Monday, February 21, 2011

“ Attracting The Eye of God ” - Part 2

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By Mary Lindow

The journey of Deborah is a declaration of the power of just ONE life, fully set apart for God.

Deborah stood as a prophetic representation; a suggestion that as a woman who may have been weaker in her physical attributes, she had the word of God! She had a history of going in and lighting the lamps. She had a history of hearing the voice of God in the secret place. So swiftly, when the hour came for her tangibly to go into war, she was ready. She was in the place to say yes because she knew the voice of her God.

Let’s continue to look at part 2 of the reason why
God was attracted to the life of Deborah.


Prophetess

Deborah functioned in the divine dimension of a spirit of wisdom and revelation. It was almost as if God had supernaturally, placed a divine compass in her, always guiding her to Him. The judging that Deborah did so well might have been because of her gift as a prophetess. She would have been able to make wise decisions if she saw well in the Spirit. She was humble, willing and wise.

In Matthew Henry's Commentary, he writes:
She was a woman of illuminations, or of splendors, one extraordinarily known and wise, and so came to be eminent and illustrious. She was intimately acquainted with God, she was a prophetess, and one that instructed others in divine knowledge by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and had gifts of wisdom, to which she attained not in an ordinary way; she heard words of God, and she probably saw visions of the Almighty. She was totally devoted to Israel. After Jehovah, Israel was her first love.

Deborah was one who received fresh instructions from heaven, and though she knew how evil the oppression of King Jabin was, she also knew that with God anything is possible! Something in Deborah knew how to pull on the sources of heaven, standing in the guidance of the Lord (Jer. 23) and open her mouth and let Him fill it (Psa. 81:10).

Mother of Israel
What made this woman a mother of Israel?
Deborah loved well. Imagine facing the unending line of people all needing a touch of heaven. Imagine her tired eyes looking out on the faces of His design as she felt the ache in their hearts for God. They had come so far, how could they leave empty handed? The eleven other scattered tribes of Israel walked for miles and risked their lives on the dangerous highways as they struggled through to hear from God, through Deborah's voice.

The highways were deserted, and the travelers walked along the byways. Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates. (Judges 5:6-8).

I believe that Deborah could hear the groans of the Israelites who were oppressed for 20 years and feel the throbbing pain in God's heart over His people's sin and oppression. I believe that it was her ability to hear His heartbeat that allowed her to save a nation in a day. Deborah ruled with the sword of a prophet but the staff of a shepherd -- she truly loved God's people. She always led well. She led by loving.

Military Policymaker

Deborah was more than a judge; she was used to deliver Israel from the second longest captivity. As a prophetess and military strategist, she called the nation to war. She not only brandished the hand of God but also operated with the heart of God. You see, Deborah was a deliverer! She loved the people and they loved her. She delivered them from a great enemy.

The Lord literally issued a clear prophetic word to summon Barak, the Israeli commander, to rally the troops for battle against impossible odds. The Hebrews had no weapons -- none. They had all been taken away by the Canaanites.

God showed her disclosures of how to win the battle. She brought a holy “about-face” to the wicked plans of Israel. When the city gates were at war, Deborah, a mother of Israel who was willing to lay down her life for her God and county, arose.

WHY WE NEED DEBORAH TO ARISE TODAY

There is a cry going out from the hearts of God’s people about the oppression the church is under from the enemy. Heaven is aware of the issues affecting the people of God. But, until a cry goes out from the people of God, the hands of Heaven are tied. Without a cry, we show we are satisfied or comfortable with the way things are. The harassment had been going on for well over 20 years. How long do we put up with things before we cry out for change?

GOD HAS BEEN WATCHING AND STIRRING UP DEBORAH’S FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW
And the timing is right. When we get to the place to where the reviving itself isn’t enough, but we must see change take place, we know we are on the verge of something great.

We have got to get to the place that we don’t just want change, but we are willing to rise up and put our hands to the plow to see change occur. Actions truly do speak louder than words.

Deborah represents the steadiness and dependability necessary to both win and preserve victory. Barak means “lightning flash”. That is temporary. We don’t need a temporary fix or a temporary anointing. If a temporary, quick fix was enough, we would be in a great position by now. We didn’t get to where we are at quickly, and the victory must be won with reliability and dedication.

WHEN DEBORAH AROSE, THE WARRIORS RETURNED.
There is a group of God’s warriors who are waiting for someone to rise up and lead them back to the place and position for which they have been created. God bestowed peace and victory for 40 years. The time of victory was twice as long as the time of oppression. The sad part is that after the 40 years, the Israelites went back to their wicked ways and found themselves in a place of oppression again.

Let us be men and woman who will stand in the breach and go before God and cry out in intercession.
“Lord, we need restoration! Lord,
we need the Kingdom of God to break in with the resurrection power of life!”


This is a call to combat!
This is a call for you to say that you want to hear the voice of God.
… From the secret place.

Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?”

Declares the LORD.

“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”

Declares the LORD.


Jeremiah 23:24

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

"Attracting the Eye Of God" – Part 1


By Mary Lindow
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God's eyes are searching to and fro over the earth looking for a heart that is fully His (2 Chronicles 16:9). What caught His eye when He came to Deborah? Was it the uncompromising fire of holiness, an unwavering faith or an unrelenting love that set her apart? Was it something about the integrity of her character, the depth and integrity of her wisdom and the richness of her kindness which produced confidence in both men and women?

The Lord is so jealous for each one of us to love Him and know Him. When we start to move away from Him, He allows evil kings to oppress us. The Word tells us that God is the one who appoints evil kings and magistrates, but He also raises up the godly judges and kings! Deborah was the fourth judge and for the first 20 years of her 40-year reign, the nation was oppressed by one of history's most powerful and cruel Canaanite Kings, Jabin, and his sneaky military commander, Sisera. (Judges 4:1-4)

DEBORAH CAPTURED THE HEART  OF GOD
What is amazing is that the Lord raised up a woman to deliver a nation! What is especially surprising is that it happened in the Middle East thousands of years ago! Deborah was not only a wife, mother, intercessor and prophetess but also a judge and a national deliverer. That’s not a bad resume for a middle-aged woman living in that oppressive Middle Eastern culture.

Against great odds, God used her powerfully. Deborah broke outside of her culture but she wasn't in rebellion, she was in obedience -- to her God. She was used radically and set her people free, and the people loved her. It's a wonderful story of faith in God, and it champions men and women partnering together in a war to save their nation from great oppression.

When we read about this revolutionary prophetess and judge, it expands our religious studies of women being allowed to lead governmentally. But I really feel that God is raising up a troupe of end-time Deborah's. There is great global shaking that has only just begun, and the Lord is calling not only the men, but also the women of God! The Lord is saying,
“Wake up, Deborah, be a part of the army of the Lord.”
There are two root words for consecrate in Hebrew: naver (separating from) and kadesh (separating unto). Deborah, like the other defenders of the faith, was separated from the world and unto God. She did nothing on her own but spoke just what the Father taught her. This is where the true victory lies, in listening to Him.

DEBORAH'S WORK HISTORY
We tend to think of multi-tasking as a 21st century sensation, but Deborah was functioning in five major roles.

Intercessor
Many scholars believe that one of Deborah's roles before becoming judge was being a lamp lighter in the temple. In the Bible, oil is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Deborah was married to Lapidoth, whose name means, shine, lamp, flame, burning lamp, lightening, torch. Isn't it interesting? He, too, was a lamp that had oil!

Deborah was a keeper of the oil and light, carefully tending the lamps. This shows us that she was a woman who was passionately spending long hours dwelling in the temple. She was a woman of prayer and of worship. She lived between two villages, Ramah and Bethel, in Ephramin, which means the valley of fruitfulness. Biblical names often have profound prophetic meanings. The ancient village of Ramah was known to be the seat of high adultery. Bethel was known as the house of the Lord with open heavens, where Jacob had his ladder experience in Genesis 28. She stood in the gap interceding between the seat of high idolatry and pagan worship and the house of Bethel with its open heavens.

Now the picture becomes a little clearer as“ Deborah was raised up by God to intercede against idolatry (Ramah). She wanted to turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to the house of God (Bethel) to inherit a double portion of fruit (Ephraim).

Deborah's relationship with the Lord was very precious and intimate. I believe that in those twenty years of captivity, Deborah stood in the gap and interceded to change the course of Israel. God promised Abraham, in Genesis 18, that He would save a nation for the sake of ten righteous men. I believe that the righteous prayers of Deborah availed much!

She worshipped and had a deep intercessory life with God. She would go into the temple and fill the lamps with oil and ask God for revelation for people around her in great darkness. She was prepared in this secret place as she stood in the gap in desperate intercession for her people and her nation. She would hear from God and would bring down great wisdom and counsel. She spent long hours in the temple. This dedication moved the very heart of God and changed the very heart of Deborah. He led, she followed.
She led, Israel followed.

Oftentimes we have the misunderstanding that worship is merely the thirty-minute time slot before the sermon when we sing songs of devotion to God. This is part of worship. But doing small things with great love unto Him is living a life of worship. Deborah was a worshipper who loved the oil of the lamps, the Holy Spirit.

We need to be like Deborah, a people of prayer. Sincere and passionate prayer is the key to unlock our relationship with Almighty God. Many struggle with praying because they feel that their intercession is not much more than empty cries to an invisible God who seems so distant. We think that our prayers bounce off the ceiling and back to us unheard and unanswered. But beloved, God loves conversing with you! He promises that He will hear you and answer! It takes only a few seconds of a face-to-face encounter with God to change the course of human history for you, your city, or your nation.

In fact, connecting with God is the highest purpose for which you were created! This is eternal life to know Me! (John 17:3) Our hunger for God is what fuels our prayer life. When His presence is our passion and our hunger is for His heart, we can approach the throne of God boldly with the confidence that our Papa loves our prayers, but having this first love is so important.

For Deborah, intercession was an exchange of ideas in which God began to download strategic battle plans, blue prints from heaven, and keys to open doors that no man can shut and shut doors that no man can open. Isa. 22:22
 How else could she have so wisely judged so many civil cases with the Israelites?


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THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow