Pastor Rikhard shared a message about keeping your faith up.

Notes:

Matthew 8:8-9

The roman centurions faith in the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit was the greatest in all of Israel – today your faith in His omnipresence will be rewarded!

Striking the Colors is a military term which means to lower your flag in surrender. Striking the colors—meaning lowering the flag that signifies a ship's or garrison's allegiance—is a universally recognized indication of surrender, particularly for ships at sea.

Striking the colors meaning LOWERING your flag in surrender to an enemy. We, as Christians many times feel like we are at sea, a raging sea with waves and winds around us and with enemies all around us.

The devil may be attacking you in one way today or another way tomorrow. One thing is sure – Everything close to Jesus receives attack. If you are not being attacked, tempted, afflicted in some way or the other, that should be an alarm for you. Why am I not on the enemies most wanted list?

The more we operate upon instruction from the Holy Spirit, the higher we go on the devils most wanted list and the more bounty they have on their head if they are “taken down”. This is why we as Christians need to always keep them up in prayer!

The devil wants us to give up. The purpose of all attacks on us is for us to strike the colors – to lower our flag in surrender.

II Corinthians 11:21-33

Paul was afflicted, attacked, tempted, surrounded, beat down, struck down, but he NEVER let down his flag. That was why Paul could say he had fought the good fight, he had finished the race and KEPT THE FAITH.

OUR FLAG is our Faith in Jesus Christ – this is what we are identified by and this is what the devil wants to take/destroy. The only reason for attacks, temptations and afflictions are for us to surrender and give up our faith. It is ALL about our faith. Our faith is our connection with Jesus Christ. Without Faith we cannot please or see Jesus.

The devil CANNOT enter our ship if we do not lower our FLAG first. Being under attack doesn’t mean you have surrendered – it is a sign that you haven’t surrendered.

The three ways the enemy tries to force us to lower our flag:

1. He tries through adversity. This can be sickness, long term or short term. It can be a family member passing away, it can be severe hardship, sudden mishaps, accidents, losing our job, divorce or other life altering circumstances – through this, THE DEVIL WANTS US TO SURRENDER OUR FLAG IN SUBMISSION TO AN OVERWHELMING ENEMY.

2. He tries through enticement. I am talking about temptations, moral compromise, falling into sin, letting the flesh take control of our life – through this, THE DEVIL WANTS US TO WILLINGLY TRADE OUR FLAG FOR TEMPORARY PLEASURE. GENESIS 25.

3. He tries through enmity. This is when we harbor bitterness towards God, we feel distant from God, and even disrespect him or have anger towards Him – through this, THE DEVIL WANTS US TO THROW OUR FLAG AWAY, BELIEVING IT CAN DO NOTHING FOR US.

We cannot always control what we go through, but we can control how we go through it.

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