Our Victory Song~

Tuesday greetings ~

Remember how at the beginning of Deborah's story Barak was hesitant to lead his army of 10,000 unless Deborah went with him?  She agreed because she wasn’t afraid to get in the fight, and this goes to show us all that women can be powerful in their families, jobs, and communities.  There is nothing wrong with that, but in this case God had already clearly said the enemy would fall, yet Barak wanted Deborah to come along anyway.  When God calls us to take the lead—man or woman—and we waffle, there is a price to pay.  In this case, Barak learned that ultimately, the leader of the opposing army, Sisera, would die at the hands of a woman.  Ouch!

And this is where our story picks up.  Sisera had “escaped on foot,” leaving all his troops to die.  He “ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber’s family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor.”  Sisera was the commander of King Jabin’s army, so Sisera, no doubt, felt confident that if Heber’s family was on friendly terms with the king, he would be safe.

Judges 4:18-20 “Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come into my tent, sir. Come in. Don't be afraid." So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.”

“Please give me some water," he said. "I'm thirsty." So she gave him some milk from a leather bag and covered him again.” "Stand at the door of the tent," he told her. "If anybody comes and asks you if there is anyone here, say no."

Perhaps Sisera felt doubly safe in the tent of a woman, especially one so courteous and comforting. 

But…

Judges 4:21 “When Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died.”

After this amazing victory – when Israel’s enemy was justifiably crushed – the people broke out in songs of joy. 

My prayer for us today is the last line of that victory song:

Dear Lord, “May all Your enemies perish, O Eternal One!  But may we who love You be like the sun, rising and going forth with power!”  AMEN!!!

Not a single one was left alive...

Happy Thanksgiving,

I am thankful for each of you, and I am thankful that God loves us.  There’s nothing we can do for Him to love us anymore or any less.  Praise His holy name!

On to Deborah!

Her encouraging words to Barak were to get up and meet the enemy head on because the “Lord has gone on ahead and taken the lead…”

If God has gone on ahead of us, what exactly is He doing?

In this case, when “Barak attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic. Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot. Then Barak chased the chariots and the enemy army all the way to Harosheth-haggoyim, killing all of Sisera's warriors. Not a single one was left alive.”

God was preparing to create an advantageous panic so the enemy could be defeated.  In our case, we can confidently say that God is prepared to do whatever is necessary for us to have the victory.

But first, Barak had to attack. 

DO NOT FEAR. When we pray, when we seek Him, He causes our enemies to panic. “Not a single one will be left alive.”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that not one of my enemies will live to tell about it because You cause them to panic.  Right now I ask You to defeat and destroy anything that stands in the way of peace, health, and joy in my life and in the lives of those I love. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

 

GO! Rise up! Attack!

Tuesday greetings,

Today we continue our adventure with Deborah…

We are at the point where Barak and his 10,000 troops are about to come face to face with Sisera, all his men, and 900 chariots fitted with iron.  In Judges 4:14 Deborah gives Barak one final encouraging push, “GO! Rise up! Attack! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands.  Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?”

I must stop here and do my happy dance!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m back!

The LORD has gone ahead of us all.  He knows what the future holds; He knows what we need. He knows what our children need.  What our spouses need.  What our families and businesses need…

Other verses say, “The LORD has already gone out ahead of you,” “The LORD has taken the lead,” and God is marching before you.”  

I want to be like Deborah.  She knew Sisera had a more powerfully equipped army, but not as powerful as God.  She told Barak to get up and go.  I want to be able to tell people, using exclamation points, to move, get going, do what you have to do.  Don’t be afraid.  God is way ahead of you, and He has you covered.  Face your fears because God has already stared them in the face and won.   

One of the reasons we pray is because God has already seen our future.  He is the only One Who can fill our hearts with the blessings we need to go through life.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, No matter where we go, You are there.  You are in the lead, and we gladly follow.  Your way leads to life, joy, peace, faith, and hope.  Victory is ours because You have gone ahead of us.  You know what we need.  Send those heavenly blessings our way today. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Stay the Course~

 TGIF greetings,

 Yesterday we saw that Deborah called upon a man named Barak to organize an army of 10,000 men, and that she herself was not afraid to get into the fight; the plan was for them to meet up at the Kishon River.  But look at what Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go (Judges 4:8).”

Powerful truth of the day: It doesn’t matter what others do or don’t do.  We must stay the course. 

Even if no one else is encouraging you, or if they are putting conditions to their participation, no matter what the excuses and/or obstacles, we must stay focused and in prayer.  Why? Because in verse six it is “The Lord, the God of Israel, (Who) commands you, ‘Go!’” Deborah is not giving orders for orders sake.  As the Judge over the nation at the time, she and God had close communication.  The people knew this as they had recognized her in her God-given position for years.  Barak should have known better, and we should too.  We have the precious Holy Bible as our guide repeatedly encouraging us to “fight the good fight,” “run the course,” “pray without ceasing,” “make our petitions known…”

Nevertheless, Deborah answers, “Certainly I will go with you, but because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.”

There is a price to pay for backing down. For Barak it was a loss of honor.  Really a shame, if you think about it, because he did go on to organize an army of 10,000, and that is no small feat. 

But there is also glory to be had when we do as the Lord asks.  There are chains of addiction that are broken, there are negative emotions that are crushed, there are relationships restored, and countless other blessings that come as a result of our staying in the fight!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Do not let us lose focus.  It is easy to make excuses and get distracted from our daily walk with You.  Sometimes we feel alone – as though no one else will join us in our struggles.  It does not matter.  With You on our side, the victory is at hand! In Jesus’ name, AMEN~