1 Corinthians 12:3
Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the [power and influence of the] Spirit of God can say, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is [my] Lord,” except by [the power and influence of] The Holy Spirit.
Exodus 17:15
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi. (The LORD My Banner).
1 John 4:2-3
By this you will know The Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.
Romans 10:9-10, 13
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. ~ For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved.
Why is this designation as LORD become so important even in this day and age? To be someone's Lord is to have the rule and mastery over them, as well as the protection and guardianship. To have Lordship is to have the governorship, as Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 9:6 "...and the government shall be upon His shoulders...". Within His government He is the fulfillment of The Law (Matthew 5:17) and His Law is Love (Romans 13:10).
Who declared Jesus Christ Lord to begin with? His Father, Almighty God, gave His only begotten Son Lordship for a time (Psalm 110:1; Mark 12:36; 1 Corinthians 15:24-25). It is His Lordship we desire when we come to Him in faith, believing Him to be God's only begotten Son. We come in faith with repentant hearts when we need to confess our sins. We come in faith believing that He not only hears the cries of our hearts but longs for us to hear the cry of His heart. We come to Christ as friend to Friend, meeting at the altar which we have set up for Him. Altars can be built anywhere. If that is not possible for you where you are, remember: when we clasp our fingers together, that is our altar, for prayer is where we meet God.
The altars of the Old Testament were at times set up after the meeting had taken place as a remembrance of that meeting between God and man. As Moses had set up the altar in Exodus 17:15, one of our key verses for today. Moses named his altar THE LORD MY BANNER. Abraham built an altar, too. Genesis 22:1-19. Abraham and his son Isaac walked up a mountain carrying the tools and equipment needed to build the altar and lay the sacrifice. Abraham named his altar THE LORD PROVIDES.
We have named our altars, too. We may travel hither and yon, but the memory of where we were when we spoke with God and God revealed Himself to us is our Remembrance. There was a time when my kids were little that we had just enough money coming in to pay the rent and the utilities. But we had no money for food. So we sat together in the kitchen, held hands and prayed for God to bring us something to eat. No sooner had we said Amen than there was a knock on the door. On the porch were some a couple of friends, each with their arms full of groceries. God already knew our need and had prepared in advance to answer our prayers of faith. THE LORD PROVIDES.
Therefore with full confidence I may say, as Moses said, THE LORD IS MY BANNER. I will wave His Name across the plains, the mountains, the oceans, the valleys and the lakes. I will carry His Name into battle each time I declare that He Is Lord, for Christ is not just Lord, He is MY LORD. I declare in my heart, in my home, in my family, in my church, in my neighborhood, in my city, in my state, in my country, and beyond, that wherever The LORD leads me, I will go, because He goes with me.
JESUS IS LORD.
