"But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.' And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, 'The Lord Is My Banner' (Jehovah Nissi), saying, 'A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'" (Exodus 17:8-16)

Prayer

God, open our minds today. Let us see clearly how corrupt our flesh is. Deliver us from the bondage of our flesh. By Your power, let us overcome this flesh, and defeat the Amalekites within us. God, do Your wondrous work in us. Lead us, so that we may live out the image of God, the faith of Israel, and the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God, You will surely raise us up to put to death the misdeeds of the body. Build Your glorious church in this generation, in complete unity with Jesus Christ. God, lead us today. Let us see Your victorious banner, and the great hope to which You have called us. Let us understand the immense power we have in You—the very power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

Let us know that by Your grace, broken and wretched as we are, we can be transformed into people who please You. Grant us this grace. Enable us to fight continuously, to put to death the deeds of the flesh, and to triumph through You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scriptural Background

Now, look at the history of the Israelites after they left Egypt. It is a history of continuous complaining. They left Egypt, marched on, and suddenly found themselves at the edge of the Red Sea. This is human nature. When they left Egypt, they witnessed the power of God. Yet, within two or three days at the Red Sea, they forgot all about it.

Do you know what the Egyptian army looked like? The sheer muscle—the abs, the chest, the biceps, the calves—and the weapons they held. Let me tell you, it was highly intimidating, was it not? If you look at a modern military guard of honor, the Egyptian army was just like that. And look at Pharaoh with his headgear, flanked by blue embroidered patterns. My goodness! Then look at our side: Moses, an old man. How could this old man Moses fight Pharaoh?

In those days, a king had to be a champion fighter, a highly skilled warrior. Look at our Israelites, and then look at the Egyptian soldiers. It defies logic. The Egyptian army could not even handle a crowd of empty-handed civilians. Not only did they escape Egypt, but who did it? God did it! God swiftly struck down all their firstborn, did He not? If He had not struck down their firstborn, would Pharaoh have let the Israelites go? Not only did they leave, but the Egyptians practically forced their gold and silver into the hands of the Israelites.

When the Spirit of God moved, the Egyptians were completely stunned. They said, "Take it, take it, take it! My son is dead, just get out of here!" That was how it happened. Now, this is strange. If they could escape like that, why did they think they could not cross the Red Sea? Yet, they stood by the Red Sea and complained. After they complained, God’s mighty arm parted the Red Sea, and the Israelites crossed on dry land.

And then, you see, once they crossed, everything seemed fine, right? Moses summarized it well: "The Lord is a warrior; He goes before us." Then Pharaoh’s army was buried under the sea. My goodness, God is incredibly powerful! I think Pharaoh must have been out of his mind. What was he doing trying to fight God? Was there something wrong with his head? In the end, he was destroyed.

Now, after crossing the Red Sea, would you say their faith was established? It should have been, logically speaking. But no. When they ran out of water at Marah, and the water was bitter, they complained. Let me ask you: if God could handle the Egyptian army and part the Red Sea, could He not solve a water problem? Yet, they complained. Their words were incredibly irritating, let me tell you. I thank God that I am not God. If I were, with my limited patience, I would have crushed these useless people to death.

But God is long-suffering. Why do people simply refuse to believe in Him? Was the water problem really that difficult? No, it was not. But for people to have faith—that is the real difficulty, is it not? Yet, God did not destroy them. The water became drinkable, and what did they do? They forgot again. Then they reached the Wilderness of Sin, and ran out of food. The Israelites complained again: "In Egypt, we sat by the pots of meat. Why did we come to this wilderness?" I see many people today acting the same way: "I was doing fine before I believed in the Lord." If you were doing so well, why did you come to church in the first place? Is it not because you hit a wall? You got stuck, and that is why you came. It was not that things were great back then; you just have a habit of complaining. The moment a problem arises, you complain. Let me tell you, many Christians behave exactly the same way.

So God rained down manna from heaven, and what else? Quail, did He not? And when they ate the quail, let me tell you, they stuffed themselves until the meat came out of their nostrils. My goodness, had they never seen meat before? As a result, many died. After this stage, where did they go? They arrived at Rephidim. And at Rephidim, there was no water again, and they complained again. My goodness. So God told Moses to strike the rock with his staff, and water gushed out.

Today, people travel to Mount Sinai in Egypt to see these ancient sites. It seems quite real. I watched it on video—professionally filmed. It is much better to watch it on a screen, sitting comfortably on a sofa, just pressing a button. Now, when they complained at Rephidim, let me ask you: were these Israelites wretched or not? They were not just wretched; they were thoroughly rotten. Then the Amalekites came to attack them. Yet, God caused the Amalekites to be defeated and gave the Israelites victory. This is why this passage of scripture is so intriguing.

Joshua chose some men to fight, while Moses went up the hill. When Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed. This is a remarkable phenomenon. In the end, they wiped out the king of Amalek and his people. Let us not argue over this. If you are a non-believer, you might think, "Why kill so many people? Why is God so ruthless?" If you look at it from that angle, there is no solution, and I have no interest in explaining it to you. Does God not have the sovereign right to wipe out a group of people? Not only does He have the right, but He can still do so today at any moment.

You see, there is a mystery in this battle. The mystery is that Moses stood on the hill, and the moment he raised his hands, they won. Let me ask you: was Joshua powerful, or was Moses' hand powerful? Obviously, it was Moses' hand, was it not? Moses' hand represented raising the banner of God. In ancient warfare, you had to wave the flag and shout. Why? Because the flag was the signal. When the flag waved, you advanced; when it was lowered, you retreated. That is why we say the Lord is our banner of victory.

This is highly interesting. Was it Moses who fought the battle, or was it Joshua leading the Israelites? It was certainly not because Joshua had superior spears, nor because the Israelites had advanced weaponry. It was because when Moses raised his hands on the hill, something happened in the spiritual realm. In the spiritual realm, hosts of angels and heavenly armies were fighting on behalf of Israel.

The moment his hands lowered, the heavenly hosts saw it and stopped. Once they stopped, the Amalekites counter-attacked. That is how it worked. Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must understand that all battles are spiritual battles. Do you understand this? If victory is secured in the spiritual realm, defeat in the physical world is impossible. We must fight our battles in the spiritual realm. It is highly effective.

A few days ago, I heard a story. One of our sisters was ministering to another sister who suffered from depression and fear—essentially, a very weak Christian. She led her in prayer, sometimes for two hours, sometimes for three hours, day after day. They prayed and prayed, and something remarkable happened. Previously, this sister faced immense challenges at work. The employees she managed were incredibly difficult to handle. They were emotional, constantly throwing tantrums. My goodness, it was a nightmare to manage.

But once victory was won in the spiritual battle, what happened? She went back to work, and her performance improved. Even though her execution was mediocre, her sales figures went up. She was managing private domain traffic, and not only did her sales increase, but the emotions of the people she managed suddenly stabilized. The problems vanished.

Let me tell you a secret. If you do not win in the spirit, you can try all you want, you can work yourself to death, but you will never defeat the Amalekites. Do you understand? If you face endless trouble at work, that is exactly why. Why? To show you that you cannot win by your own hands. Your two hands can never compete with the hands of this world, can they? The world has a thousand hands; your two hands are useless. So what must you do? You must begin to win in the spirit. If you do not win in the spirit, you will have endless trouble—as much trouble as you can handle. If you want trouble, just follow the ways of the world. Try this today, try that tomorrow, and you will have an endless stream of unresolved problems. This sister's experience is not unique; many brothers and sisters have experienced the exact same thing, have they not?

There is another person in sales—both of them are cell group leaders I train. This salesperson was serving, casting out demons, and leading prayers. And what happened? The deals just came in, and she signed the contracts. My goodness, God is truly amazing. Remember, everything in this world depends on spiritual victory. If your spirit is weak, you can play your games, but the Amalekites will surely beat you black and blue. This is no joking matter, is it?

Where is the victory? It is in the spiritual realm. Where is the victory? It is in the hands of our God. If you please God, let me tell you, can anything stand against Him? No, nothing can stand before God. So, when Moses raised his hands on the hill, that was it—victory was secured. That is how it works. We are fighting a spiritual war.

You see, some brothers and sisters come and tell me that they closed their sales deals because of God. Do you think God cares about these things? Yes, He cares about every single detail of your life. This is the background of this passage. And what was the result? Moses held up his hands until sunset, and Joshua defeated the king of Amalek and his army.

Now look at the Israelites again. They were still the same ragged, poorly dressed crowd, were they not? Still the same complainers. Yet, this group of complainers managed to wipe out the Amalekites. It was not because of their own strength, but because Moses stood on the hill with his hands raised. Some brothers and sisters say, "I am in a victorious church." Remember, once the victory is won, the story has only just begun. Why? Did these Israelites actually learn the lesson of faith? No. The faith was Moses' faith, and it was Moses' faith that sustained the army. But if you learn faith for yourself, you become a person who pleases God. Do you understand?

In the end, although they defeated the Amalekites, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years and died there. They never learned the lesson. The only thing they mastered was complaining. When difficulties arose, they did not know how to trust God. They worked themselves into a frenzy. What is the use of being busy and stressed if you do not have victory? This is the lesson we must learn.

Why did things happen this way? Let me tell you, why did God bring the Amalekites? Think about it. It was God who brought them, no one else. First, He wanted to address their complaining. "You want to complain? Go ahead." Then the Amalekites arrived, and let us see if you still have time to complain. Second, God wanted the Israelites to learn a lesson through Moses raising his hands. What was the lesson? How powerful God is.

Let me tell you why we say the humble rejoice when they hear this. Humility is not about acting meek. Humility is recognizing that God is all-powerful and that you are nothing. That is humility. If you think, "I cannot do it, God cannot do it, and no one can do it," that is not humility—that is pride. How do you know God cannot do it? Do you think you are the standard of the universe? You are not. Just because you do not know how to do something does not mean others cannot. You may not know how to build AI, but DeepSeek does, OpenAI does. The little you know is hardly worth mentioning in this world.

Let us be clear: your victory may have very little to do with your own ability. However, through victory, you can learn a vital lesson and walk the path of faith. Today, Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul have set the example before us; we must begin to emulate them. Do not make the foolish mistake of concluding, "I am in a victorious church." That is useless. What happened to those people later? They died in the wilderness. Do you want to be among those Christians who perish in the wilderness?

When a person lacks faith, God may tolerate you N times, but there is no guarantee of an N+1th time. Is that clear? God can tolerate, tolerate, and tolerate. He can tolerate your grumbling at the Red Sea, your grumbling at Marah, your grumbling in the Wilderness of Sin, and your grumbling at Rephidim, along with countless other complaints. But before entering the Promised Land, if you still lack faith, if you are filled with fear and cowardice, then you will simply die in the wilderness.

War with Amalek from Generation to Generation

Who is this Amalek? The Amalekites are the descendants of Esau. Who are the Israelites? They are the descendants of Jacob. And who were these two? They were twin brothers—Esau and Jacob—born from the same womb. One was cursed; the other was blessed. What does this symbolize? It symbolizes two opposing forces within a person: one force is Amalek, and the other is Israel.

What is Israel? Israel is the name God gave him, meaning one who strives with God and with men and prevails. Is that understood? Then who are the Amalekites? Who is Esau? Esau lived by his sword, relying on his own hands. This curse was transmitted to its deepest extent in Amalek, representing the purely carnal man.

Therefore, what does it mean for a Christian to wage war against the Amalekites throughout their life? It means the spiritual part of us is at war with our carnal nature. This is not a battle between God and demons. Dealing with demons is actually straightforward. Consider Peter and the twelve disciples going out to cast out demons—that was child's play. But putting to death the deeds of the flesh, that is a severe battle. Yet, even in such a severe struggle, though the Israelites were deeply flawed, God enabled them to defeat the Amalekites.

What does this represent? It means that today we must rely on the Holy Spirit to put to death the deeds of the flesh, for this flesh must be destroyed. What must be destroyed? The carnal passions and desires. Take, for example, the Israelites' habit of complaining and spreading negative energy—grumbling about this today and that tomorrow, always convinced they are right, as if they hold a monopoly on truth. They complain about everything and achieve absolutely nothing.

If you persist in this behavior, the Amalekites will inevitably come. In fact, their arrival is entirely expected. You must realize that if you wish to enter the Promised Land, you must pass the test of the Amalekites. If you cannot overcome them, you cannot wage this war, and you will find it impossible to enter the Promised Land. Is that clear?

Therefore, I want our brothers and sisters to know precisely: how much of Amalek still remains in you? Amalek, not acrylic. How much of the flesh is still active in you? If you do not put to death the deeds of the flesh—and this is the fundamental logic of the New Testament—you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. The flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, can it? This is exactly what the perpetual war against Amalek represents.

This is a Spiritual Warfare

How do we put the flesh to death? It requires spiritual warfare. First, we must have faith. When Moses held up his hands, Joshua prevailed. Was Joshua winning by his own military prowess? No, Joshua was merely going through the motions. What kind of battle was this? It was a spiritual battle. The spirit behind Amalek is the devil. When Moses raised his hands, the angelic hosts fought. You might say, "I did not see them." Well, there are many things you cannot see. Let us not argue; your physical eyes should not be the basis of your confidence.

How is victory achieved? It is achieved through God's victory in the spiritual realm. When the angelic hosts fight for us, the devil and the flesh are minor obstacles, are they not? Therefore, from this moment on, rely on the Holy Spirit to put to death the flesh within us, to put to death the Amalek within us. This is a spiritual battle; do not rely on the flesh. Sometimes when I urge you to use your understanding, you misinterpret it in a carnal way. It is not about your physical muscles, your intellect, your IQ, or your personality. This is strictly a spiritual war.

Spiritual warfare is fought by faith. We may be deeply flawed, but we do not rely on ourselves. We are weak, and we desperately need God to win the victory for us. If you have this heart, I assure you, victory is guaranteed. Therefore, do not despair. You may have failed a few times in your struggle against the Amalekites because you relied on your own strength. Today, rely on God.

I offer you a practical piece of advice: pray extensively in tongues. Try it. After praying extensively in tongues, you will receive spiritual energy and strength. Do you understand now? God is our strength. How does He become our strength? Through praying in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is communicating with God, speaking mysteries. Therefore, rise up today to fight and win this spiritual battle, and you will find that your problems are actually quite manageable. Take laziness, for instance—that is purely carnal, pure Amalek. Are the Amalekites lazy? No, but the flesh is lazy. Or take foolishness—why does it exist? It is the logic of the flesh.

God is Our Banner of Victory

Brothers and sisters, as long as you are willing to trust in God and rely on Him, He will surely give you victory, for He is your banner of victory. Today, raise your hands, emulate Moses, raise your hands to praise our God, fight through prayer, and put to death the deeds of the flesh. You might say, "This sentence sounds familiar." We declare our vision and mission every Sunday; why should you be surprised?

Very well, starting today, recognize that having many carnal elements within you is normal, because you are a carnal person. God is our banner of victory. Raise your hands, be strong, and trust in Him alone. Yes, we may not look like a victorious army; we look ragged, perhaps more like a band of beggars—much like the army of Israel. When we look in the mirror today, we do not look victorious, nor do we look like the army of God. But that does not matter. God will still give you victory. He will enable you to overcome the Amalekites, overcome your grumbling, overcome your carnal mind, and overcome your laziness and slackness.

The Israelites remained a slack, slow, and grumbling people. Precisely because of this, we desperately need God, do we not? Leaving Egypt required relying on God; crossing the Red Sea required relying on God. Drinking water required relying on God; eating food required relying on God; and fighting the Amalekites also required relying on God. Thanks be to God, there is no defeat with Him. What do we do after achieving victory? We subdue our carnal deeds, and grumbling will recede. Grumbling is a highly carnal trait.

"The Lord is my Banner"—this is the finest summary of Moses' life. Arriving at Rephidim and defeating the Amalekites, Moses finally understood that it was not by his own power, but through spiritual warfare and the power of God. Jehovah is indeed our banner of victory; trust Him all your life. If you face endless troubles in your workplace, engage in spiritual warfare. If your home is filled with friction and constant misfortune, engage in spiritual warfare. You desperately need victory; you desperately need this banner, do you not? Do not fall behind. Rise up and follow the army of God.

These Amalekite habits within us are highly destructive. Brothers and sisters, Amalek is right there in you, seeking to destroy you and wage war against you. But at this moment, you have a choice: will you wage a spiritual war or a carnal war? The Amalekites are the classic example of a people who live by their own swords and rely on their own hands.

If you go home, look in the mirror, and realize, "Alas, I am an Amalekite," remember that God will have war with Amalek from generation to generation; He will utterly blot out his remembrance. Do you want to become an Amalekite? How can a Christian, over time, end up on the side of Amalek? What kind of Christian life is that? How did you manage to cross over to the enemy's side? To fight a battle only to find yourself becoming the Amalekite—what an absurdity!

Do Not Rely on Your Own Works

Let me tell you, we desperately need victory. When we look in the mirror, we do not look victorious at all; that is why we need it so badly. But today, are we victorious on our own? Do you understand? Are we truly victorious today? No, we are not. What works then can we bring before God? Bring nothing at all.

Simply say, "O God, I believe in You; You are my banner of victory." Is this not the truth? It is not that we improve ourselves first and then come before God saying, "I am quite good, I am quite good." In God's eyes, it is never good enough. Is that understood? Do not fall into this trap. The most destructive theology in this world is relying on one's own works. Let me be blunt: the most damaging book in the Bible is the Book of James. It is simply unworkable!

Let me ask you today: if you are gravely ill and bedridden, what works can you perform? If you wait until you can perform works, you will be dead. You cannot do it! It is only by faith, by claiming God's promises, that you are made alive. Have not many of our brothers and sisters here walked to this point solely by the grace of God? Why then would you choose today to rely on your own works and walk back into a curse? Do not walk back into the curse. Anyone who relies on the works of the law is under a curse. Relying on works and the law brings a curse.

Let me explain: the Book of James was written because James was deeply unsettled after reading Galatians. If you compare the two books, James is clearly a direct rebuttal to Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. Is that clear? Every sentence is in direct opposition. You must either accept Galatians or accept James; you cannot reconcile the two. They are fundamentally irreconcilable. Was Abraham flawed? Yes, he was. Yet, by faith, he paved a path of faith for us, did he not? Stop relying on your own works. Were the Israelites flawed? Extremely so. Yet, did God give them victory? Yes, He did! Because Moses stood on the mountain with his hands raised, and God's heavenly hosts fought for them. Therefore, do not rely on works. Especially when we are highly flawed, we need faith and reliance on God all the more.

Is that understood? God does not reject you because you are flawed. He wants to help you, to pull you out of your wretched state. He wants to deliver you! What a wonderful God! What an extraordinary God! I will trust Him all my life; I will trust the God who loves me. He helped me when I was at my worst. Now that I have improved slightly, should I boast? I have no right to boast; I am still far from God's standard. But that does not matter. Day by day, step by step, I will claim God's promises until I manifest His image.

Our God is the God of my salvation, and today He will be our banner of victory. See, even when you are flawed, God will give you victory. Therefore, give glory to our God, and let us praise Him at all times. Just like Moses, the Amalekites were defeated—even by such flawed people! Do you understand? Because this is a spiritual war.

Faith is the Foundation of Victory

Simply believe. You may have offended God N times, but do not let there be an N+1th time. You do not know if that next chance will ever come. Begin to believe, turn back to God, and do not follow the path of the Israelites. God showed them grace time and time again, yet they refused to enter the Promised Land. Why? Because of fear. They thought they were fighting the battle themselves, that they were merely cannon fodder. That was not the case; God was fighting for them! If you only believe, you will prevail. Is that clear? This logic is not difficult. If we rely on ourselves, we will face nothing but consecutive defeats. The outcome will be disastrous.

Why have you achieved nothing? Because you lack faith. Why do you constantly suffer defeat? Because you lack faith. Because you live by your own sword, relying on your own hands. Today, change your way of living. Rely on God; simply believe. Do not dwell on whether you are flawed or not—that is irrelevant. Simply believe that Jehovah is our banner of victory. Once this banner is raised, God's angelic hosts will fight ahead of us. Once this banner is lifted and we raise our voices, you will see victory arrive.

Amen! May God bless you all!