RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

“And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi.” (Exodus 17:15 kjv)
At times it seems that every attempt to do the will of God leads to difficulty and spiritual warfare. During those times, we often face discouragement and confusion. When we enter into a spiritual battle for the souls of mankind, we can become spiritually, emotionally, and even physically drained. It’s during those times we need to get to know God as Jehovah Nissi, God, our banner.
The first time the Bible refers to God as Jehovah Nissi is in Exodus 17:15. The Amalekites had came in battle against the children of Israel. Moses told young Joshua that he would lift up the rod of God. That would become the banner under which they would fight, giving strength and confidence to those soldiers. As long as Moses had the rod of God lifted high, they overcame the enemy. But when Moses’ arms became weary and he had to lower the rod of God, they began to lose.
The Bible says, “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed” (Exodus 17:11kjv). Ultimately the children of Israel prevailed, and Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah Nissi, God, our banner. They won the battle because they had a rallying point. They had a banner that was lifted high — and that banner was God Himself. The rod was a reminder of the mighty works God had done in delivering the children of Israel from slavery.
When we enter the battle for the souls of men and women, we too must know God as Jehovah Nissi. A few years ago, God led us to Burundi during a time of war. It was almost impossible to enter the country because of ground warfare and an embargo from the surrounding countries. There were no flights into the country; to enter the nation you had to drive through the middle of a war zone.
Yet God had led us to proclaim the gospel in this war-torn nation. We found a pilot who would risk flying us into the country. We made preparations for the meetings and trusted God to work mightily. Mike Scalf, our ministry’s executive director, traveled with our Rwandan director, Joseph Karasanyi, into Burundi to prepare for the evangelistic meetings. I was scheduled to arrive one week later.
My wife and I were spending the night in London before traveling to Rwanda, then on to Burundi. That night, Mike’s wife called with chilling news. Joseph had been threatened. Threats were also being made on my life, and Mike was very sick. On top of that, Mike’s mother was in the hospital in the United States, and doctors gave very little hope for her recovery. I called Mike in Burundi and discovered we needed to get Mike out of the country immediately. He was extremely sick.
My wife and I prayed the entire night. In spite of the difficulties, I felt God wanted us to continue our journey to Burundi. We were well aware of what we might face when we arrived. But I also realized we needed to lift up a banner. We needed to call people to seek God on behalf of the nation and to pray for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God became our banner. We lifted high an electronic banner, and through a series of e-mails, we lifted a banner of prayer. We asked God’s people to intercede.
Ultimately we were able to get Mike to safety in Uganda, where a physician successful treated him. But his mother passed away before he arrived back in the United States. People from all over the world sent us e-mails saying they were praying for us. One African man said, “I won’t eat until God gives you victory.” On the first Sunday after that e-mail went out, churches stopped their services and began praying for us.
God moved, and thousands in Burundi came to know Christ. It was an incredible move of God’s Spirit. The cabinet minister in charge of peace negotiations asked me to come immediately to his home. “Your message of peace with God is the one my people need,” he said. “Would you please bring this message to every person in the country?”
God did much more than protect us. He gave us a mighty victory as thousands came to Christ. I’m convinced it was because Christians around the world were rallied to seek God. He became our banner under which we could rally the prayer warriors and win the victory.
Our banner must not be our ministries, our denominations, our programs, or our methods. Our banner must be Jehovah Nissi. As Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah Nissi, perhaps you need to build a Jehovah Nissi altar in your heart. Allow Him to be your rallying point. He alone gives victory. If you find yourself discouraged in the midst of spiritual battles, you will always be able to return to that altar and find your source of victory.