RAISE UP A STANDARD! Kay Keith Peebles 06/05/2020 20.20
My husband’s 38 year business career was mostly in land development and homebuilding. He was well experienced with the knowledge of flood plains and foundation issues with houses. In 1985 he built us a home on a large lake that dropped below a ridge which was a part of the Chisholm Trail in Texas. Before he laid the foundation of our home, he ordered truckloads of dirt to raise the ground level several inches. It caused the foundation of our home to rise above the standard of accepted regulations. Soon after he began construction of our home there were other builders who started homes on either side of us and across the street.
Our house was completed first and we moved in just before our community experienced a 13 inch rain within a short period of time. The water flooded down from the ridge toward all the homes on our street. It surged with such a force the homes across the street that were in the frame stage had the siding blown out just above the foundations. Both homes beside ours also flooded requiring extensive repairs, but not a drop of water entered our beautiful new home. Because my husband had “raised the standard” of our foundation, we were spared a devastating flood.
“So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19.
After Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, generational lawlessness brought a deluge of death and devastation among all the people on earth. The Lord raised the standard by flooding the earth destroying all the evil people while He protected Noah and his family in the ark.
“Then the Lord said, My Spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man, for he also is flesh; but his days shall be 120 years…The earth was depraved and putrid in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power). And God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased, and vicious it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction. God said to Noah, I intend to make an end of all flesh, for through men the land is filled with violence; and behold, I will destroy them and the land.” Genesis 6:3,11-13.
“And the Lord said to Noah, Come with all your household into the ark, for I have seen you to be righteous before Me in this generation.” Genesis 7:1.
Since the creation of man and the fall of man in the garden, the earth has suffered the clash of two opposing kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness (satan) and the Kingdom of God (light). Amid all the chaos, the Lord has always intervened, delivered His people and raised the standard by which they lived. After 400 years of slavery in Egypt, Israel cried out to the Lord for deliverance from the cruel oppression of Pharaoh. The Lord sent Moses to free His people from Pharaoh’s brutality. Moses raised the standard of God before Pharaoh giving him the chance to relent, but when he ultimately rejected the Lord, he and his armies were drowned in the sea. The most wealthy and powerful nation in the world at that time was devastated.
“Behold, the Lord’s eye is upon those who fear Him, who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” Psalm 33:18-19.
During the days of the Roman Empire the Jewish people suffered under the compromised leadership of self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees who lacked truth and compassion for their people. They sought their own wealth and notoriety rather than fulfilling the will of God. The Lord raised the standard of His people when He sent Jesus to show them how to live, treat one another and honor God. By doing so Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He then provided for all believers to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to not only walk in holiness but demonstrate the goodness and power of God in the earth! It meant mankind no longer had to live in depravity if they accepted the fullness of the Godhead through believing, receiving and doing the works of Jesus. Those who believed had gained the power over sin and the darkness of satan’s kingdom, but still the hearts of most of the people of earth rejected God’s standard.
“Now the judgment of this world is coming on [sentence is now being passed on this world]. Now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men to Myself.” John 12:31-32.
Soon after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus the Apostles gathered to wait for the promised Holy Spirit as Jesus had directed. Immediately after the Holy Spirit touched the 120 in the upper room Peter preached to the same Jews who crucified Jesus in the streets of Jerusalem. He raised their standard of living and being as he preached faith in Christ and 3,000 converts were made that day. A few days later 5,000 more received Jesus as Lord and Savior. The new standard had been raised and a new authority came upon the people of God.
The clash of kingdoms continued and the Dark Ages ruled over the western world for centuries from 476 AD to 1453 AD but the Lord was preparing to raise new standard bearers. At that time the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England had spread its control and authority over Western Europe and people who disagreed were burned at the stake. They suppressed those who would translate the Bible from Latin and print it in their own native language making it readily available to men, women and children to read for themselves. Men like Wycliffe, Hus and Martin Luther arose out of the darkness of spiritual oppression to wave the standard of righteousness and grace without works. Most of them like Tyndale were cruelly martyred but the standard they raised is still with us today.
Revivalists like Charles Finney, George Whitefield and John Wesley came as missionaries to the U.S. in the mid 1700’s raising the standard from lawlessness to righteousness. Even our leaders in Washington D. C. were affected. Like the revivals in Hebrides Scotland and Wales, the atmosphere was changed and people who were in bars and carousing became convicted without a preacher and ran to the churches to be saved. It was two old women who had prayed for years for revival in the Hebrides, and Evan Roberts who interceded for revival in Wales.
God is looking over the earth today to see who will be His standard bearers in this generation, at this time. Who will rise and stand declaring the incorruptible word of God? Who will go against the tide of public opinion and declare the Way, the Truth and the Life? Who will willingly bow down and pray for another move of God to affect not only our nation but all the nations of the world?
Lawlessness and immorality abound but we are the generation in this day and in this hour God expects to raise up His standard of righteousness and holiness not only in word but also in deed! People are not the problem, it is dark principalities and powers over our cities and our nations that have been allowed to rule there for too long. It is time to raise the battle cry. It is time to lift the banner of Christ Jesus and declare and decree His word in the streets. We have the world’s answer. It’s not politics; and it’s not factions that change things. It is the Kingdom of God that ushers in righteousness and peace.
Men and women through the ages have willingly held up the standard of God before the people. They did not bow their heads in shame as God moved passed them; they said like the prophet Isaiah, “Lord, send me”.
If we won’t go, who will? If we won’t step up now when will we be willing to? What will it take to motivate us to rise and shine with the good news of Jesus Christ? The Lord is coming soon for His children. This is the time when the wheat and the tares are being separated. This is the time for the sons of God to come forth and be revealed. Is the church going to run and hide or are we going to join together and raise the standard of Christ before the whole world?
”The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38. We are entering the greatest days of the church. It is our privilege to usher in our soon coming King, to raise the standard so that all may see Jesus is LORD!
