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And one of the areas we're going all in on is we're going all in when it comes to God. So this series is intended to help us know God better. And it's a series called Name dropping. And on last week, we got introduced to a name of God used in scripture over 6,000 times. It's called. His name is Jehovah or Yahweh. And that means he's a covenant making and covenant keeping God. And the Bible contains the content of his covenant. And today we're going to be introduced to another name of God found in the book of Exodus, chapter number 17. Beginning at verse number 15, I'm going to read. Well, one verse is what we're going to read. And we're going to leap into our lesson together. It says Moses built an altar and called it the Lord is my banner. I want to stop the reading of scripture there and I'm give a title to this text. But I'm getting ready to go all the way back to Kill Michael, Mississippi for this one. I'm going back to old school church without the R. I'm going back to church with this one. I'm going back to church where church mothers wore white and had peppermints, Jolly ranchers and were the originals in their purse. I'm going back to where church nurses had on the box hats. Y' all aren't talking to me today. And put the James Brown cape on the preacher. When the preacher got through preaching. We're going back to the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Kill Michael, Mississippi. The title of today's teaching very simply, victory is mine. Well, let me try this. Victory today. Is. Okay, let me see where my church baby's at. I told Satan, Get thee behind. Because victory today is how many receive it as a prophetic word right there. You need to stop. That's why we was late. Starting today, y' all got started at the last service. Somebody just feels something in their right leg. So I'm gonna give you 36 seconds. If you got a praise, get it out. I just saw a tambourine in this section over here. Go. 17 more seconds for the tambourine. That tambourine blessed me. It blessed my whole soul. Victory is mine. Clap your hands one more time if you're ready for God's word. Victory is mine. I want to start this sermon with a question. Listen to Pastor. It's a question for your reflection. So I'm asking that you reflect not responding. I don't want anybody to get in trouble. Have you ever experienced Relational frustration. Somebody's like, yes, Pastor. Relational frustration is what an individual experiences when their expectations run into the reality of someone else's limitations. It is when someone can't do or won't do what you need them to do. In the context of a relationship, it is when you have made a commitment to only shop at one relational store, but they refuse to put what you need on the shelf. And if you've ever had relational frustration, you realize and recognize that relational frustration is. Is a result simply of failed expectations. It means that there's something I'm expecting that I do want and I'm not getting it, or there's something that I wasn't expecting and I don't want it and I am getting it. And the only way to minimize frustration without lowering your standard is to align your expectations with the fruit. That tree has been consistently demonstrated. It is what Dr. Henry Cloud calls a healthy hopelessness. I'm not hopeless in the sense that I don't believe God can rectify and adjust and resurrect a situation that. But it means I cease to continue to make an emotional investment expecting something different from a tree that is demonstrating fruit to me that it is not ready to change. So the only way to decrease the frustration is to align my expectations. And just as that can be the case in relationships with people, it can also be the case in our relationship with God. And many people I know are not comfortable enough to be honest enough to admit that sometimes you have a healthy frustration with your heavenly Father. That there are times when there is this tension that we feel inhibition to expose because we feel uncomfortable admitting that sometimes we feel like David in the Psalms. God, what's up with this? Come on. When you read some of the Psalms, the Psalms should give you permission not to hide the depths of your soul from a heavenly father who can handle the authenticity of your emotions. God. David goes to God and says stuff like, how long? The same man that told you, wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart. Sometimes it's the same man that asks God, how long? Because how many of you know it's easy to say wait on the Lord in one season when you don't think you're gonna have to wait that long. But the same one that says, wait on the Lord and be of good courage is the same one in another season in life that turned his head toward heaven and say, now, how. So? God, as a good father, in an attempt to minimize your frustration, tries to align your expectations so that you're not surprised. And so that I'm not surprised, he documents what you can expect. Did you hear what I just said? And if I am, and I'm not perfect, but if I am exploring this properly and exegeting and interpreting this properly, I see a thematic thread of something that you and I, as followers of Jesus, can expect. I see this expectation that we could legitimately have based on something I see consistently communicated in the Old and the New Testament. It's. It seems to me if I'm reading this right and interpreting this right, there is this consistent thing that says to you and I that we can expect from our Heavenly Father. Listen to this. Strategic victory. Somebody say strategic. Come on, say strategic victory. It means if I'm reading this right and interpreting this right, there are some areas where I'm not supposed to lose. Let me go to this side. I know I got help on the front row here. I said, if I'm reading this right and I'm interpreting this right, there are some areas in my life where I am not supposed to lose. I see this thematic thread all throughout Scripture of God offering victory to his people. This isn't just some religious rhetoric. This is not just holy hype. I'm talking about scriptures like Deuteronomy, chapter 20, verse number four, which says, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight against your enemies and give you victory. I'm talking about scriptures like Second Chronicles, chapter 20, verse 15, that says, do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours, the battle is the Lord's. I'm talking about scriptures like Psalms 44, 5, that says, through you we push back our enemies, and through your name we trample our foes. I'm talking about scriptures like Psalm 60, verse 20, that says, with God we gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. I'm talking about scriptures like Proverbs 21:31 that says, the horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. I'm talking about scriptures like Romans 8, 37 that says, know in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. I'm talking about scriptures like First Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 57, that says, but thanks be unto God, he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm talking about scriptures like First John, chapter five, verse number four, that says, for everyone born of God overcomes the world, but this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. I'm talking about scriptures like Revelation 12:11 that says they triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. I see this consistent communication from our Creator that He is offering you and I strategic victory. And when I am not aware of this reality, it means I can meander through this maze called life experience, experiencing life in a way that is inconsistent with his intention. Because this same God that communicates this offering of victory to you and I throughout Scripture is the same God that also seems to communicate to you and I in Scripture that He will let you live on whatever level you settle for. The same one that offers. The same one that loves you and I enough to offer victory is the same one that respects your choice enough to let you not choose it. So it means that there can be inconsistency between what God offers and what we intend. God can offer us a life where we experience peace, but allow us to live in panic. He can offer us a life of clarity but allow us to live in confusion. He can offer us a life with freedom, fortitude, but allow us to live in fragility. He can offer us a life of wholeness, but allow us to live in brokenness. And when an individual doesn't understand what the Father has offered, they can live a life that is inconsistent with the Father's intention less than God's best, and sanctify their settling by calling it God's will. But you can't tell me it's the Father's will for me to stay broken. I might be broken, but you can't tell me it's his will for me to stay broken. You can't tell me it's the Father's will for me to stay confused. Now, I might go through a season of confusion, but my Bible tells me God is not the author. Am I talking to anybody that's developing an anointed attitude that is resisting the notion that I gotta sanctify myself settling and live inconsistent with the Father's intention for my life. If he says I got peace, I want it. If he says I can have joy, I want it. If he says I can have focus, I want it. If he says I can have direction, I want it. I refuse to lose where he says I can win. And I know articulating this can be a bit confusing for people who assume that to be spiritual you have to glorify suffering. Yeah. Now, there is a stream of thought that's popularized in Christianity right now. Real popular stream of thought that confuses. That confuses. That confuses God Getting glory out of suffering with glorifying suffering. It's a reductionist doctrine of God to assume that the only way God get glory is through my suffering. Does God get glory out of my suffering? Yes. Is suffering the only way God can get glory? That's saying the only way for God to win is for you to take a L. But if I'm, if I'm reading this right and if I'm interpreting this right, he not only gets glory in my losses, he gets glory in my wins. Did you hear what I just said? He got glory when David defeated Goliath. He got glory when Bartimaeus eyes got open. He got glory when Lazarus came up out of the grave. He got glory when the, when the widow, not the widow woman, but the woman with the issue of blood, who suffered with that issue for 12 years, got that issue eradicated in an instance. He got glory when the woman with a bent over back in Luke 18 got her back straightened up. And the same God that got glory out of doing it for them is the same God that can get glory out of doing it for you. I know he can get glory out of your losses. But is there anybody whose testimony is God? I want you to get some glory out of my wins. This comeback is going to give you glory. This bounce back is going to give you glory. What I'm getting ready to start is going to give you glory. What I'm getting ready to survive is going to give you glory. What you're going to restore is going to give you glory. Is there anybody ready for God to get glory out of your wins? There's a difference between God getting glory in my suffering than me glorifying suffering. You don't have to seek suffering. Trust me, it will find you. Do I have a witness here. You do not have to seek out suffering. Just keep on living. And at one point it's going to turn into your neighborhood, pull up into your driveway, ring your doorbell, go in your house, go through your living room into the kitchen, get the Kool Aid. I don't have to seek out suffering. It's almost like this theology of penance. It's like I'm a half suffering. And for those people who are receiving this revelation, it's important that you and I get reintroduced to or introduced to a name of God that reveals the nature of God, that speaks to this issue of victory. Remember I taught you this last week progressive revelation, y' all remember that. That God is so much God. He's so big, he's so complex. There is so much to God that God can't reveal all of God's self to us at one time. So God progressively, over time reveals and exposes different aspects of himself to us. It's progressive revelation. So God will use situations to give us revelation of another aspect of his identity. This is why. This is why the spiritually arrogant won't get much from this series, because you won't learn what you think you already know. And the problem is closed minds never get through open doors. There are signs of God you hadn't seen yet. There are aspects of God we hadn't been introduced to. And this text here, for those of us who say, I embrace this idea of strategic victory, that God gets glory out of my suffering, but I'm not glorifying suffering. And God can also get glory out of my exploits, my accomplishments, my wins. Are you here? If that's us, we need to be introduced to or reintroduced to a name of God revealed here in this text, in Exodus. This text exposes us to an experience Israel has had after they made their exodus or exit out of Egypt. So they've left Egypt and I don't have time to bother this. Yeah, it's interesting because when they leave, when they are invited to follow Moses to leave Egypt, Moses clearly articulates God's intention. I'm summarizing by saying this. Hey, God want to take you out of Egypt and lead you into a promised land. That's the conversation. When you look at Moses engaging in conversation with Israel, it's very clear. God's taking you out of Egypt into the promised land, Canaan land. Here's how the land is described. It's flowing with milk and honey, meaning it's agriculturally rich. Are y' all okay? Did you hear what I just said? It's is. Is ag. Is agriculturally rich, representing a season where they would have to only thank God for what they used to have to ask him for. Did you hear what I. Did you get it? When they're in Egypt, they're having to ask him for food. When they get to Canaan land, it's over. Overflowing with food is everywhere. So they go from a prayer of supplication, which is requests, to a prayer of thanksgiving. They go from a prayer of lord, will you do it? To a prayer of thank you that you did it. Does anybody want God to shift your prayer in an area this year from lord, will you do it? To Lord, I thank you. Somebody practice thanking him right now. What are you going to do when he does it? What are you going to do when he answers the prayer? How are you going to respond when he opens the door? So God said to Moses, tell Israel I'm going to take him out of Egypt into Canaan. But that's not exactly what happened. They go out of Egypt and they go into this space the Bible calls a wilderness. That could be a bit deceptive because it's not surrounded with trees. It's actually a desert. And if I'm Israel, I'm like, now, Moses, you didn't tell us about this part because God never gives incomplete information, but he does give incremental information. So it does not matter. What he told you is some things he didn't. Are y' all here? He told you you coming out of Egypt. He told you you're going into Canaan. But there's some stuff in between. He did not tell you and I about. Because he is strategic in his distribution of information, because he knows how much information you can steward responsibly. So he tells you the place, but he doesn't tell you the path. Because he knows if I tell them the path, they gonna tell me, get somebody else to do it. I don't want it. So the wilderness represents seasons of life. You find yourself settled in that you didn't expect. The wilderness represents season. Seasons you didn't see coming. And is there anybody honest enough with as much prophetic foresight as you have? Is anybody honest enough to admit, I have found myself sitting in some seasons that I didn't see coming? Can I encourage you? I said, can I encourage you? Can I? Can I? Can I biblically encourage you? Just because you're surprised doesn't mean you're unprepared. You didn't know you were going to be in this season, but God knew you were going to be in this season. And God was conditioning you to handle this season. Cuz if you can survive Egypt, you can survive the desert. I need somebody to help me today. I said, if you can survive Egypt, you can survive the desert. When you look at the stuff you've recovered from, when you think about what you bounced back from, when you think about what you lived through, this little thing you going through now is lightweight. For this light affliction is but for a moment, oh, you survived Egypt, you can handle the wilderness. Your issue isn't the adversity. Your issue is the energy. This not harder. You just tired, Tyrio. They won't help me today. This not harder. Egypt just took energy from you. So when you tired, the wilderness doesn't feel Better than Egypt. The wilderness. The wilderness is much better than Egypt. But when you're tired, it don't feel like it. You can't even see how better off you are. If you would just step out of your feelings and objectively examine your life, you will have to look yourself in the mirror and say, you are blessed. Somebody. I tell you, I'm just. I'm sitting here mad, but I'm blessed. I'm sitting here pouting, but I'm blessed. I'm sitting here ungrateful. I'm blessed. Egypt conditioned you for the wilderness. This not harder. You just tired. You tired from Egypt and you tired of Egypt. Do I have a witness here? Pd? I'm tired from it and I'm tired of it. So they're in this season, this space that represents the season. It's a liminal space transition because they out of Egypt, am I right? But they still not in Canaan, am I right? So it represents a transitional season. It represents I'm not where I was, but I'm not where I'm going. Things are not as bad as they used to be, but they're not as good as they're going to be. Transitional season. And it's in this season that Israel now they probably thinking, woo, we got out of Egypt, Praise God. Pharaoh came after us. God drowned him in the sea. Praise God. I'm in a season where I can breathe. I'm in a season where I finally don't have to stress. And then, And then, as soon as they get into the wilderness, here comes an enemy called the Amalekites. According to Deuteronomy 25, verse 17, these Amalekites attack them from behind. Remember the Amalekites. Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt when you were weary, it's not harder. You're tired. When you were weary, worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind. So these were a group of nomadic people, literally. But the question is, remember, metaphorically, we what does this mean for you and I? We don't have a literal group of people called the Amalekites attacking us. So what's the relevance of this for you and I? The Amalekites represent or can represent reoccurring problems because this was a persistent enemy. How many of y' all remember? Maybe some of y' all remember the first king of Israel. His name was Saul. Old Testament. And you remember Saul gets instruction from his spiritual guide, Samuel. Hey, Samuel said To Saul, God said, I need you to eradicate the Amalekites because they're attacking them in Exodus, but they're still attacking them in Samuel. Is that thing that just keep popping up? Come on. Is that making sense? Just. Okay, you. You think. Okay, you think you out of that season, then pops back up. So God told Samuel, tell Saul, eradicate the Amalekites, because I've given them generations of grace, and they keep trying to destroy my people. Now they force my hand. So now I'm not a just God. If I don't protect my people from people that won't stop trying to destroy them. I want my. Did you hear what I just said? I've given the Amalekites generations of grace, and they have demonstrated that they are not willing to change. And what's happening is generations are being discipled into beef. So I need you to eradicate all of them because. Because they keep discipling other generations into hostility toward my people. So if you're familiar with that story, remember Saul partially obeyed God. He didn't fully obey God. Right. And God responded very decisively. He's. He told Samuel, I reject. I pick Saul as king. And you. You guys may be like, pastor, what's the big deal about that? How many of y' all remember a man named David in the Bible who fought Goliath? Well, David eventually. Eventually became Saul's successor. And David was going through a season where he was a bit nomadic, and he. He and his mighty men camped at a place called Ziglag. And they left because they went to engage in some warring activity. And when they came back, Ziglag had been attacked, burned to the ground, and their wives and children had been taken captive. Guess who did it? The Amalekites. Because what you don't deal with in Exodus. Shows up in Samuel, and what you don't deal with in Samuel, it shows up in Chronicles. So this is why you see some of the military imagery in scripture. It is not God endorsing violence. It is God using it metaphorically to instill in us the insight. Insight that we need to know how decisively you got to address some dilemmas. It is like some stuff is trying to take you out, but you playing with it, but it's not playing with you. And you gotta match the energy. Did you hear what I just said? And some of us need some spiritual fortitude because you keep letting the devil hit you, and you ain't learned how to hit back. But this year is the year you better hit back. And so when stress hits you, you better hit it back. When anxiousness hits you, you better hit it back. You've got to fight it like it's fighting you. So the Amalekites attack Israel. So God said to Moses, all right, we got to have a strategy. So he says, all right, Joshua. Moses says, Joshua, okay, you go down in the valley and you fight the Amalekites. And I'm gonna stay up here on the hill and I'm gonna hold my hands up. And as Moses keeps his hands up, Joshua and Israel gains momentum in the valley. As Moses hands get tired and they go down, they lose momentum. So two people in Moses life, Aaron and Hur, take a rock and tell Moses, sit down. Because you need people in your life who'll tell you that. They tell him, sit down. And one gets on the right side, one gets on the left, the left side. They hold up his arms. Israel eventually gets victory. And here's what verse 13 says. It says, and Joshua won against the Amalekites with the sword. Got me? That's verse 13. Verse 15 says, and Moses built an altar. You got it. Joshua defeated. Are you here? The Amalekites with the sword he overcame. Verse 13. He overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Verse 15 says, Moses built an altar and called it the Lord is my banner. Joshua. Verse 13, Joshua overcame the Amalekites with the sword, but Moses built an altar and say the Lord is my banner. Okay, verse 13, Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. But Moses built an altar and said the Lord is my banner. Because although Joshua did the fighting, Moses knew Joshua wasn't responsible for the victory. So he builds an altar and calls it the Lord. All caps. I taught you that last week. Jehovah, Yahweh, Nisi. A banner, a flag. You ever seen movies where like enemy armies are about to fight and they got their flags? Moses is saying the Lord is mine. He waves my flag in victory. Did you hear what I just said? Yeah. God uses this situation to give us a revelation that he's the God that brings. Let's make a loop here. Strategic victory. What do I mean? God being Jehovah Nisi doesn't mean God gives us victory in every area we think we should have it. Because remember, these army were only authorized to fight battles that they were instructed to fight by the king. So if they pick their battles, n is not obligated to engage. Cuz what happens is sometimes people start beef and then try to bring God in it. God's like that's just y' all being petty. That has nothing to do with your purpose. I involve myself when something is inhibiting my intention for your well being or my intention for your assignment. That's the battles I get involved in. Can I have two more minutes? Here it is. You guys remember when David fought Goliath? You may be familiar with that story, go back and read it. Fact check me here. Before David fought Goliath, he asked a question. He said, what shall be given to the man that defeat the giant? Am I in the book? He's not being selfish, he's being shrewd. Because a wise warrior knows every battle not worth fighting. So David is asking, if I win, what do I win? Because I need to know, if I win, is it worth winning? And sometimes we're fighting and we win and we win nothing. So all that energy for nothing. All that back and forth for nothing. All those sleepless nights for nothing. So you change their mind about you now, how is your life better? Your life didn't get worse when they didn't like you. And let me go to this side over here. And your life is not going to get better. Because a wise warrior knows what battles not to fight. I'm walking away from this cuz even if I win, what do I win? You've already demonstrated to me you're beyond using reason. You don't want an understanding, you want to be right. So Niecy involves himself in strategic battles. This affects your destiny, this affects your purpose, this affects your well being. So I'm going to orchestrate outcomes to ensure you are victorious. It's not just what I do, it's who I am. And here's some of our problem. There are areas where Niecy wants to step in, but because you only know Elohim, You have no expectation for divine intervention in that area. So you just want Elohim to comfort you while you lose. Help me feel better about losing. When Niecy wants to say, hey, you know, we can fix that, I don't just have to comfort you and you're losing, you know, I can give you victory in that area. Victory over that habit, victory over that vice, victory over that pattern, victory over those practices, you know, we can fix that. Let's go. But he'll let you live on whatever level you settle for. And he will let you experience him to the degree that you stop being curious. So when you stop being curious at Elohim, that's the all. That's all of God, you know, He says, but I Want to show you I can bring you victory. How does Nissi bring victory to me? If there are areas where the Amalekites are trying to stop me from getting to Canaan, which represents God's best. How. How does Nissi bring me victory? It's all in the text. First of all, he brings me victory by sending me people, God's people. If you look at. If you look at Exodus chapter number 17, you're going to see that Moses told Joshua. He said, hey, I want you to choose some men and go out and fight the Amalekites. Now, there's a whole army they have. But Moses told Joshua, choose men. Which means everybody in the army really ain't about fighting. Everybody in the group chat, Everybody at the birthday dinner. It doesn't mean they. It doesn't mean they don't love you. But just because people have affection for you doesn't mean they're equipped to walk through adversity with you. Proverbs says, a friend loves at all times, but a brother is born for adversity. And proximity to you doesn't mean preparedness for the problems that you have to face. But Niecy will send you some people who will get in the foxhole with you and say, you going through it, but we fasting together and we're praying together and we're reading together. Because I'm born for adversity. How is he going to bring me victory? One way is by sending me people that get in the foxhole with me, that hold up my arms. You going through it, but we fasting. You going through it, but come over to my house and we figuring this out together. We about to figure out how to pay these bills. We about to figure out how to get your child in school. We about to figure out how to resurrect this business. We about to figure this out. He sends your people. I feel this. We got to go. I just. Listen to me. I feel this first time I said this. Listen to me. And some of you have been that person for other people. I hear you have been that person for other people. But people have not been that to you. And it is causing you to have hesitancy to continue to be that for others, because people won't be that for you. But I need to remind you that you sow in one field, but you reap in another. And the people you do it for may not be the people that do it back for you, but God will start tapping other people on the shoulder, and he will send people into your life to be to you what you were to others. I'm stopping there. That's it. God sees. God sees. God sees. God sees. He saw how you kept their secrets and they told yours. He sees. I feel the Holy Ghost. God sees. Sees. God sees how you showed up for them in their time of need. But they were an endangered species in yours. God sees. And I want you to know that the law of sowing and reaping is not limited to your reaping coming from the people you sowed into. You will sow in one field, but you will reap in another. Because God is a just God who will not let your labor go, go unrewarded. Niecy sends you people. Niecy sends you his presence, which gives you an impartation, spiritual gifts and graces and strengths that you need, strength that you need. Niecy gives you victory by sending you his principles, because his principles are his strategy for victory. So the instruction in scripture is strategy to God's best. And Nisi sends you his power. You control your effort. Nisi controls the outcomes. He'll turn that battle. If you know how to keep your hands lifted high, Niecy. Hallelujah. I said, if you learn like Moses how to keep your hands high, Niecy will turn things in your favor. Somebody shout if you believe. Niecy is turning it. I'm done. We started late and we overtime. Niecy wants to introduce himself. It changes your expectation. Does that make sense? Yeah. Even before things change, practically. Some shifts in you emotionally because you got an expectation. Oh, Niecy gonna turn this. Let me go to this side. I don't know when and I don't know how, but before the dust settles, Niecy is gonna show up and turn it in my favor. Victory is min.