Now Part III of our weekly message.
Let's continue with our main scripture found in Judges 4 and read verses 15 & 16.
Verse 15: And the Lord discomfited (confused and terrified) Sisera and all his chariots, and all his host with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot and fled away on his feet.
Verse 16: But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Haroshet of the gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.
Remember back in verse 14 when Deborah told Barak that "This is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand"
Barak had no idea at that moment in time how God would deliver the enemy into their hands. Israel's destiny and future was dependent on God's perfect plan to defeat the Canaanites. But in order for that to be carried out, Barak and the army of Israel had to act in faith and trust that God would go before them.
As I was studying and gathering information for this message I came across a statement that Josephus (who was a scholar and writer of the life and times of Israel) said about Sisera and his army: He claims that a violent storm of hail beat on the face of Sisera and his army that drove them back from Mount Tablor making them easy pray for the army of Israel to be able to attack them.
Other writers of the time said that it rained so hard and so much that their chariots stuck in the mud and they were unable to move. This act of nature brought them into a state of confusion, therefore their mighty weapons were useless to them and they fled from the army of Israel.
I guess we will never really know exactly what happened that day, but one thing I do know is that God performed a miracle for Israel once more.
And as Barak pursued the scattered the enemy's forces, even to their general headquarters at Heroseth, it was there that he destroyed all of the enemy's army except Sisera.
But what happened to Sisera? The remainder of the story tells us that Sisera ran from the battle in utter defeat seeking refuge and a place to hide. And where did he run to? He ran to a tent to hide and ended up running right into God's hands. Here we see a clear picture of how the enemy reacts when he knows he has been defeated. Like Sisera, who was prideful, intimidating, oppressive, and cruel, fled like a coward once his power and stronghold over Israel was taken from him.
And so Sisera was the last of the enemy to be destroyed. But when Barak, the captain of Israel's army pursued and found Sisera already dead by the hand of a woman, he know that God had kept His word. And not only had God shook off the yoke of oppression from Israel that day, but had completely delivered Israel out of the hands of their enemy.
And the word of the Lord given unto Deborah came to pass just as she had prophesied.
That prophecy forever changed the course of history for Israel, because that day God restored peace in the land, encouraged the army of the Lord and brought deliverance to a once defeated people.
Beloved, this is exactly what's happens to the enemy when you stand in your authority that Christ has given you. When you use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God against him, He cannot stand nor can he resist it, because it's God fighting the battle for you.
"It's not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord"
Church, you can be a mighty weapon in the hands of God when you make yourself available to Him like Deborah, Barak and Jael did. You can be a prophetic voice to those who need to be encouraged, restored, delivered and set free from the hands of the enemy. God's plan for dentiny and purpose is waiting for you. Time is short and we all have work to do that will help usher in the Kingdom of God into the lives of those He has purposed for us to touch. Be encourage, God is in control.
Blessings,
Elma Garlock
Let's continue now with part II of our message in Judges 4 and begin with verses 6 & 7.
Verse 6: And she (Deborah) sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded saying, go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and the children of Zebulun.
Verse 7: And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him unto thine hand.
We can see in these verses the plan given by God to Deborah for Israel's deliverance. Deborah, as a woman was not physically fit nor trained to command an army so the commission was given unto Barak. But Barak could do nothing without her anointing and Deborah could do nothing without his hands. God's intention was for Deborah and Barak to come together in one mind, one spirit and one purpose and that was to accomplish God's plan and the deliverance of Israel.
Going back to our main scripture let's read verses 8 & 9 in Judges 4.
Verse 8: And Barak said unto her, (Deborah) if thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
Verse 9: And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
In order for Deborah and Barak to carry out God's plan they needed to be a team. But in order for this to happen there needed to be trust, confidence and cooperation between them. Barak was depending on the prophetic word God had given Deborah and so by Deborah agreeing to go with Barak that assured him that God's presence would go with him. The obstacles He was facing looked impossible to him because he was looking through the natural eyes and not through the eyes of the Spirit. He was looking for the strength and ability of the natural man to deliver Israel, but God had planned their deliverance in a way that no one could have imagined.
Now let's read verses 10-13 now and see what happens.
Verse 10: And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.
Verse 11: Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanamin, which is by Kedesh.
Verse 12: And they showed Sisera (which was the captain of the Canaanite army) that Barak the son of Abinoam (who was the captain of Israel's army) was gone up to mount Tabor.
Verse 13: And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the gentiles unto the river of Kishon.
So what we have here is Barak and the army of Israel on top of Mount Tabor. Here they set up camp which was probably a flat Plato where they could look down upon Sisera, his army and the nine hundred chariots. Can you imagine how intimidating that would be to Israel? Did they truly believe that God was going to deliver them or were they blinded by fear? This is exactly what the enemy does. He intimidates you with unfavorable circumstances that seem to be unsurmountable and impossible to you. The enemy's intention is to discourage you and cause you to lose hope in the heat of the battle. His main goal is defeat you and take back territory that you had already won.
Remember: He never gives up so be on the alert because your adversary, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Don't let it be you.
In verses 12 & 13, Sisera takes the field with his powerful army and his 900 chariots of iron at the foot of Mount Tabor. These chariots had Scythes fastened to their axle trees so when they were driven into an army of footmen soldiers, they would sever limbs and execute their enemy. Scythes were a long curved blade with a sharp edge on the inner side of the curve fitted to the axles. Can you imagine Israel having to face the Canaanite army who were better equipped? Israel thought they would have to face those chariots but fortunately this was as far as they could go because they were unable to operate in the hill country. God had a plan and God had a purpose. Beloved, God knows the beginning to the end of your battle. He has already planned your way of escape if you will but trust Him and if you do you will see the salvation of the Lord in your life and circumstances.
Verse 14: And Deborah said unto Barak, Up (arise); for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and then thousand men after him.
Here is where Deborah gives the order to engage the enemy. Josephus says: That when Barak saw Sisera's army draw up and attempting to surround the mountain on the top of which Barak and his forces were camped, his heart almost failed him. But Deborah directed him to make a descent upon Sisera.
And this is when she encouraged Barak with the words "The Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand" and what did this mean? That it was a done deal! And it's at this time that Deborah encouraged Barak when she said: This is the Day! These words must have given Barak courage and assurance that God's presence was with them even though it looked like they were surrounded by the enemy. This my friend was faith in action.
In Hebrews 6:18b it says: It is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled to Him for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before us.
Precious ones, the Lord wants to encourage you today and say that "This is your day and your hour for deliverance". For I am in control of you and your circumstances. Do not fear or be dismayed for I am here to deliver you from the enemy's plans, so you need not fear! For what seems impossible to you, is possible for me "IF " you will but place your life in my hands of strength and power.
Next week Part III of Deborah The Prophetess and Judge.
Blessings,
Elma Garlock
Our story begins in Judges 4 and let's begin with verse 1.
Verse 1: And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead.
After Joshua had died the 12 tribes of Israel needed a leader so God set up judges over Israel and one of those judges was a man named Ehud. And while he served as judge over Israel, Israel had 80 years of peace, because they obeyed the commandments of the Lord, but after Ehud died they returned to worshipping false gods.
Judges says that, in those days there was no King in Israel and every man did what was right in his own eyes.
This is a reminder that we will never succeed in doing what is right in God's eyes without continual guidance and constant instruction from Him who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Our wisdom and what we perceive as right, is foolishness in the eyes of God.
Verse 2: And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin King of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the gentiles.
Verse 3: And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightly oppressed and children of Israel.
Let's explore the word oppressed in this scripture and find out what it means: To press, distress, afflict, crush, force, a prevailing power that has strength and who is strong.
So what happened to Israel was their enemy, the Canaanites were prevailing against them through intimidation by displaying their strength and power to keep them under subjection bondage and distress. The Canaanites did everything possible to crush their spirits, inflict them with fear, thoughts of hopelessness, defeat and failure.
Jabin and his general Sisera oppressed Israel severely and what really aggravated the oppression was that these Canaanites had formerly been conquered and subdued by Israel. But because of Israel's rebellion, apathy and unbelief in the God of Israel, He allowed their enemy to conquer them and they became their enemy's servants.
It took Israel 20 years of oppression by their enemies the Canaanites before they would cry out to God for deliverance and when they did, God sent them Deborah.
How many of you are being oppressed by the enemy? You feel like you're at your limit with stress, cares and the trauma going on in you and your families lives. You think if one more thing goes wrong or you hear one more bad report it's going to crush you and pull you under into despair. You cry out for relief, peace, a way to escape it all and you question when is this all going to be over.
Well beloved, I'm here to tell you that God can and will deliver you out of the hands of the enemy because in II Timothy 4:18 tells us:
And indeed the Lord will certainly deliver and draw me to Himself from every assault of evil. He will preserve and bring me safe unto His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever.
When God delivers us it means He releases and frees us from the captivity of the enemy. So when we draw upon the source of life itself we obtain the strength and power to overcome and defeat the enemy from every oppression, affliction, pressure and force. He then
preserves us unto Himself (as you would preserve something that's very precious to you so it doesn't deteriorate and it keeps it's quality and condition from changing) and lovingly leads us and guides us into Him because in Him we live and move and have our being, AMEN.
Let's continue with verses 4 & 5 of Judges 4.
Verse 4: And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
Verse 5: And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgement.
Deborah was not only a Prophetess and a Judge for Israel, but in chapter 5:7 it tells us that she arose a Mother in Israel (spiritual mother). What Deborah was in the natural to Israel represents the Holy Spirit and how he works in our lives today.
Her name means "Bee" and it has been stated by Rabbis that she also made wicks for the lamps of the Tabernacle, therefore she was known as a woman of illuminations and splendor. One that was extraordinarily knowing, wise and intimately acquainted with God. She was entirely devoted to Israel, as a mother is to her children.
I don't know about you but I want to be one that brings illumination and light to the darkness of this world. I want the glory of the light of Jesus to shine in me and through me and touch those who are hurting and lost. I want to be like the Bee that pollinates the flowers so fruit can be produced in the lives of everyone I come in contact with. I pray that this will be your prayer.
Deborah was a Judge over Israel during the time of their oppression by Jabin king of Canaan, but at the same time a Prophetess, God's mouth peace and spokesperson to them for God. As a Prophetess she also brought forth direction for the people, the will of God for Israel and prophesied their future by and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The Palm Tree is so significant to this beautiful message and in describing figuratively the meaning of Palm Trees. It is said that she either had her house under the palm tree or she had her judgement seat in the open air under the shadow of that tree which was an emblem of the justice that she sat to administer.
Unger's bible dictionary says that: Palm Trees were a welcome sight to weary travelers because that usually meant there was water, shade and a place to rest. The Palm Tree has a long tap root that goes down to sources of water that is not seen by the eye. The fact that it grows in almost desert like conditions makes it a fitting symbol of constancy, patience, uprightness, prosperity and a symbol of victory.
See and hear what the Spirit is saying to you body of Christ. The Spirit is drawing you to come, taste and see that He is good and there is a refreshing of your Soul when you will sit at His feet. There you will find shelter from the storms of life and a safe place to rest from the trials of life. Dig deep into the wellsprings of my Spirit that you have not tasted before because even in the desert and dry places of your journey you can produce fruit that will remain and it will sustain and give you life.
Next week Part II of Deborah The Prophetess & Judge
Blessings,
Elma Garlock
Let's continue now with Part II of Dealing With Fear
We know according to our opening scripture found in II Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a Spirit of Fear, but of Power, and of Love and of a Sound Mind.
So let's explore the meaning of this word Power and unfold some truths so we may better understand what the Lord has made available for us.
If we look up this word Power in the Lexicon it tells us that it means: Power, especially inherent power, authority or control. It can also be the influence, ability or agency that produces a change in direction or speed due to resources available.
But what is "inherent power"? It is that dunamis power that exists in you as a permanent characteristic and acts as a force which gives you the mental or moral strength to overcome opposition.
In Philippians 4:13 (AMP) tell us: I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am sufficfient in Christ's sufficiency).
So when Christ infuses us with inner strength, He pours within us a part of Himself that enables us to face, resist, fight and overcome every demonic fear with enough power to stand and defeat every fear.
Now let's talk about the word "Love" in II Timothy 1:7. At a glance, it doesn't seem that Love could be effective in conquering "Fear" but we can plainly see in I John 4:18 it tells us:
There is no fear in love; but perfect (mature) love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
The word Casteth in this scripture means: To throw off violently and to abandon something regarded as no longer useful.
So what is this scripture telling us? That the complete Love that Christ is working in us will throw off Fear violently. In other words, Love will show Fear no mercy.
The more we Love God, the less Fear we will have, because the more we know Him and experiencing Him in our lives the more we will learn to trust Him and truly believe what Romans 8:28 promises us:
Verse 28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Remember: Don't let "Fear" be a driving force that keeps you bound to your past and fearful of your future.
And our last area God has given us that will help us overcome and defeat Fear is with a Sound Mind.
Most of the time our Fears are the result of wrong thinking. But something happens when we begin to meditate and act on the Word of God. We begin to trust Him and our minds are renewed as Romans 12:2 tells us:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
This is interesting that the word Transformed in this scripture means: Metamorphose, change and transfigure and comes from a word that means: To form.
So what happens in the renewing of the mind process? Our minds are renovated by the power of the Word of God. Those old thought patterns are torn down and are transformed, healed and changed. Our thinking becomes disciplined and Fear no longer controls or dominates our thinking or our lives.
Remember: Conquering Fear is not a matter of self determination, but a matter of dependence on God, His word and the power of the Holy Spirit to work in your life.
Blessings,
Elma Garlock
