I asked everyone Sunday to think about the battles that they personally face.  For some, physical and emotional battles rage from the moment they wake up until they burn out to sleep.  A battle that you don’t always think about facing is a spiritual one that Christians face just by being part of the Church.  By definition, if you are on Jesus’ side, the world hates you, and Satan is against you.  So, whether we’re asking for trouble or not, we shouldn’t be surprised that Christians face many hard battles.

Now, I want you to answer a question:  How would facing your battles be different if you had some encouragement?

I think about the reality tv show, The Biggest Loser.  Those contestants are able to lose weight, build muscle and regain self-esteem all because they have a motivational personal trainer.  With that kind of encouragement (and it’s not always the lovey-dovey kind) they are able to achieve things they could have never done on their own.

So, how could you fight your daily struggles differently if you had the right kind of coach? In Exodus 17, the Israelites were so encouraged by God that even though they were ill-equipped and untrained for war, they were victorious as God cheered them on.  Moses named that place Jehovah Nissi…which means The Lord is My Banner.  In other words, The Lord, Himself rallied the troops to victory.

Take a look at this video clip from The Patriot…It displays how someone carrying the US banner into the battle motivates the troops to run straight into the heart of the fight.

Now, I hope you’ll discover that God wants to encourage you in those physical, emotional and certianly the spiritual battles you’re facing right now.

I got some great encouragement through an email this week.  A friend at church wrote that he got in line behind someone in the grocery store Sunday, and heard this person talking about Team Church.  The gentleman was saying to the cashier how he had just been to Team Church, and how it encouraged him.  My friend was not having such a great day, but hearing that changed his whole attitude.  He went back home with a new pep in his step.

Hearing that someone is interested in church is really nice…but do you know why it affected my friend so much?  It’s because he’s involved…he’s invested, and he feels a healthy sense of pride that God is blessing what he’s doing.  Hearing that does the same thing to me.  Isn’t it wonderful to see God at work where we get the priveledge to be involved?

Isn’t that cool that Team Church encouraged a newcomer, and he encouraged my friend, and then my friend encouraged me with the whole story!

This week I will be talking about “Jehovah Nissi” which means “God is my banner.”  A banner is like a flag that rallies the troops. This story from my friend is kind of like God rallying us with some Good News.  It’s easy to discouraged, but I want you to sense the encouragement that Jehovah Nissi wants to give you.

Can you imagine with me that God is getting excited about what he wants to do this Sunday in churches all over our area?  Can you see Him wanting to encourage the speakers, leaders, the people who set-up, and the greeters and so on?  He wants these people who are responsible to get pumped because God has someone coming that needs encouragement too!

If you’re part of the Team, I hope you get that encouragement that you need, when you need it, because it helps us to keep going.  God wants to fill you up so you can fill others!  I hope you’re as excited as God…Jehovah Nissi.

See you this Sunday for some strong encouragement!