Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a leader in our women’s ministry, Fame! We are learning from women in the OT. The woman I am sharing with you is Deborah, one of Israel’s judges. She was a faithful and powerful woman of God, who helped settle arguments among the Israelites and helped her nation become free. The people of Israel were ignoring God’s commands and because of this, God allowed the Cannanites (led by Sisera) to rule over them. Finally, the people cried out to God for help. Deborah heard clear instructions from God; she obeyed God by telling Barak, a military leader, about God’s plan. She told him he needed to take 10,000 leaders into battle. He listened and God helped the Israelites defeat the Cannanites. Deborah and Barak wrote a song to praise God. After this victory, Israel had peace for 40 years. 

I would like to share with you these scriptures about Deborah from Judges 4:6-9,

 “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.

Verse 8 and 9 continue… 

Barak, said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.”

These verses and the story of Deborah taught me that God gives me grace, influence, and blessings when I hear Him and obey.

I remember a story in my own life when I was praying about accepting a new position in ministry. I was so excited about it but nervous because I didn’t know if I could do it. I didn’t know if God was calling me to do this and if it was truly His plan for me. I had helped in other areas of ministry but never this specific area. I knew I needed to hear directly from God. I prayed and asked God to give me a rhema word. A rhema word is a word the Holy Spirit will speak to you in a specific situation. He spoke to me from Ephesians 4:11, “And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers.” It was clear God was telling me He had given me the grace to be a teacher and care pastor in this area of ministry. So I listened to God and obeyed by accepting this position. Through my obedience, God gave me grace, influence, and blessings in this area of ministry. Just the other day, a child in the ministry I lead, looked up at me and asked me if I would be her mentor. It was an impactful moment because I saw that God truly had placed me there for a reason. If I hadn’t obeyed God, I would not be experiencing the joy and fruit of serving in this ministry area. 

God is teaching me that He gives us grace, influence, and blessings when we hear from Him and obey. 

When we hear God and obey, He gives us grace.

Deborah had grace to handle this situation because she heard from God and obeyed. Barak even told her that he wouldn’t go if she didn’t go with him. When God tells us to do something, He will give us the grace to do it. 

Verse 8 reads, “Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.””

It was clear that Deborah was carrying grace and influence that was directly from God. Barak wanted her to be with him as he entered this huge battle because of what she carried. 

When we hear God and obey, He gives us influence. 

Deborah had influence and was trusted in her community because she heard from God and obeyed. People recognized God’s hand on her life and sought her wisdom. She was the judge people would come to when they needed help solving their disputes. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of details about Deborah’s life. But, we do know that in a Patriarchal society, she had influence and ruled as a woman judge, the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. In her quiet times with God, she was eager to hear from Him and obey what she heard. This gave her influence. 

When we hear God and obey, He blesses us.

God blessed Deborah because she trusted him. She was able to help lead Israel to victory and they had peace for 40 years. What a blessing! As a nation, they went from being terrorized by Sisera for 20 years to a 40 year period of peace. This shift can be traced back to the obedience of Deborah. I have always heard the saying, “Blessings follow obedience” and Jesus explained this principle so clearly in Luke 11:28, “Yes,” said Jesus. “But God will bless all who listen to the word of God and carefully obey everything they hear.”

I hope you can apply the principle of hearing God and obeying to your life. This is how I am able to have influence at work. I am currently walking in a season where I am experiencing grace, influence and blessings from God at work. After studying the life of Deborah, I can clearly see that this is tied back to hearing from God and being obedient. 

God has clear direction and wisdom for whatever situation you are facing in your life. If you ask Him, He will show you what to do. After that, it is up to us to listen and obey. It is always in our benefit to obey because God knows what is best for us. He gives us grace, influence, and blessings because of our obedience.

I am so encouraged by the women of FAME. These are the powerful and incredible women I pray with and do life with. They are some of my best friends. God has time and time again strengthened me and encouraged me through these women. I want to encourage you to find a small group to get plugged into. We are not meant to do life alone. God has deep spirited friendships for you, too, and you can find these friendships with other women of FAME.

I would love to hear from you about how this has impacted you. Is there a time you heard clearly from God and obeyed and experienced His grace, influence, and blessings? Or is there a current situation where you need to hear from God? How can we pray for you? You are so cared for and loved already!

Love,

Colleen