Praise and Worship Flags - Making Flags

Flag making can be easy and even more meaningful with more understanding. Just as the colors have important meanings so does the size and shape of your flags. Some common shapes are a square, pennant, swallow tail and flag shaped like a shield. A swallow tail has the V shape at the end of the flag, which indicates war. A national flag that has this shape on the tail or has a streamer attached with this shape indicates that they are heading into battle. A shield shape would indicate protection, or a covering such as the Blood of Jesus. You can become even more creative with other tails of flags, such as rippled for water and flames for fire. On some of the flags I have even used four points to represent the four corners of the earth.

God is a God of order and numbers are a part of that order. Here is a description of what some of these numbers mean that are used in the Bible;

1 - Unity (Genesis 2:24) becoming one flesh.
2 - Additional help/strength (Ecclesiastics 4:9-12)
3 - Trinity (Matthew 28:19)
4 - Four corners of the earth (Revelations 7:1)
5 - A full quiver (Psalm 127:5)
6 - Man (Revelation 13:18)
7 - God/perfection (Revelation 1:4)
8 - Complete, acceptable (Ezekiel 43:27; Acts 7:8)
9 - Birth or new life, revelation Leviticus 25:22; Luke 23:44; 45; Mark 15:34; Acts 10:3)
10 - Covenant via commandments (Exodus 20)
12 - Order/foundation (Revelation 21:12; 14)
14 - 2 times 7
21 - 3 times 7
24 - Heavenly worship (Revelation 11:16)
30 - Beginning of ministry (Luke 3:23)
40 - Endurance and testing (Genesis 7:4; Exodus 24:18; 16:35; Jonah 3:1 - 5; Matthew 4:2)
50 - Pentecost (Acts 2:1)
70 - Average life span (Psalm 90:10)

These numbers may be helpful when considering what size flags to make.

I tend to put flags that are five foot and larger on a fishing rod so they can be extended up over people's heads. The men have had many years to perfect the fishing rod for comfort and strength. I clip the last foot off the end so the rod does not flex quite as much. The fishing rod is also prophetic as we are fishing for lost people and desire to reel them in to God's presence. I have found that when determining what size rod to use, it depends on the length of the flag I am using. With a seven foot long flag I would use at least a seven to twelve foot rod. Or for a twelve foot long flag, at lease a twelve foot rod or larger. The smaller flags can be put on a wooden dowel or a metal spinning rod for those that want to spin the flags really fast.

When making the smaller flags I put one and a half inches wide of contact paper on the inside of the flag. This makes a nice sewing line to keep the sleeve straight, and it fits perfectly around a 3/8" dowel. A one and a half inch wooden ball works well for a handle and 3/8" vinyl tubing is great for spacing between the handle and flag. Once the flag is installed on the rod, a cap on the tip of the dowel will keep the flag from flying off. This makes them free spinning just like the metal free spinning rods but they are not as heavy to use and do not hurt the fingers and hands with lots of practice.

There are many fabrics that can be used for making flags. I use primarily silk because it flies and dyes so well. When dying a whole flag I prefer to sew up the flag with silk thread before I dye it. If you use regular thread, it will not dye like the silk, so it will not match in color. After dying the silk, I then iron the damp silk dry, which helps the thread to become one with the fabric. When combining several colors, they run off the edge instead of having a border of another color of thread running around the flag. I started out using the RIT brand of dye that you can buy in the grocery store. I just followed the directions and have found the color in the flags to be very durable. There is a wonderful source to buy silk and dyes called Dharma Trading Company. (http://www.dharmatrading.com) Dharma is also a wonderful source for information on how to dye fabric as well.

There are other fabrics that work well as flags such as silk essence, sheer elegance and tissue lame. If you are looking for some heavier fabric for warfare flags, taffeta works really well for making good warfare sounds, but I highly recommend keeping the heavier fabric for smaller flags. I have also seen camouflage fabric used for warfare as well.

Please keep in mind that flags are not an idol, and they are not to be worshiped!. I fully understand the amount of time, care and designing that goes into the flags. Due to the amount of work, the meaning and purpose of the flag can cause it to become very valuable to the maker or to someone who appreciates the message. Please make sure the focus stays on the purpose and usage of the flag, and that is to draw others unto our Heavenly Father or proclaim our love for Him.

My prayer for you is that this article will help to provide you with the tools you need to create your own flags and use them victoriously. We have a creative God who made each of us uniquely different for various opportunities and purposes. If we will allow His Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct us in all our ways, He will show us what is needed so we will be ready to minister to those He has placed us with at the right time.

As you read God's Word, I pray the words will not only bring new life into you, but also a new revelation visually. A picture can speak a thousand words and also leave an imprint in your mind that can be unshakable. God is restoring what the enemy has twisted. This is the day of the ARTS to be used for His glory