Willing Women Warriors

The story of Deborah has been heavy on my heart lately. The thing is, we were created to be warriors. We are warrior women created to fight right along side the men next to us as we prepare for the upcoming victory God has promised us.

In Judges Chapter 4, we find Deborah - a prophet and Judge sent to speak life and hope to a hopeless world ~ a mouthpiece of God. In Judges 4:1-3 we find the Israelites once again doing evil. God turned them over to King Javin of Hazor - a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera. He oppressed the Israelites for 20 years. - - - enter Deborah.... yes a woman (Gasp!)

People around you may tell you that you shouldn't, couldn't or would never, but what is God telling you? Jeremiah 33:3 says "ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come." God's word is always greater than anyone else's will ever be. Why would a lioness need to worry about what a wee little ant says anyways? We need to stop seeing things we are not and start believing in a God who is. This is a battle and we are warriors.

Okay, back to Judges 4:6-7: Deborah sent for Barak and tells him it's time to go to war and that God will give him victory over Sisera. She tells him these things with grace and truth - truth in love, under the grace of God. We should constantly be calling each other up, not out. Proverbs 18:21 says our words can heal or hurt and Proverbs 31:26 says to speak with wisdom - where does wisdom come from? God of course. James 1:19 says we are to be slow to speak. Basically there's a whole lot throughout the Bible that instructs us to not be salty with our words and to call each other up and into our battle positions.

We see a lot of trust going on in Judges 4 - Deborah and Barak trusted God and His Word - they trusted in His promise. Psalm 9:10 assures us God will never abandon those to know God and trust in Him.

Deborah went into battle boldly - she trusted God and marched right into the frontlines of an all out war - in God trusting boldness.

John 8:44 shows us our true enemy is Satan - he's a liar, always has been and always will be. His greatest tactic is to remind us what we're not instead of who's we are. Satan knows your name, but calls you by your sin. God knows your sin, but calls you by your name.

Proverbs 3:5 says to trust God with all our hearts. God wants to use us. We just have to trust in Him.

In Judges 4:18-21 Jael enters. I love Jael - she is such a hospitable housewife - and a full-fledged, all in warrior for God. Jael used what she was good at, what she was gifted at - and finished the war. She put an end to the war once and for all by killing the head commander of the opposing side, Sisera. Deborah gave the Word from God that they were to go to war, Deborah and Barak led a battle into war, and Jael finished the battle. Talk about teamwork orchestrated by God! Deborah never once wavered, she was faithfully obedient through it all right from the beginning and all the way to the end.

In Judges 5, Deborah and Barak sing a duet together praising the willingness of God's people. When we are willing, God can move. Warriors must be willing. We need to be ready to battle, we need to be ready for war, but we also can trust faithfully and with bold confidence that victory is indeed ours.