When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood, Walk on the Water!

Everyone walks through seasons when the enemy comes in like a flood and tries to drown you. It’s easy to look around and feel overwhelmed by the raging waters, the strong wind and the rain. During a “flood” seasons you’ll feel like your spiritual and emotional strength are being washed away, but the Lord Jesus Christ has proven the wind and the ways still obey Him.

Staying connected to God’s Holy Spirit will keep you above the waters sent by a violent enemy who seeks to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10) from God’s people. You don’t have to be his victim! The violent wind and the floods will come and go, but they don’t have to destroy your life if you’re anchored to the Solid Rock!

Understanding the Isaiah 59:19 Commentary

In the book of Isaiah, a prophetic word was spoken about the Redeemer of Zion, Jesus Christ saying, “…when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19) 

The word “when” in Isaiah 59:19 ensures that the enemy will come in, he will attempt to rattle you. He will try and shake your faith. He will flood you with with troubles of every kind and on every side, but he is not stronger than the power of God! 

Why Does the Enemy Come in Like a Flood?

One of the biggest lies the enemy will try to get you to accept and believe is that he is more powerful than the King over the Flood. You are a child of God and you are entitled through Christ to the peace of God that Jesus’ blood paid for. Why does the enemy come in like a flood? Because he can.

In the fallen, sinful world, your Adversary has legal access to influence and operate among people who reject God, and through them the people of God “suffer violence” (Matthew 11:12) and have tribulations Jesus said would come. (John 16:33) “We know that we are children of God, [but] the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19, NIV)

Jesus said:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19, NIV)

As a child of God, you are in spiritual warfare against, “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12, MEV) You are also under the Lord’s hand and you are not alone in the flood. You serve a God who walks on the water.

Floods in the Bible Don’t Drown God’s People

Take heart, friend. The flood you’re experiencing isn’t the wrath of God sent to punish you. In the Old Testament, God promised He would never again send a flood to destroy people and He laid down His “bow in the cloud” (Genesis 9:13, ESV) once and for all as the sign of His promise. 

Your Heavenly Father is merciful. His compassion doesn’t fail, and He doesn’t send floods into your life to teach you a lesson. God is good and Light and He doesn’t partner with evil and darkness and He doesn’t break His promises.

In Psalm 29, David wrote:

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is over many waters…The Lord sits enthroned above the flood, the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:3-10-11, MEV)

When the floods of this world come (and they will!), or when the enemy comes in like a flood, God makes a way of peace where you can safely walk. 

• He leads you on the path out of the flood. “Your way is through the sea, and Your path in the great waters, and your footsteps are not seen.” (Psalm 77:19, MEV)
• He walks with you through the waters. “When you pass through waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.” (Isaiah 43:2, MEV)
• He gives you the plans to build an Ark. “Make an Ark out of cypress wood for yourself [and] this is how you must make it… I will establish My covenant with you, but you must go into the Ark.” and “By faith Noah, being divinely warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to save his family.” (Genesis 6:13-22 & Hebrews 11:7, MEV)

The Word of God presents a clear commentary on Christ’s nature: Jesus Christ the Son of God calms storms. He heals, restores, repairs, protects, and He set you free from the law of sin and death. You don’t have to fear the floods of the enemy, you need to put on the full armor of God for your defense, and fall at the feet of the King Enthroned over the Flood and worship Him.

What Does it Mean to Set up a Standard in the Bible?

If you’re experiencing a flood season in your life right now, where the enemy has come in to try and torment you or life’s trials are become too much to bear, the presence of God is the safest hiding place for your spirit, for your soul, your mind, will and emotions. 

Isaiah 59:19 says, “..when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19) But what does it mean to “lift up a standard”?

In war times, a standard is a flag with an emblem that is raised up high on a pole for all to see indicating that military forces were on the march advancing toward their enemy. The standard did two things:

1. The standard was raised so the warriors could identify each other amid the chaos of war
2. The standard was raised to let the enemy know exactly who was advancing against them to attack

In the book of Isaiah, the prophetic word about the Lord raising up a standard was referring to the Lord one day raising up a symbol that would not only rally the Army of God, but also signify the attack and defeat of Satan and his armies!

In the New Testament, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, believers are under a new covenant through Him. It is the name of Jesus Christ that is the battle standard that causes the enemy to flee. Jesus Himself said, “…if I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all men unto Me.” (John 12:32)

“The name of JESUS CHRIST is the standard in the Bible that causes the enemy to flee away in fear, to fear and tremble, and to submit and obey.”

~Alicia Purdy

Remember Mark 3:11, which says, “…whenever the unclean spirits saw [Jesus], they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” Demons flee, fear, and tremble when you call on the name of the Lord and lift high the name of Jesus because He is the battle standard of the Lord. Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave and He gave you the authority to do the same. (Luke 10:19-20)

The name of JESUS CHRIST is the standard in the Bible that causes the enemy to flee away in fear, to fear and tremble, and to submit and obey. Lift up the name of God to your enemy. Daily lift high the name of Jesus in your praise. He is the standard God has raised over the flood you’re in.

How Has God Raised Up Standard Over the Flood in Your Life?

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will show Himself to be the Rock of your Salvation, and He will provide for you higher ground upon which to stand or dry ground upon which to walk. The name of Jehovah – “Jehovah Nissi” – literally means that the Lord is the battle standard raised over your enemy. Exodus 15:3 says, “…the LORD is a Man of war.”

God doesn’t mess around when it comes to war with the enemy. He’s going to win. You may have to swim or tread water for a bit, or build yourself an ark, but you are not alone in the waters. 

So when the enemy comes in like a flood, the standard the Lord has sent you is JESUS CHRIST so LIFT HIM HIGH in your praise! 

Learn more about the 7 Hebrew Words for Praise and how each one helps create strength, intimacy, and fresh revelation as you understand more about God’s plan for praise in your life!

Deuteronomy 28:7 says, “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.” (MEV) 

The enemy will flee once he realizes you are anchored to the Rock that is Jesus Christ and that you cannot be moved. God fulfilled His promise to raise up a standard when He raised Jesus Christ from the dead!

• Psalm 66:5-6 says, “Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doings toward mankind. He turned the sea into dry land; they crossed the river on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.” 
• In Psalm 74:15, Asaph wrote, “You split the fountain and the flood; You dried up ever-flowing rivers.” 
• Psalm 77:16 says, “The waters saw You, O God. The waters saw You; they were afraid; the depths also trembled.” (MEV)
• Psalm 29 says this: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is over many waters… The Lord sits enthroned above the flood, the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” (v.3, 10-11)

David called the Lord “the Rock that is higher than I” and “the Rock of my Salvation” – and leaned heavily on those promises through the many flood seasons his life. You must do the same.

That doesn’t make the experience of the storm less violent or raging, but even if a rushing stream of troubles is starting to flow into your life, the promise you have through Christ is that you have a Rock you can cling to so you will not be swept away.

What Can You Do When the Enemy Tries to Drown You?

Satan absolutely and unequivocally fears the name of the Lord. Your enemy hates you, but He hates God more – that’s why he attacks you. Satan wants to ruin all that God loves and he uses the freewill choices of people to do it.

However, you will find “shelter under the shadow of the Almighty” in the secret place of God’s presence through praise and worship. As you behold the Lord in His presence, you are changed and transformed more and more into the image of God “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18) 

Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him, then, let us continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (MEV) Why must your sacrifice of praise be continual? Because the attacks of your enemy are continual!

“Why must your sacrifice of praise be continual? Because the attacks of your enemy are continual!”

~Alicia Purdy

You need the presence of God more and more, day by day, and sometimes moment by moment when life gets truly dark and difficult. The storms of life will pass! It is only through the Word of God, the dynamic power of the Holy Ghost, and the presence of the Lord in praise and worship that you will find the strength to withstand the enemy’s attempts to drown you. 

When the enemy comes in like a flood, as the Bible says he will in the Isaiah 59:19 commentary, you must lift high the Standard, the Banner of War God has given you, Jesus Christ, the King Over the Flood! A “flood” season can be as damaging as a “drought” season in your life, but you don’t have to drown or dry up. 

Here’s what you can do when the enemy comes in like a flood to try and drown you:

Don’t Drift Away When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood!

Don’t forget about the body of Christ, the Christian church in your life either! They are part of God’s winning strategy too! Other believers will help you stay afloat when the enemy comes in like a flood to destroy all you’ve built.

It’s not always easy, but it is always necessary.

1. “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are assembled in My name, there I am in their midst.” Matthew 18:19-20, MEV)
2. “Two are better than one, because there is a good reward for their labor together. For if they fall, then one will help up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has no one to help him up…And if someone might overpower another by himself, two together can withstand him.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12, MEV)
3. “Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but let us exhort one another.” (Hebrews 10:25, MEV)
4. “…teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16, MEV)
5. “When you come together, every one of you has a psalm, a teaching, a tongue, a revelation, and an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” (1 Corinthians 14:26, MEV)
6. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17, NIV)

Thought for today: When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood, Walk on Dry Land

It’s easy to defeat someone who doesn’t fix their eyes on Jesus, but it’s impossible to take down a believer who understands the true worship of God, who is fully armored with defensive protection like the helmet of salvation through Christ, who understands how to use their spiritual weapons, and who knows the battle belongs to the Lord. 

Many people struggle with feeling like the enemy is always coming in “like a flood”, and they live in a constant of being overwhelmed, but the interpretation of this passage must be looked at in light of God’s overcoming power through Christ, not Satan’s attempts to drown you. Satan is not more powerful than God!

“…it impossible to take down a believer who understands the true worship of God, who is fully armored with defensive protection like the helmet of salvation through Christ, who understands how to use their spiritual weapons, and who knows the battle belongs to the Lord.” 

~Alicia Purdy

The only reason of this variety of interpretation in such a negative light is that if your enemy can get you to focus on what’s happening in the natural, he knows you’ll never have the energy to look with spiritual eyes that see things in light of Christ’s victory.

Remember, the only time in the Bible that God used a flood to accomplish His purposes is in the destruction of sin. He did not send a flood into your life to teach you anything. Only your enemy wants to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10)

Never let Satan convince you that his flood is going to overpower you or destroy you. Anchor down onto the Rock! God has raised up a standard against the flood, because He is the King Enthroned Over the Flood!

PUSH BACK AGAINST THE ENEMY: “Fix Your Eyes on Jesus to See Victory!”