so thankful!

I am digging deep into the Names of God and I am so excited to share them with you. I’ve been reading a book by Tony Evans called, Praying through the Names of God. Pastor Tony shares 85 names of God. It amazing really how God reveals Himself to His people through His many Names. It’s difficult at times to really grasp with our minds who God is and how to relate with Him. And His people all through the Bible had difficulty at times understanding Him as well.

One way the Lord helps us to understand His character, His love, His faithfulness, His intentions, and more is through showing us facets of Himself by the Names He is referred to in Scripture. Its like getting a glimpse right into the heart of God.

The Lord is named Jehovah Nissi by Moses. The Lord has already appeared to Moses in the burning bush, led the Israelites out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, provided Manna for them to eat, and He just provided water to them from a rock in the desert.

So they have experienced the Lord’s power, provision, and deliverance. And just as we often experience a new battle after coming out of a previous one, the Israelites having fled from the Egyptians now face to face with the Amalekites.

Moses had divine wisdom on how to fight this battle with the Lord. He instructed Joshua to choose some me to go to the battlefield and fight the battle on the ground while he was going to stand at the top of the hill with the rod of God in his hand.

“Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” Exodus 17:9

Moses went to the hill and did what he said he was going to do, and when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. The problem was his hands got tired so Aaron and Hur sat him on a rock and they held his hands up with one of them under each arm until sundown. And Joshua defeated the Amalek army with God’s power as Moses worshipped.

So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”
Exodus 17:13‭-‬16 NIV

Wow! So much here!! As Moses lifted his hands to the Lord, there was victory!! When he stayed with the rod of the Lord lifted up, the battle was in his favor! When he was weary and couldn’t keep his arms up, they began to lose the battle… instead of giving up and saying it was too hard to stay in a posture of worship, his God appointed friends came alongside of him and held his arms up.

When the battle was won, a new name of God was revealed. The Lord is my banner. As I magnify Him, He will be my safety, my protection, and my victory. When I no longer can stand on my own, my close Christian friends can lift me up and hold me in a posture of keeping my eyes on the Lord until full victory is won.

Friends, The SAME God who was Jehovah Nissi to Moses and the Isrealites has also made covenant with us through Jesus. So we receive the same protection as we lift up our hands to God and trust Him to battle on our behalf.

Notice Moses still sent troops to the ground, and then he focused on God. So as you battle, follow the instructions of the Lord to do what is needed in the physical realm and then you can just sit down and REST with your arms lifted high and let the Lord do the rest. When you are tired, call on close friends in Christ to keep your focus on the Lord.

As you spend time with God today, invite Him to be your banner.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You Lord for being my Jehovah Nissi. You have and will continue to be my banner. My protection and my refuge. The One whom battles on my behalf while I am called to keep my eyes and my affection on You and You alone. Lord, help me to raise my hands in worship at all times even in battle. Please send me friends to hold my hands steady when I grow weary and the battle rages on longer than I can sustain alone.

Lord, I trust You as my Banner.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Blessings and God’s Banner over you,

Vanessa Lynn