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Listen while you read: "Follow Me The Master Said"1
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For centuries, a special flag called the Royal Standard has represented the king or queen of the United Kingdom. It is flown on one of the royal residences, or on a car, ship, or aircraft when the sovereign is present. When Charles III recently became king, he continued to live in Clarence House in London, England. The Royal Standard is flown there whenever he is in residence, to symbolize that the King is present with his people.
Flags can also be used as a visual expression of worship. At one church that we visited on our travels, my husband and I saw this worship in action. A team of people, many of them children, stood before the platform waving large silk flags of various colours during the singing part of the service. With flag in hand, the leader, a surprisingly agile white-haired gentleman, would hold his hands high, then low, making his giant flag dip and swirl in time to the music. He would even twirl himself around, his flag whirling with him, creating a wonderful flow of colour. Sometimes, he would use two flags, one in each hand. At times, he would lead the team up and down the aisles of the church.
I pondered the significance of this particular form of worship. Aha! The dots were connected. The flags in the church were like the Royal Standard flown from the roof of a royal residence! They proclaimed to everyone, "The Lord is here in this place, present with His people." The flags were a visual tool to help us all focus on the presence of the Lord.
Visual tools were often used in the Bible. One time, Joshua was leading the Israelites in fighting against their enemy, the Amalekites. Only while Moses kept his staff raised at the top of a nearby hill were the Israelites winning the battle. When he became too tired to hold the staff up, Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on, and they held up his hands. This action of holding up a staff in his hands proclaimed that God was present, which was the reason that the Israelites had won the battle. After the victory, "Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means 'the Lord is my banner')." (Exodus 17:15 NLT)
John 13:34-35 – So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. (NLT)
A visual tool in our lives must be the love that we show one another. Our love is more than an emotion, but shows itself in action. People notice when we help even when it's not convenient, when we give even when it hurts, when we use our energy for the welfare of others instead of for our own, and when we absorb hurts from others instead of reacting. Such behaviour is possible only through the indwelling help of the Holy Spirit.
Is your flag flying high to proclaim that you are a follower of Christ?
Prayer: Lord, thank You that You teach us through visual tools. Help us to keep our flag flying high, proclaiming to others that we belong to You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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About the author:
Alice Burnett <terrencera.burnett@gmail.com>
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
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Amen Alice.
Thanks for the encouraging words, Alice.
Delightful devotion with a very timely word. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us. Blessings.
Well said Alice, I love that scripture.
Hope you are both doing well.
A wonderful piece of history Alice. Keep sharing the message of hope.
Blessings.
Thank you, Alice, for this interesting and very meaningful devotional today. We truly need to show love for others just as our Lord shows love for us. Blessings for your special writings.
Good morning
This was interesting. I do not think I ever heard the info about Christ being the Banner before.
Have a blessed day.
Hi Alice,
You have crafted a lovely and meaningful devotion. Thanks so much.
Have a blessed day.
(Florida)
Dear Alice,
Thank you for today’s devotional.
“Is your flag flying high to proclaim that you are a follower of Christ?”
And my answer is: Yes!
Blessings!
Good morning, Alice,
I enjoy seeing flags flying and I believe it is the wavy motion of them that draws our eyes to the flags. That sounds like a unique service you experienced with the waving of flags. Visual tools help me to take note of things I want to do like when I use a list and mark off what I have done. I hope that people recognize my love for God and others around me by my actions and words. It definitely is not as visible as a colourful flag flying and I know the Holy Spirit is encouraging me like my lists encourage me.
Thank you for sharing your experience of these services and I could picture it as you described it. May you keep your flag flying high. Blessings.
Thank you, Alice, for this interesting take on how we show our love.
For many years, I have been flagging and dancing for my Lord, both as an individual and for several years with a group. The Lord is the One who birthed this in me, and its birthing came as I witnessed another woman doing both of these under the anointing of the Lord, bringing me to Holy Spirit tears. I knew immediately that I had to get flags and learn to do this and what it was all about. I have always loved music, singing, dance, and have artistic giftings, but this new expression of my worship and heart towards My Lord ignited in my Spirit. I am now 75, but I still flag and can do some slower dancing moves…especially when the Holy Spirit is heavy upon me.
I say all of this to tell you how much I appreciated some of your insight by the Holy Spirit into why we flag and dance. It is a high form of worship very much not understood or taught about, by the Church of the Lord. In the Bible, the followers of Christ, the Jews danced; King David, Miriam, the armies of the Lord had the worshippers with standards (flags, and staffs), dancers, and instruments go out first before the army, which caused fear and confusion in the enemies’ camps and people.
The Word is filled with Scriptures concerning the dance and the flags explaining their use and meanings of Hebrew words and what they accomplish in the Spirit realm. The colours of the flags have meanings and power in the Spirit, the movements used, as in the ‘whirling around in circles’, the processions (as in the march around the walls of Jericho), the banners (sometimes flags, but also large elaborately designed or simple large banners proclaiming the names of God or His attributes mounted on tall poles carried by one person and lifted high), so powerful. I have witnessed many of these huge banners parading His glory at a Women Alive Conference many years ago, and the presence of God filled the large sports auditorium and the worship was explosive and the awe of our God was palpable.
The flags and dance release the Holy Spirit, joy, healing, break chains of bondage, bring freedom and deliverance, push back the darkness, war against the enemy, declare victory, tear down walls, open up the floodgates of heaven, release prophecy, declare His holiness, honour the Lord Most High, etc. I have taken workshops/seminars and studied this form of worship and have a few 3″ binders full of research information, and books on the subject.
The flags and dance are also very prophetic, or can be if done in the right Spirit led by the Lord, and prophesy what is on His heart as we gather in corporate worship, or in our own times of worship. It saddens my heart that there is such a rich and deep form of worship that is so often totally ignored or worse ‘shut down’ by so many of God’s churches. My heart cries out to the Lord for the church leaders, pastors, etc. to come into this revelation knowledge and seek it out, and then teach their flocks and especially the youth, about this worship. It is open to anyone who loves and serves the Lord in Spirit and truth, not just the ones with a gift in this area. Jesus would have danced with His fellow Hebrew people and disciples as this was a very integral part of their Jewish culture and celebrations, and even the blowing of the shofars…so powerful in the Spirit realm. They still do all of this today as well.
Well, as you can see, when I get going on one of my favourite topics, it can get very involved. This is just the surface, but I really wanted to thank you for broaching the subject in this devotion.
Yeshua Messiah, Jesus, and God Himself are in the house when we lift up our banners unto the King of kings, and Lord of lords. We are proclaiming that He reigns in majesty and victory. The enemy of our souls hates it because he knows its power and intimate worship with our Lord. We are more than conquerors and overcomers in Christ Jesus our Lord, and when we step out in obedience and faith, the author of fear flees.
I pray this response has blessed you. Lord Adonai, we pray for a deeper revelation of the ministry to the Lord through dance and flags in our corporate and private times of worship and in times of prayer and intercession. We pray that You will release Your Holy Spirit fire and passion upon the Body of Christ in every church and gathering of believers. With expectation and thanksgiving, in the most holy and precious name of Jesus, King of kings we pray. Amen and Amen.
In Christ, blessings,
(Ontario)