Raise A Standard

I don't want to take a lot of time on this, but I do want to share a couple of things I felt earlier this afternoon to share these things with you. Earlier this week, I met with the Awaken Connect team, this group of ladies that just has brunches every month so women can find a connection. Please, if you have not connected in relationships, see Amber after. If you need greater freedom, see Johnny after. But I was meeting with them just a few days ago and kind of telling the story of when I came to Concord.

And as I was telling them the story, Lisa is very much a part of that story. And when I was telling them about her, it just felt surreal and divine that she's here tonight. But 28 years ago, when I came to Concord, I was hired to go on staff at first assembly. Pastor Jay was the associate pastor. He's been the boss of me for a really long time.

But when I was hired, the lead pastor Tom Whidden, hired me and said when I the Lord has spoken to me that the women of this church are a sleeping giant, and if they'll be awakened, it'll change everything. Well, at age 25, I didn't know how to awaken anyone. But there was a group of intercessors that had begun to pray, and they were crying out for the move of God's people. Specifically among the women. It was a secret prayer meeting that didn't stay secret.

And it was led actually by our pastor, Stephanie, 28, over almost 30 years ago, probably 30 years ago. But when Pastor Tom said that to me, he said, I want you to plan four weekends. I want you to bring in different speakers. We're going to have events for the women throughout the weekend. And then I'm going to give our visiting minister the Sunday morning pulpit.

And I knew who the first one was supposed to be, which was Lisa Nelson. But I had no idea that the Lord was going to blow in and move in a way that none of us expected. Not only did he move throughout the weekend, Sunday morning, we saw a profound move of God. He blew into our services. The order of things were nothing like had been planned.

And it began a journey into the heart of God, where we there was a movement of prayer two, two days a week. Saturday nights, we would pray into the night. We did that for six and a half years, every Saturday, never missing. And the Lord answered our cries and he answered our prayers. And he's been calling me back to the beginning, how things started, which was in that cry for the Lord to just come and Change everything.

And so it's pretty special that in the midst of the Lord even asking me to return to how things began, that he would bring Pastor Lisa to us, who the Lord not only used that weekend, but she began to come in regularly and just pour into us as leaders. And I am just so grateful that she is with us tonight. Such a woman of God and a mother to so many. Get on your feet and welcome Pastor Lisa as she comes.

Hello, awakened refuge lady. She messed with me. Does anybody have a tissue? I should have grabbed one before I got up here. Now my nose is running.

I thought I had sniffed it all. Thank you so much. We're just going to do this right now. So I'm not sniffing. Sniffing the entire time, right?

How many of you have that issue? The older we get, the more I have to blow my nose. What is that? No wonder they carried hankies with them back in the day, right? But then when you think of that, that's kind of gross.

You know, you keep the same one all day.

I. That messes with me, because I don't know if you understand. When God marks a moment in your life, don't just be marked in the moment and then skip over it. Our pastor, our bishop, who is one of your covering pastors, Bishop Paul Zink, preached a message over 30 years ago that changed my life. And the title of that message that you're part of, I had no idea you were gonna say that.

It's a part of where this message tonight was birthed. But you raise a standard and you build a memorial. And the reason you build a memorial is it's like in the Old Testament when God would tell them to remember, go back and remember, go back to the place. It wasn't because God needed to be reminded. It's because they needed to be reminded.

And I know that God did incredible things, but God marked me in those moments, and it. It changed my life. I don't always get this opportunity, so I'm gonna do it right now because I don't always have these two people in the room with me. Melanie got to do it with the staff today. But, you know, there are individuals that come along in your life that you are completely changed forever.

You are who you are. And there are two people who don't just tell you what you want to hear, but they speak truth to you. And Karen Jernigan and Melanie Stewart are my best friends. My best friends from college. Now, we lie.

We were poor. We didn't have any money. We ate together. We would laugh at Whosever mother had sent them, like, a little $40 check in the mail, y'. All.

This was back in the 80s, and that would feed a bunch of people. And we shopped down the generic aisle. It was cans, those labels that don't even have a name on it. It's just like a white label with black writing. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?

Listen, we shopped. We were poor together. We were college students. We had a dream in hand. But it's covenant relationship.

And I love the two of you more than words can say. And in just walking out some transition in our own lives, we sat up until midnight last night, and they spoke truth to me. Nod, oh, I didn't pat my back and oh, bless your heart, no. That's what sisters do to each other. We call each other up in truth to who we're supposed to be.

We hear the word of the Lord. We stand on that. And that's what Pastor Terry was just doing for you. You know who that one is that comes alongside? That's Holy Spirit.

He comes alongside. He's not just your comforter, but he is the revelatory speaker in your life that will speak the truth, that will explain the word of God to you. And so I thank you. I honor you tonight. And, Terry, I love you.

I'm so proud of you. Our relationship goes back even further than that, though. I mean, years of you sitting on my couch as a college student, and I knew then the power of the word of God in you. You are in the top three of my favorite female speakers in the entire world. Right?

I watch your messages.

Top three of the revelation. My favorite message is your message on Zachariah changed my life. I don't know if you've done that here in a. In a while, but it is my absolute favorite message. If you haven't, Pastor Mel, she needs to do that.

Zachariah message, listen, is the one when he was struck dumb, you know, couldn't speak, and it just. It changed my life. Well, anyway, I want you to get your notebooks out. I want you to get your Bibles out. This is not a fluffy word.

I am not a fluffy speaker. And I want you to be changed when you walk out of this room tonight. The word of God is living, and it's active. Sometimes it punches us in the face. Anybody ever felt right?

Have you ever felt that way? Sometimes it just sucker punches you. But it's awesome because what he's doing is he's calling you up to where you need to be so real Quick. I just want to show you a picture of my family. The reason I show this picture is because I stand in the fear of the Lord.

I think they've got one. There they are. My sweet family. I've got four kids. I've got five children, grandchildren.

How many of you got grandkids? Are we crazy? We're crazy. Now, listen. I would talk to people.

Keep it up there. I would talk to people about when they had grandkids. Now, I already loved everybody's kids. I have always loved kids. But let me tell you something.

I lost my mind when I had my first grandchild. I was. She had a C section, and I was in there with her. And I'm telling you, when I saw my baby begin to weep, hearing her baby cry, I thought, I feel it. I was possessed.

At that moment. I'm like, this is that thing that comes on Grandma's. I'm Mimi. And so those are my incredible kids. One of my kids is here with me tonight.

Our youngest, Anneliese. Where'd you go, sweetie? Stand up. She's been in the back with me, praying over me, serving her mom. And we just love this house.

You can go to that next little picture. And this is what makes me crazy right here, y'. All. Look at that. And that little one right in the middle, you could eat her with a spoon.

Her name is Grace. And our oldest son and his wife just adopted her out of foster care. And it was a three year journey. And she has absolutely wrecked all of our lives. And yes, I am that grandmother that they have a cabinet that they go to.

All the fruit snacks are in there that they're not allowed to have. Except it is the ones without red dye because we've got a couple of hyper ones. It's that Black Forest brand that doesn't have the red dye 40 that makes them crazy. We've got a basket of that. It's chocolate chip cookies.

Annalise gives Grace hidden marshmallows in the pantry. They just go. It's just what you do when you have kids. But I'm telling you, it's because of them that we keep plugging on. So those of you who have not had grandkids yet, fasten your seatbelts.

You'll be crazy like I am. It's awesome. I want to bring this word to you today because of the day and time that we're living in and what culture looks like. How many of you would say, we feel like culture's absolutely gone crazy? And so the.

The ones who are Supposed to be shifting culture and standing up and raising a standard in culture is the body of Christ. We are in this world, but we are not of this world. So the title of this message is Raise a standard because Heaven is in us. I stood in the back during worship, in the worship songs. Who else is worthy?

And then there was a line in the song before that. The dove of the Holy Spirit rests on the Christ who is in me. They were setting me up tonight. And that's totally the Lord. I'm going to ask you a few questions.

Will those coming behind us recover the pieces and objects of our journey towards Him? Will it be evident that we trusted in God with all of our heart? Will they know that we knew him, not just attended church on Sunday? Will they know that we knew him? We really, really knew Him?

Will we convey to them only what was seen in the light of when we're walking in victory? Or will they see as we unlock the treasures that we're finding in our most darkest moments and our hardest trials, will there be a standard left in our legacy? Because legacy doesn't mean you've done everything right. Legacy doesn't mean you've walked in victory your whole how many of you? You're walking through some trials, you've seen some dark times.

The greatest victory and the greatest treasures are those found in the darkest places. Because I want people to say of me, this is a phrase I'm going to say over and over again. Let it be said of us that heaven was in us before we were in heaven. In Scripture, there are over 500 scriptures that talk about the kingdom. There are the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven.

It's the same thing. In 1st Chronicles 29:11, it says this, yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor. For everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all. Matthew 6:33 Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus came and presented His Father's kingdom. And he told them, my kingdom is not of this world. It's a heavenly kingdom. Luke chapter 17. Listen to what they said.

One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, when will the kingdom of God come? Jesus replied, the kingdom of God can't be detected by physical signs. You won't be able to say, here it is right here, or it's over there, or it's over here, or this is the way you do it. For the kingdom of God is already among you because it is within you. We've been invited to house the kingdom within us, bringing heaven on Earth.

We. We can't build his kingdom if we're building our own. And we surely can't bring heaven on earth if we're full of everything else but heaven. Let it be said of us that heaven was in us before we were in heaven. The kingdom of heaven is not just a physical place.

It's him. It's what we believe. It's what we stand on. It's what we stand for. It's the life and the changing power of Holy Spirit, the one who comes alongside.

It's something that has been so life changing, and we believe in it, that we're willing and ready to give our life for it, lay down our life for it, as thousands do all over this world. Christians who are persecuted, Christians who are martyred. Some friends of ours right now, after crusades that we did in Nicaragua with Nathan Morris, 11 pastors are in prison right now because of those crusades. We don't think that way. But we have to believe in it enough that we're willing to give our life for it.

A kingdom is that territory over which a king reigns. The kingdom of God is wherever God is reigning. So ask yourself, is he truly ruling and reigning over every area of my life? Is he leading me? Directing me?

If he's reigning within you and me, then his kingdom, and not the world's kingdom, is what people will encounter when they encounter me. It's being brought on earth because it is in us. This is how he taught his disciples when he was teaching them how to pray. It wasn't his prayer. It was the prayer they said, how should we pray?

Here's the word. He said, your kingdom come. This is how we pray it. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Every one of us in this room, we're all releasing something on the earth.

If you were not, if you didn't have a purpose, you would not be here. You know that Pastor Terry just said that God's already written a whole book about your whole life. How about we go a little bit further before that? Jeremiah 1:5 said, you were in the heart of God before you were ever in your mother's womb. You were destined to release something on the earth.

The question you have to ask yourself is, what? And from where is the source that I'm releasing? First John, First John, chapter two. Beginning with verse 15, it says, do not. Here's the source.

But listen to what first John says. Do not love this world, nor the things it offers. For when you love the world, you do not love the Father who is in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see and pride in our achievements and our possessions. These are not from the Father, but they are from the world.

And this world is fading away along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. Eternity. Karen and I were talking about that today. Eternity is forever.

Just pause for a second.

This life is a drop in the bucket. Just a tiny like blink on a screen compared to forever. Forever and ever and ever pleasing Him. I read this quote to you when I was with you two years ago. Actually, it was 2021.

I read this quote. It's one of my favorite quotes. I read it almost daily because I don't want to forget it. It's by Rabbi Joshua Ben Levi and this is what he wrote. You should take a picture of this on this screen and you need to read it every day.

This is from a Jewish rabbi. When a person filled with Adonai walks along their road. Not a perfect road, but a journey. Paths of victory, times of brokenness, loss, regrets, successes, confusion, celebrations, all the points of life. When a person walks along their road, a troop of angels marches before them and announces in the spirit realm.

Make way for the image of the Holy One when He's living in you. The angels, the heavenly realm doesn't even understand or can they comprehend the song of the redeemed. Angels didn't have to be redeemed. But when they see those who have chosen to be called his, let it be said of us, Heaven was in us before we were in Heaven. What you are full of is what people will encounter.

No matter where you are or what you're walking through. Never forget, as a daughter of the king, the height of or the depth of your circumstances meets the height and the depth of his abounding love for you. So no matter what you're walking through, his abounding love surrounds you. Because he is in you. He's in you.

Let it be said of us, Heaven was in us before we were in Heaven. The kingdom of God is what is within us. The kingdom of Heaven is the culture we produce when we choose to live it. Can I say that to you again? The kingdom of God is what is in us.

The kingdom of Heaven is the culture that we produce when we choose to live it. Culture that we're living in Today, just since 2020, I don't even like to say that year. And the C word does not even get the pleasure of coming out of my mouth. Can't even talk about it. Not even going to be glorified by it.

But how many of you recognize, in the last four years, culture has completely shifted? Completely. Okay, culture may be changing and shifting, but he changes not.

And if he's the same, the standard of my life should reflect his steadfast kingdom.

Quick example. There's a culture of a restaurant that we all know because it's like our favorite and we're in a state of depression because they're not open on Sunday. How many of you are like, let's run to Chick Fil A. It's Sunday.

But when I pull up to order, and I tend to be a complicated orderer because I don't like onions. So if there's onion on it, I'll say, no onion. But let me tell you something. When I get that Cobb salad and then I want to order a fries with it and a really extra large diet Dr. Pepper, I don't just want one avocado ranch. I need two.

I need two and for two reasons. My salad and to dip my fries in, right? So when I say that to the girl, she doesn't roll her eyes at me. Like, seriously, what does she say to me? I'm going to say that one more time so y' all can get this, because this is called a standard.

When I ask her for everything that I just say, what does she say to me? Is she in an orange shirt like she works at. At Home Depot? No. When you drive up to Chick Fil A, they are in khakis and they are in a red shirt.

Nobody going to walk up in Chick Fil A and look at the manager and go, no, I wanted to wear purple today.

I think you would be fired. Right? Do you understand what I'm saying? Okay, so I. Right after, like, literally during 2020.

And after 2020, their whole system shifted and went to another level. Like, it was like a. Like, you know, used to. They had the little clock going down, like 90 seconds. You get your meal.

Well, I mean, you go to Chick Fil A and it's like, oh, my gosh, there's my meal. Well, I went to Arby's.

I'm sorry. Yes, I just said that. I don't know why I was craving an Arby's beef and cheddar, but I was. And so I said that. And I said, would you mind?

Because I was driving, and I said, would you mind asking them to cut my sandwich in half for me? Because I'm going to be eating in the car. I mean, I know it was extra, but I know you got a knife back there in the kitchen. Okay. So the girl says, my pleasure.

Well, it hit me wrong. Like, I wanted to go. You can't say that you are stealing from her. That's not your standard. Like, you didn't even come up.

You see what I'm saying? So if we're in culture and it changes not who we are, who he is, it should not shake us, what the world sees. No matter. Listen to me. No matter what we're going through.

Look at me. Because he's good. He is good. And he never leaves us, and he never forsakes us, no matter what. What?

I've got to move on. Whoo. Jesus. Okay, can you listen fast, because I'm going somewhere. Listen fast.

Isaiah 66. One says this. The most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands, says the Lord. Heaven is my throne. The earth is my footstool.

What is the house that you will build for me? And what is the place of my rest? This is the one to whom I will look, to dwell in and inhabit. Come and set up house in. That gets me every time.

The one who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Acts 17:24, says, the God who made the world and all things in it, he doesn't live in a temple made by hands. It's a quote by Charles Spurgeon, and it says this. Where is the place to build God a house? Fly through infinite space, and you shall not find any place where God is not there.

Time cannot contain him. Space cannot hold him. For he who made all things is greater than all things that he made. He is without bounds or measure, beyond all that he has already made. Even though astronomers tell us that so grand is the scale of the visible universe opened up by the telescope, that the scenes suffice to baffle the imagination and overwhelm the reason.

All that God has made is but a drop in the bucket compared with what he could make. Though it might take us endless ages to enumerate the worlds he has created, one single breath from his lips could create 10,000 times as many, because he is an infinite God. Listen to me. Charles Spurgeon wrote that in the late 1800s. Late 1800s, like 1870, 1880, when one of the first telescopes looked at those pictures.

Okay, how about now, when telescopes are showing us Things that have never been seen before. They are just in our lifetime. They have discovered galaxies they didn't even know existed. Solar systems, suns, black holes, everything. You know why?

And they tell us the universe is expanding. It's why they keep seeing things brand new. And it's going this way. You know why? When you read about creation, there are boundaries.

And I'm going to talk about that. Standards and boundaries that were set up for everything that was created. The universe and the creation of the solar system was the only thing that when he said let there be, he never told it to stop.

Because in Genesis, when he said let there be light, he did not create light.

He uncovered himself and with him there is no end.

Listen to me. Isaiah 40, verses 25 and 26. This is one of my life scriptures that the Lord gave me when I was in college, sitting in Old Testament survey. My husband had moved me 800 miles away from home and was freaking out like what am I doing here? And I did the whole just flip open the Bible and see if God will speak to me today.

And my Bible fell to Isaiah, chapter 40. And my eyes went to this scripture. To whom then would you liken me that I should be equal to him, says the holy One. But lift up your eyes on high and see who has created the stars. The one who leads their host by number.

He calls each of them by name. And because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one star is ever missing from his sight.

But let me tell you what's even more powerful is that this creator God chooses to dwell not in a universe, not in anything else that he's created. This one chooses to dwell inside you and me.

And he's given us the authority, every one of us in this room.

Your story. The beauty of your story.

You know the scripture that says let the redeemed of the Lord say so. You know what that truly means when you. It's not say, when you break down the Hebrew word, it's if he has redeemed you. Tell your story.

This one has given us the authority to bring the fullness of who he is and all that heaven holds onto earth. Let it be said of us, Heaven was in us before we were in heaven. If heaven is in us, then there should be a distinction that separates our lives because we are set apart. Therefore, we must raise a standard equal to what is inside of us. I want you to catch that because I'm a land this plane.

We must raise a standard in our lives equal to who is Inside of us. A standard in Scripture is used interchangeably in the Bible with banner, standard, banner, and God always throughout Scripture, you're seeing him in the moments of history where he is revealing one of his names to his people. So one of those very familiar stories I'm going to go very, very quickly, is in Exodus, chapters 14 through 17, this is where the children of Israel have been set free from the bondage of slavery. So after 400 years of slavery, the Red Sea parted. They were delivered from Pharaoh's army.

I mean, would that not have been for you to see that, to go, oh, my gosh, we serve an unbelievable, incredible God. He just rescued us. No, they continued to grumble. They did not like what they were eating. So then he let manna fall from heaven.

And they didn't. Then they didn't really like that. And then they got mad because there wasn't enough water. So verse eight, you know, he let water come from the rock. Scripture says they tested the patience of the Lord and they asked the question, is the Lord with us or is he not?

So then for all the keto people who hated the grains, he let quail come so that they could have some meat. Like, it's just one thing after another. Then they got mad at Moses and started, you know, quarreling with him. So then the Scripture said, the Lord just let the King Amalek's army come and completely declare war on them. And Moses during battle, because it was not looking good during the battle.

Chapter 17, verse 9, it says, Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands. Aaron and Hur stood with him, holding his arms up, and the Lord delivers them and the Israelites win the war. You know that story. They both held his hands up, right? When Moses hands were raised, the Israelite army was victorious.

But when his hands were lowered, they failed by Aaron and Hur coming alongside of him, holding his arms up. They were ensured victory. Moses in that moment was like a banner on a hill, visually a standard declaring to the people, God is able. We will win this war. So in verse 15, it says, Moses built an army, and he named it.

The Lord is my banner, my standard. The Lord was revealing in that scripture his name, Jehovah. Nissi. There are four Hebrew words for banner and standard. The first one is Nissi, which is the one that I just spoke of.

The second one is the word Degel. And it is a banner or a standard that each of the twelve tribes of Israel like a family flag or a coat of arms, each Tribe would also have an army flag so that the military would know where to gather. It was a gathering place. It was a gathering point and a marker. I mean, you got that many millions of people when they would gather.

Like, Judah needed to know where to go. You know, each of the tribes needed to know where they were camping out. So they followed this banner. Numbers, chapter 1, verses 15. It says, the sons of Israel shall camp.

Each man by his own camp, each one by his own standard. The third one is off. This is a sign, pledge or a promise. All the examples throughout Scripture, like the stars in the sky, the rainbow after Noah's Ark, that or. Or covenant.

Every time the Lord would say in scripture, let this be assigned to you. It's a banner, it's a standard. The word off, the last one is nest. This is the more generic word for banner. Standard signal.

It makes an announcement, gives commands without words, most often by an individual, but would also be be attached to very long poles, taken to high places that would catch the wind. Say, catch the wind. Don't forget that it would catch the wind like a sail, and be seen from afar as a rallying point or to declare to your enemy, the fight is right here. Banners and standards, signals and sails were visual announcements proclaiming someone's presence. Warriors had their banners, ships had their sails, nations had flags.

And what it was saying is, this is who and for whom we fight for. This is who we represent. This is who we are bringing a message from very quickly. Rebster's dictionary says it this way. A standard and a banner is an object usually made of fabric carried on top of a pole, carried by an individual back in the day, usually on horseback.

It was used to mark a rallying point, especially in battle, or to serve as an emblem. Don't miss this. Declaring for all to see the name under which one operates. Do you understand what I'm saying? It is a physical emblem established because of the understanding.

Don't miss this. It's because of the understanding of authority. The authority, the weight of the name of which you are representing. It is a visual rallying point for troops, declaring for all to see the name under which one operates, fights, or speaks. You know, what is amazing is up until about 120 years ago, it was not until World War I that they had the use of radios.

So you think about it, they're going to throw a slide up there of what it used to look like to be a standard bearer. So men rode on horseback. I think Pastor Stephanie spoke about this, and she played a clip From Braveheart? Nope. Dances With Wolves.

Braveheart. Yes. So back in the day when you had an army of 40,000 people, or when the Israelites were fighting, nobody can scream loud enough to let the guy whose guys who carry the shields know that they needed to take position or to let the archers know they needed to line up. You can't hear. That would be like me trying to yell to somebody in a stadium of 100,000 people.

And the person's in the top row, they're not going to hear me. So the way they did that is a single horseman. Whatever, you know, whatever the flag needed to represent, they would be the ones to ride out. It was also anytime in Europe dealing with royalty, if a message needed to be carried from one kingdom to the other, one village to the other, one duke, one lord, they didn't just show up, they would have been shot. But if they rode up with the right flag, then they knew who they were representing.

Secondly is Joan of Arc standard. From the ages of 17 to 19, Joan of Arc would not ride into battle without her sword in one hand and her standard in the other. Her standard was 3ft wide and 12ft long. She didn't even carry the reins of her horse. She learned how to operate her horse with her knees because she would not go into battle without her sword in one hand, standard in the other.

In her own words, when they asked her why, she said this. I shall carry my banner for the Lord to lift him high. And the purpose of this standard is to indicate my clear location to which I may rally my army when they may have been dispersed and there is confusion. But it is also to show my enemy at all times. I am still advancing forward.

Oh, my gosh.

I'm still advancing forward. You may think you can knock me down, but I am still moving forward so very quickly. So Queen Elizabeth standard. I can't even talk about the new one in. I can't even go there.

But we're just going to talk about Queen Elizabeth. So if you watched any. Anything about her funeral or. Or just anything about royalty, wherever she was, whatever castle she was, whatever car she was in, whatever plane she was in, she had her own personal standard. So that whoever saw that vehicle, whoever saw that it would mean when that standard was raised at Windsor Castle or Balmoral Castle, everyone would know the Queen is in residence.

You understand what I'm saying? If I could have our keyboard guy or the worship guys to just come on up, help me. Let it be said of all of us that heaven was in us before we were in heaven.

Standards are crafted and forged in the secret place.

It's in the intimate place where only you and he meet. A standard is not formed because you come on Sunday morning a st. Your. Because it's personal to you. My story, your.

I don't have your scars. You carry the scars of your own battle. It's your journey. Journey that Rabbi Ben Levi was talking about. That particular journey.

Because the God they see through me is like. It will look totally different in you. It's another facet of who he is. Your story is so beautiful, but your standard has got to be forged. The secret place.

Standards in our lives are only built because we've walked in obedience and we allow ourselves to experience his faithfulness. Holy Spirit gives us the ability to be who he's called us to be. And what's the evidence of a standard? The evidence is the fruit of the Spirit. The evidence is faith, hope, and the greatest of those being love.

Having a standard gives you the ability to call things to action in your own life, in your family.

How many of you have prodigal sons and daughters that need to come home? You raise up a standard, you call those kids home. And you know what the scripture says? Raise the standard. Take them to the secret place and leave them there.

Take them there.

The challenge in being a standard bearer, and hear me, and this is for each one of us, the challenge in being a standard bearer is it is a solitary place. You cannot rely on anyone else's strengths or giftings or lean on their story. You can be encouraged by their story.

It's a holy thing between you and a holy God.

Because he's not just about dwelling in them. He's about dwelling in you.

Standard bearers on the battlefield, like I said, rode out alone.

And it's a solitary place where it's birthed and where it is maintained. Psalm 91 says, Whoever dwells in the shelter in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. And we will say of him that he is my refuge. He's my fortress, and I trust Him. He'll save me.

He will cover me. Under his wings I will find refuge. His faithfulness will be my shield.

He will be my protection, and I will not fear. And when you walk out of this place, Exodus, chapter 33, beginning with verse 21. This is what it says here. O majestic one. Yahweh, here will be for us a place of rivers and wide canals on which no boat with oars will go.

You know what that means?

As long as we have oars in our boats, we can maintain control how fast we're going, if we want to back up, if we want to go to the left or to the right. But if you choose to throw your oars out of the boat.

And on which almighty ships will pass, for Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king, and he will save us. Don't miss this. The scripture says here, but your tackle hangs slack. That word tackle is the Hebrew word shebel. And it means your ropes and cords, your measuring lines that were holding, holding up your banners and standards and sails.

They're hanging loose because of compromise.

It cannot hold the base of the mast firmly nor spread out the banner and sail to catch the wind.

And you will be preyed upon and your spoils divided. The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity. Don't let. Ladies, listen. Listen to me.

Don't let because of laziness and sin.

Don't let because you're offended with God that He didn't move in the way you thought that he would move.

Don't let that trip you up.

In that moment, the people have no control over their banner. It's like a sail without wind. It was slack. A sail without. When anybody ever tried to fly a kite and it's not a windy day, you can't fly a kite without wind.

He wants to put wind in your sails again because under his banner we can reach our full capacity as his image bearers. What standard is waving over your life today? You can lift a standard against the enemy, but you also can shift any room you walk into depending on what standard is waving over your your life.

You shift the atmosphere, good and bad.

Ever been around somebody that things were going great and they walk in a room and like life is sucked out of the room.

I know you guys got to be honest, right? If you're waving a standard of self promotion, then you walk in with comparison and pride and a judgmental spirit. I'm just speaking plain. If you're walking in with a standard of self pity and shame, then you wear regret and blame. If you walk with a standard of bitterness and you walk in rebellion, division and strife, a standard of loneliness and isolation will produce the lack of self worth and depression.

Oh, there are others. Jealousy, rejection, or an orphan spirit anger. But when we understand the standard that he raises, when we know the standards that we have been given the authority over and the ability to raise, he chose us to do it. There is a spiritual standard that the Lord lifts against his enemies. And he's already done it.

And it's completed. And it was completed on the cross. It's already done. Isaiah 59:19 says, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him.

There's a standard that he raises in the natural and physical things. In the natural land, the sea and the ocean has a standard and boundaries that God set on the day of creation. Proverbs 8. 29. Look at this picture.

Yes. Do you see that? That's off the coast of South Africa.

This is what it says. Proverbs 8. 29. I was there when he set the limits of the seas so that they would not spread their boundaries. That is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean.

That's a boundary of the. I want you to physically see that the name of Jesus is a standard that he lifts against the enemy. The word of God, which is our truth, is a standard lifted against the enemy for our freedom. The blood of Jesus is a standard lifted against the enemy.

And I close with this. This.

It's a beautiful scripture written for us. Song of Solomon, chapter 2, verse 4. He brought me to his banqueting table. His banner, his standard over me, is love. Another translation said, he leads me to the banquet hall where he has prepared a table for me.

He says that about you. His banner, his standard over me is love. Solomon understood it because his dad understood it. You know why he's dad understood it? Because in Psalm 23:5, he said these words, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil, and my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I'm going to tell you what the Lord showed me today for you. I have had this message for about three years. I preached it at several different conferences.

But today I was in Pastor Jay's office in their home, and I just was going over everything, praying for you, and I got stuck on the word surely. Goodness, goodness, your goodness and your mercy follows me. Follows me. Y' all aren't ready? Fasten your seatbelts.

You ready? So I looked up the Hebrew word follows. It's the word radath, and this is what it means. I didn't make this up.

To be behind, to follow after, to follow through, to run after, to pursue ardently, to aim eagerly in order to secure, like the wind. Wind goes after a sail or a flag and the standard bearer holds the steady, holds the pole steady.

When you know who has raised a standard over you, it will will cause you to shift who you are so that you can shift every atmosphere that you walk into.

Wherever you go, wherever you are. It starts in your family, starts with your family, goes to the workplace, wherever you shop, Walmart, Target, TJ Maxx, TJ Maxx, Target, Walmart, home goods. Wherever you are, whatever aisle you're on, on an airplane, you have the ability to shift the atmosphere for good or for bad. Raising the standard. If you're in a hard situation in your house, raise the standard.

Now, y', all, you don't have to make a big old flag and run around in your house or yell, I have a standard.

You do it in the spirit realm. Because we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. We're wrestling against every principality that's coming against us. We have the ability to raise the standard. So this is what I want you to do today.

The altar call is for everybody in here because every one of us have to come to a decision of what our standard will. Will look like. We're not going to walk lazy. We're not going to let our standards hang down. We're going to hold and listen to me.

Everybody needs an Aaron and her in their life. Last night, my Erin and her her held their arms up and they're going to hold me to it. They're going to not let me let my standard hit the ground. Do you hear me? We need each other.

So stand to your feet. That's the altar call. If he's calling you to renew the standard, you know that is inside of you. You need to come to this altar right now. And I know the ministry team will come and minister to you.

That's what I want you to do tonight. Please come forward and just renew that amen.