Series: Extraordinary Women of Faith
Thesis: Extraordinary is defined as very unusual or remarkable – not ordinary or normal! Yes, the opposite of extraordinary is normal! We were created by God to live and to do extraordinary things in our lives with His power and presence.
Question: Do you want to be normal or extraordinary? Last week Kathy Rolly shared a thought with me: “Normal is what is on washers and dryers!” Normal in life is really to over rated! So, let’s choose to all be extraordinary people of faith and see God use us in ways we never thought were possible!
Scripture Verse for series: 1 Cor. 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Introduction to series:
Our Scripture text tells us that when we are in a love relationship with Jesus – with God – that our minds cannot imagine what God will do with our life. Eyes who have been watching our lives will be amazed by what they see and ears which have been listening to our lives will be overwhelmed by what God does with our lives.
The truth is - Faith in God – choosing to serve Jesus is what will make us extraordinary people in this life.
Extraordinary comes from understanding who we are in Christ – whose family we are a part of – and who desires to empower us to live extraordinary lives. It comes from taping into the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Extraordinary comes from living a life for the Lord and not for ourselves.
As we have been doing this series on extraordinary women we have looked at:
Queen Esther
Bethany Hamilton
Hannah
Kate Royal
Ruth
Mother Teresa
Today I want to explore the story of Deborah – called a warrior princess, a judge of Israel, and a prophetess (See Judges 4 and 5).
Scripture Texts:
Judges 4:4-5: Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Judges 4:6: Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, "Behold, the LORD, the God of Israel, has commanded, 'Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun.
Judges 4:8-10: Then Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go." She said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.
Judges 4:14-16: 14Deborah said to Barak, “Charge! This very day God has given you victory over Sisera. Isn’t God marching before you?” Barak charged down the slopes of Mount Tabor, his ten companies following him. 15God routed Sisera—all those chariots, all those troops!—before Barak. Sisera jumped out of his chariot and ran. 16Barak chased the chariots and troops all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s entire fighting force was killed—not one man left.
Judges 5:1-3: Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, "That the leaders led in Israel, That the people volunteered, Bless the LORD! "Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I--to the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.
Judges 5:7: "The peasantry ceased, they ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.
Judges 5:11-12: "At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous deeds of the LORD, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates. "Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.
Introduction:
Deborah was The Judge – a political and spiritual leader of Israel in a hard time, harsh time – a time filled with evil and sin was running rampant everywhere – a time when her nation as a whole had deserted God and rejected God. Child sacrifice was everywhere, idol worship was at a all time high, there was famine, war, atrocities and evil running wild in the country.
In the midst of this hard time of Israel a woman rose to leadership named Deborah! God always seems to raise up a leader in times of hardship and crisis to deliver His people.
Quote: One author stated, “God moves in mysterious ways. Hardships and hard times can be God’s catalyst for positive change. Leaders are produced in difficult times…In the midst of the oppression, God appointed Deborah to be a leader by serving as a judge. She was one of six judges who guided Israel after the time of the patriarchs and before the time of the kings. She was the only female judge because women in her society were not permitted to have leadership roles.” From https://www.cokesbury.com/forms/displayImage.aspx?pcid=1180203
But the life of Deborah was placed by the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament to show us how to lead and live extraordinary in our faith despite challenging conditions in the nation and persecution from the enemies of God. God always has the ability to turn the unfavorable into the favorable through faith and obedience to Him.
Before we dive deeper into the story of Deborah a political and military leader of Israel I want us to look at another modern day extraordinary woman of faith today.
T.S. - In my pray and reflective time I considered a few women to highlight today one was Catherine Booth – the co-founder of the Salvation Army but then a light bulb clicked in my heart and mind to look into the life story of Condoleezza Rice.
The 66th United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state. She was the second person to grasp that office in the administration of President George W. Bush. During his first term, making the first woman to serve in that position, Rice was President Bush's National Security Advisor. From the year 1993 to 1999, she served as Provost and was a professor of political science at Stanford University, before joining the Bush administration. After many ups and downs and continuous effort, today Rice is one of the most talented and successful American political scientist and diplomats of our era.
T.S. - What made Condoleezza Rice a extraordinary women leader in our world today? Is it her quiet faith? Yes, she is a Christian!
The following information is from Leslie Montgomery’s article called “The Quiet faith of Condoleezza Rice” dated 5/31/2007. Leslie Montgomery is a freelance writer based in Lake Norden, South Dakota, and the author of The Faith of Condoleezza Rice (Crossway Books). The article is from http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/487-j15/features/women-of-leadership/2255-the-quiet-faith-of-condoleezza-rice
Montgomery opens up with this thought about our extraordinary woman leader and hero of the faith:
“Liberal politicians hate her policies. Critics of the Iraq War despised her loyalty to President Bush. But America’s most prominent woman in government said her faith in Christ is at the core of her identity. She's been called the devil's handmaiden, a history-maker, a rock star, Bush's secret weapon, the most influential woman in the world, a rising star, a murderer (due to the death toll in Iraq) and a traitor to her race, among other things.”
But what is so extraordinary about former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seems to be how compliments nor criticism cause her to lose her focus or identity of who she is and what she was called to do for the Lord. She is an extraordinary woman of faith and was an extraordinary political and military leader of our nation.
Her childhood:
Rice's religious roots run deep. Raised in a Christian home, Rice says she has never known a day when she did not believe in God. Her father, John, was a Presbyterian pastor who took over the church his father planted in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1920. Her mother, Angelena, was a teacher and also had a solid Christian heritage and an intense love for God.
Rice asked for her own piano at age 3, her parents told her they'd get her one if she learned how to play. Determined and focused, the toddler approached her maternal grandmother, who taught piano, and boldly asked her to give her lessons. Eight hours later, Rice could play "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."
"My grandmother taught me that song because she and my grandfather were people of faith and, like my parents, wanted me to have a firm foundation in Christ," Rice says. "That night, after I spent eight hours learning the song, I played it for my parents."
Like most other African-American families during the Civil Rights era, the Rice’s went to church on Sundays. But though she attended worship services every week, Rice says she can't pinpoint the moment of her conversion experience. "I can honestly say, without exaggeration, that not a single day of my life have I doubted the existence of God," Rice says. "For me, that was never a question, especially in my home."
Although there were many adults who spoke into her life, Rice says her father had the most spiritual influence on her. "My father was a theologian, a doctor of divinity," she says. "He was someone who let you argue about things.
"He didn't say, 'Just accept it.' And when I had questions, which we all do, he encouraged that. He allowed me as someone who lives in my mind to also live in my faith."
Rice's faith was instilled in her from childhood, but she says there were some defining moments that shaped her belief system. When she was 8 years old, two of her friends were killed in the infamous 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
Knowing that her father often spent nights with other neighborhood men patrolling their cul-de-sac against the Ku Klux Klan, Rice came to believe that God was in control and that He had special plans for her and her life that included liberation, spiritually and physically.
Perhaps one of the strongest tests of her faith was when Rice was 15 and her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. "When I found out that my mother first had cancer ... I found myself asking an endless amount of questions that, for the first time in my life, no one had pat answers for," she remembers.
"My father told me that when the results of my mother's first surgery came back, he got down on his knees and prayed, 'Lord, how am I going to raise a 15-year-old girl alone?' My father and I prayed that she might live to see me grow up."
Angelena got better and lived another 15 years before the breast cancer consumed her body.
Rediscovering Faith
During those tender years following her mother's first diagnosis, Rice succeeded in every way imaginable from the world's perspective. By age 26 she was an assistant professor at Stanford University, an expert in Soviet politics and traveled internationally more often than she was in the United States.
Too busy to go to church, Rice found her faith fading into the background of her life. Then one Sunday morning in a supermarket, Rice was approached by a stranger who asked if she played the piano.
When she answered him affirmatively, he asked her if she would help his church by playing for them because they'd recently lost their pianist. That divine appointment got her back to attending church regularly.
"I thought to myself, My goodness, God has a long reach," Rice says. "I mean, in the Lucky's Supermarket on a Sunday morning amongst the spices. As a result of going there and playing and getting involved again with the church community, I began to see how much of my faith ... I'd taken for granted."
It was a turning point in her life. Two years later her mother passed away, and Rice found herself standing at a crossroad with regard to her faith. Either God's Word was true and she could cling to Him in the darkest hours of life, or it was all just a fairy tale.
"When she died, I knew that I would not be able to move beyond her death because of my intellect and certainly not by the power of reason," Rice says. "Instead, I would have to trust God's Word ... [and] press in closer to Him. Only my faith in God could bridge the gap between what I was feeling and what I needed to do in dealing with my grief.
"I understood for the very first time in my life something I had heard in church many, many times: 'The peace that surpasses all understanding.' It is in those times when the intellect, when human will, when the ability to understand with our feeble minds cannot serve us that the spirit takes over and somehow we survive."
Shortly after Angelena's death, Rice's father joined his daughter in California. During the next few years, Rice moved back and forth between California and Washington, D.C., as she served in a variety of positions for President George H.W. Bush. In the meantime, her father met and married Clara Bailey, the principal of a performing arts school in Palo Alto, California.
After her father remarried, Rice returned to teaching at Stanford and was made provost in 1993. During her six-year tenure, Rice continued to attend church regularly and spoke at various organizations. Then, in 1998 Rice received a call from presidential candidate George W. Bush, who asked her to join him on the campaign trail as his adviser on foreign policy.
Stepping down from her position as provost, Rice joined Bush as he campaigned across the United States. She says that being with other believers on the campaign trail encouraged her in her faith. Then the unexpected occurred.
In February 2000, Rice received a phone call from her stepmother: John had suffered a severe attack of arrhythmia and was in the intensive care unit. Rice immediately returned to California. When her father stabilized days later, Rice bought a hospital bed, hired a team of aides to care for him and brought him home.
Six months later, from his bed, John watched his daughter accept the position of national security adviser under the new Bush administration. After accepting the position, Rice flew home to be by her father's side. Three days later John suffered another attack of arrhythmia, and days later, on Christmas Eve, he died.
As she grieved her father's death, Rice says she learned three important truths that changed her life. "First, I [learned] that it is a privilege to struggle," she says. "Only through struggle do we realize the depth of our resilience and understand that the hardest of blows can be survived.
"There's a second truth about struggle: It can conquer you, or you can conquer it. Part of not allowing struggle to overcome our faith is attained by letting go of our own expectations and plans.
"There is a third truth in the privilege of struggle. You can find personal fulfillment and peace in times of pain and heartache. When God's power is full-strength because we are weak, that enables the Spirit of the Lord to rest on us. When we are weak, contemptible, persecuted, frustrated and painfully grieving because we are weak, He is strong."
Rice had no idea that God was strengthening her faith for a time when America would need it the most: after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. "I think after 9/11, we all needed our faith very, very strongly," Rice says.
"When you go through something like that, you have to turn to faith because you can't rationalize it. You can make an intellectual answer about it, but you can't fully accept it until you can feel it [in your heart]."
Grappling with the death of her father, she was now on overload with 9/11. Rice prayed again and again about her crucial decisions. She became the most visible member of President Bush's Cabinet and was interviewed often by the media. She offered surety in a time of wavering, and she credited God for her strength.
"I feel that faith allows me to have a kind of optimism about the future," she says. "You look around you, and you see an awful lot of pain and suffering and things that are going wrong. It could be oppressive.
"But [then] I think, How could it possibly be that it has turned out this way? Then my only answer is, it's God's plan.
"And that makes me very optimistic that this is all working out in a proper way if we all stay close to God and pray and follow in His footsteps. I really do believe that God will never let you fall too far."
Bridging Faith and Reason
Three years later, for the second time President George W. Bush ran for office and won. He immediately nominated Rice for the position of secretary of state. It has not been an easy assignment but it kept her on both her toes and her knees.
Fifty-two and single at this time in her life, Rice aspired not to occupy the Oval Office but to return to academia after the 2008 election which she did to teach again.
She also focused her attention on developing spiritually.
"I'm one of God's worst planners," she admits. "But in the last year or so, I have been struggling with the fact that I think I do need a plan for the development of my spiritual life. ... I think that there are really three aspects to this plan for me.
"The first is I have to have a better unity of faith and reason in my personal life, in my personal relationship with God. ...
"I have been religious all my life. ... I cannot remember a single day when I questioned the existence of God. My danger was quite another, and that is that if you are that certain in your religious faith, you go on autopilot about it. ... I, in fact, have sometimes wished I had been one of those people with a conversion experience when I was older and more competent to understand it because the danger to just 'let it ride,' if you will, not growing in your personal faith if you are as religious as I am, is very great.
"Now, the second part of this plan is to try to get closer to my church and my faith-based community. There are people in our church who are so much more advanced in their personal relationship with God, in their personal relationships with Jesus, who really believe that Jesus meets every one of them personally. People who are so much more advanced ... I need to draw on them.
"The most difficult and third part of my plan is to figure out what the role in all of this is of profession and proselytizing [and] being a contagious Christian," …
"In fact, what's very interesting to me is that if you think about the way that Christ tried to meet those who did not believe, it was quite opposite. He didn't shout at them. He tried to meet them where they were.
"And He met every person in a different place with a different way of dealing with it. For the young ruler, He was pretty tough. With the woman at the well, it was a much softer approach.
"And so shouting at people and judging them and browbeating them can't be the right way to open up the possibilities of faith to them," she continues.
"So I ask myself, What is? In part, [by] professing faith. I'm more comfortable giving a speech about faith than I am when I'm one-on-one with somebody trying to talk about faith and trying to open up that possibility to them, finding that I have to use faith and reason together in order to do it.
"[But] I have to do it one-on-one, and I have to be willing to talk about what faith means to me in a rational way. I have to be able to talk about what faith means to me day to day, and I have to be able to talk about why I believe.
"I know that whatever is ahead for me, the reason that I can be as excited as I am, really with very little trepidation, is [because I] believe that it was God's plan for me to be where I am today and that God has a plan for me to be someplace in the future. And part of my bridging faith and reason is going to be [letting] Him lead where I can follow in a way that I hope my service serves His purpose, not just my own."
T.S. – Condoleezza Rice is definitely an extraordinary woman leader of faith who has been used by God to lead her nation through the effects of racism, to seeing the collapse of communism, to dealing with the 911 attacks on the USA and entrance into the Iraq war and war on terrorism. She parallels our extraordinary woman leader of faith Deborah. Let’s learn how to be extraordinary people of faith from these two amazing ladies.
1. Deborah was an extraordinary woman of faith and leader as a Judge of Israel because she listened to God over others in a oppressive and stressful time (Judges 4:1-3).
a. She had to listened to the voice of God and direct her nation back to God when most had rejected God.
i. The Bible paints a picture of Deborah as a Judge as a person chosen by God to lead His people into righteousness.
1. She was to lead them back to holiness and Godliness!
2. She was to do this a political leader and spiritual leader!
ii. To do this means you must hear from God! You cannot do this on your own strength or knowledge – you must hear from God how to do this!
1. The Judges had a hard job before them in Israel so being guided by the voice of God was imperative for success and deliverance.
a. Judges would administrate the community life and help organize and facilitate the workings of a biblical community.
b. Judges would also settle disputes and administer justice.
c. Judges helped mobilize armies for the Lord who were made up of mostly volunteers.
d. Judges tasks were both political and religious in nature – so much for separation of the church and state.
e. Judges mission and goals were to help insure social, religious and political stability within their community.
b. The time of the Judges was not a good time spiritually for the nation of Israel.
i. The problem is spelled out clearly in Judges 21:25: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”
1. Tribes were divided in Israel.
a. Immorality, rape, murder, child sacrifice, theft, dissension and plundering were nearly the norm! Kings, generals and raiders would steal, kill and destroy!
2. But it was in times like this that God raised up the Judges – leaders who rose up in different pockets in the nation of Israel to defend the weak, the vulnerable and to stand against injustice, the evil.
a. Judges 2:16: “Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.”
i. But the cycle was this in those days - people would be plundered – robbed – killed because they rejected God and did evil and then God would raise up a Judge out of mercy to deliver them from the evil – but once the evil was eradicated the people would quickly fall back into prostituting themselves to other gods and idols and worship them – once again bringing the same calamity back on themselves, their family and their communities. See Judges 2:6-23.
ii. Deborah is raised up in this chaotic scenario of evil and soars into prominence and leadership over a afflicted people!
1. One author stated: “It has been said that birds, such as eagles, effectively gain their altitude when they ascend against resistant winds. Aerodynamically the colliding forces lift the birds higher in the skies. Birds do not fear resistance; instead they use it to their advantage. So can we!”
a. From https://www.cokesbury.com/forms/displayImage.aspx?pcid=1180203
iii. Leadership quotes from Condoleezza Rice which parallel the leadership qualities of Deborah:
1. Leading in a complex world means recognizing the simple things you can do to make things better.
a. Deborah did this as a Judge and leader within her community.
2. What is the one thing I can do in this environment to change the direction of this conversation.
a. Deborah saw that this was done by leading people back to God and His Word.
3. When you see complexity all you see is complexity. You need to look past that to simplicity.
a. Deborah lead her people and community with the simplicity of the Gospel and truth.
4. We need to look for the enabling condition.
a. Deborah saw the problem with her community – sin, evil, idol worship – rejection of God’s Truth. Which she pointed out to the people!
5. The first thing you can do is be right with yourself. For me, that means spiritually and being right with God.
a. Deborah followed this leadership principle because if you are not in a right position and relationship with God you cannot lead others to Him.
6. You have to be an optimist. Nobody wants to follow a sour puss.
a. Deborah saw the possibility in God – All things are possible when God is involved – she looked to God and was positive in seeing victory!
7. You must be able to motivate people to a common goal. Sometimes that means accomplishing something impossible that now seems inevitable.
a. Deborah and Barak rallied 10,000 people from two tribes to stand up against the terroristic army of Sisera.
8. He was President of the United States. The people elected him, not me.
a. Deborah pointed people to God she represented God in her mission.
9. Every day after September 11th was about keeping America from being attacked again.
a. Deborah was raised up by God to protect her people from the terrorism and brutality of Sisera!
c. Questions: Do you agree that chaos and difficult times is what God uses to create and raise up His leaders?
i. Have you been facing difficult times in your life?
ii. Are you pushing through the chaos with God’s help and leading?
iii. Are you tuning your ears to God’s voice and direction or listening to others?
iv. Are you running from the challenge or struggle in fear or facing the challenge with extraordinary faith?
2. Deborah was an extraordinary woman of faith and leader because she stayed in touch with God even in the hard times, the busy times and the political turmoil (Judges 4:4-7).
a. Deborah’s story unveils how God creates leaders through turbulent times so they can lead His people to victory and deliverance.
i. It seems to me that God always raises up extraordinary leaders through difficult and chaotic times. Do you agree with my statement?
1. I think of History:
a. George Washington
b. Abraham Lincoln
c. Dwight D. Eisenhower
d. Winston Churchill
b. She reveals through her story how extraordinary leaders are always in touch with the Lord no matter how busy they are – extraordinary leaders make time for God.
i. Reference again Condoleezza Rice’s divine encounter in Lucky’s Supermarket and her decision to play piano for worship!
ii. If you look deeper into the life of Deborah you can imagine how she lived a busy life and had a busy schedule.
1. She was:
a. A prophetess - speaking the words of God
b. A wife – meeting her husbands needs
c. A mother and mother of Israel – leading her children and the children of the nation of Israel.
d. A judge: a political servant who kept regular office hours – under a Palm tree!
i. Where she handled disputes between camel herders and border disputes between land owners.
ii. She handled friction between tribe’s men.
iii. She handled domestic conflicts and divorce cases.
iv. She handed out justice and fairness.
v. But to do this job well she needed to pray over each and every situation and hear the wise words of God for each scenario. Why, she needed to give a godly answer so issues were resolved not made worse!
1. Just think of the all she did and how much Deborah had to juggle!
a. Camel ridding classes, education of her children, well drilling lessons, water preservation, crop growing and keeping the peace in a unpeaceful and chaotic time.
e. She was also in charge of summoning warriors to deal with trouble over the horizon and threats against the people of Israel.
f. She was a military leader and needed to be appraised of foreign threats and acts of terrorism and know when to act.
g. She had to be in tune to God or risk destruction of her people and community. It was imperative she stayed in touch with the heart of God – she could not allow busyness to drive out her personal time with God.
2. But despite her busy schedule she stayed in touch with God which enabled her to be obedient to God.
c. Leadership quotes from Condoleezza Rice:
i. I tried to take care of myself personally. I exercise every day and get plenty of sleep.
1. I am sure Deborah did the same to stay fit and sharp mentally, physically and spiritually.
ii. I would take Sunday afternoons off. She played for worship Sunday mornings! Work is fulfilling for me but there is a different kind of fulfillment in playing the piano.
1. Deborah served God and used her talents and gifting’s to worship God.
iii. I learned the hard way the importance of taking breaks.
1. We all need spiritual breaks with God everyday – we need spiritual retreats and rest – we need to honor the Sabbath and spend time with God because it is rejuvenating!
2. Deborah I am sure made sure her time with God was protected – just like Jesus did!
iv. The most important thing in finding balance is to schedule it in.
1. Deborah from what I can see spent time with God – she schedule it in like Miss Rice did!
2. How about you do you schedule God into your day – your week?
v. The key has been to have time for the more contemplative side of life.
1. Deborah never could have spoke the words of the Lord with time and connection with God – it would have been impossible!
2. Condoleezza says the same – you have to meditate – take time and reflect on God – learn in these quiet times.
3. Reference IHOP leaders.
d. Questions: Do you monitor your God connection each day – do you keep it connected to His presence?
i. If you were to rate your God connection were would it fall on a scale of 1-10?
ii. Have you experienced how busyness hinders your relationship connection with God?
iii. What do you have to remove in your life so you stay connected with God! So that you spend the proper time God deserves in your life?
3. Deborah was an extraordinary woman of faith because she was flexible in changing times and circumstances (Judges 4:8-9).
a. Life is filled with change and the requirement to be flexible and adapt.
b. To be an extraordinary leader means we understand that change of plan can occur at any time and we need to flex and adapt.
c. Poster: “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.”
d. All plans go through periods of change as well as visions.
e. We must make sure we do not allow change to paralyze us but instead energize us.
i. Nobody likes change!
1. Change will always threaten what we know and believe!
2. Change I have seen in my life time:
ii. Since 1959:
1. Fred Kaplan's new book, 1959: The Year Everything Changed. To learn how he came to write about that year, see " 1959: I swear, it really is the year everything changed."
a. Why? It’s the year that the microchip appeared at a trade show in New York presented by Texas Instruments!
i. The integrated circuit now the microchip would change everything in life:
1. Calculators would come first – then personal computers – cell phones – internet – digital technology would change everything from TV – to radio to life itself to the work place- to jobs and restructuring manufacturing and military!
b. Just think what has changed – cars, planes, household appliances, education, telecommunication, war, games, and the list goes on.
f. If we resist change in some cases we are resisting God!
i. Here me on this there will always be change – at work, at church and even in your family – change happens – but extraordinary leaders embrace the change and flex and adapt to the change.
ii. The truth is if we fight change we could be resisting in advertently a new movement of God.
iii. To be extraordinary people of faith means we must have the faith to embrace change, even invite change.
g. Leadership quotes from Condoleezza Rice and a connection with Deborah and her extraordinary leadership:
i. I can’t start at the end of where I am.
1. We will find ourselves at loos at times but if we are flexible and adaptable like Deborah was we will succeed in our purpose and mission for life.
ii. You have to find a way that people see the logic in where you got to where you are.
1. Deborah did this with Barak and the army and the people of Israel – they saw it and it caused them to embrace the mission, the change which needed to occur – which was face the enemy don’t run and hide.
iii. What I love about teaching is when you see that in your students’ eyes when they see something in a way they’ve never saw it before.
1. Deborah revealed how this happened in her song of victory in Judges 5.
iv. You can lead and make a difference in your community, or school board.
1. Deborah made a difference in her community by leading – by being flexible and adaptable and following God’s plan – result was peace for 40 years!
v. We really do believe you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.
1. Deborah came from humble circumstances and God used her to deliver her nation from evil and turn them back to God.
vi. It’s a combination of great parents, hard work, and because I am a person of great faith, this is what I was supposed to do.
1. Deborah knew this is what God wanted her to do so she never wavered from the mission even when Barak did not want to do this alone but have her there in battle with him.
vii. Life is a series of events that seem quite serendipitous. And you need to put yourself in position for serendipity to happen.
1. Deborah place herself in the position to become known as a great woman leader of Israel because she made herself available – which means she had to be willing to change the ways things were in her culture and community and move forward in a culture which at the time did not accept woman leaders.
2. She had to choose to follow God’s lead in spite of what others thought or said!
h. Questions:
i. What changes bother you the most today?
ii. Are you resisting change and in the process hindering a movement of God?
iii. Are you willing to change by adapting to the changing climate around you but still staying true to the Gospel?
4. Deborah was an extraordinary woman of faith and leader because she worked within a team and followed God’s plan (Judges 4:8-24).
a. Teamwork makes the dream work.
i. She teamed with Barak who did not want to do this battle alone – he wanted Deborah with him.
ii. Barak made Deborah's presence with him to be the deciding issue as to whether or not he would fulfill God's plan. Without hesitation or rebuke of Barak, Deborah agreed to accompany him.
iii. He gathered 10,000 and went out to confront Sisera and his chariots as directed by Deborah and God’s plan.
b. Proper timing was also a key in this battle (Judges 4:14-16)
i. The battle plan was laid out the place – the people – the leaders and the time! When God says "now," timing is everything.
1. One author notes: “In verse 14, Deborah gives the signal. Today is the day of deliverance. In complete obedience, Barak leads his force down the mountain to meet the enemy. Their victory is overwhelming. It's not because of their tactics or fighting skill. Rather, God enters the battle and Sisera's forces are utterly confused and destroyed. According to Judges 5:21, it appears God sends a flash flood which turns the plain into a muddy quagmire. The chariots are rendered useless.”
2. Barak's army kills all of Sisera's forces. Only the leader escapes after abandoning his chariot. He literally runs for his life, hoping to find some shelter of escape. Deborah's prophetic announcement to Barak is fulfilled exactly as stated.
ii. Sisera is killed by another woman in a tent who is a descendant of Jethro Moses father in law – her name is Jael who wisely feeds Sisera, lets him fall asleep and then drives a tent stake through his temple with a hammer killing the vicious evil leader.
1. Fulfilling once again the words of Deborah to Barak about a woman getting the glory for killing the evil general.
c. Leadership quotes of Condoleezza Rice compared to Deborah’s leadership model:
i. You have to have a moment when you say, “What I am seeing and how am I going to attack it.”
1. Deborah did this as God directed her to move – to raise up the army under Barak – when to strike and how to strike!”
ii. Having people work for you - who are really good is important. I put a lot of time into putting my team together.
1. Deborah I am sure did the same as well as Barak!
iii. I had the confidence of the president.
1. Deborah had the confidence in God’s plan and methodology for victory!
iv. When you are negotiating, it is important that they know you represent the president.
1. Deborah knew God was in the destruction of this evil king and general and who they represented in the battle.
v. Being a good communicator is being a good teacher (this makes teams work).
1. From Judges 4 and 5 we see how well Deborah communicated to Israel and to her team. The mission was clear and the outcome was made very clear -but she also gave direction on God’s plan and how to execute the plan for victory.
2. All quotes from above from Condoleezza Rice are from http://briandoddonleadership.com/2013/05/11/27-leadership-quotes-and-lessons-from-condoleezza-rice-chick-fil-a-leadercast/
d. Questions:
i. Do you work well with teams?
ii. Are you committed to being a part of one of God’s teams?
iii. Do you always follow the plan of God for your life?
iv. Do you try to change God’s plans – if so – how does that go for you?
Conclusion:
What do we need to know and do from this message?
¦ Our faith needs to grow in turbulent times and even in the midst of turmoil we need to hear God’s voice!
¦ We need to always stay connected to God no matter how busy life gets. He is to be our priority!
¦ We need to be flexible and adaptable because change will come to our lives.
¦ We need to choose to be on God’s team and follow His plan for our lives and mission.
Why do we need to know this?
Because if we understand how to live extraordinary lives of faith we too can impact our community and country for their good! We too could bring people back to God and truth and in the process bring security and peace to our nation.
We too could be known in Heaven as heroes of the faith!
Altar Call:
