Jehovah-Nissi is a name of the Lord that has its roots in Exodus 17:15. After Joshua and the Israelites had defeated the Amalekites at Rephidim, Moses erected an altar to commemorate this victory and He called it “Jehovah-Nissi”, which means “Yahweh is my banner”. In other words, he was saying “the Lord is my banner of victory.” This name is a call to God’s people to rally around God as an army gathers around its banner, because God is the One who leads us to victory.

To understand the significance of the name Jehovah-Nissi, we need to remind ourselves that devil is constantly waging spiritual battles against us. While the forces of darkness vigorously pursue newly converted Christians in order to obstruct their spiritual progress, they are also on the look-out for any opportunity to pull mature Christians down. However, in spite of these aggressive attacks of the enemy, God expects us to rejoice, knowing fully well that although the battle may be fierce, the Lord of hosts and the Captain of our salvation is in our midst leading the charge against the enemy’s camp. In Matthew 28:20 He said:

“…lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

As Jehovah-Nissi, God is concerned about the devil’s roars and attempts to harass and intimidate His children (1st Peter 5:8). To assure and comfort our hearts, His attitude towards this ploy of the enemy was manifested in Judges 15:14:

“And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flex that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.”

The enemy’s roars and shouts against us always trigger a response from the Holy Spirit living inside us. No wonder Isaiah 59:19b says,

“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”

God has zero tolerance for the enemy’s harassments and threats against His children, whom He brought with the precious Blood of His Son, Jesus. With this understanding, you will realise that our God is the greatest ally you can have in the battle of life. The Almighty God is Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord our Banner, and He is the Lord of hosts. Therefore, the battle is not yours but His. Always be conscious of the reality of the Lord as Jehovah-Nissi in your life.

by Pastor E.A Adeboye