Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Wake Up Call!

"And Deborah, a prophetess,
the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time...
The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel,
until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
They chose new gods; then was war in the gates...
Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song:
arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive,"
Judges 4:4, 5:7-8, 12

There is a woman in the Bible that is talked about a lot.
Many times people talk about her in a way,
that I don't think God ever intended
(but that's just my opinion).
And definitely the guy she worked with gets a bad rap.


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Deborah was a wife first, secondly a judge of Israel.
Her job as judge of Israel,
was to have a listening ear to what the Spirit of The Lord
had to say for His people.
Israel had not been caring much what God had to say for a while.
Which led to them being oppressed and occuppied by another country.
It got so bad that good people could not travel the main roads, the highways.
It is said that village life had ceased,
which not only means to cease,
but also to be flabby, and idle.
To me this is a picture of people with no hope at all.
You know what I mean?

The people cried out to God, it was just too much to bear.
They couldn't even draw water from the well in town, for fear of robbers.
It was really bad, Ya'll.
Here's the thing.
She heard from the Lord that it was time to move out,
to get those troops hustling.
Take back what was theirs and drive out the enemy.
She did. She told Barak, it was time, and what and where to go.
Barak did not trust in his ability to hear from God,
but he did trust in hers, so he wanted her to go with him.
(That's where all the fuss gets started,
people think Barak is a putz, but, I don't believe God does.
He is mentioned in the Hebrews Hall of Faith!).


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Why am I talking about Deborah today?
Because her name means
bee, orderly arrangement, to arrange words.
Our words mean so much.
We have the power to encourage, or to crush.
We have the power to stir individuals, entire families, neighborhoods,
places of work, churches, communities, nations.
By the orderly arrangement of our words.
Women with a Deborah heart not only are burdened for their family.
They see the big picture!
They are not satisfied with the status quo!
How about you?
Judges 5:7
Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel.
Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel."

Matthew 11:12
“…now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent take it by force.”

Ephesians 5:14
“ Therefore He says “Awake, you who sleep.
Arise from the dead. And Christ will give you light.”

Romans 13:11
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time
to awake out of sleep:
for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”

II Timothy 1:6
“Therefore I remind you
to stir up the gift of God which is in you…”

Hebrews 10:24
“And let us consider one another
in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,
and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

5 comments:

Denise said...

You are a very wise woman.

luvmy4sons said...

I just love reading your insights. My heart always gets light and happy, yet too I find myself pondering deep thoguhts as well...love it Maria or should I say Deborah!

Tiffany said...

Wooo! You're on a roll today girl!

Sharon Brumfield said...

I have always loved the story of Deborah.
She inspires me. In a time when women were not that high on the totem pole--she was willing to speak the truth.
I love Judges. It is a prime example of what can happen when we take God out of the picture.
I have heard people belittle the position of Deborah. Saying things like-well, the only reason God used a woman was because a man would not stand up.
We need men and women who are willing to hear from God and then open their mouths. It may not make sense to the body of Christ who God has chosen to use--but if He is being glorified and lifted up--what does it matter????
After all--He was the one who promised that if He would be lifted up HE would draw men to himself.
Thank you for this post.
I'm just catching up on post but this does not seem like raw cookie dough to me. ;)

She Rose Up said...

Denise, You are MUCH too kind! And VERY sweet!

Leslie! You are such a peach! Thank you! That's usually what I'm trying for, but you never know if it's working or not. Thanks for the encouragement, as always!

Thanks, Tiff!

Hey, Sharon! Welcome Home! We missed you! Thanks! I too appreciate Deborah, but I dislike the references people make to how God used her because a mna wouldn't do it. It is so unChristlike usually when it is said. They miss the point I believe. She had a part, so did Barak, so did Jael (or whatever her name was! I don't have time to look it up right now, but you know who I mean!)

I have come in contact with so many Hannah's and Deborahs in blogdom, I just have them on my mind alot!

Hope Ya'll are all having a fabulous weekend!

xoxox,
Maria

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What Does it Mean Anyway? "Free to Fly"...

Well, it's like this: Here are some of the Webster's Dictionary definitions of Free: a : having the legal and political rights of a citizen b : enjoying civil and political liberty c : enjoying political independence or freedom from outside domination d : enjoying personal freedom : not subject to the control or domination of another2 a : not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being : choosing or capable of choosing for itself...having a scope not restricted by qualification 7 a : not obstructed, restricted, or impeded ...Now, here are some of the Webster's Dictionary definitions of Fly:1 a : to move in or pass through the air with wings b : to move through the air or before the wind or through outer space c : to float, wave, or soar in the air ... a : to take flight ...6 : to work successfully ...Examples which apply from Websters: fly high : to be elated - fly in the face of or fly in the teeth of : to stand or act forthrightly or brazenly in defiance or contradiction of

What does this mean in my life? This means that in life we are meant to be free. While historically mankind has not always enjoyed the opportunity to fully appreciate what that means, we are so indescribably fortunate as to live in a time of the greatest spiritual, physical, financial and political freedom ever known. Freedom doesn't come cheap, nor does it come easy. But the best things in life don't come that way do they? As I write this I am struck by how this sounds like a political statement, and for me this is much more of a spiritual thing, but, same goes for that (political that is). Freedom doesn't come easy. And it's worth whatever fight you have to make to overcome in your life in order to live a life that succeeds. Now the questions is - what is success for you? What is your standard? In my mind what is needed is a definite target - because you can't hit and maintain a moving target. A stable, rock-solid, anchor with no variable, yet multi-faceted. Something pure, just and worthy. If you look at any web page of news you can see that our society is certainly lacking in this area. What a great time to live as a rebel! Nowadays to be a rebel, all you have to do is be willing to engage in the battle of life, while anchored to Christ!