I Know The Thoughts I Have Towards You!

When we are in ways of personal distress and sorrow, it can be a great comfort to hear a brother or sister say, "I will be thinking about you." Then a mother says to her daughter who is experiencing a particular and secret trial, "You will be in my prayers and thoughts." Or a parent says to a child who will face a lonely way or a way of testing, "I will remember you. I will carry you in my heart and in my thoughts." In those words, "I will be thinking about you," we wish to convey two things. First, our love. To be mindful of another person in his trial and sorrow is the essence of love. Secondly, we express our helplessness. We are saying that the other person is beyond our ability to help. Therefore, although those words are very reassuring, their thoughts cannot actually change anything.

Soaring far above that is the Word of God that we find in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." God says that, moment by moment, He thinks of us; that there is a constant stream of divine thought towards His children in Christ; and that never, for one moment, are we out of those thoughts.

The present state of the earth right now was as the time of Noah when the righteous were mocked, woredom was the order of the day, jungle justice prevalent everywhere and abuse was a constant phenomena. God looked down and was hurt because of the Love raging in His heart. "This wasn't my purpose, this wasn't what I envisioned, envisaged" and "it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth and it grieved Him at His Heart" Gen 6:6.

God knows your present state and just as the days of Noah, He is always interested bringing things back to place for He is the Creator. Psalm 100:3.

The United States of America is a key example of a Nation that was thrown into great confusion. The past Government implemented certain Laws to enact sodomy even celebrated it with a rainbow colouring the White House. The present ruler (Donald Trump) came in against all standard of political rules and laws, modulus Operandi and vivendi. People concluded even myself that He is a looser, the media even freely published, broadcasts against him. All sort of videos about His past was released even to the extent that false ratings were given about Him but God had a plan and He won to the amazement of all. Within these few days we could all see what he had done using executive orders... We could see America coming to the for front as a light as she has always been why? God has a plan.

We read in Psalm 40:17, "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me." Still more: God tells us in those words of Jeremiah what His thoughts are. They are thoughts of peace, not evil, a peace flowing from the cross of Calvary. And still more: God tells us that His thoughts are not impotent. They are not only well-meaning and sympathetic, but they are powerful. By His thoughts He will give to us an expected end, the end that He had decreed and promised.

What Should I Know/Do?

Do you live in that comfort? Does it strengthen and cheer you? Does it humble you? Does it lift you up with a holy joy and confidence? Your God thinks on you!

Now this Word of God comes to us today. We are not to live in the false hopes of the world, or the false hopes that we ourselves would devise. Nor are we to despair in ways of trial and loneliness. But we are to find our comfort where alone it can be found. That alone can be God, and in the truth that God thinks about us.

What a profound truth it is. The almighty God thinks upon us from eternity to eternity. Every moment of our being and existence His thoughts of mercy and lovingkindness in Christ are upon us

Lifting Prayers

Dear Lord, With everything, body, soul and Spirit I give You praise, I give You glory, I magnify your righteous name. To you alone be all the glory! Thank you for your thoughts towards me. Lord how comforting to know I am in Your heart, Your Thoughts and Your Plan! Thank You dear Lord. Today give me confidence, lead me to your Truth, teach me your ways, enlarge my focus solely on you dear Lord. Help me to re-discover my purpose and bring me to walk with You constantly in the paths everlasting. Heal the world exposing them to your Truth. Amen!

Twitter@elanfaith

Total Submission~{What Will Jesus Do?}

What if a ruler, the one to whom we are to submit, is an oppressive person? What if he is just incompetent or stupid, and we know better how to do the job that he is supposed to be doing? What if the person is sexually immoral or financially greedy? Does God still want us to submit? What protection do we have in these kinds of circumstances?

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. proverb 29:2

Abomination that is it, those in authority often do evil. They might have serious character flaws that catch their victims in the effects of their flaws. What is so maddening is that they justify their ways seeing them as good and they will turn around and blame the innocent for the evils that occur.

 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the LORD weighs the spirits. proverb 16:2

For example, the proverb says that "all the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes." The incompetent man does not think to himself, "I am really dumb, stupid, idiotic, and should not even have this job." The sexually immoral person does not see himself as perverse. Most prostitutes will say, "Yes, I am doing wrong according to the law, but I am providing a needed and wanted service. If it were not, I would have no customers." They justify themselves; they are pure in their own eyes.

Consider the enemies of Jesus. They felt justified in taking His life on the grounds that He was stirring up the people. No one on earth has ever been more innocent, yet they justified what they were doing because the people were being stirred up by Him. They accused Him of being a revolutionary, a threat to community stability.

If we are in a position like this under an oppressive ruler who justifies the way he is doing things, and we are suffering the effects of his actions we feel like powerless pawns being taken advantage of. We feel that he is denying us the liberty to do what we want. Should we submit or rebel?

To know what to do, we must look at what Jesus did in a similar circumstance. This is not an occasion in which the authority figure demands submission, and in submitting, we must break the law of God. The situation does not involve being forced to sin, but simply submitting to one who is unreasonable and oppressive.

John 19:10 is part of Jesus' trial for His very life before Pilate, and occurs after He was scourged: "Then Pilate said to Him, 'Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?'" He could choose to do either. Pilate was a corrupt official. His record, according to secular history, was not at all good. The Jews despised him for his harsh ways.

"Jesus answered, 'You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin'" (John 19:11). His response is very meaningful. It clearly shows His attitude, His approach, to every circumstance of His life.

To be in the same frame of mind, we must ask ourselves, "Do we see God?" Is He really a part of our lives? Is He really running this creation? Is He really sitting at the controls of things? Is He really aware of us as individuals? Does He have every hair on our heads numbered? Are we really the apple of His eye? Are our lives really in His hands? Have we really given them to Him, or are we holding part of ourselves in reserve?

"You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above." Jesus saw life very clearly and simply: that God was in complete control of everything going on in the universe. Not that everything was being directed by Him in the sense that He was causing it to occur, but that Jesus believed with every fiber of His being that God was with Him all the time, everywhere, and at every moment. He knew that His life was in His Father's hands and that Pilate could do nothing against Him unless God allowed it.

Would God have us submit, or be faced with submitting, to somebody who was cruel, hard-hearted, incompetent, sexually unbalanced, perverted, stupid, or financially greedy? Would He have us live and work under such a person? He put His own Son in that position! Everything at Jesus' trial and crucifixion looked as though it was totally stacked against Him. Carnally, it seems as if He had every right to rebel. He could have replied, "Do you not know to whom you are doing this?" Instead, He says, in paraphrase, "You would not have the power to do anything except that My Father passed on this. And He is now looking at Me to see how I am going to respond. Will I submit to the authority that He has permitted to be over Me right now?"

What Should I Know/Do? Do we see God in our lives like this? We have to begin to look at ourselves differently than the way people in the world look at themselves. We must decide whether we are in God's hand or not. Do we have the faith to trust that we are, and that these constituted authorities are also in His hand? Do we believe that He is aware of what is going on and that He deeply cares about what we will do in each situation? As He did with Abraham, He must know what kind of witness we are going to make.

Lifting Prayers

Dear Lord, with everything, my body, soul and Spirit, I surrender to Your rulership, Power and Spirit. Teach me to always Look at the Cross where answers lie. Help me to lead a life of truth. Grant unto me Help from above for only You can. Ignite my focus teaching my heart submission in all you bring along my path. For your glory, I surrender. May I see through your eyes in every situation and submit knowing that you are involved in all. Heal the world through your Spirit and Let my Life give glory to your name! Amen.

Twitter@elanfaith

Priscilla and Aquila

Priscilla and Aquila were a first century Christian missionary couple described in the New Testament. They became the honored and much-loved friends and ministry partners with the Apostle Paul. He was generous in his recognition and acknowledgment of his indebtedness for them. They have been called the most famous couple in the Bible since they are mentioned seven times and are always named as a couple. Of those seven times, five times Priscilla's name is mentioned first. They were tentmakers by trade.

Priscilla was a woman of Jewish heritage and one of the earliest known Christian converts who lived in Rome. Her name is a Roman diminutive, or nickname, for Prisca. Some scholars have advanced a case for Priscilla being the author of the New Testament Book of Hebrews. She was married to Aquila (Greek ?????? Akúlas), originally from Pontus, who also was a Jew who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised by God to the Jews. Aquila had the family name of the commander of a legion and means "eagle."

Travels and ministries

Priscilla and Aquila fled Rome during the Jewish persecution under Claudius, 49 or 50, and settled in Corinth. There they hosted Paul, also a tentmaker by trade, on his first visit to the town (Acts 18:1 ff). They accompanied Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19) where they instructed the eloquent and brilliant Alexandrian preacher, Apollos. He knew and preached boldly to the crowds only the baptism of John and nothing of salvation through Christ. "When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately" (Acts 18:26).

The Apostle Paul lived with them there for three years during his third missionary journey. A Christian church met in their house (1 Corinthians 16:19). They left Ephesus and returned to Rome (Acts 19:24-40) where another church met in their house (Romans 16:3-5). Probably because of the persecution of Nero, they soon left Rome and settled again at Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19).

Pauline affirmations

The Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, recollects about his faithful disciples: "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles." (Romans 16:3-4, NASB).

In 2 Timothy 4:19 (NASB), Paul asks Timothy to "Greet Prisca and Aquila...."

The seven biblical references to Priscilla and Aquila

1. Acts 18:2-3. There he (Paul) met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
2. Acts 18:18. Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
3. Acts 18:19. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila.
4. Acts 18:26. He (Apollos) began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
5. Romans 16:3-4. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
6. 1 Corinthians 16:19. The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
7. 2 Timothy 4:19. Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus..

Priscilla and Aquila were a first century Christian missionary couple described in the New Testament. They became the honored and much-loved friends and ministry partners with the Apostle Paul. He was generous in his recognition and acknowledgment of his indebtedness for them. They have been called the most famous couple in the Bible since they are mentioned seven times and are always named as a couple. Of those seven times, five times Priscilla's name is mentioned first. They were tentmakers by trade.

Priscilla was a woman of Jewish heritage and one of the earliest known Christian converts who lived in Rome. Her name is a Roman diminutive, or nickname, for Prisca. Some scholars have advanced a case for Priscilla being the author of the New Testament Book of Hebrews.^ [1]^^[2]^ She was married to Aquila (Greek ?????? Akúlas), originally from Pontus, who also was a Jew who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised by God to the Jews. Aquila had the family name of the commander of a legion and means "eagle."

Travels and ministries

Priscilla and Aquila fled Rome during the Jewish persecution under Claudius, 49 or 50, and settled in Corinth. There they hosted Paul, also a tentmaker by trade, on his first visit to the town (Acts 18:1 ff). They accompanied Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19) where they instructed the eloquent and brilliant Alexandrian preacher, Apollos. He knew and preached boldly to the crowds only the baptism of John and nothing of salvation through Christ. "When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately" (Acts 18:26).^ [3]^

The Apostle Paul lived with them there for three years during his third missionary journey. A Christian church met in their house (1 Corinthians 16:19). They left Ephesus and returned to Rome (Acts 19:24-40) where another church met in their house (Romans 16:3-5). Probably because of the persecution of Nero, they soon left Rome and settled again at Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19).^[4]^

Pauline affirmations

The Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, recollects about his faithful disciples: "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles." (Romans 16:3-4, NASB).

In 2 Timothy 4:19 (NASB), Paul asks Timothy to "Greet Prisca and Aquila...."

The seven biblical references to Priscilla and Aquila

1. Acts 18:2-3. There he (Paul) met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
2. Acts 18:18. Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
3. Acts 18:19. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila.
4. Acts 18:26. He (Apollos) began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
5. Romans 16:3-4. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
6. 1 Corinthians 16:19. The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
7. 2 Timothy 4:19. Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus.

Melchizedek king of Salem.

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he wasthe priest of God Most High. (19) And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of God Most High,Possessor of heaven and earth; (20) And blessed be God Most High,Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all. (21) Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” (22) But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, (23) that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that isyours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'—Genesis 14:18-23

Melchizedek seems to appear out of nowhere, without any warning. Aside from a prophecy in the Psalms, this is the sole reference to Him until the book of Hebrews. Not only is this the Bible's first appearance of Melchizedek, but it is also the first time that a priest is mentioned. Furthermore, despite Melchizedek being called a priest, the text makes no mention of sacrifices—understandable since, as the One who would later be called Jesus Christ, He had no need for propitiation to come before God on another's behalf.

Notice also that the priest approaches theman on behalf of God, and not the other way around. This illustrates that God initiates the relationship and not man (John 6:44). It is impossible for man toworship God properly without His involvement first. We see Melchizedek bringing bread and wine, the symbols of the New Testament Passover, rather than a lamb and bitter herbs that were used in the Passover in Egypt. (As an aside, “bread” here is a general term in Hebrew, referring to either leavened or unleavened bread.)

This is also the first time God's title of “Most High” is used. It is used four times in this section on the eve of this Passover. Understanding how and where this divine title is used will help us realize how much of a blessing the Passover is to us.

Both Melchizedek and Abram tack on the description, “the possessor of heaven and earth.” We should consider the nature and the character of that “Possessor.” A landlord may possess a piece of property yet not care a whit about the tenants so long as the rent is paid. This, however, is not the way the Most High feels about His possessions. It is apparent from the rest of the Book that His ownership includes more care and concern for His possessions than we can fathom. His governance in the affairs of men springs from His will and purpose, which, despite human failure to understand them, can be described only as good.

Melchizedek ties the title “possessor of heaven and earth” with the fact that He delivered Abraham's enemies into his hand, showing just how interested the Most High God is in the affairs of men. He is interested enough that He will show Himself strong on behalf of His people and will judge the unrighteous. Without exception, whenever “Most High” is used in Scripture, God is shown blessing His people with whatever is needed for His perfect will to be accomplished, whether that blessing is of knowledge, physical provision, or especially defense and deliverance from enemies. He blesses His people with His perfect personal involvement.

The New Testament records a striking example of this. In Luke 1, the angel tells Mary that her Son will be called “the Son of the Highest,” the New Testament equivalent of “the Son of the Most High.” It is the same title. Just a few verses later, the angel tells Mary that this would take place because “the power of the Highest”—or the power of the Most High God—“would overshadow” her.

Again, we see God's people being blessed with His involvement in order to bring His perfect will to pass. In this case, His blessing includes the supernatural conception of the Son of God, which, as God promised Abraham, will end up being a blessing to all of mankind (Genesis 12:3). This sort of implication is made whenever the title, “the Most High,” is used.

Focus On Spiritual Things

1 Corinthians 2:12

As the apostle Paul begins his first letter to the Corinthians, knowing that he is writing to a congregation divided among various factions, he patiently explains to them what makes them different from those in the world yet at the same time unites the members of the church. He, of course, refers to God's Holy Spirit, given to all Christians at conversion by the laying on of hands. The apostle John calls it "the anointing which you have received from Him" (I John 2:27), implying that Christians have been ordained, and thus set apart or sanctified, to a task or office that others have not been given.

This sets up a dichotomy. On the one side are Christians who have freely received God's Spirit, and on the other are all other human beings who, Paul says, have received "the spirit of the world" (see also Ephesians 2:2). Thus, there is a clash of spirits, a collision of motivating forces, at work between the Christian and the world. The apostle writes in Galatians 5 that the two spirits are diametrically opposed, one producing "the works of the flesh," while the other bears "the fruit of the Spirit" (verses 16-25). In fact, he declares in Romans 8:7, "The carnal mind is enmity against God"; the worldly person, imbibing of the spirit of this world, lives in hostility to God and cannot do what God commands.

The Spirit from God, though, removes the human hostility and allows the Christian to know—that is, realize, understand, and use—the gracious gifts of God. These gifts are predominantly spiritual blessings rather than physical ones. Jesus advises His disciples not to worry about food, drink, and clothing because God knows that physical human beings need such things to live (Matthew 6:25-32). Instead, He says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (verse 33). The Christian's mind is to be focused on God's goal and godly things that will propel him along the way there, and he can do this only by the many gifts bestowed through God's Spirit.

Paul's focus in this passage seems to be on knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Earlier, he had mentioned that God has chosen to spread the gospel message through preaching, which the worldly Greeks considered "foolishness" (I Corinthians 1:23). Yet, this only exposes the fact that the Greeks did not have the ability to understand spiritual matters, and God would ultimately confound them in their "wisdom" through weak and foolish people preaching a "foolish" message of a crucified Savior. The difference is that those weak and foolish people possess a Spirit that comes directly from the Creator God that allows them to know the truth in all its divine splendor.

Thus, in terms of the apostle's overall goal in persuading the Corinthians that they should "be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (I Corinthians 1:10), he emphasizes that they have this one commonality, God's Holy Spirit, that makes all the difference to them as individuals and as a congregation. So, as he goes on to say, there is no reason for them to be so judgmental one against the other, for they all "have the mind of Christ" (I Corinthians 2:16). Having one mind and being all in one Body of Christ, as he later discusses (I Corinthians 12:12-27), dividing themselves into cliques is both counterproductive and contrary to God's purpose.

The Power Of Prayer

The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." No matter the person praying, the passion behind the prayer, or the purpose of the prayer - God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, we will come to understand that in time. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully!

We cannot access powerful prayer by using "magic formulas." Our prayers being answered is not based on the eloquence of our prayers. We don't have to use certain words or phrases to get God to answer our prayers. In fact, Jesus rebukes those who pray using repetitions, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7-8). Prayer is communicating with God. All you have to do is ask God for His help. Psalm 107:28-30 reminds us, "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." There is power in prayer!

God's help through the power of prayer is available for all kinds of requests and issues. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." If you need an example of a prayer, read Matthew 6:9-13. These verses are known as the Lord's prayer. The Lord's prayer is not a prayer we are supposed to memorize and simply recite to God. It is only an example of how to pray and the things that should go into a prayer - worship, trust in God, requests, confession, protection, etc. Pray for these kinds of things, but speak to God using your own words.

*What Should I Know/Do?*

The Word of God is full of accounts describing the power of prayer in various situations. The power of prayer has overcome enemies (Psalm 6:9-10), conquered death (2 Kings 4:3-36), brought healing (James 5:14-15), and defeated demons (Mark 9:29). God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom (James 1:5). The power of prayer should never be underestimated because it draws on the glory and might of the infinitely powerful God of the universe! Daniel 4:35 proclaims, "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'"

Prayers does alot than we could ever imagine. When we pray, we reason with God in communication with Him and our answers comes based on His approval and His approval is always on your best interest. If He doesn't approve, be still and keep on praying. Prayers does alot than our efforts. Our efforts are based on our understanding but our prayers are based on His approval and it must be from a righteous lips, a broken spirit and a contrite heart praying according to His will. Whenever you feel like not praying anymore that's when to pray! Pls pray.

*Lifting Prayers*
Our Heavenly Father glory be to Your Holy name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Teach us Lord to pray. Give us grace like no other. Breathe upon our spirit, enlighten our soul and strengthen our feeble knee. With our hearts we reach towards You dear Lord with all that we are and all we have. Receive all the Glory, honour and Thanksgiving. Help others to look towards you alone. Heal the world Lord. Amen!

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The Faith Of Deborah (a female judge and prophetess).

During the historical period of the Judges, Israel often turned to idolatry; and as a result, God punished them by causing them to suffer under harsh rulership of neighboring nations. One such time was when King Jabin, ruling in Hazor of Canaan, harshly oppressed Israel for 20 years. The Israelites finally cried out to God for deliverance (Judges 4:3).

It was during this time of King Jabin’s oppressive rule that we first read of Deborah. Judges 4:4-5 simply states: *“Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.* … And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.”

In the next two verses, we read that Deborah “sent and called for Barak …, and said to him, ‘Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand’?”

She called for Barak to lead Israel in a war against the mighty armies of Jabin and his general Sisera, by utilizing only a very small army of Israelites to do so. God was planning to defeat these foreign armies and deliver Israel.

It is important to note that Barak is listed in the Faith Chapter (Hebrews 11:32). Yet we see that it was Deborah who called upon him to act in faith. It is also interesting to note that Barak said he would only go against the enemy if Deborah went with him (Judges 4:8).

Deborah saw Barak’s less-than-confident attitude, and she reassured him that she would surely go with him. Then she also prophesied that the glory of killing Sisera, God’s enemy, would not go to Barak, but “the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman” (verse 9).

Because of Deborah’s strong, confident, commanding words to Barak and her presence with him, Barak did take 10,000 Israelite troops down from Mount Tabor as commanded. “And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak” (Judges 4:15). Barak then pursued the fleeing chariots and army of Sisera and killed them all.

But Sisera fled away and ended up being killed by a woman named Jael. God’s prophecy had come to pass, as He had spoken through Deborah.

Deborah’s faith in God and her decisive leadership and service to God were undeniable. This was at a time when faith was seriously lacking in Israel.

*What Should I Know/Do?*

Deborah is a shining example of a woman with faith in God who arose as a light to her people. She turned many of her countrymen to service to God and faith at a time when it was sorely needed. How much faith and commitment do we have in serving God as she did?

Sisters use marriage as a basis to stay impotent, unuseful to their calling and destiny. Some even quit their marriage in career pursuit believing that marriage is a drawback in fulfilling destiny. Look at Deborah, she was a family woman well respected also as a judge, filled with the Spirit of God! Thou art inexcusable oh woman.

She then recounted the difficulties Israel was facing, the highways were deserted, village life had ceased—“until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7). She was valued as a “mother in Israel”, a title of honor and renown. Her actions helped to save Israel from further oppression.

*Lifting Prayers*
Dear Lord, I thank you for your word to me today, I bless your most Holy name! I ask for your hands in my Life, I ask for your Spirit for without you I can do nothing. Increase my faith in You, make me a judge as Deborah, filled with faith and power to help those who are oppressed both physically and spiritually. Help me to be successful family man/woman, also a successful child. Increase my strength daily in you and make me realize it's not late seeking you no matter how old I am or what I have lost. Give me grace to recover all like Deborah did. Blessed be your holy name. Amen

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