In this piece, We'll be sharing together on “The banner of Love.” What does a banner mean? When we hear the word banner, the first thing that comes to our mind is like a sign, right? A banner that shows or describes something that you want people to know about. If for instance, we have a banner saying Center for New Dimension Leadership; that means we want people to know that they have come to the Center for New Dimension Leadership, but a banner is beyond that. And we're going to see how the word banner was used in the Scripture, and that will be our focus. Now, to go by the normal definition we are used to; a banner is an ensign: it is like a sign or we can call it standard, declaring allegiance.

We will be using the word allegiance as scripted in the Bible, in Songs of Solomon chapter 2:4, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was Love”. Now, does this talk about just a sign? No! this talks about a standard; declaring allegiance to God, a nation or an army. So, when you have a banner of the United States of America, that means the person is declaring allegiance to the United States of America. So, if you have a banner of God, it means that there is a declaration of allegiance to God. Life is spiritual, and we must understand where our authority is sourced as we live our lives on a daily basis. You know, it's only in the physical that we want to really interrogate and investigate, but it is not like that in the spiritual. In the spiritual, things are transparent and clear.

In the Book of Daniel, when Daniel was praying to God, the Bible says the moment Daniel started praying, the answer was delivered. And Daniel had been praying for several days, the answer was already served. And Daniel did not know anything in the physical. He kept praying, and still thinking that maybe God has not responded yet, but God had responded. So, the Bible was helping us to understand what was happening in the spiritual. Everything you are doing in the physical; something is happening in the spiritual, and that's why we must not become spiritually insensitive, or spiritually ignorant, that we live our lives thinking that all is well, and if God is not answering me, maybe God does not just want to answer. Now, God allowed that place to be scripted in the Bible purposely, so that we can understand what goes on in the spiritual realm.

The Bible says Daniel was praying for days, and immediately Daniel lifted up his voice to God, and God supplied the answer. But something was happening in the spiritual realm; the angel that was to deliver the answer to Daniel in the physical realm; so that what God has answered in the spiritual can come to the physical, but that angel was withheld. And because the angel was withheld, Daniel kept praying in the physical realm, not that God has not answered in the spiritual realm; but Daniel kept praying because the angel was withheld by an entity called the Prince of Persia, which is the devil withholding that angel saying: you can’t go and deliver to Daniel, what he is asking of the Lord. Has God answered Daniel? Yes. Who has the delivery? The angel. Is the angel saying, I won’t deliver to Daniel? No! What's happening to the answer? The answer is being withheld. And that's why sometimes when it looks as if we're praying to God, we are asking of God.

The Bible says, before you ask, God knows what you want to ask but He is saying; ask of Me, Jesus said, those that ask will receive. Was Jesus lying? No! He is not a man that will lie, nor the son of man that will repent. He is telling us the truth; we will receive our answer when we ask of Him, but things can be happening in the spiritual realm. And that is why this is important for us to understand. We can't talk about Love and not talk about the spirituality of it; because if we don't understand the spirituality of it, we will not know how to walk in it. And that's why our first focus is on banner, why is banner important? In the spiritual realm, everyone carries a banner. How do I know this?

I want us to go with me to Psalm chapter 60:4, “You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth”. Is it a physical sign? No! I would like us to see that same Scripture in three other translations. Now in the New English translation, he said, “You have given your loyal followers a rallying flag, so that they might seek safety from the bow.” A rallying flag is another word for banner, and we do not carry it in the physical, rather we carry it in the spiritual. In the literal standard version, he said, “You have given an ensign to those fearing You, to be lifted up as an ensign because of truth”. He has given us a banner and to display it is our responsibility. So, God has given us a banner because we belong to Jesus. We have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior; that's why he says to those who fear You, he did not say He has given a banner to all of mankind.

It says ‘You have given a banner to all those who fear You’. In the same way, God has given a banner to those who fear Him, the devil also has given a banner to those who had paid allegiance to him. And that's why our definition of a banner is a standard, declaring allegiance. How do you declare allegiance to God? When you believe in your heart, and you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus; that is how you declare allegiance to God and God has given you a banner. In the physical realm, can people see the banner? No! but in the spiritual realm, that banner is seen. What we are discussing is spirituality and how we must live our lives. You have been given a banner because you fear God, and you have a responsibility to lift it up as an ensign.

In God's Word translation, he said “Yet, You have raised a flag for those who fear You so that they can rally to it when attacked by bows and arrows.” So you see that this banner is not just for us to say; I'm a child of God. What we are sharing is a matter of life and death, and it is a matter of light and darkness; this is the distinguishing factor. On our foreheads, it is not written that we are believers, but we have been given a banner in the spiritual. The banner that shows as we display it, that we have an allegiance to God. And this Scripture is saying that because that banner is being displayed, you have an allegiance to God. You can have a banner and not display it. God is not saying I've given you a banner, and I'm also displaying it for you. You have the responsibility of displaying it. He said when you display it, you will be saved from attack.

Amplified says, “You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack], a banner that may be displayed because of the truth”. Why didn't the prince of Persia say, what is in an answer, let me just go and kill Daniel? What is the answer to him when he is dead? He could not. Another book that helps us understand spirituality is the Book of Job. In the Book of Job, the Bible reveals to us how things work in the spiritual. Job was on the earth, he was a man and he was living his life; the Bible says he feared God, he was rich and he was doing his business. Job did not know that conversation was going on in the spiritual; Job was busy doing his daily activities, and he did not know that conversation was going on in the spiritual. What was the conversation? The sons of God came to present themselves before God, and the devil came too. And God was saying to them; especially to the devil, have you seen my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth? The devil said, Does Job fear You for nothing?

 Let’s see Job chapter 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So, Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, (God used the word considered because He knew that Satan is always considering people. The devil considers people all the time, that was why he said he had been going to and fro the earth) that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

Remember when we read in Psalms chapter 60:4, God has raised a banner; He has given a banner to those who fear Him. “So, Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?” Is that edge in the physical? Did God build a fence for Job? No! Another word for that edge is banner. Have you not given him a banner? Have you not made a hedge around him around his household and around all that he has on every side? (Meaning he considered him on every side). Before the Prince of Persia could say let me withhold the angel; he had tried Daniel and he realized there is no way, not because Daniel is a special somebody; it is because God has given him a banner.

Do you think the devil wants your life to be organized and it looks as if you are making progress, you are in health, and you are doing all the things you are doing, do you think the way our life is, is how the devil wants it? No! he has considered but the Bible says he himself acknowledged; have You God; not made a hedge around him? Have You not given them a banner, the banner You have given them, has made their lives impenetrable. “You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So, Satan went out from the presence of the Lord”.

The devil went and touched all that Job had, the devil didn’t do it over a space of one month, but he did it in one day; to tell you how urgently he wanted it. If he had been trying before, immediately after he had been given permission he rushed into action. In one day, all the children of Job died, and everything Job had was destroyed before his face: to tell you that Job had been protected by the banner. And the same way you and I have been given a banner because we fear God. How do we display the banner? Every time we declare our allegiance to God, we display our banner. You wake up in the morning and you declare; the Lord is my God, thank You for waking me up this morning. When you are praying, and when you are worshiping; you are displaying your banner, and declaring and re-declaring your allegiance to God. It is making your banner to be firm and in place. So, that banner is for those who fear God as we have seen in the life of Job.

The banner is so important and there are two things about it. Everyone that fears God has been given a banner, but we have a responsibility of displaying it. Let us go to Exodus chapter 17:15-16, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, the Lord-Is-My-Banner; for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” The Lord is my banner, He is not just a sign. The implication of the banner is what we read in Psalms 60:4, that God has given us a banner, and that as we display it, He said, that banner is being displayed because of the truth, and we are shielded from attacks. And you will see the correlation again in Exodus chapter 17, he built an altar to the Lord, and said, the Lord is my banner because the Lord has sworn.

The reason why God gives us a banner is not because He is weak, but because in the spiritual realm, activities are going on. If you don't have an identity, you will fall victim; and that's why it is unfortunate in this generation, that believers that are supposed to have an identity in Christ, and displayed their banner are dropping it ignorantly, foolishly, picking up the banners of the devil in the name of being woke, being trending, you are listening to songs that will give you another banner, you are connecting to inspirations that will give you another banner, and you don't know that unconsciously you are displaying it, and you are wondering why the things that are happening in your life is happening; because immediately you open that avenue, the devil is just looking for a foothold. If he can get a foothold, he will wreck havoc. And that's why the Bible says that he that stands should take heed lest he falls. To take heed means to be careful, and to be mindful. Because the devil is just looking for an opportunity: an opportune time to strike.

When he has that opportune time, he doesn't waste it; he rushes into action. See what happened to Judas Iscariot, the Bible says, that they were at the table and the devil entered into him, and immediately the devil entered into Judas, he stood up from the table and went to transact the death of Jesus immediately without sleeping over it. Why is it so? That’s how the devil works, he is just looking for an opportunity. And that's why it looks as if somebody that is not born again, who is doing a particular thing for so long, nothing happens to him and as a believer, you just slipped and did it once and something happened. Why? The devil has been waiting.

Do you know that there are some people that have been sold out to the devil, that they drink and drink until they get drunk every day? Then a believer now has a problem and now thinks the way to cancel the problem is to go and drink; and it is the same day that he drank, he also drove and the same day he drove, he also died. And there are people sold out to the devil that have been drinking and driving and they didn't die.

Life is too spiritual; there are prostitutes that have been messing around and they did not get pregnant, but when you did it once, you got pregnant: why is it so? It is because the devil had been waiting. He said you will not just sin, but your sin will be evident to all. God has given us a banner and we must display it; and have the consciousness that the devil is lurking around and he is considering your life. And that’s why we must be mindful of what we say; for some people, the devil is just waiting around anger; wanting them to get angry and say things they are not supposed to say and to hold those words against them. And there are also some people who curse their children every day, we have to be careful; life is too spiritual. So, the Lord is our banner, he shields us from attack. As long as we keep displaying the banner, we are shielded from attack. So, let us go into th
Thanks for the gift of your time, We are Lara Gboyega Adedeji and Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

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