In this "meditation" I recount some of the things God showed me through nature in the summer of 1997 down by the creek - including encounter with snakes!!! :)


Jehovah-nissi, You are the Lord, My Banner!

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing;" (Rom 7:18a)  "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that (I) cannot do the things that (I) would." (Gal.5:17)

I so much want to walk in the power of Your Holy Spirit always, Lord, but I find that it is a daily battle which I cannot fight in my own strength. Just as Joshua fought the battle with Amalek in Exodus 17 and was victorious because Moses' hands were lifted up to You with the help of Aaron and Hur, so shall I have final victory over my flesh and the devil because You are my Jehovah-nissi! Hallelujah!

Lord, may God's people love, support, and intercede for one another concerning this thing called HOLINESS and VICTORY OVER SIN! -just as Moses, Aaron and Hur did!

Lord, I "remember what Amalek (my flesh) did unto (me) by the way, when (I came) forth out of Egypt (the world); How he met (me) by the way, and smote the hindmost of (me) even all that were feeble behind (me) when (I was) faint and weary; and he feared not God. (Deut. 25: 17-18) Lord, I am reminded that although I shall have "war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Es. 17:16), yet You have promised that You "will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven." (Es. 17:14) Thank You, Lord!  I love this verse-"Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritnace to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it." (Deut. 25:19)  Someday, when I meet You face to face, I shall indeed be free from sin.  I shall be holy!  Blessed be Your name, Jehovah-nissi!

As I sit here down by the creek eating my meal, this crazy fly just will not leave me alone! No matter how much I swat at him, he just keeps buzzing around my food.  My sin is like that, Lord - especially my besetting sins!  O Lord, You tell me to put to death my sins - to KILL them.  You say to me, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye throught the Spirit do MORTIFY the deeds of the body, ye shall live. "  (Rom. 8: 13)  Thank You that I may have victory through Your name - Jehovah-nissi!

I am reminded about the seriousness of crucifying the flesh when inI read I Sam. 15: 1-3,7-9; II Sam. 1:6-10 how Saul failed to destroy ALL of Amalek and was eventually killed by an  Amalekite.  We need ever to be reminded that we will be "killed" in the end, too, unless by Your grace, we take hold of Your power and slay the sin in our lives by Your name, Jehovah-nissi!

THE BATTLE IS ON!  THE WAR IS RAGING! YES! YES! I SHALL WIN BECAUSE YOU ARE MY JEHOVAH-NISSI,THE LORD, MY BANNER!

But Lord, HOW do I kill these deeds of the body? Col. 3 says to PUT OFF the bad and PUT ON the good. Are you telling me, Lord, that You want me to KILL the sin in my life by FOCUSING ON THE GODLY OPPOSITES? Yes, and You are giving me grace to conquer my "negative and complaining spirit" through SINGING PSALMS, GIVING THANKS, and SUBMISSION through QUIETNESS. The thing that has helped me most is to require myself to PRAISE those I love in at least one way every day.

THE BATTLE IS ON! THE WAR IS RAGING! YES! YES! I SHALL WIN BECAUSE YOU ARE MY JEHOVAH-NISSI, THE LORD, MY BANNER!

There is still so much sin in my life, and I do not know how much longer the battle may last, but when I look back on what I once was, I can see that You have killed some of those "Amalekites" in my life.  Thank You, Lord! ... Today is our 19th wedding anniversay, and You have remnided me of what a horrible, selfish little thing I was during those early years.  I am still a selfish person, and that "Amalekite" keeps showing up, but Thank-You, dear Jehovah-nissi, that there aren't "millions" of them there like there once were.  Thank You for VICTORY through Your NAME!


Yes..THE BATTLE IS ON! THE WAR IS RAGING! YES! YES! I SHALL WIN BECAUSE YOU ARE MY JEHOVAH-NISSI, THE LORD, MY BANNER!

Awhile back when the creek was still flowing (before the hot, Texas sun pretty much dried up the creek except for a few puddles), a twig with leaves fell into the creek.  It was flowing along, and then all of a sudden it got "hung up" on something.  For days and days it stayed "hung up", and I thought of "besetting sins"...but  NOW it's GONE !  Thank You, Lord, that You can even take away our besetting sins - the ones we REALLY struggle and get "hung up" with.

...And the turtle who swam over to the bank and stuck it's head in the mud reminded me of those who aren't willing to "deal with" their besetting sins...but praise be to You, God!  The turtle got out after a few days. There is always hope through Your name for those who are "stuck in the mud"!

Then You showed me today the little butterfly -flat on his back - flapping his wings furiously - struggling to fly, with no strength of this own.  I walked by a little while later, and he could not be found.  Did he fly away? Did You give him the strength to do so?  O Lord, so often I feel like the little butterfly, with no strength of my own - HELPLESS!  But You are my Jehovah-nissi, and I SHALL have VICTORY through Your name!

Yes..THE BATTLE IS ON!  THE WAR IS RAGING!  YES! YES! I SHALL WIN BECAUSE YOU ARE MY JEHOVAH - THE LORD, MY BANNER!

Yes, thank You for giving me a "picture" of this spiritual warfare recently during a time when we were experiencing spiritual opposition in several ways.  As I was walking and praying down by the creek, I was thinking about the spiritual needs in our lives.  As I looked down, there at my feet was a black SNAKE.  The next day I heard a noise in  the rocks, and lo and behold, there was another SNAKE.  As he slipped down into the water and then out onto the bank, I tried to kill him with rocks.  How I longed to kill that snake just as I long to kill the sin in our lives!  After awhile I scared him away under the rocks in the water. Hallelujah!  Well, the THIRD DAY IN A ROW I saw another SNAKE, and I tried desperately to KILL him, too, but I was unsuccessful because I didn't want to get too close to him!!! He was quite mad and tried to strike the big rocks that I threw, but eventually I scared him away back into his hole.  Well, Lord, a most amazing thing happened!  The next day I was walking along thinking and praying about these things, and there at my feet again was another SNAKE!  But this time he was DEAD!!! In fact, nothing was left of him but bones.  Hallelujah!  Yes, Lord, You SHALL have VICTORY in our lives - but not by MY might or power.  So many times I've tried to "throw the rocks" to KILL the sin in others' lives, but I must wait on YOU to do the work.  PRAYER is my best weapon!  You have shown me this again and again! "...Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."  Every day since, I have not seen another snake, but I am always reminded of Your Almighty power over the "flesh" and the devil and Your promises to me when I walk by those snake bones!  Thank You, Jehovah-nissi!