October 23, 2013
God is Your Victory
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner [Yahweh Nissi] (Exodus 17:15, NIV).
Friend to Friend
I’m going to be honest with you. If there was an Olympic event for feelings of insecurity, inferiority, and inadequacy, at some point my picture would have been on the Corn Flakes cereal box…the gold medal winner.
Now, you probably think I’m going to tell you, “But then I became a Christian and all that insecurity just went away!” But it didn’t. I did become a Christian when I was fourteen. That part is correct. However, I carried that insecurity into my Christian life like a ball and chain wrapped around my skinny ankle. Don’t get me wrong, I could sing “Victory in Jesus” with the best of them. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that when I left this earth and crossed over the threshold into my heavenly home, I was going to be with Jesus forever. It was what I was supposed to do until I got there that had me stumped. It was victory in this life that left me confused.
Did you know that you can be a bona-fied born-again Christian and still live a life of defeat? Yes, you can. But if you do, ifI do, it’s not God’s fault. He has given us everything we need for a life of godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3). He has equipped us with the power of the Holy Spirit (John 14:20), the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and the precious promises that never fail (2 Peter 1:4). But it’s up to us to walk in the truth of who He is and who we are in Him. It is up to us to walk in victory as “more than conquerors” in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37).
Moses had to deal with the same insecurities that you and I have to grapple with. He was a former Prince of Egypt who became a run-away felon. For the next forty years, Moses took care of his father-in-law’s sheep in the Midian desert. When he was eighty-years-old, God spoke to Moses through the burning bush.
The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. SoI have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.” (Exodus 3:7-8 NIV)
This was all sounding good to Moses…until God mentioned how He was going to bring all that about.
“So now, go. I am sending youto Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt,” (Exodus 3:10).
Hold the phone! You’re sending whom?
Deliverance for his people! This was what Moses had always wanted! But when God said, “I am sending you,” Moses began backing up. The monster of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy wrapped its talons around Moses’ scruffy neck and began to squeeze.
Four times Moses told God why He had the wrong man for the job, and four times God reassured Moses that He was the Almighty God Who was sufficient to do the job through him. It was a hard lesson for Moses. It has been a hard lesson for me. I wonder if it has been a hard lesson for you.
Of course, we know how the story goes. After several weeks of very convincing plagues, the Pharaoh did let God’s people go. They crossed the Red Sea on dry land, ate manna that fell from heaven, drank water that sprang from a rock, and roasted quail that rained from the sky.
It wasn’t too long into their journey to the Promised Land, that they were attacked by the Amalekites, a godless people who had taunted God’s chosen people for centuries. But because of God’s intervention, the Israelites won the battle and Moses built an altar and called it “The Lord is my Banner [Yahweh Nissi]” (Exodus 17:10-13, 15).
The banner was a symbol of victory! It still is today. This is the only time in Scripture that God is referred to as God our Banner, but it was not the only time God won the victory for His people. Time and time again, God fought for His people and they waved the flag of victory in the face of apparent defeat (Joshua 10:10, 20, 33, 11:8, Judges 11:21, 20:35. He made the waters rise, the walls fall, and the earth stand still. Yes, God fought for His people, and friend, He will do the same for me and for you.
So raise high the banner! The victory is yours.
Let’s Pray
Lord, forgive me for feeling like I have to conquer the battles of life on my own. I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus. There is victory in Jesus! Help me to live, not as a cowering fugitive, but as a confident saint.
In Jesus’s Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read Exodus 14:13-14.
How will you let these verses shape your perspective today?
Have you ever tried to talk tried to talk God out of using you? I bet you have. Why do you think we do that? Leave me a comment on my facebook page and let’s compare notes.
More from the Girlfriends
Today’s devotion was adapted from our new Girlfriends in God book, Knowing God by Name.Throughout Scripture, God reveals His complex character by identifying Himself by different names—names that shed light on who He is and how we should relate to Him. We invite you to join us in Knowing God by Name as we take an in-depth look at 40 different names that shed light on 40 different reasons you can trust Him, depend on Him, and know that He loves you. Click here to learn more and download a free sample chapter.
Also, if you haven’t already, I’d love for you to sign up for my blog for more inspiration, encouragement, and fun give-aways. (Content does not duplicate GiG devotions.)
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