Sandi Ramsey has written an excellent article on intercessory worship that was published in May of 2000 on the Elijah list.  I have archived her article here.

Other writings: ----------------------------------------------- I recently came accross a prophetic vision through Consuming Fire ministries called the Song of Deborah.  This is a great encouragement and wake-up call for anyone who has sought clarification or confirmation of God's intended use for flags and dance in worship.

God has chosen the foolish things.

Using Your Flags

Practical Issues

Transporting: ----------------------------------------------- In a perfect world, your flags would never be rolled up.  In reality, I have never found a way to avoid rolling.  When transporting flags, this offers a degree of protection from crumpling of the fabrics.  I offer a carrying bag for your single flag, or pair of flags,  The carrying bag can keep the flags tightly rolled, and protect from soiling.  When you have a great number of flags, you have a real transportation problem.

Pressing: ----------------------------------------------- After a while, all of this rolling and transporting does wrinkle up your flags, and they begin to look a bit "tired."  An occasional ironing will keep your flags looking bright and fresh.  All of the fabrics can be pressed, if the right technique is used.  Lame' is the most particular, if the iron is too hot, it will melt.  Set your iron on a medium-low temperature, dry heat.  Use a squirt bottleof water to moisten the fabric before you touch it with the iron, and keep the iron moving.

Cleaning: ----------------------------------------------- It is most expedient to simply keep your flags from getting dirty.  If you have a disaster, and have to clean a flag, DO NOT DRY CLEAN!  There are glues and fixatives used on many of the flag edges that will not survive the process.  Wash by hand with a mild soap (Woolite, or dish soap), and try to handle the fabric as little as possible when it is wet.  Lay the flag flat to dry,(on a towel) or drape it over something like the back of a chair.  When it is completely dry, press as above.

Why Are We Doing This? Flags, as well as banners, are used in worship to exalt Jesus and His name before men and also before the powers of darkness.  They may also declare our redemption through Jesus and His Blood.   During worship or during ministry time, our flags proclaim the dominion of God's Kingdom and mark our spiritual territory.  They also serve to invite and usher in the presence of Holy Spirit.

The flag makes a proclamation before heaven and earth, angels and demons through the one raising the flag, on behalf of all those present, whom the flag bearer represents.  The flag bearer is truly "raising the standard" to rally the troops in spiritual unity.  The flag minister must be following Holy Spirit, who is also guiding the worship leader, the dance leader, and the covering of the house. If we all remain submitted to the Lord, He will ensure order, and be enabled to move in power through the unified body.

Other writings: ----------------------------------------------- I recently came accross a prophetic vision through Consuming Fire ministries called the Song of Deborah.  This is a great encouragement and wake-up call for anyone who has sought clarification or confirmation of God's intended use for flags and dance in worship.

Worship as Warfare: ----------------------------------------------- If you are a worship dancer, or flag minister, it goes without saying that you have a heart of worship.  I believe that an intercessory call also comes with the territory.  If I can assume on the basis of my own experience, you may have been conflicted and confused about intercession.  I had always seen myself as a "bench-warmer" intercessor.  If God was desperately  seeking someone to stand in the gap,  He would place a prayer burden on me, but for the most part, I didn't feel the unction.   This apparent conflict left room for the enemy to beat me up because I would rather worship than wail.

In worship, the flag may be speaking the heart of the people toward God, or God's heart toward His people.  It declares His awesome power, reminds Him, and us of His eternal word and covenant promises.  In warfare, The flag proclaims the Kingdom of God, and declares our authority over the powers of darkness.  We raise our flags in victory as we go in to battle, giving honor to The One who has already won all our battles.

Recently I have received confirmation on many fronts that our worship is intercession.  There is no choice to be made, no conflict of interests.  As we magnify the Lord with our praises, His presence naturally enforces our covenant rights, fulfils His promises, and releases Kingdom reality into our circumstances.  He is passionately seeking passionate worshipers to restore the tabernacle of David.  In that temple, there was no separation between God and Man, and it was 24 hour worship that replaced the veil, creating a safe interface between His holiness and our need. As Tommy Tenney puts it, that was "God's favorite house", and He has promised to re-create it in our day.

There is no reason you couldn't put each flag, or pair into its own bag, if all of that taking out and putting away suits your personality.  We simply use a large piece of sturdly fabric to contain the bundle of flags and keep them clean.   The roll is tied with ribbons to keep everything together.  We came to this solution after investing in a large gym bag to store the flags.  It looked good, but the flags get jumbled and banged up.  I like to lay my flags flat and roll them all up together.   This way, no one flag is rolled as tightly, and there is less wrinkling.

Sandi Ramsey has written an excellent article on intercessory worship that was published in May of 2000 on the Elijah list.  I have archived her article here.