Think PRINT 5,25x8. FINAL 2

Think Like 

D E B O R A H 

A Woman of Bold Faith 

Calling You to 

Live Your Life Out Bold 

by 

Nikki Chaplin

Think Like Deborah 

Copyright © 2016 by Nikki Chaplin 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains 

material protected under International and 

Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any 

unauthorized reprint or use of this material 

is prohibited. No part of this book may be 

reproduced or transmitted in any form or 

by any means, electronic or mechanical, 

including photocopying, recording, or by any 

information storage and retrieval system 

without express written permission from the 

author / publisher.

Dedication 

To my daughter Nicole 

You are the kindest, 

loveliest person I know. 

You have brought so much joy to my life. 

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Contents 

Introduction 1 

Section One: God is Waiting on You! 7 

Chapter 1: Exploring the Deborah Mindset ..... 9 

Chapter 2: Activate Your Faith .......................27 

Chapter 3: Think Victory ..................................49 

Chapter 4: Overcome Your Limitations ..........63 

Chapter 5: Be Fully Persuaded ......................73 

Section Two: The Creative Word of God 93 

Chapter 6: Embrace the Creative Spirit ........95 

Chapter 7: Make the Sacrifice ......................121 

Chapter 8: Answer The Call .........................129 

Chapter 9: Who, Me? .....................................141 

Chapter 10: Living the Deborah Principles .149 

About the Author 161 

References 163 

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Acknowledgments 

I am very grateful to the many friends whose 

efforts went into making this book possible 

even if your name is not mentioned below. 

Thanks to Yolanda Snell for reading the first 

draft of the manuscript. Thanks to my editors 

Bridgette King and Marsha Williams at 

Williams & King Publishers for your patience, 

dedication, and keen eye for seeing this 

project come to life. 

To my mother, Isolyn, without whose 

unconditional love and support I would not 

have been able to undertake the journey to 

write this book. Thank you for showing me 

what quiet grace and enduring strength looks 

like, and for holding a special place in the 

spirit for me. And to my father, I bow to your 

memory because it was you who instilled in 

me a love for books of all kinds and the 

curiosity that blossomed from indulging in 

books at an early age. I can’t imagine what 

my life would be like without them. 

To my then morning prayer group with 

whom my fascination with the person of 

vii

Deborah was ignited to a stronger level, 

eventually leading to this full blown essay 

that I am now sharing with others who may 

pick up this book. To my Pastors at Words 

of Life Church in Miami, Florida, whose 

teaching has led me on the path of how to 

think right, believe right and speak right and 

who remind us constantly that people are 

defeated daily due to wrong thinking, wrong 

believing, and wrong speaking. 

To all my mentors and supporters who 

continue to help shape my understanding of 

this journey called life, my heartfelt thanks 

and gratitude to one and all. 

And yes, to modern day Deborah’s everywhere 

far and wide who dare to seize the 

moment and live your lives out bigger and 

bolder, to you I say, go forth because: 

“Hath not the Lord God 

commanded, (it)…?” (Judges 4:6). 

viii

Introduction 

You may never have heard of the 

famous “Deborah,” whose life has 

inspired me to write this book. So 

let me summarize her heroic story from the 

King James Version of the Holy Bible (KJV), 

in Judges 4-5. 

Deborah was a homemaker and wife who 

was called by God to be a prophetess and 

leader of her people, Israel. She judged Israel 

during a period of great oppression and was 

led by God to send a rather small number 

of troops to destroy a much larger, more 

powerful army of oppressors. This oppression 

had been going on for many years. 

Deborah, with a servant’s heart, rose to 

the occasion with boldness and passion and 

motivated her people to ultimately defeat 

1


their enemies. She would later be referred to 

as “a mother of Israel” and was a respected 

leader and a war hero. With a never say die 

attitude and a purposeful, winning mindset, 

she spoiled the enemies’ plans and led her 

people to victory. 

Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda, in 

their book, Women of the Bible, 1 wrote that 

throughout history, Deborah has been a 

source of encouragement to women. They 

explained that when women feel confined or 

mistreated, when they feel unsure of what is 

right, and what is the right way to proceed 

when they are entering unknown territory, 

when they feel overlooked or ignored, they 

(have often) gained stability and help by 

remembering Deborah. I am one of those 

women. 

It was during our 5:30 AM prayer group 

meeting in the fourth watch of the night as 

we worshiped, sought God’s presence and 

listened in silence for the Holy Spirit’s revelations 

that the Lord directed my focus to this 

great woman of God—judge, prophetess, and 

pioneer, Deborah. As I read from Judges 

4-5, I reminded myself to approach each line 

of scripture with a fresh and curious heart, 

not taking anything for granted, lest I miss 

2

Exploring the Deborah Mindset 

some nuance or insight the Lord wanted me 

to see. 

I was curious to discover how different 

layers or secrets within the passages would 

be revealed to me. From the start, I knew 

that I was searching for more than an 

abstract relationship with the heroine of this 

story. I wanted to get to know how she 

leaped into the fire of the great unknown. 

How as a woman, she found the courage to 

go against the grain of her culture to assert 

herself in such a male-dominated role. What 

shaped this brave, no-nonsense woman of 

God whose boldness seemed so unlike other 

women of her time? Yet, the challenge she 

faced then was no different from many which 

we face today. 

Roused by the striking attributes and 

characteristics that I discovered, I was 

inspired to write this book. My objective 

is to open your eyes to a new, powerful 

mindset that will initiate change and improve 

the quality of your life, rather than merely 

waiting for God to act. You, too, can begin to 

connect with Deborah to fuel your progress 

or reconnect with her spirit of courage and 

fearless thinking when you feel you’ve lost 

your footing. The key to your success is to 

3


think like the Deborah of the Old Testament 

and to act like the Deborah of today. 

The contents of this book, Think Like 

Deborah are not intended in any way to 

be a theological assessment or retelling of 

her story. Nor is this meant to be a type 

of religious doctrine. Rather, this narrative 

is meant to show you how to apply the 

principles of this great woman to your own 

lives while allowing the supernatural behind 

all things to do its work. 

To begin, here are my questions for you: 

Would you like to learn how to clear your 

mind of indecision, uncertainty, confusion, 

and fear? Would you like to know why you 

are here, and where you are going? If your 

answer is “yes,” then you are ready to come 

with me on a journey with Deborah, a woman 

on a mission to change the story of her life 

and her people. Indeed, a woman committed 

to writing a new story for herself and her 

people. 

As you read these pages, may you be 

abundantly blessed by the messages and 

receive new insights into Deborah’s wisdom 

and courage as I have. I pray that the 

“Deborah” qualities you crave will leap off 

these pages into your very spirit. I trust that 

after reading this book, you will no longer 

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see her as just an abstract Bible figure, 

but you will see Deborah within yourself. In 

doing so, you too may leap in and begin 

to write a bigger and better life story for 

yourself, instead of waiting for your lucky 

day to show up. 

5

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SECTION ONE 

God is Waiting on You! 

7

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CHAPTER 1: 

Exploring the 

Deborah Mindset 

We can learn a lot from Deborah, a 

woman who was able to transcend 

her ordinary role and accomplish a 

supernatural victory. As we explore her life, 

it makes us stand in awe and wonder if, 

given our circumstances, weaknesses, and 

lack of faith, we could achieve such exploits. 

Chances are, we may ponder, count the cost, 

then throw our hands in the air and give up 

without trying because the odds seem to be 

against us. 

Furthermore, with all the conflicts and 

pressures we are bombarded with each day, 

how can we ever achieve such feats of 

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boldness and victory? The demands placed 

upon us seem to grow bigger and get heavier 

each and every day. 

Our responsibilities at home are ever 

increasing, not to mention the pressures of 

our careers, social outreach, and even our 

churches. Our needs are real and while our 

hearts long to do more, how can we juggle 

it all, yet, remain sane and at peace? Can 

you relate? 

Deborah seemed to have figured it out. 

Admittedly, an equally compelling reason why 

I wanted to dig deeper into her life was to try 

to find the answers like she did. I wanted to 

apply her principles to my own relationship 

with the Lord. She roused something new 

in me that refused to let go and made me 

ponder what a modern day Deborah would 

really look like. 

What made her so audacious, so sure of 

herself and sure of her mission? I wanted to 

be guided to a fuller expression of my true 

potential. Did I possess even a tiny bit of 

her capacity for braveness and fearlessness? 

And what of her incredible instincts to know 

when to strike and what to do? 

I discovered that hers was more than just 

an interesting story. It was far deeper than 

I could imagine. There were fundamental 

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precepts about her life, mindset, and 

relationship with God that if unraveled, could 

have a tremendous impact on my life. 

It wasn’t just by chance that Deborah 

weighed so heavily on me because at the 

time, I felt as if I had entered into the dark 

night of the soul. I remember the feeling of 

being “stuck” that came over me, immediately 

followed by the question, “Why can’t 

you be more like the Deborah?” A few lines 

from Dr. Seuss’ famous poem, “The Waiting 

Place,” began to stir my spirit and ring in 

my ears: 

Everywhere you find people waiting 

For fish to bite…for wind to fly a kite 

Waiting for Friday night 

(Waiting) for a better break 

(Waiting) for a string of pearls, 

A pair of pants or another chance 

(Everywhere) Everyone is waiting. 2 

Yes, the person in that verse surely 

resembled me, and my waiting place felt 

parched and barren! How on earth did I get 

here, and how or when would I ever get 

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out? I knew I needed help beyond my own 

natural abilities. 

My mind flashed again to the kind of 

supernatural help given to Deborah in her 

time of dire need, and a glimmer of hope 

came back to me. But, then I reasoned, 

this was Deborah—God’s prophetess, judge, 

keeper of Moses’ law—a woman pre-coded 

for greatness. Surely, God would show up for 

a prophetess of such deep faith. But would 

He turn up for me? Who was I kidding? 

Deborah reminded me of other great 

women of the Bible—Ruth, Abigail, and Esther. 

Like them, she had a deep and relentless 

conviction that the Lord would answer her 

call. She knew that He is no respecter of 

persons (Acts 10:34), and what He did for 

them, He would do for her. Using Deborah’s 

bold example, we can also say that what He 

did for her, He will do for you and me. 

We have this assurance because we 

know God is a Spirit and His operating 

principles are shown to us through His Word. 

Because God is not a flesh-and-blood man, 

His principles are constant and do not vary 

over time, person or space. But what would 

it take for Him to do the same for us, me 

specifically (selfishly at the moment)? 

This much I knew: I was no Deborah, but 

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if I could internalize some of her principles 

that moved the hand of God on her behalf 

and that of her people, it would support the 

most fulfilling life I dreamed of living. 

So I began my quest to get into 

Deborah’s head, to learn to think like her, 

and furthermore, to act like her. This would, 

of course, mean adopting a new mindset, 

taking on a new perspective—the “Deborah 

Mindset.” The mentality of a woman very 

much in tune with her innate capacities and 

fully ready to unleash them for something 

she believed in—freedom to live a better life. 

My second step was to learn how to walk 

out the divine purpose God had established 

for me. Deborah had become more than an 

abstract story to me; she had become a 

friend. It’s the only way I know to describe 

how she accompanied me during the days 

that followed. 

Destiny Markers 

I believe the events in the Bible are 

placed there on purpose. However, it does 

take dedicated meditation on the words 

to peel back the layers of the particular 

events to activate them in our lives. Bible 

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events serve as markers, lighting the way, 

showing us things we need to know and 

do to live our best lives. Deborah’s story, I 

would discover, had many of these important 

markers, waiting to be uncovered. 

As I shared the story with a close friend, 

we discussed situations in which we felt we 

had held ourselves back for no good reason. 

How many times has the Spirit nudged 

you and me to reach out and minister to 

someone, or to step out and do something 

creative? Yet, we held back thinking: “No, 

that’s too much to take on.” “I don’t see how 

it could work.” “Now is not the right time.” 

“I’m just not equipped to do this or that 

work.” I am sure you can relate to your own 

set of delay tactics. But isn’t that just what 

author Marianne Williamson is talking about 

when she says, 

Our deepest fear is not that we 

are inadequate. Our deepest fear 

is that we are powerful beyond 

measure. It is our light, not our 

darkness that most frightens us. 

We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to 

be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, 

fabulous?’ Actually, who are you 

not to be? You are a child of 

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God. Your playing small does 

not serve the world. 3 

As my friend and I chatted, I couldn’t 

help thinking how often we prepare, and 

prepare, and prepare some more, waiting 

for supposedly the “right moment.” To use 

a baseball analogy, many times, we keep 

“winding up to bat” without ever swinging the 

bat. Oh, the missed opportunities! 

I once heard a preacher say, “The 

opportune time only lasts for the time of the 

opportunity.” Wow, how I know that to be true 

because time and again, it has happened to 

me. 

One such timely opportunity came to me 

and slipped away as swiftly as it came. It 

would have taken me to Malaysia, a place 

I’d long wanted to visit. To this day, I can 

still remember my feeling of regret for not 

going. 

I have always enjoyed traveling and 

among the places on my countries to visit 

wish list were those in Asia. The opportunity 

came when a very good friend of 

mine moved there with her husband on a 

job assignment that was to last two years. 

While there, she kept inviting me to come 

for a visit. Her husband worked during the 

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week, and often for long hours, so she had 

lots of free time. We could both have had a 

good time together as we explored her new 

home with a sense of adventure. 

All I needed to do was make the necessary 

flight arrangements, and off to Asia, I’d go 

with the exotic island of Malaysia being my 

first stop. Now, for some crazy, inexplicable 

reason, I kept hesitating. All the while, my 

friend kept encouraging me to come. 

Many times, I came close to pulling 

it off, but I let my own doubts rule my 

better judgment. I kept telling myself, maybe 

tomorrow I would feel better about going, but 

for the moment, there were so many other 

things that needed my attention. 

At least, that was my excuse for never 

being quite ready. Well, months went by, and 

the “better feeling” never came. Furthermore, 

the “better time” never came until it was 

too late. When she was ready to return to 

the States, that’s about the time I made the 

decision to visit her. Sad to say, I missed an 

important opportunity because I kept winding 

up and procrastinating, but never actually 

stepped out to swing that bat. 

Contrarily, prophetess Deborah did not 

seem to suffer from such a malady. She 

understood the dangers of procrastination 

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and not seizing opportunities when they 

present themselves. She recognized that 

lingering and dragging her feet added no 

value to the situation. A few minutes delay 

or hesitation would have cost her the victory 

and freedom for her people. History would 

never have recorded her as a heroine. 

I have had my share of ups and downs. 

Thankfully, more ups than downs. As I 

examine my family life and career, I realize 

if I’ve enjoyed any success, it’s been due 

largely to my willingness to take chances 

even when the outcome was far from certain. 

The times when I faltered were usually when 

I second-guessed myself, adding up my own 

strength and in my self-censorship coming 

up short for the task at hand. 

No doubt, an otherwise closed door could 

be opened by moving out in faith. Faith 

moves the hand of God on our behalf and 

makes possible what may seem impossible. 

Yes, of course, there will be ups and downs 

for you and me along this journey. However, 

through Deborah’s story, we can use God’s 

principles to put us over the top when we 

approach what is being shown to us as life’s 

”impossibilities.” 

The Apostle Paul told the Philippian 

church to forget those things which lay 

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behind and press forward toward the mark of 

the high calling (Philippians 3:14). Likewise, 

I encourage you as you take your Deborah 

journey not to spend much time digging into 

your past trying to dissect all the missteps 

you made, looking back at all the roads not 

taken and dwelling on the unlucky breaks 

that came your way. Rather, use this journey 

to go forward and create a better life for 

yourself. 

In seeking to change her circumstances, 

we see how Deborah, rather than standing 

by waiting for God to act to change her 

situation, took up the mantle to create a safer 

and more prosperous destiny for herself and 

her people. 

Could it be that in the times when we 

hold back, we are more focused on our 

natural talents than on God’s ability? Our 

eyes are turned inwardly to ourselves, rather 

than trained on God. Could it be that we 

are waiting for the right moment, the right 

person, and the right set of circumstances 

to present themselves, rather than grabbing 

hold of God’s promises, and moving forward 

in His strength? 

After all, God is not an “absentee-creator” 

of your destiny capriciously moving in and 

out when He pleases. Rather, as Deborah 

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demonstrates, He is a co-creator of our 

destiny based on our willingness to put 

action to our faith. In fact, not only do we 

have to co-create our destiny, we also have 

to curate our destiny as we go. In other 

words, we have to intentionally gather up 

and put together pieces of our strengths and 

experiences we have gained along the way 

to help us knit together the kind of life we 

desire. Even experiences that seem hard, 

unfair, and disappointing can hold valuable 

lessons for our future if we take the time to 

look for them. 

As I looked at my life, I was facing 

my own crossroads. My long career in 

the corporate world was uncertain, as the 

company I worked for was merging and my 

job as I knew it would disappear. It was the 

heyday of the computer software taking over 

just about every level of job in a company. 

I knew that in order to survive, I would 

have to retool my career, but what exactly 

I should do, and the how to do it weren’t 

coming into focus for me. My daughter was 

grown, had moved to New York, and she 

was starting her own life. Yet, I felt no clear 

direction as to what to do next. I felt as if 

I’d somehow lost my footing. In trying to 

deal with my own dilemma by making use of 

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Deborah’s thinking, the answer came to my 

spirit, “What God wants from you is action, 

not debate.” But where to begin remained far 

outside my grasp. 

It was like spinning a Rubik’s Cube with 

Deborah’s face on every other cube and 

seeing mine next to hers. It was then that I 

literally heard the words, “Think like Deborah” 

bubble up in my spirit. I knew it was the title 

of a book I must write. Right then, I realized 

that my journey would not be merely about 

writing her story, it would be about thinking 

the Deborah way. It was becoming a script 

from which to learn and gain strength when 

the road seems uncertain, or when life feels 

like it’s closing in on us. We can pick up the 

mantle the way Deborah did, and charge on 

in faith. 

I took comfort in the promise that said, 

“When you seek Me diligently with all your 

heart you will find Me” (Jeremiah 29:13 & 

Proverbs 8:17). I couldn’t wait to unfold the 

secrets of the journey I was about to take. 

I pray that you will come to know and etch 

Deborah’s boldness upon your own heart, 

as we journey together. All I ask is that you 

remove your self-imposed limitations from 

your mind, and remember that God is a 

Spirit and He is no respecter of persons. 

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According to author Dennis Waitley, 

“There are two primary choices in life: to 

accept life’s conditions as they are, or to 

accept responsibility for changing them.” 

If you chose the latter, as I believe you 

will, then you’ll need a map or a model, 

a paradigm to help you across the bridge. 

I believe we can draw strength by replicating 

the journey that others before us have 

forged. Using their journey as a roadmap, 

we can place ourselves in their mindsets 

and from there, thrust forward into the place 

we desire to reach. 

My prayer for you is that whenever 

you come to a twist in the road, or during 

moments of reflection, you will pick up this 

book and flip to a page where you’ll draw 

inspiration for your own journey. The point is, 

at one time or another, we all find ourselves 

in bondage to something, and we need a 

way out. Have you identified what’s keeping 

you stuck, preventing you from closing the 

gap between where you are and where you 

desire to be? 

The principles shown in Deborah’s actions 

are exactly the ones available for us today. 

With our minds filled with the promises of 

God, we can begin to think as God thinks, 

speak as God speaks, and re-create our 

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personal lives on the highest level we desire. 

In fact, it is written in Psalm 82:6, as repeated 

by King David (what had been declared to 

Moses), “I have told you, ‘You are “gods,” 

you are all sons of the Most High?’” God 

had told Moses to think like a god as he 

approached the dreaded Pharaoh to seek 

the deliverance of His people. Clearly, God 

wanted Moses to open his eyes to the power 

he possessed on the inside. 

So Moses must have wondered, what 

must it be like to act as a god? Would he 

cower in front of Pharaoh? Or, would he 

boldly declare: “Let my people go!” Later, 

Jesus echoed the same fact in John 10:34, 

when He said, “Is it not written in your Law, 

‘I have said you are “gods”?’” Given that 

we are “encoded” with the God-seed, the 

creative power of the One who made us 

in His image, why shouldn’t we be able to 

express and manifest our highest desires in 

our lives? 

Turning to our personal lives, there’s so 

much that needs to be done. As we look 

closer to home, we see our families beckon 

for our help, we look around our communities, 

and the cry is the same: “Help, someone 

help me please!” Deep inside, we feel the 

urge, yes, the responsibility to be the one 

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who steps up and delivers that help. But, 

where do we begin, and what can individuals 

such as you and I do?” 

Thankfully, there’s a place for us to start. 

There have been others who have walked 

that path before and left a trail showing us the 

way. We can cast our imaginations into their 

paradigm, into their way of thinking and doing 

and overcome our challenges. Remembering 

that Deborah overcame twenty long years 

of oppression, and eventually defeated a 

superior army in less than twenty-four hours 

should give us great courage to take on the 

tasks we may face. 

So often, we’ve prayed for God to give 

us courage, strength, an open door of opportunity, 

or even a witty idea in order that 

we may fulfill our fondest dreams and help 

others. Yet, so often, when He does give us 

ideas, we begin the debate of whether it’s 

really God. In fact, the witty ideas we keep 

asking for may indeed come as we step out 

on the road of obedience, doing whatsoever 

He’s called us to do, no matter how odd 

it might seem, how large or how small. Of 

course, it will take a mindset of complete 

surrender to follow such a hunch and see 

where it might lead—a mind fully determined 

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to go all out without regard to the natural 

odds. 

The challenge is, we will never know 

unless we are willing to put our hands to the 

task. I must tell you that along the “Deborah 

road,” I’ve been learning more and more to 

detach from the “what if” fear and connect 

more to the slogan, “just do it.” How can 

you learn, let alone course-correct if you are 

too scared to risk something? Or too scared 

to trust God for the favorable outcome? As 

I see it, “risk” (thoughtfully done), is another 

word for faith! I had my answer and thus, 

began the quest to plumb the depths of what 

Deborah wanted to share with me. 

As long as you are in a physical body 

striving for more of what you desire, there 

will be times when you will stumble. The 

only questions are when? Over what will 

you stumble? and even more so, what will 

it cost you? Most important, though, will you 

have the courage to keep moving? These 

are all questions I grappled with as I re-examined 

my life in light of the courage I saw 

unfolding through Deborah’s journey. 

The crisis could be a sudden personal 

setback, a costly mistake or what you 

thought was a well-planned action that took 

a wrong turn. You may be called to sacrifice 

24


your personal time to care for a loved one. 

Or to leave your comfort zone to live with 

and learn a new culture. You might even 

be called like the prophet Moses to follow a 

burning bush, (Exodus 3:2-3), your burning 

passion that is, and follow where it leads. 

The prophet Elisha did a similar thing 

when he decided to burn his chariot, kill his 

cattle (his livelihood), and follow his leader 

Elijah (1 King 1:21). I know how scary it can 

be to go all out with nary a safety net in 

sight. But, if there’s one thing these lessons 

teach us, it is that staying stuck is not the 

answer. 

The life lessons that follow are more 

than mere survival strategies. They’re about 

learning how to live in a place deep within, 

from which you have fully decided to take 

on whatever life throws at you, even without 

knowing all the how-to’s and what nots. 

In the real world, life never lays out 

answers ahead of time; it merely gives us 

a choice to take on the journey. Unpleasant 

surprises all have the same faces; they scare 

us and throw us for a loop. It’s about how to 

snatch victory from the face of despair! 

That’s exactly what Deborah did. She 

looked beyond the desperate circumstances 

that were before her and saw God. With a new 

25


mindset, she conquered the fierce opposition, 

constant challenges, and seemingly impossible 

situation that threatened her very 

existence. 

Her success demonstrates that God was 

indeed waiting for someone to act. Deborah 

turned out to be the one. And once she 

did, God’s power was released to meet her 

halfway. 

As our Old Testament example, Deborah 

provides us with a powerful lesson in leading 

our best lives. The lesson for us is: make 

the first move and expect providence to meet 

you on the way! 

26

CHAPTER 2: 

Activate Your Faith 

The women of Deborah’s day did not 

command armies, let alone become 

political leaders. So what could Deborah 

have been thinking as the Word of the Lord 

came to her, saying. “Today is the day”? 

This woman was special. She was cut from 

a different cloth. She was the only woman 

to have held the position of Judge in Israel. 

She would not allow the past to define 

her, nor would she allow herself to be 

pigeon-holed into some predefined role. Her 

mind was set on a better, a higher course 

to follow. And what’s more, Deborah was 

not responding to a purely personal crisis. 

Rather, she was taking on something much 

bigger than her private life. For most of us, 

27


the types of whirlwinds that we face are 

usually on a more personal level having to 

do with family, work or perhaps relationships. 

Wrestling with such personal frustrations 

can make you feel that your world is 

spinning out of control. But for every time 

you’ve gotten past such times and come out 

ahead, can you not look back and see that 

it required you to tap into a level of boldness 

you didn’t think you had, but somehow 

managed to awaken? 

As I followed Deborah’s story, it became 

clearer to me that we all have this capacity 

for bravery, an in-born God-seed that we 

can cultivate and awaken in times of need, 

whether for ourselves or the well-being of 

our loved ones. 

Deborah Had a Mind for Others 

Deborah, the prophetess, held court 

under the palm tree several miles northwest 

of Jericho. As one of Israel’s leaders, she 

was no doubt distressed by the tremendous 

suffering her people were living under at the 

hands of the Canaanites. 

To make matters worse, her people had 

taken up the idol worship practices of the 

28


natives. As a judge of Israel, however, I 

have no doubt that lodged within her DNA 

were the God-seeds of a fighter and a deep 

love for her people, qualities that she would 

have to awaken to take on the task ahead. 

The book of Judges does not record 

whether she had children of her own, but 

we are told that Deborah regarded herself as 

the “Mother of all of Israel.” We are not told 

much of her pedigree or her heritage. What 

we do know is that she was well grounded in 

what it meant to be a daughter of Abraham, 

and most importantly, the authority that was 

attached to such a lineage. 

Deborah knew that God’s promises to her 

forefathers were still in full effect, despite 

the fact that her brethren had turned to 

worshiping idols. She, however, was focused 

on her identity as a child of Abraham. She 

knew that as an heir of Abraham, she and 

her brethren were fully entitled to those 

promises that spanned generations, and she 

intended to claim them. 

She must have also known that her 

forefathers received their physical evidence 

through faith, which leads to the realization 

of things hoped for and is the evidence 

of things not seen. And that because of 

having faith, the ancients were well attested 

29


(Hebrews 11: 1-3). In time, they received 

what they hoped for. 

Up to this point in time, the Israelites lived 

in constant fear of the Canaanites, having 

to endure continued oppression under their 

hands. The Canaanite armies ravaged their 

lands, captured their women and stole their 

possessions. At any moment, they could be 

ambushed, robbed, and forced to flee for 

their lives. 

The situation had become desperate. It 

demanded action. But who was there to step 

up to the fight? If something wasn’t done, it 

would only be a matter of time before the 

enemy would strike again. Truth be told, the 

trouble did not come without warning. The 

people had turned to serving false gods, the 

reward for which was trouble and affliction 

by foreign armies. “Again the Israelites did 

evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud 

was dead. So the Lord sold them into the 

hands of Jabin, King of Canaan” (Judges 

4:1-2). 

During Moses’ time when the Israelites 

were freed from Egyptian slavery, God 

gave the law that said, “Thou shalt have no 

other God before me” (Exodus 20:3). If they 

disobeyed, they would pay a heavy price. 

They had disobeyed by taking part in idol 

30


worship, and now, oppression and devastation 

were the results. 

Stand on the Promise 

At this crucial moment, the future of Israel 

rested on one simple question that prophetess 

Deborah would put to her people, particularly 

her Army Captain Barak: “Hath not 

the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, 

go…?” (Judges 4:6). In Deborah’s mind, this 

was neither a mere question nor was it an 

invitation to go or not. Rather, it was a direct 

command to rise up and defend her people 

against the invaders. 

In Deborah’s day, the word of the prophet 

was synonymous with the mouth of God. In 

other words, it was as though God Himself 

was present and speaking. Deborah was 

convinced that this was the appointed day 

that the Lord had prepared for Israel’s deliverance. 

She was convinced that on this 

particular day if they acted, the angels would 

favor them in the fight ahead. So Deborah 

said unto Barak, “Arise! For this is the day 

in which the LORD has given Sisera into 

your hands; behold, the LORD has gone out 

31


before you” (Judges 4:14). And so the battle 

lines were drawn. 

Barak and his troops gathered alongside 

the Tabor Mountain. Before that, Sisera, 

Captain of the Canaan army had gathered 

his troops and chariots in the Kishon Valley 

(called Wadi), a dry riverbed. But it wouldn’t 

be dry for very long. 

Faith Can Move Mountains 

We see that Deborah moved into action 

based upon her faith, trusting in the Word 

she had heard from the LORD. However, 

given the crisis at hand, and the mighty 

army that was against them, was this really 

a job for a woman? 

What gave her the boldness to forcefully 

COMMAND her captain to act, and act now? 

And how did she think it was prudent for her 

captain to take with him a scrappy bunch of 

untrained fighters from the tribe of Naphtali 

and Nebulin? From where did this prophetess 

learn this great faith? Before we delve 

further into Deborah’s fierce bravery, let’s get 

a grasp of what we mean by faith, what it is, 

and how to create a lattice work around it. 

Based on Deborah’s example, we can 

32


see that having faith means taking action 

and moving towards what you desire in 

life. It’s a two-sided coin; without one, the 

other does not exist. Action is proof, tangible 

evidence of your faith at work. Evangelist 

John, R. Gelderen says it this way, “Your 

view of faith affects—everything. Faith is the 

God-ordained link between your need and 

God’s provision… faith is ‘total dependence 

on the Word of God, His grace and His 

mercy.’” 4 Your actions transport you to the 

promised provision. 

In other words, the basis of one’s faith 

is the Word of God. This Word is delivered 

through promises, backed up by principles. 

Many of these principles are shown to us 

through the hand of God operating in the 

unseen reality, on behalf of Deborah’s act 

of faith. Author John Gelderen explains 

that faith deals with “unseen realities,” 

even though belief in the unseen may be 

something contrary to our human nature. 

Most of us tend to only believe in what we 

can actually see and understand with our 

natural minds. As for Deborah, she accepted 

that the unseen would work things out on 

her behalf, and set out to just do her part. 

The common expression “taking a leap 

of faith,” or, taking a risk so to speak, helps 

33


us deal with stuff we can’t figure out with 

our natural minds. But we must remember, 

having faith is only the beginning. To demonstrate 

faith is to take the leap into the great 

unknown. Without the leap, there is no faith! 

Faith is the ability to believe that what is 

not seen is possible, and then to act in order 

to achieve a given outcome. 

Many of us struggle with how to have 

sufficient faith to take action. When you think 

a little deeper, however, what good is merely 

“having faith,” if you don’t actually use it? 

We often overthink, second guess ourselves, 

and give up because we aren’t really sure 

that this faith thing will work. I’ve been there 

more often than I care to remember. We 

want to feel certain that we’re not just acting 

on blind impulse. We want to feel that there 

is something definite behind what we’re 

believing God for. 

Act on the Impulse From God 

Faith, however, is not merely acting on 

blind emotion, risking it all and hoping for 

the best. In my experience, faith is acting on 

an impulse from God, after spending time in 

contemplation of His Word or a specific Bible 

34


promise, and then resting in the assurance 

that God’s promises are “yay” and “amen.” 

Seek God’s guidance as to whether 

your plans are truly lined up with the will 

of God (your success), the promise of God 

(supernatural help) and the nature of God 

(you have been encoded with the power to 

co-create your desires). 

Prophetess Deborah achieved success 

because she accepted in her spirit that she 

had heard from God and was convinced in 

her mind that the time had come to enforce 

and act on the promise! 

After prayer and seeking answers, you 

may still struggle to get to a place where 

your faith feels strong enough. At this point, 

you must remember that it is your continuing 

actions that will eventually move the hand of 

God, even if the results are not yet what you 

expect. Set your doubts and fears aside and 

keep your hands at the wheel. I promise, 

there will be more on this later, so just stick 

with me. Ann Spangler says it best when 

she writes, “All that Deborah offered to Israel 

she offers to you and me as an example of 

a woman willing to be used by God.” 

Deborah-like courage is available to us 

today. It’s part of our DNA. Her trust in 

her innate, intuitive powers led her to rise 

35


up and face down a much more powerful 

enemy. Her inner strength to call Captain 

Barak into action shows she was willing to 

put her faith on the line. 

She took serious her responsibility as a 

mother of Israel. As such, it was her duty to 

provide for the well-being of her people. All 

of this is based on the notion that faith isn’t 

faith until one acts. Having acted, expect the 

universe to rise up and meet you in the form 

of synchronicities and surprising help. In my 

view, miracles don’t just happen; they have 

to be courted. 

What about you? What assignment are 

you being called to do? And what is your 

hesitation? Deborah’s willingness to act was 

greater than the ambivalence that might 

have been swirling around in her mind. And 

yes, she made use of everything that was 

available to her. We all have similar resources 

available to us, in the form of intuition, 

hunches, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, 

and personal and public knowledge. Some 

are hidden in plain view whether at home, in 

the community or at work. The question is, 

“Do we see them as opportunities to make 

a difference or do we simply take them for 

granted.?” Do we sit back and passively say, 

36


“I don’t see how I can do this; it is too much 

for me to take on.” 

Yes, I know life offers no guarantees, but 

it’s much better to give yourself a chance 

to succeed than to disqualify yourself before 

you even begin. Let me give you an example. 

Before Mother Teresa changed the lives of 

millions of sick and forgotten slum dwellers in 

Calcutta, she simply acted as if she believed 

her actions were necessary, and that God 

would get the glory from her humble acts of 

faith in her ability to change a person’s life. 

In my own life, when I wanted to advance in 

my career, I realized I needed to go back to 

school, and I began attending classes in the 

evenings. Between family and work, it took 

me six years to earn my degree, but it was 

a satisfying experience on both a career and 

a personal level. 

Before freedom fighter and political 

prisoner, Nelson Mandela became president 

of South Africa, and later gained freedom for 

his fellow South Africans, he simply acted as 

if he believed that it was possible for blacks 

and whites to live in harmony together. By 

doing so, he relieved millions of people from 

the tyranny of apartheid. Granted, there is 

still much work to be done, but the point is, 

because of one man’s faith, his country is 

37


further ahead, and the foundation has been 

set for even more progress to begin. 

“Great faith is the ability to believe long 

and far into the misty future,” says author 

Joni E. Tada. It requires taking God at His 

Word, accepting what’s promised in the 

Word, followed by you taking the next step. 

Each of these brave warriors took steps 

that resulted from their core beliefs, even 

though neither had the assurance beforehand 

of how things would eventually turn out. 

Whether at home, in our village, tribe, or at 

work, we can inspire those around us to have 

courage in big battles or small ones. When 

life seems to close in, and we just can’t see 

our way, we can look to Deborah’s example, 

activate our faith and forge ahead, rather 

than be paralyzed by fear and indecision, or 

sit hoping and waiting for the big opportunity 

to come to us, instead of going out to meet 

it. 

I have no idea of the challenges you are 

facing right now. However, you may just be 

one prayer away from your answer, a miracle, 

a promise fulfilled. As Mark Batterson lays 

out in his book, The Circle Maker, “There 

is nothing God loves more than keeping 

promises, answering prayers, performing 

38


miracles, and fulfilling dreams. That is who 

He is. That is what He does.” 5 

Claim the Promise 

No doubt, great weariness was upon 

Deborah’s camp. Her people seemed too 

downcast to fight. To them, God’s promise to 

Joshua back in the desert, “Know therefore 

that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful 

God, which keepeth covenant and mercy...” 

(Deuteronomy 7:9) must have seemed 

nothing more than a distant memory. This 

was certainly no peaceable land of milk and 

honey. Conditions around them were no 

picnic, to say the least. The promise though 

was still very much in effect, waiting to be 

claimed. 

Deborah, however, didn’t focus on the 

weakness of her people, their small weaponry 

or physical strength. Her focus was on the 

promise. Deborah trusted in the voice of 

God speaking to her in her spirit. She then 

repeated to Barak what she had heard the 

Lord say to her. She held fast to God’s 

covenant promise to her forefathers, and to 

her generation. 

Even though we are not of Deborah’s 

39


generation, we are of her same lineage, and 

by faith, this promise still belongs to us. 

It’s a promise in its original full force and 

effect. We can put our trust in it in any hard 

place we find ourselves. “When thou are in 

tribulation, and all these things are come 

upon thee… if thou turn to the Lord thy God 

and shall be obedient to His voice, He will 

not forsake thee nor forget the covenant 

of thy fathers which He swore unto them” 

(Deuteronomy 4:30). This to me is a clear 

invitation to claim what’s been promised to 

us, by being obedient to His voice, whether 

in a whisper or in a jolt of revelation, as was 

the case with Deborah. 

The key to Deborah’s thought process is 

that she followed through on what she heard 

in her spirit, then lined it up with what she 

knew was a covenant promise. How often 

have we heard that voice calling us higher 

and have dismissed it for one reason or the 

other? 

Throughout our lives, we often find 

ourselves in many different places of “comfort” 

(which are actually places of discomfort) when 

we receive the call to action. A marriage 

goes bad. A job becomes unbearable. The 

place we’ve called home for years, possibly 

all our lives, suffocates us. The religion we 

40


grew up with no longer has meaning for 

us. Our material success leaves us feeling 

empty. The call to action won’t let us be. We 

are certain of one small thing—the need to 

get moving, to make a change. Deborah had 

indeed arrived at such a crossroad in life. 

As the Israelites looked with fear at the 

might of king Jabin’s army with its nine 

hundred chariots of iron, they had no choice 

but to turn to prayer. Prayer raises your 

expectations away from your natural strength 

to what is beyond your local imagination. 

They rise into the realm of the supernatural. 

Part of prayer is indeed having a two-way 

conversation. But equally important are the 

silent spaces within our prayers where we 

somehow hear the still small voice of our 

Creator. It is the voice of guidance nudging 

us with new ideas to come up higher, and 

to be obedient to the call. 

In Judges 4 verse 3, we see the Israelites 

coming to the end of their selfish, wicked 

living and turning themselves over to the 

Father: “The children of Israel cried unto the 

Lord.” Judging by the depth of oppression 

the Israelites had endured for twenty years, 

this was no doubt a bold, desperate prayer. 

Bold prayers honor God because they 

show our complete dependence on Him. 

41


In response, we are shown a God who is 

faithful and forgiving of our missteps along 

the way. Having done our part in the natural, 

our role is to leave room for the work of 

the heavens to collide with our actions, even 

when we can’t see how it will all turn out. 

But then again, sometimes, seeing the end 

from the beginning is not our part of the job. 

Seize the Opportunity 

For Deborah and her people, something 

was different about this day. A portal to 

supernatural help had been opened up and 

Deborah didn’t miss it by hesitating. Never 

before in all of Israel’s history had God used 

a strategy like this one. 

Never before had a woman directed the 

captain of the Israelite army. Deborah arose 

with great urgency, and alerted Barak to 

what the Lord had told her: “Hath not the 

God of Israel commanded, saying ‘Go, and 

draw toward Mount Tabor, and take with 

thee 10,000 men of the children of Naphtali 

and of the children of Zebulun’” (Judges 4:6). 

God instructed Deborah only that He would 

draw the enemy into a trap for the purpose 

of delivering them into Barak’s hands. This 

42


meant that the rest of the strategy would be 

up to Barak and his men to figure out just 

how to carry out the job. “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 into 

thine hand” (Judges 4:7). What a promise! 

Once delivered into Barak’s hands, the rest 

was up to him to finish the job. And even 

before that, Barak had to place himself in a 

position to meet the Creator halfway, to have 

the enemy placed in his hands. 

Notice that God showed Deborah what 

He would do, however sketchy, but not how 

He would do it. That was all the strategy 

provided. Sometimes, that latter part is up to 

us to use our own imaginations and efforts. 

Even so, we are reminded that we need not 

enter into a perilous situation alone. In times 

such as these, it’s important to remember 

the promise(s) that apply to your situation 

and invoke them out loud. Continually, if 

necessary! 

According to the NIV translation of the Bible, 

the name Barak means “God’s thunderbolt.” 

In commanding Barak, Deborah was, 

therefore, invoking God’s mighty thunderbolt 

against the oppressors. “I lift my hand to 

heaven and solemnly swear…when I sharpen 

43


my flashing sword and my hand grasps it 

in judgment, I will take vengeance on my 

adversaries and repay those who hate me” 

(Deuteronomy. 32:40-41). 

Yes, prayer does put us in a position to 

hear from God. But as important as prayer 

is, by itself, it is not sufficient. We must also 

place ourselves in positions to access what 

we need in life by the way we spend our 

time, energy, and resources. The outcome 

of such focused activity might surprise us 

beyond our wildest expectations. 

The Power of Agreement 

Sometimes, after we’ve heard the call 

and feel ready to fire up our energies, doubt 

enters in subtle ways. A friend throws cold 

water on your plans with a slight comment 

such as, “You had better think this over, are 

you really sure?” Even Captain Barak did 

not embrace Deborah’s plan right way. By 

making it clear that he did not intend to go, 

unless she went with him, Deborah could 

have given in to her own fears. Your personal 

strength and discernment will also be tested. 

Just remember, more often than not, theirs 

is strength in numbers. I’m reminded of an 

44


African proverb that says, “If you want to 

go fast, go alone; if you want to go far go 

together.” In other words, gather up your 

team to help you roll out your plans. Going 

it alone is not a wise option. 

Judges 4 verse 8 gives Barak’s response 

to Deborah’s command. His condition for 

obeying the orders of this bold prophetess 

was: “…If you will go with me, then I will go; 

but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 

Again, such a relationship had never before 

existed in the history of Israel. However, 

once Deborah and Barak agreed, the fate of 

the Canaanites was sealed, as they would 

now certainly be defeated. Furthermore, 

they each needed one another in order to 

succeed. 

While some authors and scholars see 

Barak’s hesitation as an act of timidity, the 

outcome could have been different had 

Barak chosen to go it alone. I believe that 

Barak depended on Deborah’s wisdom to 

guide him in the battle. Such a mission was 

bigger than Barak’s personal ego and his 

need to play the hero. After all, with so little 

information to go on, who knew whether he’d 

make it out alive? 

I also believe Barak’s plea that Deborah 

accompanied him was part of doing what 

45


any prudent army captain would do before 

agreeing to go to war, that is, securing the 

support of the one who gave the command. 

After all, this was no ordinary enemy. A 

great deal was at stake for everyone. 

Given his scrappy army and the sketchy 

details, Barak had to take a great “leap” of faith 

to take on such a mission. Deborah herself 

told Barak that because of his hesitancy, 

he would not get the credit for taking down 

the enemy. However, even though Barak did 

not receive credit then, in the end, he did 

receive some acknowledgment for his faith 

in leading the charge against the enemy. In 

fact, we later see in the Eleventh Chapter of 

Hebrews, Barak is honored among the great 

men of faith for turning his weakness into 

strength: 

And what shall I more say? for 

the time would fail me to tell 

of Gedeon, and of Barak, and 

of Samson…of David also, and 

Samuel, and of the prophets who 

through faith subdued kingdoms, 

wrought righteousness, obtained 

promises, stopped the mouths 

of lions, quenched the violence 

of fire, escaped the edge of the 

sword, out of weakness were 

46


made strong, waxed valiant in 

fight, turned to flight the armies 

of the aliens (Hebrews 11:34). 

In contrast, Deborah’s name was not 

mentioned in the passage, even though 

she was the catalyst for the success of the 

battle. Barak did not get a direct message 

as did Deborah. Nevertheless, he persevered 

and overcame whatever doubts or 

weaknesses he may have had. A reminder 

that sometimes, our next move may come 

from another source, perhaps, a friend or 

colleague. 

It is up to us to use our best judgment 

to determine whether we are making the 

right move at the right time or if we should 

pull back and wait for better circumstances. 

Sometimes, our own fears can hold us 

back—the thinking that, “I’m just not good 

enough to do this” so let’s just do nothing. 

Barak seemed to have had all of these 

thoughts swirling around in his head. Yet, it 

did not stop him from taking the leap. Nor 

did Deborah allow his subtle doubting (even 

if warranted) to sabotage her plans to move 

ahead. 

In spite of our swirling fears and timidity, 

if we choose to think like Deborah, we can 

47


overcome the temptation to run away and 

hide when we face turmoil and despair in 

our lives. Her bravery shows us that when 

we activate our faith and take action with the 

conviction, God will give us the victory. As 

we act on the impulse from God, focus on 

His promises to us, have a mind for others 

and understand the power of agreement, we 

can turn our situations around and win life’s 

battles. 

Prayer to Activate Faith 

Lord in times of need, help me to 

remember your name. You are my, El 

Shaddai, my provider. When my heart is 

weak, and my hope is fading help me to 

remember You are Yahweh Tsuri, The 

Lord My Rock. When I don’t see a way, 

and my path seems unclear Help me to 

remember You are Yahweh Roi, the Lord, 

my Shepherd. 

48

CHAPTER 3: 

Think Victory 

To King Jehoshaphat, the LORD said: 

Thus saith the LORD unto you, “Be 

not afraid, nor dismayed by reason of 

this great multitude; For the battle is 

not yours, but GOD’S. “Ye shall not 

need to fight this battle. Set yourself, 

standstill, and see the salvation of 

The LORD with you, O Judah and 

Jerusalem: Fear not, nor be dismayed; 

tomorrow go out against them: for the 

LORD will be with you” (2 Chronicles 

20:17). 

The stage was set for the epic battle to 

begin. There’s an odd thing I’ve noticed 

about a battle. It’s a menace that lies 

49


in wait. It never directly engages you, but 

it’s a threat that you have to decide to take 

on. In our everyday lives, the set stage is 

often not of our choosing, much less to our 

liking. Nevertheless, the choice is the same. 

To step in and give it our best, or to shrink 

back and bury our heads in the sand. 

We find prophetess Deborah holding 

court under the Palm of Deborah, a place 

located approximately halfway between the 

cities Bethel and Ramah. It is the place from 

which Deborah would give the instructions 

to Barak. Deborah herself received three 

specific instructions: Today is the day, take 

10,000 men, and go to Mount Tabor. 

Barak’s designated location was Mount 

Tabor, over 1,300 feet high, perched atop 

the Kishon River on the northeast side of 

the battle site. It was an abundant place, 

with evergreens, oaks and one of the most 

beautiful hills of Palestine. Such a spot 

would give Barak and his men the strategic 

advantage over the enemy below. 

Sisera’s chosen battlefield, the Jezreel 

Valley, was located along the river, the foot 

of the mountain. This region typically experienced 

great flooding during the rainy season. 

At that moment, however, the riverbed was 

bone dry allowing the men to gather there. 

50


This was clearly symbolic of a fixed fight! “I 

will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s 

army with his chariots and his multitudes 

to the Kishon River and give him into your 

hands” (Judges 4:7). 

When Barak and his men approached the 

well-equipped Canaanites, they must have 

watched in awe as the rain soon flooded the 

valley, making it impossible for the horses 

to gallop through the sludge. From the 

heavens, the Lord sent storms and a great 

flood against the enemy, drowning some. 

Trapped in the muddy flood waters, the men 

in the Canaanite army became sitting ducks 

for Barak’s men, who were positioned high 

on the Tabor mountainside. 

The Canaanites had no choice but to throw 

down their swords and flee. The Israelites 

then picked them up and defeated them 

with their own swords. Except for Sisera, 

not one enemy soldier would escape. When 

Sisera saw his army’s utter defeat, he turned 

and ran for cover, ending up in a place he 

believed to be safer ground—the tent of a yet 

unnamed, but friendly Kenite woman. Or, so 

he thought. 

As for Israel, their deliverance had come 

in a new, most unusual way! Deborah would 

later sing of how the heavens came to their 

51


rescue on that day. “The earth shook, the 

heavens poured down water, the mountains 

quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, 

before the Lord God of Israel” (Judges 5:5). 

Push Past Your Fears 

Again another first. A new type of war 

had been fought on behalf of the Israelites. 

It was one in which Barak and 10,000 

untrained Israelites defeated a well-equipped, 

trained army of 900 chariots of iron, plus a 

multitude of other fighters. The enemy had 

been subverted and subdued. Barak had 

faced his great test. Through all of history, 

he would no longer be called timid. He would 

forever be remembered as the faithful one 

who persevered. 

It was indeed a great miracle, all made 

possible by the bravery of the prophetess, 

and Barak’s willingness to push pass his 

fears, to stand up and to face the crisis. 

Divine destiny would, of course, have to do 

the rest. 

We are often saddled by a strong dose 

of fear, and the anguish of how to keep it 

from getting in the way of what we want 

in life. Fear is that thing we can lump into 

52


a big bucket called “fear of the unknown.” 

From our earliest childhood, we are told to 

fear the dark. Next, we are taught to fear 

danger such as a lion that may attack and 

kill us. Next, we are taught to fear risk as 

it may result in shame of some type, loss 

of status, loss of friends, loss of money or 

setbacks of one kind or another. If we let it, 

the pain can go on until it forms shackles 

around our ankles and a veil over our eyes. 

Fear is nothing more than bondage of the 

worst kind. Yet, it is an emotion, we can do 

something about. 

As adults, the types of fears we most 

often face are those we think might cause 

us loss of some kind or trauma to some 

degree. More often than not, these types of 

losses are not catastrophic. Hurtful, though 

they can be, we can and do tend to recover 

from them. And if we are mindful, such 

losses often have within them lessons that 

can help us grow and become better at who 

we are. 

It seems, the most useful way to deal 

with fear is to be okay with the idea that 

we can never get rid of it. What we can do 

is to engage help from trusted sources and 

patiently pay special attention to our own 

inner guidance. 

53


It is worth noting that Barak was not 

simply an ordinary man going up against a 

mighty army; he was a trained fighter. Yet, 

he still had his doubts. It seems then that 

the most we can do is to lay fear aside as 

did Barak and get on with the task at hand. 

In the words of author Susan Jeffers, 

“Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.” In my 

own words, feel the fear and put your plan 

in motion. Expect the divine to meet you 

halfway. Keep an open mind, and remember 

that the divine is not predictable. Your hoped 

for a solution may come in ways that you 

could never have expected. 

Before this day, Barak had failed to 

conquer the Canaanites. Little wonder then 

that on the day of battle, some of his brethren 

were afraid and did not join the fight. But 

truth be told, being in a state of constant 

fear is no way to live. What an amazing 

turnaround for Barak and his soldiers! 

On that day, there were many firsts. 

Several most unusual things happened, 

revealing how the supernatural, unseen 

hands of God work when a person’s faith is 

activated and put in motion: 

• He gave warfare instructions through 

a woman. 

54


• He had a woman accompany Captain 

Barak into battle. 

• He delivered the host of a mighty 

army into the hands of 10,000 poorly 

armed men. 

• He allowed a woman to subdue Sisera, 

Captain of the mighty Canaanite army. 

• He used the heavens—the rain and the 

flood—to war on Israel’s behalf. 

Seems to me that all the old rules were 

broken and new avenues of support opened 

up. The lesson being, start expecting, without 

regard to how it’s been done before! 

The Lord gave help to Deborah and Barak 

by sending great thunder, lightning, and rain 

that caused flooding in the riverbed. The 

flooding swept multitudes of enemy soldiers 

downstream to the Mediterranean. Who could 

have imagined such a thing? 

If we have learned anything from Deborah’s 

story, it is that synchronicities do happen as 

we see with the rain and the flooding, but 

we have to be in the position to benefit from 

such happenings. There’s no telling how or 

when we might just catch a lucky break. Or, 

call it preparation if you prefer! 

Deliverance can happen in many different 

55


ways we can’t imagine when we are in the 

midst of a struggle. That’s because the 

unseen hand of creation goes to work for 

us the moment we stop waiting for a force 

outside of ourselves to make the first move. 

Creation has unlimited ways to choose 

from, and innumerable resources to back up 

our efforts if we believe the impossible is 

possible. 

Think Deliverance! 

You and I are promised deliverance, not 

defeat! This was certainly Deborah’s bedrock 

thinking. We can draw on that promise, 

making it our deepest held belief, no matter 

the circumstance that we face. We can use 

those same inspired promises given by inspiration 

to men and women generations ago, 

as our way through whatever difficulties we 

might face. 

No matter how long ago the Word was 

spoken, it carries the same life force as the 

first moment it was voiced. In other words, 

it has the original power at the moment you 

happen to be reading and meditating on it. 

Help may not come to us in a familiar way 

or from an expected source, but it’s enough 

56


to expect that help will indeed meet us on 

the journey. Grim though the situation may 

appear, in the end, we usually find that our 

faith was worth standing on. 

The situation Deborah faced is similar 

to what David encountered when trying to 

escape from king Saul. The story is told in 

1 Samuel chapter 30. 

The Amalekites had invaded Ziklag, 

a land belonging to Judah. They ravaged 

the town, burned it with fire, and captured 

the women and children. At this point, 

although David had been anointed king by 

the prophet Samuel, he had not yet been 

crowned king. David was greatly distressed, 

but pulled himself together and sought the 

Lord for direction. God answered him with 

this assurance: “Pursue: for thou shalt surely 

overtake them, and without fail recover all” 

(1 Samuel 30: 8). 

The similarities between Deborah and 

David’s victories do not end there. In the 

same way that Jael, a non-Israelite, played a 

crucial role in the slaying Deborah’s enemy, 

a non-Israelite boy played a similar role for 

David in his battle. The story is told in 1 

Samuel 30. 

Deborah’s ally in battle, Jael, was a 

member of the enemy tribe. David’s help 

57


also came straight from the enemy’s camp— 

from a sickly Egyptian slave the Amalekites 

had discarded and left behind. “My master 

abandoned me when I became ill three days 

ago” (1 Samuel 30:13). After David’s men 

fed him, he revealed to David where the 

Amalekite enemies were hiding. With the 

enemy’s hiding place uncovered, David was 

able to smite them, leaving none to escape. 

David’s help did not come from the usual 

or the expected source. But it was sufficient 

for what he needed to defeat his enemy. 

The Egyptian slave’s help would be critical 

to David winning one of his biggest battles, 

the battle at Ziklag. 

This victory helped pave the way for 

David to be later anointed king over Judah. 

As much as God had a purpose for David’s 

life, God also had a special purpose for 

this slave boy’s life. He became David’s 

informant, his secret weapon, at a critical 

time in Israel’s history. Unexpected good 

fortunes such as these teach us to lay aside 

our doubts about how things could all turn 

out, and simply expect that they will, even 

as we go about doing our part. 

This wounded slave had gone three 

days without food or drink. Stuck in the 

wilderness on this day, warrior David needed 

58


the slave boy just as much as the slave boy 

needed him. The information he provided 

gave David’s army the strategic advantage 

over his enemies, a most unlikely alliance, 

yet, a pivotal one. Wounded slave though 

he was, he could still fulfill his destiny. This 

slave did not ask for fame or for money. 

He simply wanted a second chance at life. 

Before giving vital information to David, he 

insisted that the future king: “Swear to me 

before God that you will not kill me or hand 

me over to my master and I will take you 

down to them” (I Samuel 30:15). 

One can’t help but notice the contrast 

in situations between this young slave and 

that of Sisera, the captain who also sought 

help. When food was given to the wounded 

slave, it restored him. But when the milk 

(food) was given to Sisera, it rendered him 

helpless, leading to his ultimate death. God 

restored the health of the slave who was 

later aligned with David, a man chosen to 

be king. Sisera was not so lucky, however, 

because his motives were to destroy the 

children of Israel. 

When you find yourself at a low point, 

either because of wrong turns or betrayal at 

the hands of an enemy, just remember to 

59


hold on for your second chance. Deliverance 

may be just around the corner. 

Your story is never hopeless unless you 

decide to quit. Can you relate to a time in 

your life when you felt life had dealt you 

a bad hand and hope was all you had to 

cling to? Were you thankful for the kindness 

of a good friend or a stranger? Or was 

there a time when your reached out to help 

someone just based on a nudging in your 

spirit? It doesn’t matter whether we know 

the details of someone’s pain; deep down, 

I believe we know it pays to be kinder than 

we have to be. Sometimes, all we have to 

cling to for a given moment is hope, and 

if we hold on, deliverance will come. Both 

Deborah and David had found themselves at 

a place where great hope was needed. 

When we think about the number of unlikely 

events that led to Israel’s victory, we can’t 

help but be in awe of our Creator’s providence 

and mercy. The series of uncommon 

events should encourage us to expect the 

unexpected from God. His ways are simply 

too deep, too numerous to fathom. This 

means anything is possible even though they 

don’t seem logical to what the eye can see 

or what the mind can grasp. He can deliver 

us, bless us, favor us, heal us, guide, and 

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protect us in ways our minds can’t begin to 

comprehend. Praise God! 

Begin where you are to act upon the 

dreams and goals you’ve been incubating. If 

you find yourself waiting for God to show up 

in your circumstances, don’t despair. Do not 

dwell on your personal weaknesses or lack 

of resources. Think like Deborah! Despite 

the odds that were stacked against her, 

and her very limited resources, she bought 

into God’s plan for her life. Have faith in 

God’s good plans for your life—you will live 

in victory, not defeat. 

Act upon what you have before you to 

do. You may be surprised what unusual 

doors might open for you as you put your 

hands and mind to the task. When you open 

your mind to such possibilities, as Bruce 

Wilkinson reminds us in Secrets of the 

Vine, resources may come from unexpected 

sources, mobilized by God: 

When you thrust yourself into the 

mainstream of God’s plan… which is beyond 

your abilities to accomplish, you release 

miracles. At that moment heaven sends 

angels, resources, strength and the people 

you need. 6 

61

62

CHAPTER 4: 

Overcome Your Limitations 

Jael, the “Mountain Goat” 

As I reflected on the story of Jael and 

the part she played in helping to free 

Israel from the hands of the enemy, 

the words of one of my mentors kept coming 

to my mind, “Your past does not define you.” 

It couldn’t be truer than in Jael’s story. She 

was a woman who went from being a lowly 

no-name, tent dwelling mountain goat to a 

hero and a giant-killer. 

Just as Deborah’s story would be incomplete 

without Barak, her story could not 

be told without mention of Jael. Much like 

Deborah, this “wild mountain goat,” as her 

name suggests, was fearless. She was 

decisive. She had the heart to fight for those 

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who had been beaten down and oppressed. 

Like Deborah, not much is known of her 

heritage or pedigree, except that she and 

her husband Heber were Kenites, members 

of a nomadic tribe. She sealed Sisera’s fate 

and played a crucial role in assuring that the 

head of the Canaanite army would not be 

able to regroup and fight Israel. 

The book of Judges does not tell us 

why Jael was eager to take Sisera’s life on 

behalf of Israel. Nonetheless, we can infer 

that by doing away with the oppressor, she 

acted on the right side of justice and mercy 

for her neighbors. In a moment of crisis, 

Jael transcended her natural pedigree and 

rose to a level of boldness beyond what 

was normal. In a moment of destiny, she 

escaped the confinement of her tent and 

became a hero, and woman of valor. 

Break Free of Your Boundaries 

We, too, can learn to stretch ourselves 

beyond our present boundaries to come 

to the aid of others. We may be pleasantly 

surprised to find out just how much 

more we’re capable of doing and becoming 

when we’re tested. This is especially true 

64


when our actions are taken on behalf of 

others, whether they are close to us or not. 

Sometimes, we’re not to simply watch from 

the sidelines, but we must step up and be 

someone else’s deliverer. 

Deborah had to leave the comfort of the 

Palm Tree and her role as a judge to claim 

what was promised to her. So too Jael. She 

too had to leave the confines of the tent and 

break out of her role as keeper of the tent. 

Of course, it is important to prayerfully 

seek wisdom and discernment as to the right 

part to play in such situations. Judging from 

her strategy to cause Sisera to fall asleep 

and her subsequent attack against him, it 

seems obvious that Jael must have given 

thought to her plan long before Sisera came 

into her tent. 

Fleeing from Barak and his men, Sisera 

took refuge in the tent he thought had a 

friendly household. One can hardly blame 

him for fleeing there. After all, it belonged to 

Heber, the man who had alerted the king of 

Canaan that Israel was gathering its troop 

for war. Sisera figured that he’d be safe in a 

woman’s tent, but it is just like God to turn 

the situation against him. As it turned out, 

he hadn’t considered the big heart of the 

woman inside the tent. 

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Ancient Hebrew custom forbade a man, 

other than the woman’s husband, to enter 

her tent unless being invited by her husband. 

Thirsty and tired, Sisera needed a little 

refreshing, so he asked Jael for some water. 

But clever Jael gave him curdled milk instead 

of water, which might have actually refreshed 

him. Drinking the stale milk, however, only 

made Sisera wearier and sleepier. He was 

fast asleep within a short period of time and 

was helpless to defend himself. It was now 

time for Jael to act. So she took a peg from 

her tent and drove it through Sisera’s head. 

His fate was sealed once and for all. 

The tent woman Jael had likely lived her 

life in the shadows of her husband before 

that day, but now, she was ready to break 

out of her old, limited role of being the wild 

mountain goat. From that day forward, not 

only Deborah, but all Israel would remember 

Jael’s name and what she did on their behalf. 

Dangerous but noble, her act of bravery was 

nothing short of a miracle. Notice that this 

“mountain goat” acted right where she was, 

with the tools she had available: old milk, a 

wooden peg and a mighty dose of bravery! 

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Principle Trumps Plunder 

Set aside, if you will, the gruesome act 

we just saw from Jael. There’s a deeper 

lesson here that I believe is worth noting. 

The children of Israel were fighting for their 

very lives, to live and prosper in the land 

God had promised them. The Canaanites, 

on the other hand, were fighting for booty. 

Dakes Annotated Reference Bible sheds light 

on the different motives of the two tribes this 

way: “Israel fought for liberty and their lives, 

not for plunder…this makes the difference 

many times between armies in battle.” 

When we have to fight for our own survival, 

or for that of others, we can take courage in 

knowing that the forces of the universe—the 

angels—are all on our side conspiring to help 

us. Knowing this will give you the courage 

to keep going when you would rather give 

up and quit. 

This story is a reminder also that we 

all have a unique purpose to fulfill, but we 

cannot do so from a place of timidity. Start 

with expecting a favorable outcome for your 

efforts. Jael did not waste precious time 

wondering whether to act or not. She looked 

around and quickly used what she had, some 

stale milk that would put Sisera to sleep, a 

67


tent post, and a hammer to complete the 

job. For her bravery in helping take out the 

enemy, both Barak and Deborah praised her: 

Most blessed of women be Jael, 

the wife of Heber, the Kenite 

Most blessed of tent-dwelling 

women…She struck Sisera, she 

crushed his head, she shattered 

and pierced his temple. At her 

feet he sank, he fell; there he 

lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; 

where he sank, there he fell – 

dead (Judges 5:24-27). 

Release Old Limitations 

I had often looked at life as somewhat 

of a puzzle to be figured out, with predetermined 

pieces that must be fitted in a 

certain order for the puzzle to fit. Limitations 

on what piece goes where are the order of 

any puzzle. At the same time, there was 

a sort of echo that would come up in the 

back of my mind from time to time saying, 

life is more of an adventure, and less like 

a puzzle. 

In my early days of coming to the Christian 

68


faith, I feared that the Christian life meant 

there were limits to how good God would 

be to me, based on how “good” I was able 

to behave. The word behavior was like a 

confining tent that kept me in check. My 

concept of God’s goodness was limited to 

being on good behavior, and expecting him 

to spare me from unforeseen disasters that 

could wreck my life. 

Trying to stay on His good side mostly 

consumed my thoughts, and sad to say, I 

was rarely able to live up to even my own 

expectations. Perhaps, you can identify. I 

have since come to the understanding that 

my old concept of the Creator was way off 

from the real truth. I have come to realize 

that my concept of the part I had to play 

in experiencing that goodness was blocked 

by my own limited understanding. God, the 

Creator, is as big as your imagination can 

behold. And just as generous. He is willing 

to give you the desires of your heart if you 

believe and not doubt. 

Prior to the trapdoor of my understanding 

being pushed open, I saw limitations to 

prosperity everywhere—limitations to the 

enjoyment of life; the kinds of family life 

we can enjoy; the amount of peace we can 

have, and the kinds of victories God would 

69


make available to us. Around every corner 

as far as I could see were limits, whether 

close to home as in my personal life, or 

on a larger scale as to what was possible 

for the masses to enjoy. I couldn’t help but 

wonder why there were so many limits, even 

when I thought I was my most “spiritual.” 

For me, being spiritual meant being on my 

best behavior as much as humanly possible. 

I wanted to know how to break loose from 

them, and get over to the reward side, the 

side that came with more fulfillment and 

more enjoyment out of life. 

I hadn’t yet realized how natural acts 

work to engage supernatural actions. I had 

not yet learned how to engage the God-self 

within me as Deborah had done. 

Gradually, as I began to study the Word 

and gained a deeper understanding, I came 

to realize that it was my own boxed up 

thinking that led to limited living, which then 

led to self-created boundaries. I had been 

operating based on the limits of my own 

un-renewed mind. When we snap out of that 

wrong thinking, we will see that God wants 

us to have as much as we desire to have 

in any and every area of our lives. It all 

begins with our thinking. Mark Batterson, in 

his book, The Circle Maker, puts it this way: 

70


With God, there is no big or 

small, easy or difficult, possible 

or impossible. This is difficult to 

comprehend because all we’ve 

ever known are the four dimensions 

we were born into, but 

God is not limited to the natural 

laws…Even our hardest prayers 

are easy for the Omnipotent 

One to answer because there is 

no degree of difficulty. 7 

Your thoughts will eventually deliver to 

you that which you continually think about 

and speak about. Right thinking brings about 

right believing. Everything that will ever be 

manifested in the natural begins in the mind. 

We live our lives by whatsoever thoughts we 

think. If you think you are defeated, you are. 

If you think your best days are behind you, 

they are. If you think you are a winner, you 

win. If you think you can’t lose, you won’t 

lose. 

Living in victory of any kind, whether for 

one’s family, career, health or relationships 

begins with the mind being in tune with God’s 

promises. Before we can begin to think right, 

we must first fill our minds with His words 

and promises. The more filled we are with 

the Word of God, the easier it will be to get 

71


to the place where we approach life as if 

nothing is impossible. Equally important to 

accessing God’s promises is our intentional 

commitment to break free of the limitations 

of our minds that hinder our movements 

forward. We can learn from Deborah and Jael 

that our abilities to achieve and succeed are 

not defined by who we are, what resources 

we have or the status we hold but on how 

we think. Approach life as though all things 

are possible. In other words, enlarge your 

tent. 

Invoking God-strength 

Heavenly Father, Creator of 

Heaven and Earth, I know that 

You are Most Powerful, You 

are overflowing with grace. I 

know that when I call on Your 

name, I invoke your Presence 

and Power. And so I look to 

You and I rely on Your strength 

and mercy. I know that there is 

nothing too hard for you. With 

you, I know I can do whatsoever 

is set before me to do. So I act 

in faith, knowing that you have 

vowed to give me whatsoever is 

needed to succeed. 

72

CHAPTER 5: 

Be Fully Persuaded 

“Let me not pray to be sheltered 

from dangers but to be fearless 

in facing them. Let me not beg 

for the stilling of my pain, but 

for the heart to conquer it.” 

– Rabindranath Tagore 

What does it mean to have a mind 

that is fully persuaded? It is one 

similar to Deborah’s: single-minded, 

focused, not merely tossing and turning. Her 

boldness tells us that she had already gone 

past the details of the actual fight and could 

see victory in sight. 

Many of us have been taught that the 

way to achieve anything is to first work out 

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the details and then to arduously work our 

fingers to the bones until we get there. But 

we see from Deborah’s example, this isn’t 

quite so. There’s more to this than meets 

the eye. The ever so important piece is how 

to win the battle in the mind even before 

taking the first step. As theology Professor J. 

Packer puts it in his essay on Knowing God, 

“Those who know God show great boldness 

for God.” 8 

It is easy to get caught up in working 

hard, trying harder and harder to prove our 

worth. Most of us have been taught that this 

is the way to achieve anything worthwhile 

in life. This tendency of working hard to 

prove ourselves is then added to waiting for 

what we consider to be the “right time” to 

launch out into what we really want to do to 

live the kind of life, we secretly yearn. We 

keep winding up and waiting for the grand 

opportunity to present itself, or to send us 

a “writing on the wall.” Or, a word from a 

prophet! 

In our minds, we set up an imaginary 

bridge, and we fear hopping on—too timid to 

face the unknown. Even the trained captain 

Barak did not see how he could possibly 

take on such a mission without the help of 

someone bolder, more plugged into the spirit 

74


than him. At least, we can see though that 

he had the good sense to take Deborah, his 

lucky charm with him. 

Sometimes, the hardest part of the journey 

is just mustering the courage to begin, to 

take the first step. It might pertain to a 

new career, a job interview, a stance for 

something you believe in, reaching out to a 

stranger, or forgiving someone who has hurt 

you. 

Had Mother Teresa waited to figure out 

all the details of her mission to help the 

poor (and a big mission it was), she would 

never have left the “comfort” of the convent 

to enter the slums of Calcutta to work with 

the sick and dying. Had the Wright Brothers 

not tried and failed dozens of times to fly an 

airplane, they would never have seen their 

dream to do so come true. Great athletes 

practice for countless hours and overcome 

difficult odds before they become stars. 

They unhook or separate themselves from 

thoughts that come up as limitations. In their 

minds, I believe they can see the end from 

the beginning. Win or lose, they dedicate 

their lives to going for it. First, they make 

the decision to go all the way. Then comes 

the dedication to do whatever it takes to get 

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there, however long it takes. If nothing else, 

the journey will be all worth it. 

What if we could approach those things 

that are keeping us stuck by making the 

decision to step outside our comfort zones, 

begin the task and keep it all until fully 

satisfied? Make up your mind to take the 

long view, however long it takes. 

Trust that the odds are in your favor. And 

with each step you take, count it a victory, 

the rest, just unfinished business? At the 

very least, you gain new strength, learn new 

lessons, gain broader insights and have a 

better understanding of what to do. 

Develop a “Do It Now!” Mindset 

While hard work and patience play an 

important role, you can see that in Deborah’s 

case, wait time was neither a factor nor was 

hard work the issue. Boldness once begun 

will pave its own way. What mattered most 

was Deborah’s act of courage. 

Give up the idea that you need to wait 

till you have all the pieces together before 

you can take action. Believing is not a trick 

you engage in to build up yourself mentally. 

Believing is simply the act that shows you’re 

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willing to dare to step into the unseen to go 

after that vision that’s been calling you. 

More than anything, it’s a mindset that 

asks, “Why not?” instead of, “But how?” It’s 

the mindset that Jesus had when He fed 

the five thousand with five loaves and two 

fishes, in spite of the naysayers around Him 

who wanted to send the crowd away. 

They could not see how five loaves could 

be multiplied a thousand times over to do 

the job. Your faith might not yet be at Jesus’ 

level, but you can begin the work where 

you are with what you do have. Too much 

waiting kills inspiration! 

As I thought about Deborah’s “now” 

mindset, I was reminded of a question that I 

wrestled with during one of my early morning 

personal devotions. The revelation had been 

given to her, but the outcome was not 

automatic. She had to trek up the mountain 

along with her feeble troops and face the 

battle. 

Believe that All Things Are Possible 

In my time of devotion, I wanted to know, 

“How can I really KNOW the mind of Christ, 

let alone HAVE the mind of Christ?” Over 

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time, in my quiet space, the Spirit reminded 

me that it’s all very simple. The mind of 

Christ is a mind that believes anything is 

possible and then ACTS on that thought. 

Belief isn’t real unless and until acted upon! 

Having “the mind of Christ,” is simply having 

a mind that believes the Word of God. No 

matter how impossible it may seem, it is 

important to believe, accept that your inward 

vision is possible, and not sit around waiting 

for evidence to show up. As Bill Johnson 

says in Hosting His Presence: 

Often we are unclear as to 

the specific will of God in a 

situation...In these situations, it 

is possible to find the will of 

God through our own faith as 

we respond to the revealed will 

of God in His Word…it rests 

upon us to activate faith and 

pursue it. 9 

The actions you take as a result of what 

you profess to believe are the real test of 

whether you truly believe. The actions you 

take reveal to you and indeed, your entire 

world what’s actually in your heart. Having 

dedicated your actions to achieving your 

vision, you can rest and let divine providence 

78


do its part. Remember, however, it is our 

actions that engage the hand of providence. 

How often is an opportune moment wasted 

by fearful and foolish hesitation? 

When Deborah looked out over the people 

of Israel’s lives, she saw little more than 

shambles. But who was there to take action? 

Even though neither Deborah, Barak nor 

Jael seemed gifted with extraordinary talents, 

together, the trio pulled off a very successful 

mission by taking quick action. Deborah and 

Barak both acted on a word from God. Jael, 

however, acted on her instincts but was able 

to subdue Sisera, the army captain of hosts. 

Jael showed a kind of courage that would 

tear away the confines of her tent and write 

her name in Jewish history forever! No longer 

a lowly “mountain goat,” Jael had become 

a fierce “mountain lion.” Both women mirror 

the kind of God-courage that we have on 

the inside of us, if we are willing to really 

lean into it. 

I remember during my daughter’s last year 

in high school, at a time when she, along 

with her friends were applying to various 

colleges. Some of her peers were joyous 

with excitement, some with glee, some no 

doubt mixed with a healthy dose of fear. 

As I was pondering what school she 

79


might apply to and how we’d be able to 

afford the expenses, I kept probing her to 

find out to which schools she had applied. 

In the back of my mind was the thought of 

how would we possibly be able to afford all 

the expenses involved. 

Imagine my surprise when my daughter 

informed me she’d only applied to one 

university. Where, pray tell, was Plan B? 

Not wanting to trample her hopes, I kept my 

cool (tried to anyway) and limited most of 

my further probing to, “Have you heard yet?” 

Underneath my outward cool, an enormous 

amount of fear was brewing. Did my fearless 

daughter not realize that she was placing all 

her eggs in one basket? I don’t remember 

thinking that she’d worked hard to place 

herself in a position to be accepted into 

her school of choice and so the odds were 

stacked in her favor. So much for staying 

positive on this one. 

Well, imagine my relief when her acceptance 

letter arrived, and her wish was fulfilled. 

Her faith, backed up by God’s grace had 

indeed triumphed over my fear. Each time I 

recall the incident, I praise the Lord all over 

again as I reflect on her almost childlike faith. 

I sometimes can’t resist asking her, “Why 

apply to only one college knowing there was 

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no guarantee that you’d be accepted?” Her 

response is always the same: “Mom, I only 

wanted to go to the University of Miami, 

and so I didn’t apply anywhere else.” Upon 

hearing this kind of faith, how could I have 

raised another doubt-filled question on the 

subject? 

My daughter had activated her faith, 

believing she would be accepted to the 

college of her first and only choice. The Lord 

certainly did the rest for us—another sign that 

faith works! And as for Plans B and C, well 

thankfully, there was no need for them. Very 

handy for me! Yes, some risks (calculated) 

are worth taking indeed. 

We’ve so far seen that when we move 

with the understanding and the belief that 

all things are possible, there’s practically no 

limit to what we can accomplish. However, 

there’s another equally important lesson 

deep within the fight that was taking place 

in Deborah’s life. 

Speak the Promise into Being 

As I see it, belief and expectations are 

two sides of the same coin. It would be 

quite difficult to achieve something that you 

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did not believe or expect on some level to 

happen for you. However, once you believe 

for a certain outcome, you naturally begin to 

line up your speaking and actions according 

to that particular thing. One way I’ve learned 

to do this is by imitating what Deborah did 

in her moment of crisis. That is, to speak the 

promises of God. Right speaking, according 

to your highest desires, will line things up in 

the supernatural in ways that we might never 

fully understand. Even so, we can still enjoy 

the favorable outcomes from such mysteries. 

Whether by divine revelation or as written 

in His Word, we can order our speaking 

according to what we expect to see in life. 

When faced with a crisis, how many times 

have you and I allowed fear and confusion 

to take over our minds, instead of declaring 

His promises over the situation? In Psalm 33 

verse 9, we are reminded, “For he spoke, 

and it came to be; he commanded, and it 

stood firm” (Psalm 33:9). And in the face of 

any obstacles that may threaten us, we are 

assured of His promise, “You shall not fear 

them: for the Lord thy God He shall fight for 

you” (Deuteronomy 3:22). 

Sure, there might have been others 

besides Deborah who could have stepped 

up and taken on the fight. But only one 

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woman was willing to speak what she heard 

in her spirit, obey the voice of the spirit, and 

trust divine providence to do the rest. In her 

words, “I Deborah arose a mother of Israel,” 

(Judges 5:7) showing that she was willing 

to put it all on the line to do what seemed 

almost impossible, considering the odds. 

In the book of Exodus, a few generations 

before Deborah’s, God had demonstrated 

His power to call things into existence, 

regardless of the void or chaos that was 

apparent. Deborah knew God spoke light, 

the planets, and the galaxies into existence. 

His spoken words were sufficient to 

manifest all things. David Herzog points out 

in his book, Mysteries of the Glory Unveiled, 

that the phrase: “The worlds were framed by 

the Word of God,” (in) Hebrews 11 verse 13, 

is referring to the spoken Word of God. And 

also in Psalm 33:9, we read, “For He spoke, 

and it came to be; he commanded, and it 

stood firm.” 10 Your spoken words bring into 

your visible reality what you sincerely desire 

in your heart. 

Since we have been created in God’s 

image, we have the same attributes God 

Himself possesses. This means we are 

speaking spirits, with the ability to create 

destiny or calm chaos through the power 

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of the spoken Word. As beings created in 

God’s image and likeness, we also have 

the same ability to create whatever we may 

want or need in life. With this comes the 

awesome responsibility to create good and 

spread it to all who are within our reach. 

Deborah did not believe that the chaos 

of the moment had to remain a permanent 

reality. She made a decision to live in fear, 

slowly diminishing the power to change her 

circumstances. Rather, she used the power 

of her declared words and took dominion 

over the situation. Lesson to us – our present 

reality is always subject to change based on 

the depth of our desire. 

You might well ask the question: Could 

creating our personal worlds rest simply on 

what we say? Could solving our most vexing 

problems be as close to us as being even 

in our own mouths? And if such is the case, 

how are we to know exactly what to say? 

Rest assured that it can be done. 

Minister and Evangelist Eddie Russell 

emphasizes in his essay, “It’s Faith, But Not 

as We Know It: “Our speech is integral to 

faith and the outcome of prayer.” However, 

it will take practice to accept the promise as 

a sure and present thing, not yet visible to 

the natural eye or experience. 

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Our greatest teacher, Jesus, spoke what 

He expected to come to pass in the presence 

of His disciples. This is how He demonstrated 

control over circumstances and performed 

the miraculous: “I only speak what I hear 

my Father speak. I only do what I see my 

Father do… the Father that dwelleth in me.” 

(John 14:10). If Jesus placed such faith in 

speaking, how much more important it is for 

us to do likewise. When facing misfortunes 

or obstacles, it is a great comfort to know 

that you and I have the same access to 

the power of spoken words. Your thoughts 

need to be line up with your true desires, 

so that when you speak, you are speaking 

according to your highest desires. This has 

to be our way of life, not just in moments 

of crisis. 

There was a time when I prayed only 

when I found myself in a desperate situation 

where I couldn’t figure out what to do next. 

With the whirlwind swirling around me, stuff 

would come up but would quickly slip outside 

my figuring out how to put the pieces back 

together. Did I need to reshuffle the deck 

I’d played with all this time, or did I need 

a whole new deck of cards to begin with? I 

did not know what was really going on and 

what move to make to fix it if there would 

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be such a thing as fix my life. I am sure you 

can relate. 

Your whirlwinds may come in a variety of 

ways—your marriage, your job, your children, 

your health, addiction to your favorite 

distraction, your finances, your search for 

meaning, or any combination of these. 

Well, I’ve come to realize that what calms 

whirlwinds is spelled, the Word of God, and 

it is there for the taking. No! Not in some 

abstract sense as in, “God is good, and 

He’s going to do what He’s going to do.” It 

is done by activating the God-spark within 

you that pushes you to start your trek up the 

mountain, this day! 

In my search for answers, I had come 

to the realization that I, as a human be-ing, 

possess within me the god-essence to create 

my own destiny. And the words written in 

the Bible, as inspired by the Holy Spirit are 

a lamp lighting the path to how I may live 

the life I’ve desired to live. Having arrived at 

this realization for myself, I was now free to 

get on with the business of crafting the life 

I desired. I was finding a way to blend my 

understanding of the sacred with the spiritual 

in creating ordinary, everyday life. 

It was a time when I felt I was climbing 

the ladder of my career and my prospects for 

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getting ahead in the corporate world looked 

bright indeed. I had certainly put together 

quite a resume—so I thought, anyway. I was 

ready to make my move up the next rung of 

my career ladder, or so I thought. Suddenly, 

I was thrust out the door with nary a backup 

plan in sight. Of course, I should have, could 

have seen it coming, but I didn’t. It seemed 

as if it was game over; I had lost. 

For days, I prayed and read the Word 

about what to do next, how to pick up the 

pieces and how to start over. The truth is, 

after months of praying, I was no closer to 

an answer that seemed like a fit than when 

I first began to pray and read the Word. 

If nothing else, though, reading the Bible 

calmed the whirlwind that was raging inside 

my mind as I looked back over my career 

and tried to piece together what shifts had 

taken place and what new direction these 

cracks were pointing me to. I could see that 

an adjustment needed to be made in what I 

believed and what I was allowing myself to 

speak. I needed to give myself permission 

to believe I could indeed get to the place 

where I had envisioned myself. 

As time went on, I fumbled my way 

through different employment positions, but 

even they no longer seemed to fit. The clock 

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was ticking away, and so were my finances 

reminding me that if I didn’t change my story 

soon, things could end very badly. And so, 

I decided to venture out on my own and 

launch a company that operated like the 

type of company I would have wanted to 

work for all these years. About the same 

time, I was also offered a similar opportunity 

at another company. 

Coincidence or lucky break, whichever, 

these two things happening together changed 

the entire trajectory of my life from then on. 

I now had a better understanding of what 

my needs were as it pertained to work and 

how to keep those needs front and center 

as I moved forward into the next phase of 

my career. 

For us to speak the Word with the 

same bold assurance as Deborah, we 

must dedicate ourselves to learning and 

meditating on the Word. I am referring here 

to a specific promise or principle on which 

to base our hoped for outcome. It will then 

become rooted in our psyches. At times, 

we may even get a “rhema” word, that is, a 

specific revelation that God speaks to us in 

a given moment. 

Sometimes, though, that rhema word we 

so desperately seek may not come, at least, 

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not as quickly or as clearly as we’d like. 

Other times, no matter how much we crave 

that word, we’re left feeling disappointed, dry, 

and alone with our carnal thoughts. In much 

the same way that Deborah’s people felt 

alone and defenseless. In such moments, 

we are open to the attacks of the enemy (fill 

in yours). However, this is not the time to 

doubt or give up, but to remain persistent in 

full faith that at any moment, an enlightened 

word may come. 

There’s a difference between waiting in 

the void and meditating on the Word until 

revelation for the next few steps comes. 

Expect the heavens to meet you halfway. 

Do leave room always for synchronicity to 

surprise you. 

Meditate on the Promise 

By meditating on the Word, you open 

yourself to new revelations. It was Einstein 

who said, “I want to know God’s thoughts. 

The rest are details.” I think it’s fair to say 

that deeper than etching the Word of God 

in his mind, this genius, Einstein, spent his 

whole life wanting and learning how to think 

like God. 

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It seems as if he understood something 

hidden deep in the Word—the fact that the 

Word shows us how to think to get results; 

it doesn’t get the results for us. Judging 

from Einstein’s life, he certainly got a lot of 

results. And very big ones to boot. 

The problem is that if we haven’t planted 

the Word of God in our hearts, then we can’t 

think like God let alone speak in a way that 

will bring results. The more WORD you plant 

into your mind, the more you are able to 

speak the Word, whether in times of silent 

worship or in times of need. 

Remember that this is the example that 

Jesus left for us to practice. Jesus was 

planted in the Word, listening to what the 

Father spoke to Him. In fact, He said, “I only 

speak what I hear my father say, and I only 

do what I see my Father do” (John 14:10). 

Jesus was listening so that He would hear 

the word. This is another clue that has been 

given to us showing how Jesus manifested 

power over all manner of sicknesses, lack of 

food, a need for tax money and even over 

a raging storm. This is how He manifested 

miracles! Wouldn’t it be awesome to not 

only hear from God but to also be given a 

glimpse of what to do? 

When God spoke to Deborah about going 

to battle, she must have wrestled with the 

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negative voices in her head that pointed 

to everything she had going against her. 

Perhaps, she wondered if she was really 

hearing the voice of God or if it was just her 

own imagination. 

However, Deborah’s mind was programmed 

to rise above her doubts and fears. Her 

thinking allowed her to be victorious mentally 

before she overcame her physical enemies. 

She knew the Word of God, planted it in 

her mind and spoke it into being. Her faith 

pushed her to act immediately on God’s 

words believing that He could make the 

impossible possible. Deborah gained what 

was promised her, and so can we. 

Prayer to Hear God’s Voice 

Lord God, Father of Abraham, 

Isaac, and Jacob. Help me hear 

Your voice, and to hear You 

clearly. I lay aside the distractions 

of life, And I place my 

attention upon You. I know You’re 

always speaking. I now silence 

the voices in my mind. And with 

my heart and soul, I now wait for 

You. Father, I thank You for what 

You’re about to say to me. 

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92

SECTION TWO 

The Creative Word of God 

Dabar - (Hebrew root, as a verb) 

To speak, declare, warn, threaten, 

command 

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94

CHAPTER 6: 

Embrace the 

Creative Spirit 

“I shall arise and go in the strength 

of the Lord” (Psalm 71:16). 

“Then I heard the voice of the 

Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I 

send? And who will go for us?’ 

And I said, ‘Here am I. Send 

me!’” (Isaiah 6:8). 

As I meditated on Barak’s insistence 

that Deborah should go with him, I 

am reminded that the key to how 

far we progress in life depends to a great 

extent on the quality of people we surround 

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ourselves with. Yes, we can have agape 

love for a wide circle of friends, but we need 

to be very selective about those who belong 

in our inner circle. A woman of Deborah’s 

spirit, as a prophet and a judge, belonged at 

the center of Barak’s innermost circle. Look 

closer, and you will see clear similarities 

between what Barak now asked of Deborah 

and what the old Patriarch Moses earlier 

asked, when he said to the Lord: 

You have been telling me, ‘Lead 

these people,’ but you have not 

let me know whom you will send 

with me. You have said, ‘I know 

You by name and you have 

found favor with Me.’ If You are 

pleased with me, teach me Your 

ways so I may know You and 

continue to find favor with You. 

Remember that this Nation is 

Your people. The Lord replied, 

“My Presence will go with you, 

and I will give you rest.” Then 

Moses said to Him, “If Your 

Presence does not go with us, 

do not send us up from here. 

How will anyone know that you 

are pleased with me and with 

Your people unless You go 

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with us?” And the Lord said to 

Moses, “I will do the very thing 

you have asked, because I am 

pleased with you and I know you 

by name’ (Exodus 33:12-17). 

Even Moses needed the right presence in 

his inner circle. 

So as Moses insisted on God’s presence, 

Barak insisted on Deborah going with him 

in battle. He needed Deborah in his inner 

circle. There must have been some unique 

qualities about this woman that made him so 

confident she would make a difference in the 

outcome of the fight. 

What little we know of Deborah’s natural 

lineage can be gleaned by way of the person 

she married. We can also know a great 

deal about the prophetess Deborah by the 

meaning of her name, and the company 

she kept. Her passion, authority, and sharp 

instincts all seem to be wrapped up in her 

name. 

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The Honeybee 

The name Deborah means “honey bee,” 

from the Hebrew root word dbr, meaning 

“bee.” I believe that this name was carefully 

chosen as it would have great significance for 

her as a foreteller and carrier of God’s word. 

Back then, a child’s name was selected with 

care to denote the destiny and character of 

the child. 

Looking into Deborah’s character, we can 

see that, like the bee, she was very focused 

on her actions. Most importantly, her name 

implies that she was a carrier of the creative 

word of God, presently able to manifest a 

given outcome when declared. 

The Psalmist David declared in Psalm 

119:103, “How sweet are Your words to 

my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my 

mouth!” The sound of Deborah’s prophecy 

must have been sweet indeed when she 

declared that “this day” would mark the end 

of their struggles with being oppressed. 

Bees are a highly organized species. 

The main objective of the queen bee is to 

ensure the survival of the colony. However, 

each bee’s distinct role contributes to the 

wellbeing of the hive. Bees are also very 

diligent creatures. They pollinate plants, 

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they help nourish our food supply, and their 

extracts are used in many medicines and 

cosmetics. 

The queen bee, while she doesn’t rule the 

hive in the sense of autocratic leadership, 

she does regulate the hive. Like the queen 

bee who is devoted to the survival of her 

colony, mother Deborah was dedicated to 

the survival of her nation. She was also 

highly organized and very focused on the 

task at hand. Deborah’s moment had arrived 

for her transformation from honey bee to 

butterfly. One with captain wings and all. 

This juggling act may be a challenge for 

most of us unless we ask God for more grace 

to handle all the tasks we’re faced with on 

a daily basis. While our individual tasks may 

not be as monumental as Deborah’s, we 

are each called to do our part in ensuring 

the survival of the community and to help 

raise the quality of life for one and all. And 

especially to reach out to others in less 

fortunate circumstances, or simply as an act 

of kindness. 

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A Woman of Authority and Passion 

Deborah was married to Lapidoth. His 

name means “enlightened, or carrier of 

light.” The Bible does not tell us much about 

Lapidoth’s role, but I would venture that as 

her husband, he brought much light and 

encouragement into Deborah’s life. I believe 

he not only protected her emotionally but he 

likely also supported her in her role as judge 

and chief problem solver of her tribe. As a 

mother figure, how could she stand by and 

watch the suffering of her children? 

As Israel’s leader, she understood that 

if the crisis continued, her people could be 

wiped out. In her mind, that was unfathomable. 

So Deborah arose and went with 

Barak to Kadesh, the ground where the battle 

was to unfold. Leaving her role of judge, 

she was stepping into a new and different 

position. She would become deliverer and 

co-captain alongside Barak. This was a role 

unheard of for a woman in those days. But 

in reality, whose battle was it, anyway? 

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Court Your Own Lucky Timing 

In the kingdom of God, timing is everything, 

and in Deborah’s case, the opportune 

time had arrived to attack. If we are to win 

battles big or small, we must act according 

to God’s timing. How often have we acted 

outside of His divine time and spent twice 

that amount of hours correcting our ill-timed 

mistakes? There are many occasions as well 

when we hesitate to act and miss what God 

has in store for us. 

The spirit had awakened in Deborah the 

opportune time to attack, and so she confidently 

declared, “This day…” Part of a prophet’s 

role is to know the times and seasons and 

to declare the Word. Had she hesitated, she 

would have missed the miraculous victory 

assured for them at the appointed time and 

place. 

Deborah was sensitive to the prompting 

of the Lord, and so received supernatural 

insight into the opportune time to go into 

battle. Notice she did not go up to fight 

“against” her enemies; she went to defend 

her people. Earlier in the scriptures there was 

the story of how Moses’ brethren questioned 

his choice of Aaron the Levite as the priest? 

The prophet Moses did not need to fight 

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that battle to keep the mutiny from brewing. 

The Lord confirmed Moses’ leadership choice 

to everyone in plain view by opening the 

earth and swallowing up the troublemakers 

alive (Numbers 16: 31-33). In each case, 

the hand of the Lord was moved to act on 

behalf of these two prophets. 

In our regular lives, in the marketplace in 

which most of us operate daily, we may not 

have a prophet’s anointing to know the right 

timing to move. However, each one of us 

if we listen, has access to the guidance of 

the Holy Spirit. Our task is to stay prepared 

and willing to act on instructions given to us, 

sometimes, in the form of intuition, hunches 

or audible voices. 

We can cultivate a listening ear for instructions 

God may want to give us in terms of 

how to handle our daily lives, make the best 

decisions or recover from bad ones. 

Deborah was not held back by what her 

natural eyes saw. Rather, she was convinced 

that being a daughter of Abraham, she was 

entitled to the promise given him, that “He 

who had promised was faithful” Romans 

4:21. Deborah was about to show us how 

to transcend what might seem like a natural 

limitation, by acting in faith based on a 

covenant promise. 

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According to the scripture, in Romans 

16:26, the promise comes by faith, so that it 

may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring— 

to those who have the faith of Abraham. 

Prophetess Deborah looked back in time, 

took the promises given to her forefathers by 

faith, and reaped the benefits of peace and 

prosperity. I believe that by her example we 

can dedicate ourselves to doing the same. 

Carrier of God’s Presence 

Aren’t we all then, Deborahs? Aren’t we 

carriers of God’s presence—the spirit that 

guides, never leaves us, shines the light 

to show us the way and keeps us alive, 

breath upon breath? That being the case, 

imagine the peace of mind we can have 

when we remember that His presence (His 

strength and power) is with us to put us over 

wherever we go, whatever we may face! 

According to author David Herzog in, The 

Mystery of the Glory Unveiled, “There is no 

distance in the glory and when we enter 

in, we are as near to heaven as we are to 

anything here on earth.” We enter into this 

realm through meditating on the Word and 

speaking the Word. Deborah serves as an 

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example for us. She reminds us that God’s 

spoken WORDS go far deeper than just 

mere information: “They are spirit and they 

are life” (John 6:63)—spiritual seeds, capable 

of germinating, sprouting, and taking on fully 

grown lives of their own. When believed in 

and declared by us, they can manifest good 

(or evil) in our lives. When declared, they 

can calm the storm and even deliver us from 

dangers of all types. 

As we listen to prophetess Deborah 

speak, we can readily discern that she was 

not speaking from her natural mind. It was 

certainly beyond Israel’s natural mind and 

ordinary thoughts to take on the armies of 

the enemy camp. She had stepped into 

the glory realm, into the mind of God, and 

she spoke from her position there. In the 

glory realm of authority, everything is done 

by revelation and wisdom. Once you get a 

revelation of your seat in heavenly places 

and you walk in that glory, it is no longer 

you speaking, but “Christ in you the hope of 

glory” (Colossians 1:27). 

From that place, at that moment, you only 

speak and do what you hear your heavenly 

Father saying and doing, as did Christ: “… 

Do not worry about how or what you should 

speak. For it will be given to you in that 

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hour what you should speak; for it is not you 

who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who 

speaks in you” (Matthew 10:19-20). 

You and I can access the place of power 

(the glory) right here on earth, and we can 

partake of revelations to help us live more 

victorious lives. I believe that Barak recognized 

that this prophetess was speaking 

from a position of “authority” in the spirit as 

described by David Herzog, In the Glory: 

When we are in the glory and we 

speak to people, we are speaking 

from the position that Christ has 

seated us, in heavenly places. 

Therefore, people will recognize 

our authority. If we only speak 

from our position here on earth, 

(without the glory), our words 

cannot carry the same weight. 

The glory represents the weight 

of God’s authority, and kings 

and others in authority recognize 

authority when they see it. 11 

Knowing that we have an even better 

covenant than Deborah had in her days, 

what should stop us from accomplishing 

the highest and best for ourselves and by 

extension, achieving the kingdom in our 

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lifetime? The only limitations that can hold 

us back are those we allow to take root in 

our minds. 

As we learn from Deborah’s story, every 

great achievement, whether in the kingdom, 

the secular world, the marketplace or our 

homes, comes with a boldness to step out 

beyond our comfort zones. While Deborah 

prepared her people for battle, God changed 

the nature of the battle so the enemy’s 

defeat would not come by usual means. The 

enemy’s armies were “discomfited” by God 

Himself, through Deborah, who activated His 

response by her actions. 

Given that we are coded with DNA linking 

us to God’s supernatural power, it must mean 

that His spirit, creative power, and presence 

are a part of us. We are not separate from 

His source, and in fact, His ability is an 

ever-present force that can be cultivated and 

activated in all areas of our lives. 

Secondly, Deborah did not have to search 

for the enemy. She leaned on the three 

specific instructions given to her by God, 

then watched as He delivered the enemy into 

her hands. Recall how the giant Goliath was 

delivered in a similar fashion into David’s 

hands, when David was just a teenager who 

had never been to war. 

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Living God’s Word 

By using the gifts of Deborah, Jael, and a 

somewhat reluctant captain, God proved that 

He honors His promises above any labels 

we have taken from society. Many of which 

can keep us stuck. Never mind how we may 

see ourselves with our natural eyes. Whether 

male or female, weak or strong, possessing 

a title or having no title, all He requires of 

us is our willingness to be available. We 

are indeed coded with the DNA stuff to be 

successful in whatever we wholeheartedly 

dedicate ourselves to. Deborah was not an 

officer in the army, even though she was 

now leading the charge with Barak. 

As for Sisera, who was there to take him 

out? Jael was not directly engaged in the 

war, but her role was most crucial to the 

outcome of this battle. “God is not a man, 

that he should lie, or a son of man that He 

should change His mind. Has He said, and 

will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and 

will He not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19). 

And so, according to the preceding verse, 

we know that whatever obstacles we face, 

the battle is not ours. Rather, battles belong 

to and are subject to the Word of God. 

Battles of all shapes and sizes that we face 

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in everyday life are all won by applying 

the Word (the power) of God. What God 

has decreed is certain for, “He is without 

variableness or shadow of turning” (James 

1:17). 

Are You Available? 

Prior to coming face to face with the 

enemy called Sisera, Jael was a woman 

of no particular pedigree. In fact, as said 

earlier, her name means “mountain goat.” 

Aside from being a wife and homemaker, 

she seemed to be living a rather ordinary 

life. Little did she know that she was about 

to be used to bring down the fierce captain 

of a powerful army. Was she available to be 

used in an unfamiliar situation? 

Her stand for justice and what’s right 

was about to be tested. In prior days, the 

Kenites had been known to be friendly to 

the Israelites as they crossed the desert. In 

fact, it was Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, a 

Kenite and Midianite priest who, many moons 

before, had led Moses through the desert to 

the edge of the Promised Land. That friendliness 

towards the Israelites seemed to have 

remained with Heber’s wife to the present 

108


day. How far Jael would take this sympathy 

towards her fellow neighbors was about to 

be tested now that the battle was in full 

swing. 

Jael was the wife of Heber, a man of 

the Kenite tribe. They were not even of the 

same lineage as Deborah and her village. 

The opportunity to act with courage, and 

quick thinking had suddenly presented itself 

to Jael. But was she prepared? Would she 

let her moment pass her by? It would be 

easy to just look the other way and ignore 

the suffering of her fellow villagers. She 

could have chosen to keep Sisera hidden in 

her tent. 

However, I believe that it is in moments 

of crisis that our deepest character reveals 

itself. These tests prove whether we are truly 

available to step up. Without fanfare and 

without having an “important” position, Jael 

craftily pierced the skull of her much superior 

fighter, ultimately destroying him. With this 

one act, this ordinary woman became a 

woman of courage and strength. She had 

outgrown the confines of her tent. In fact, 

you could say, she had “flown the coup.” 

I believe that many times, Jael must have 

long thought about how she could be of help 

to her neighbors. So when the opportunity 

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presented itself in the person of Sisera, there 

was no question as to what she would do. 

Even though this kind of help may not have 

entered her mind before, it was what was 

needed at the time. Another first, in a story 

filled with many firsts. 

We may be surprised that God chose Jael 

to defeat Sisera since she was a woman 

with no particular qualifications or important 

lineage. But as Mark Batterson points out, 

“God does not call the qualified; He qualifies 

the called.” The question is, will you be ready 

and willing when the opportunity arises. 

Remember Moses, who felt he wasn’t 

qualified to lead his brethren out of Pharaoh’s 

hands? What about David, a mere teenager 

when he was anointed King? And who could 

forget Gideon, who felt he was the least of 

his father’s tribe and definitely not qualified 

to go to war! 

There’s no telling how far you can go or 

what you can accomplish when you make 

yourself available to the call without worries 

about how far you can go. 

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What gifts and talents has God 

given you? 

So what are your present day obstacles? 

What tools have God placed in your hands 

to tackle them? Jael used what she had, 

a simple nail, a peg, and some stale milk. 

Look at the tools you have available, make 

a list of them from the least to the best and 

see how you can use them to defeat your 

difficult situations. 

There’s still a missing piece that I feel 

is not talked about enough, at least through 

the sermons I’ve been exposed to. It isn’t 

enough to just pray without ceasing, expecting 

God to move. After all is said and prayed 

over, faith without works is dead. Along with 

praying, you must also dedicate yourself 

to improving the talents God has blessed 

you with. If you believe that you’re already 

working the hardest you know how, then, it 

may be time to reach out for help from a 

qualified coach to take you to the next level 

in your ambition. 

Have you ever felt as though you’re toiling 

away with no special recognition for your 

efforts? You have an uneasy feeling that you 

must do something, but you are not sure 

exactly what to do. There are some battles 

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that though they roar and even frighten you, 

you don’t have to fight them. Pause and be 

patient. Take the long view and watch for 

the fog to clear. 

And yes, finding the gift in such situations 

will take seeking and plumbing the depths of 

your inner strength. You can certainly take a 

few lessons from the way Jael handled her 

life up to the time of her encounter with the 

enemy. Her one act of bravery showed she 

was willing to risk her life to preserve the 

lives of others. 

I am becoming more and more aware 

that one of our greatest purposes in life is 

to help others. And by so doing, we help 

ourselves. Obviously, we can’t reach out to 

everyone on every occasion, but we should 

strive to make helping others a high priority 

in our lives. 

Pursue the “You” that’s deep inside. 

In some of my seminars, I’m asked the 

question, “How do I know what my purpose, 

my passion is?” It’s a question of such great 

magnitude that I wouldn’t presume to have 

discovered the answer. Bear in mind that 

there is an important difference between 

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passion and purpose, even if sometimes, 

the two may overlap. 

However, what I can point to is how I 

discovered (make that unearthed), my own 

passion in life so far. Furthermore, finding 

your passion may not be the same thing as 

finding a career that sustains your lifestyle. 

Sometimes, the two intersect in a beautiful 

marriage, while at other times, one remains 

purely a labor of love. So here it goes: 

I am the oldest of seven children, and 

from an early age, I began teaching, all be 

it at the local library, reading storybooks to 

kids. I read as many books as I could get my 

hands on, a trait I inherited from my father, 

who was a voracious reader. I also enjoyed 

putting my thoughts on paper, call it early 

journaling. Studying many different thought 

leaders took me deep into areas I was 

curious about. Naturally, the more I learned, 

the more I felt the need to share what I had 

learned, all of which continued throughout 

my family life and corporate career. 

At this stage of my growth, I can truthfully 

say that the more I teach, write books, and 

give seminars, the more passion I feel for 

what I am doing. So back to the question 

of, “How do I find my passion?” I offer two 

suggestions out of what may be dozens of 

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other ways. In moments of serious reflection, 

ask yourself these two questions. Moreover, 

seek honest answers to them, and journal 

what revelations come to you: 

• What are you most passionately 

curious about? 

• What leaves you with the deepest 

sense of wonderment? 

• What are you most excited to dive into 

and keep diving into, so much so that 

you very easily lose track of time and 

space? 

You can give yourself a head start by 

thumbing through the pages of your life so 

far, to see if there are patterns in what 

you’ve done that can shed light on these 

questions. If so, you know what you have to 

do, that is, to continue even deeper doing 

such. 

If no patterns emerge or weak patterns 

show up in answer to these questions, it 

may be time to make some serious course 

corrections. Just a word of caution before 

you run off and start sizing up whether 

your current job is or isn’t your passion: 

Pause and take a hard look before taking 

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a decision. In the heat of the moment, it 

can be easy to overlook the important clues 

pointing to areas of your current work that 

you are indeed passionate about. Deborah’s 

passion was clearly the safety and security 

of her people. 

As you go through life, many things 

will catch your eyes, but few will be worth 

dedicating your life to, full-on, with no looking 

back. Of the ones worth pursuing, some 

will be crafted into a truly unique gift while 

others will be a struggle and may fall by the 

wayside. Some of the things you’ve been 

tinkering with may be worth curating, making 

your life’s work out of it. Others, may not be 

worth investing heavily into. Give your work 

a hard look before you dive in or change 

lanes. Either way, remember to take the long 

view. 

Each of us has unique gifts and talents. 

Yes, to some of us, it’s fairly apparent what 

our gifts are. However, others of us may 

have to decide to spend our time honing a 

certain skill in order to walk confidently in 

that gift. 

Sometimes, the thing that burns deep 

within your heart may not be the thing that 

earns you a living, at least not right away. 

Someday, the two might meet in a happy 

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intersection, and you’ll be so much the better 

for not having let it go. 

Cherish the skills and talents God has 

vested in you. Jael had quick instincts. In 

due time, the opportunity for promotion to a 

new level will present itself. In fact, it will 

seem that opportunity comes looking for you, 

as the captain Sisera came looking for Jael, 

if only to his demise. 

We each carry a gift for the people around 

us, inasmuch as they, too, carry a gift for us. 

Mindfulness will help you discern what your 

particular gift is, and how you can best use 

it to serve others. 

Jael could have looked for so many 

reasons not to put her gift of quickness to 

test. However, in spite of our self-doubts, 

Rachel Hickson in Little Keys that Open Big 

Doors reminds us that “God can use us 

when we entangle our lives from all our 

excuses. He is looking for willing volunteers 

…people who will allow Him to activate their 

call, take risks and do the work of God.” 12 

Jael not only served Deborah and Barak 

individually, but also, she served the entire 

village by preventing them from being wiped 

out. Jael blossomed where she was at 

the time. Moreover, her service did not go 

unnoticed. Deborah gave her double praise 

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saying, “Most blessed of women Jael, wife 

of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent 

dwelling women” (Judges 5: 23-24). 

Right Where You Are 

Sometimes, the opportunity to use our 

gifts is hiding in plain sight, right where you 

are. In a world where selfish behavior seems 

the norm, Jael reminds us that unselfishness 

can be its own reward. Rather than looking 

to see what others bring to you, look instead 

to see how you can bring honor to others. 

With this attitude, it may just make the job of 

loving the ones you find hard to love a little 

bit easier. Even though the book of Judges 

does not record Jael’s after story, we can 

rest assured that she was well cared for the 

rest of her life. With her help, after the war, 

the land and its people had rest for forty 

years. 

I can already see heads churning with 

the questions: “What if I don’t like my job, 

my boss, my situation, my family, certain 

people around me. Must I still look out for 

them?” I submit to you that if all you focus 

on is what you don’t like, the universe will 

find a way to remove it from your life or give 

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you more of it. And here’s the kicker—don’t 

be surprised if the universe fills the empty 

space with an even worse situation. 

The simple reason is that by obsessing 

on what irks you, the universe often gives 

you more of the same. Unless, of course, 

you let that dislike propel you into taking 

positive action. Remember that whatever you 

magnify in thought and spirit, good or bad, is 

what will be amplified in your own daily life. 

Focus on how to add value to your 

situation and those around you. Focus on 

prospering where you are planted even 

though your ambitions may be aimed higher. 

Author and successful entrepreneur, Dani 

Johnson proposes this way of thinking about 

your life: “Being diligent in whatever your 

hands find to do, going about your business, 

fortune will find you.” 

I believe that in the quiet moments of 

time, Jael was building herself up. Though 

she was not militarily prepared, she was 

spiritually ready, so that at the opportune 

time, her value could be put to use. 

I am personally grateful for godly “Deborah 

women” (and yes, the godly men as well) 

from whom I’ve learned so much and continue 

to learn. God has given me some awesome 

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teachers, from my own mother to my pastors 

and spiritual mentors. 

I am grateful that across the world, women 

are rising up as pioneers helping to secure 

a safer, more compassionate world for all 

to enjoy. These are women armed with the 

spirit of courage, spreading the good news, 

and breaking forth into new arenas of the 

marketplace, whether in the sciences or the 

arts. And yes, taking us to new places on a 

spiritual level. 

Women such as authors Sister Joan 

Chittister, A Life of Passion, Purpose, and 

Joy, Sue Monk Kidd, When the Heart Waits 

and Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart. 

And who can forget young Malala Yousafzai, 

who at age seventeen became the youngest 

person to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Not to 

mention the scores of women all over the 

globe who are helping to bring enlightenment 

to our world each and every day in ways big 

and small. 

We need more women like these because 

we have such a long way to go. Indeed, 

we need more women with the creative 

and bold spirit like Deborah. Contemporary 

women who are not afraid to stand up and 

be counted. Those who are willing to take 

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on non-traditional roles, despite criticism that 

may come from many corners. 

Prayer For Guidance 

Lord, show me where I’ve not 

valued my gifts, my work, my 

family, my community. Teach 

me to be of value within the 

circle in which You have placed 

me. Teach me to value the 

assignments You have called 

me to do. Lord teach me how to 

be the best steward of the time 

and talents you have placed 

within me. 

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CHAPTER 7: 

Make the Sacrifice 

“And the land had peace for forty years.” 

(Judges 5:31) 

Having answered the call to go forth, 

there awaits the sacrifice. It can be 

said, “no sacrifice, no prize.” Victory 

always comes with a price. 

Each one of us must walk this walk one 

day. Someday, the dark night may happen 

to you, and you’ll have to find a way to walk 

through it, somehow. Perhaps, it’s already 

happened to you, and you’ve come out on 

the bright side. Hallelujah, more victory to 

you! If that’s you, then it’s your turn to help 

someone walk through it. Be prepared and 

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be sensitive; the need to help the hurting is 

everywhere around us. 

As I go deeper into Deborah’s story, I am 

amazed at how this otherwise “ordinary” trio 

was able to pull off such an extraordinary 

feat. We are not told that they went through 

lengthy periods of preparation, consecration, 

and testing. No such rites of passage were 

mentioned. Therein lies another basic lesson 

for those of us given to procrastinating. The 

lesson is in the old Chinese proverb, “A 

journey of a thousand miles begins with the 

first step.” Begin where you are. 

Deborah had to forge her way from the 

comfort of the Palm Tree to take on the 

battle on the mountain top. Jael had to leave 

the cozy comfort of her tent to court Sisera 

into her cabin. Barak took up the fight even 

though he was warned that the honor would 

not go to him—a hefty sacrifice indeed, for a 

man of his stature. 

As I reflect on “Deborah women,” I 

realize that I’ve been fortunate to know many 

Deborahs, both in the body of Christ and in 

the secular arena. I’m speaking of women 

such as my own mother who through sheer 

grit raised seven children by herself and 

watched us grow up to be what I consider 

fairly “normal” adults. 

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In the rites of passage of women such 

as Deborah and Nobel Prize winner Malala, 

there’s a much deeper lesson for those of 

us who desire to reach for more or to go 

higher. These women were willing to face 

and if necessary endure great sacrifices in 

order to obtain the prize. 

I’m reminded of a sermon I heard 

Reverend Kenneth Hagin, Jr. preach. In 

this sermon, brother Hagin said that God 

is indeed faithful, but we will never see the 

fulfillment of His promises if we simply “sit on 

the stoop, have our nose pressed up against 

the window pane waiting for something to 

happen.” Action must follow expectation. 

No one handed these mighty women a 

free ticket on a silver platter. In many cases, 

no one prepared them for the journey or 

the bumps that followed. In fact, if you dig 

deep enough, you will find that somewhere 

in their story, there are great struggles and 

many opportunities to overcome challenges. 

They developed the gumption to do things 

that almost seemed impossible. The fact that 

the women I’m referencing overcame their 

challenges is an encouragement to you to 

move forward, no matter the challenges you 

face. 

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Fortune Favors the Brave 

It seems to be one of life’s biggest fears— 

the struggle. “Why the high price, why so 

many struggles?” It’s the question we so 

desperately seek to have answered. In every 

aspect of life, as in the Bible, we see that 

fortune favors and rewards the brave. The 

brave ones are those who push past what 

seems to be their own natural ability. In the 

moment of struggle, some seize the opportunity 

to change their circumstances for the 

better. Others crumble under the pressure. 

Fortunately, we have a choice as to which 

road to take and my prayer is that should 

you experience that moment, God will give 

you the grace and boldness to face your 

struggles. It is in these times that you build 

the backbone of strength you need to carry 

you to victory. 

The Bible is filled with many men and 

women who did just that. We sometimes 

look back at their lives with deep admiration 

for their strength and courage, hardly noticing 

what it took to overcome their obstacles. 

However, if we peel back the layers of their 

lives, we soon discover that they often paid 

a huge price to come out on the other side. 

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As Aaron Fruh notes in his essay on The 

Decree of Esther: 

“Woven into the fabric of their 

struggles was a rite of passage. 

A time when they faced impossible 

odds and could have easily 

retreated and let the moment 

pass by.” 13 

Remember that moment when you felt 

the walls closing in, and you had nowhere to 

turn? You might have felt trapped in a world 

of poor choices and uncertain outcomes. 

The great people of the Bible who changed 

the world in their time had rite of passage 

moments. 

Abraham’s rite of passage was the 

moment of leaving his homeland. Moses’ 

moment was yielding to the voice in the 

burning bush. Deborah’s moment was leading 

an army when no one else would. We can 

draw strength from these moments when we 

need that extra push, even if it is a first for 

you and me. 

Take a moment and look back at the 

times when you took a certain action, and it 

later turned out to be what saved the day. 

Moments like these make us realize that we 

are stronger than we think. 

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My prayer is that when we are called to 

take bold actions, we may be brave enough 

to walk through the rising heat, even when 

we do not have all the pieces of the great 

adventure before us. 

As I look at my own adventure, I see 

so many occasions where I allowed doubt 

to steal my moment. I can also clearly see 

the price I paid for harboring such doubts. 

There were missed opportunities to move to 

a higher level. I missed vacations because I 

did not want to be away from work for long 

periods. I missed friendships, and opportunities 

to reach out when prompted by the 

Holy Spirit. Clearly, I missed opportunities 

to enjoy the moment. One thing is certain, 

missed opportunities rarely, if ever, return. 

Other opportunities may come, just not the 

same ones. 

In one case, the promotion to a senior 

level that I had prepared for and desired 

arrived. Yet, somehow, I did not feel worthy 

of the task at hand. I was uneasy about 

whether I was truly ready - “Oh, dear, have 

I gone too far, what if?” Luckily, I recovered 

from self-doubt quickly enough to go for it 

and grow into my new role. Some doubts lie 

dormant below the surface for years. Others 

force their way to the surface unexpectedly, 

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usually when you are on the verge of 

breaking through to your next level. If we 

give into our doubts, they will certainly steal 

our momentum, and halt our progress. Use 

these nudges as mere signals to go deeper 

for guidance and strength to push forward, 

rather than a red light to turn back. Let’s not 

forget that we are all works in progress and 

obstacles are meant to be crossed over, not 

to freeze us in our tracks. 

Prayer for Revelation 

Lord, Reveal to me Your 

Promises for me. Hold steady 

in my heart the promises You 

have set before me. Teach me 

to walk in Your supernatural 

strength, knowing that with You, 

I am well able to accomplish 

whatsoever I put my hands to. 

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128

CHAPTER 8: 

Answer The Call 

“Ah Lord God! Behold thou hast made 

the heaven and 

the earth by thy great power and 

stretched out arm, and 

there is nothing too hard for Thee” 

(Jeremiah 32:17). 

I 

Believe that from birth we are all given a 

unique call. Some of us find it early and 

walk the call for a very long time. Others 

of us bump our way through life, trying to 

figure it out as we go along. For me, the 

latter was the case. Growing up, I cherished 

the romantic notion that I would come into 

the life of being a loving mother, a devoted 

wife with a doting husband by my side, and 

a woman with a satisfying career. I would be 

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able to juggle it all. As it turned out, I did 

get married, but five years into our marriage, 

my life was sadly jolted by the disruptions of 

divorce. Life looked very bleak at that point. 

Starting over from scratch seemed oh so 

daunting. A dark cloud began to settle over 

my life in much the same way that uncertainty 

was heavy over Deborah’s people. I 

had landed in unfamiliar territory. All I knew 

was that I somehow needed to gather certain 

pieces and put my life back together. As 

author Jean Houston is fond of saying, I 

needed to re-imagine my life. 

However, the thoughts of where to begin, 

and exactly what to do always left me in a 

quandary. Back then, I neither had much in 

the way of the tools of faith nor did I understand 

the importance of faith in moving me 

to the promise of deliverance and restoration. 

I have a good friend whose job is an 

art curator. I have watched her put together 

art displays that at first blush seemed too 

different, edgy, wacky to work into a show. 

Yet, time again, after working her magic, out 

of these pieces come eye-popping, inspiring 

shows. 

After thinking about how a new design can 

take shape out of the unfamiliar and wacky, 

it began to dawn on me that, perhaps, this 

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is what I needed to do— curate all that I had 

experienced into a new life, the good and 

the not-so-good. I had to use the pieces 

of my life that had worked so far as my 

foundation to move forward. 

I had a choice to use all the pieces of 

learning opportunities and let them empower 

me, or to let them swallow me whole. I 

chose to put my efforts into working on the 

former. After all, isn’t this what Deborah did 

when she found herself in a hard place? 

Furthermore, God is willing and able to 

get us through our trials and tribulations. 

It is here that I began to camp out on the 

promise: “I am God. Is there anything too 

hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:26). 

Identify Your Enemy 

Identify what enemy (your perceived 

obstacle) is keeping you from your desired 

end and apply God’s promises. Nothing is 

too hard, for God and He is not a respecter 

of persons. Remember Barak’s weakness? 

Barak had to lay aside his fear of the enemy, 

even if just for the moment. I believe that’s a 

place we can all start if we’re really serious 

about moving higher into our destiny. 

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Hebrews 11 verses 32-35, points out how 

to receive the promise of God: 

And what more shall I say? I 

do not have time to tell about 

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jeptha, 

David, Samuel and the prophets 

who, through faith, conquered 

kingdoms, administered justice, 

and gained what was promised; 

who shut the mouths of lions, 

quenched the fury of flames, and 

escaped the edge of the sword; 

whose weakness was turned to 

strength; and who battled and 

routed foreign armies. (Hebrews 

11: 32-35). 

Exactly by what means the enemies of 

Israel and of Deborah would be defeated, 

we were not told. It was not spelled out 

when Deborah first uttered God’s word, “Go.” 

Deborah was focused on the strength of the 

promise, rather than “how” God was going to 

cause this to happen. 

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Be Deliberate and Dedicated 

Deborah was deliberate and dedicated to 

her mission. There have been many times 

that I spent much effort vowing to do this 

project and that project. Truth is, I simply 

did not keep many of these commitments. I 

might have embraced them with good intentions, 

fully planning to move forward with 

them, but in the end, I did little to show my 

dedication to doing what I said I would. 

As I meditate on the fact that there’s 

nothing too hard for God, I feel He is telling 

us so clearly to focus on receiving what He 

has promised to deliver, and less on how 

and when He delivers. In my spirit, I can 

hear Him saying, “Trust Me, believe in Me, 

I am well able, based on what I’ve written 

in the Word.” 

In other words, ”Think like Deborah, and 

I will do exceedingly, abundantly above more 

than you can think or ask.” How I needed 

such revelation back then! Even though I did 

not feel defeated, I must admit, I struggled 

with getting my scattered pieces back 

together. 

My time would have been far better 

spent cultivating a mindset of, ”everything is 

possible,” and acting on it from that place. 

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As one of my favorite poets, Maya Angelou 

is fond of saying, “Honey, when you know 

better, you do better.” I am indeed grateful 

for the chance to do better this time around, 

having examples such as Deborah to show 

the way. 

Listen in Stillness 

Are you simply going around in circles? 

Or are you acting on God’s voice? This can 

happen to us even when we think we are 

making progress. However, when we stop to 

really look at the results, we see that not 

much has changed. My advice is to examine 

whether your actions are bearing fruit, even 

if they are the faintest of signs. 

If the signs are there, weak or strong, 

why not sit with them until you can gain 

some insight into what’s really going on? In 

some cases, it could be that the voice of the 

Lord has already spoken, but for your own 

reasons, you have chosen to ignore it? The 

Bible declares, “My sheep know My voice, 

and I know them, and they follow me” (John 

10:27). Our part is to listen for the prompting 

of the Spirit, and to follow. 

I remember very early in my search for 

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the Lord, I had found a church that taught 

principles that seemed to make sense to 

my natural mind. But, regardless of how 

much sense it made to me, I knew deep in 

my spirit that something important was still 

missing although I could not quite put my 

finger on what it was. I just did not seem 

to be able to put the teachings to work in 

my life. 

Over the course of the next two years, 

I kept attending the same church, never 

diligently searching for one that taught what 

my heart was hungry for. Nevertheless, the 

signs were evident. My spirit was being 

prompted to search deeper, but I had chosen 

to ignore the still small voice within me. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t long after that I found 

teachers who were preaching spiritually in a 

manner that I was able to grasp and make 

use of in my everyday life. 

I began to hear the scriptures in ways 

that made me hungry to go deeper and 

learn more. The principles being taught 

made sense to me, and I felt it was indeed 

possible for me to apply them to my life and 

situations. I was understanding how to use 

my spiritual life to order my everyday life. It 

was time for me to stop reading the Bible 

135


as an interesting story and actually use it to 

improve my life. 

I was beginning to understand this faith 

thing and how prayer works. When we 

practice hearing the voice of God in the 

simple things, our faith grows. As our faith 

grows, we will hear Him in the “bigger” things 

and be able to rely more on His guidance 

and less on impulse. 

I’ve had times when it seemed that God 

answered my prayers in an instant. In those 

times I was so ecstatic, I couldn’t wait to tell 

all who would listen. Like the occasions I’ve 

been late for a flight, and it seemed like God 

stopped time for me so that I could make it 

before the plane doors closed. 

Then, there were other times when it 

seemed that God was nowhere in sight and 

neither was the answer. Can you relate? It 

was during these times that I questioned my 

faith, wondering if it was misplaced. Was 

it my own strong desire pushing me? Was 

I conjuring up some promise of my own 

that the Spirit did not give me? Again, I’m 

reminded that it is by patience and unwavering 

faith that you possess the promise. 

In this life, we may not be able to avoid 

tests and trials, but we are promised a way 

out. John Gelderen points in, The Faith 

136


Response, that in such times, we ought to 

“Pray to the promise until the Holy Spirit 

convinces you that you may stand on a given 

promise for a given situation. Praying till you 

see the evidence through Spirit conviction of 

a specific truth…Real faith arises when you 

are convinced of God’s will.” 

We are to expect abundance without 

measure. We are to expect protection from 

evil sources. We are to expect deliverance 

when in danger. We are to expect provision 

from diverse sources. We are to expect His 

faithfulness, and we are to expect His signs 

and wonders. We are to expect what may 

seem impossible to the natural man. We are 

to expect the supernatural in all areas of life. 

We are to expect direction, strategies, witty 

ideas, peace, and prosperity as manifestations 

of God operating in our lives. 

God’s Word declares, “Delight thyself in 

the Lord and He will give you the desires 

of your heart” Psalm 37:4. My spirit was 

stirred when I meditated on the first part of 

this phrase, which is actually referring to our 

acknowledgment of His Lordship over us. Our 

delight in Him comes with a promise from 

Him. The Matthew Henry Bible Commentary 

sheds further light on this verse when it says, 

“We must make God our guide, and submit 

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everything to his guidance and disposal; and 

then all our affairs, even those that seem 

most intricate and perplexed, shall be made 

to issue well and to our satisfaction.” 

When the prophet Jeremiah was in prison 

and praying for the protection of the land 

against the Chaldeans, he stood in agreement 

with God, saying “There is nothing too hard 

for Thee” (Jeremiah 32:17). To confirm His 

word to His prophet, in verse 27 of the 

same chapter, God responded in person to 

Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God 

of all flesh: is there anything too hard for 

Me?” We know this promise must be of 

tremendous significance if God would go to 

such lengths to put it before our eyes on 

so many different occasions. His must be a 

promise worth pursuing. 

Our New and Better Covenant 

In the old covenant, God promised Israel: 

I will bring you into the land 

concerning which I lifted up my 

hand and swore that I would 

give it to Abraham, Isaac, and 

Jacob, and I will give it to you 

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for a heritage. I am the Lord. 

You have the pledge of my 

changeless omnipotence and 

faithfulness (Amplified Bible, 

Exodus 6 verse 8). 

Oftentimes, standing on the promises of 

God seems hard because as mere mortals, 

we tend to forget promises. Especially, if 

we’ve seldom ever seen manifestations 

of answered prayers. Even when given a 

playbook of past miracles, our faith can get 

weak. We need to be reminded time and 

again. 

In reality, God’s inheritance for us is 

far greater than we can ever imagine. His 

Word says in Ephesians 3:20 that He will 

do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can 

think or ask. He takes full responsibility for 

fulfilling His promises and only asks us to 

believe and move in faith. 

Deborah accepted the promise as given. 

The promise came in the form of a call to 

act. Your call may be subtle or it may be 

direct. But if you observe and listen with 

intent, it will no doubt find you and reveal to 

you what actions to take. 

In our age where fame seems to be 

the rage, let’s not forget that you can lead 

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in some fashion from right where you find 

yourself, even if no one knows your name. 

According to author Mark Sanborn, in his 

book, You Don’t Need a Title to be A Leader, 

“True greatness is based on what we give 

in life.” 

Prayer to Answer the Call 

Father, you are full of faithfulness 

and full of mercy. Let 

me never forget the promise of 

your Word. Let me hunger for 

your Word as “the deer pants 

for water.” Let your Word ever 

course through me as rivers of 

living water. 

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CHAPTER 9: 

Who, Me? 

Henry David Thoreau said, “Most men 

lead lives of quiet desperation and go 

to the grave with the song still in 

them.” To this, I quickly remind myself of 

one of my favorite Helen Keller lines, “Life 

is either a daring adventure or nothing at 

all.” I think that most would agree that a 

life of quiet desperation is one of reaching 

and grasping but never really making the 

grade. But for a life of daring adventure— 

many, including me, would quickly say, “Sign 

me up!” 

For some of us a camping trip out in 

the wild alone, as I did many years ago is 

enough of an adventure, thank you. I think 

the kind of adventure Helen Keller had in 

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mind though is one that would require a 

person to face life with bravery at every 

turn—to meet life head on; to lead a life of 

passion and meaning for the betterment of 

ourselves and humanity at large and to live 

fearlessly, regardless of where we might find 

ourselves. And why not you? As a favorite 

author of mine, Jean Houston says, “These 

are the times, and we are the people.” 

Deborah was not content to lead a life of 

quiet desperation with her song still inside of 

her. It was her adventure from underneath 

the Palm Tree up to Mount Tabor that transformed 

her into becoming the leader that 

she was. An adventure, not in the sense of 

emotional excitement, but one that required 

her to face life head on. Perhaps, you do 

not consider yourself a leader now, and may 

not see yourself in that light anytime soon. 

For Barak, leading required him to take 

up the sword and fight. For Jael, the tent 

could no longer hold her, as she used the 

very peg that was holding it together to draw 

blood. However, I believe that in our own 

unique ways, we are all leaders and are 

called to be leaders. After all, life at its core 

is really about being of service! I believe 

that service is, in fact, the highest form of 

leadership. And aren’t we are all called to 

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make the world a better place? I also believe 

service is the highest gift we can give for the 

privilege of being in this life. 

On the day of victory, we see that 

Deborah’s bravery gave birth to hope, safety, 

and freedom. She had restored strength 

to a weak and downtrodden people. She 

reawakened her people to their true identity 

as victors over their own destiny. And the 

land had peace (prosperity and tranquility) 

for forty years! 

God has given each of us unique talents, 

and He expects us to use them. “To one 

he gave five talents, to another two, and to 

another one, each according to his ability” 

(Matthew 25:15). I invite you to look back 

over your own life experiences and count 

the number of times He provided for you in 

your wilderness. Take out your journal and 

begin to write down as many as you can 

remember. This act of gratitude can go a 

long way in lifting your spirits and opening 

you up to new ideas and insights. 

Sometimes, obedience may require that 

we give up a cherished dream. Even David 

had to give up his dream of building a temple 

to honor God. In fact, in 1 Chronicles 28:6, 

David was told, “Not so, your son Solomon 

will build me the temple.” 

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God’s voice is always being beamed to 

us, albeit, we’re often too distracted to pay 

attention. Even though God chose to speak 

to a prophet in this instance, just remind 

yourself, He is no respecter of persons. You 

may be just that one in a million He is 

seeking to heed His voice. 

While working on this book, I was 

faced with a family issue, which seemed 

to consume huge blocks of my time and 

focus. My younger brother had, for a long 

time, been plagued with a medical condition, 

and he needed my help getting to and from 

therapy sessions. He seemed to need my 

help in an endless way. 

Though I felt sympathy for him, the 

demands were constant and the time helping 

with his appointments took me away from 

my own work. The situation was becoming 

emotionally draining. I was so focused on 

my own “to do list,” that I was beginning 

to lose sight of why I was placed here in 

the first place. I decided to go on a fast to 

get some clarity, or at least some peace of 

mind. On a Friday night during the fast, I 

decided to cry out to the Lord. At first, my 

cry went something like this: “Lord, why me? 

Why now? I am so busy. I’ve got so much 

on my plate.” 

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As I continued to sink into my self-pity, 

my cry turned into, “Lord, if this isn’t working, 

if I’m just wasting my time, I want to know. 

And Lord, if this is going to work, if You are 

going to get the victory, I need the person 

before me to be healed. If he’s going to 

get better, let someone call me tomorrow 

or Saturday—someone whom I’ve not heard 

from in a very long time.” 

That night, I went to sleep and forgot all 

about my plea. Saturday came and went, 

and I seemed to have forgotten all about it. 

Then, Sunday came, and I again remembered 

that I did not get my so-called “sign,” 

from the Lord. I consoled myself saying, 

“Lord, I put my trust in You anyway.” 

Monday morning rolled around, and I 

was again reminded that I did not receive 

my so-called victory sign. Again, I consoled 

myself with scripture, saying, “Lord, I trust 

You anyway.” As I finished my prayer and 

devotion and was about to get my day 

started, the Spirit reminded me that I had 

indeed received a long distance call the 

very Saturday I had asked for one. I quickly 

searched my memory. 

The long distance call was from my 

half-brother in Canada whom I had not 

heard from in over six months. Message 

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received. God is always speaking. We are 

the ones who are often too preoccupied to 

hear. Thankfully, I did respond in time to 

my brother’s condition, because as I later 

learned, his situation could have been very 

serious if not caught in time. 

My situation was, of course, far less 

dramatic than Deborah’s But the pattern of 

trusting and listening is, nevertheless, the 

same. 

In my distress at that moment, I cried 

out to the Lord, and He answered me. He 

not only eased my anxiety, but He also 

confirmed that He had called me to serve, 

through serving my brother. That was enough 

to bring peace to me and to give me the 

strength to serve my brother and Him with 

grace. After all, that’s really what life is 

about, serving our highest and best purpose 

through serving each other. God hears, God 

speaks. Are you listening? 

Now that the victory had been won, what 

could be left for Deborah’s village to do 

but to bask in the glory of God’s awesome 

wonders? It was time for them to sing 

poetic songs over the miracle that had just 

taken place on their behalf. It was time to 

praise the One who had made good on His 

promise. The prophetess had proven that 

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God’s promise to her forefathers was still 

in effect, and she could invoke it on her 

people’s behalf. 

Deborah’s song capped the Israelite’s 

victory over the enemy. The entire village 

heard her and Barak exhorting them to 

remember their heritage (inheritance), their 

covenant. 

Hear this you Kings! Listen you 

rulers! I will sing to the Lord; I 

will sing…I will make music to 

the Lord, the God of Israel… 

Village life in Israel ceased, 

Ceased, until I, Deborah, arose, 

a mother in Israel. (Judges 5:2, 

3,7) 

On that day, Deborah and Barak, son of 

Abinoam, sang this song: 

The earth shook, the heavens 

poured, the clouds poured down 

water, The mountains quaked 

before the LORD, the one of 

Sinai before the LORD. The 

God of Israel…the Kings came 

and they fought; the King of 

Canaan fought at Taanach by 

the waters of Megiddo, but they 

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carried off no silver, no plunder. 

From the heavens the stars 

fought, from their courses they 

fought against Sisera. The River 

Kishon swept them away, the 

age-old river, the river Kishon. 

March O my soul: be strong! 

(Judges 5: 19-21). 

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CHAPTER 10: 

Living the 

Deborah Principles 

For ye have need of patience 

(enduring dependence, faith that 

perseveres in prayer and loyalty) 

that after ye have done the will 

of God, you might receive the 

promise (Hebrews 10:36). 

As I come to the closing scenes of 

my Deborah journey with you, I 

feel that I’ve found much of what I 

was searching for in this woman of faith. I 

believe that as believers, we are all a type 

of Deborah, blessed with the God-seed to 

accomplish great things both for ourselves 

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and others. Deborah shows us how we can 

each activate the God-seed within us. But 

what is equally important, we must be willing 

to steward the gifts and aspirations that have 

been placed in our hearts. “Desire accomplished 

is sweet to the soul” (Prov. 13:19). 

Deborah had accomplished her mission. 

Her trust in her ability to succeed, backed 

up by God’s supernatural assistance, shows 

us that her same faith is still available to 

us today. Her confidence is found in her 

relationship with God. Her bravery is found in 

her trust in Him. Her inner strength is found 

in her faith in Him. Her calm leadership is 

found in her confidence in Him, and none 

of her qualities are found in her own ability 

without God. 

My journey learning to Think Like Deborah 

has been an amazing and encouraging one. 

One in which I gave fresh insights into what 

it means to have faith in the Word. In this 

respect, Deborah has been a great example 

of what can happen for us when we fully 

believe and dedicate ourselves to going the 

distance. We have seen what it took to 

manifest such great victory in Deborah’s life. 

As I said earlier, Deborah’s story would not 

mean much to me if I couldn’t find a way 

to apply her teachings to my life practically. 

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Many truths have been unfolded to me, 

and I trust to you, too. What rings true to me 

is that we are never a finished work. We are 

indeed always a work in progress. Given the 

many issues facing our culture today, there 

has never been a more opportune time for 

the Deborahs of today to arise and take our 

places in our world. 

The more accepting we are of the Word 

of God, the more effective we can be living 

our lives. We can have godly influences 

in the marketplaces where we operate, 

in ministry, and in our families. The more 

blessed, healthy, and prosperous we are, the 

more we are able to bless others. It’s not an 

honor to God to be poor and not be able to 

help others. In fact, it honors God when we 

are in a position to help others. I don’t know 

about you, but I can always use more joy, 

peace, prosperity and all the goodness the 

Lord has in store for me. 

Like Deborah, we are meant to accomplish 

awesome and amazing things for 

ourselves and each other. What God did for 

Deborah and David, He will do for us, if we 

only believe. God’s principles, His promises, 

have not changed. We are told in the scriptures 

according to Jeremiah, to think like 

God thinks because: “My thoughts are not 

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like your thoughts, saith the Lord, because 

as high as the heavens are above the earth 

so are God’s thoughts above our thoughts” 

(Isaiah 55:8). 

Before Deborah went into battle, she was 

a judge, dispensing the law to her people. 

By the end of our journey with her, she 

emerged as a triumphant woman of strength 

and inspiration. 

I urge you to take seriously the invitation 

to boldly take charge of your life, rather than 

leave it up to random chance. Own each 

aspect of your life in an intentional, loving, 

and caring way. Just remember, though the 

first step is important, the steps which follow 

are just as important. I believe it is called 

“a walk of faith” because living by faith is a 

never-ending journey. It’s not an event; it is 

a long adventure. 

Grow Your ”God-seed” 

After being wowed by the character and 

courage of Deborah, you might be tempted 

to wonder, “How does this apply to me, 

given that I’m just a layperson, and God 

has not called me to do great exploits in the 

kingdom?” I beg to differ. God neither looks 

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well on apathy nor does He reward complacency. 

God has called each one of us to 

fulfill a specific task within His kingdom. God 

rewards the faith-walker and risk-taker. 

In Matthew 25: 14-30, three servants were 

left to steward a vineyard. Their master gave 

each talents (money, resources), according 

to his gifts. One received five talents, 

another, two, and the other, one talent. Upon 

the master’s return, he had them give an 

account of how they had managed (done 

business) with their talents. The servant with 

ten talents reported that he had doubled 

his talents; the servant with the five talents 

had done the same. The master was much 

pleased with these two and rewarded them 

generously, adding, “enter into the joy of 

your master.” 

The servant with one talent, however, 

buried his underground and reported no 

increase. In fact, he hadn’t even tried to 

invest his talents. He was too afraid to risk it, 

too afraid to fail, frozen in fear. He seemed 

unwilling to work to increase the master’s 

wealth, saying “Master, I knew you to be a 

hard man, reaping where you did not sow 

and gathering where you scattered no seed. 

And I was afraid, and went away and hid 

your talent in the ground. See, you have 

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what is yours” (Matthew 25:24). In fact, he 

might even have been jealous of his master’s 

potential increase. The master was very 

displeased with the last servant and gave 

him a severe rebuke: “You slothful servant, 

you should have hired out my money for 

usury” (Matthew 25: 27). 

Don’t Sit on Your Talents 

In other words, don’t just sit on your 

talents, use your imagination, work your 

talents, be of service and do whatever your 

hands find to do. Follow God’s command to: 

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” 

(Genesis 1 verse 28). Yes, Adam and Eve 

were given work to do in order to enjoy 

the Garden. I might add, even when you’re 

not sure what to do, you can still put your 

talents to the best use. Ask for wisdom as 

you go forward, and you will be given such 

generously. 

Jesus’ reaction to each servant tells us a 

great deal of how He expects us to handle 

our talents and gifts. He expects us to invest 

the talents He has given us and increase our 

gifts. I believe God wants us to also make 

investing in ourselves a priority. The more 

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we invest in ourselves, the more valuable 

we become to our work, our community, and 

by extension, His kingdom. Look around and 

see at which marketplace God has called 

you to minister. 

God calls some to minister from the 

pulpit, some He calls to minister outside the 

church, in neighborhoods, and others, He 

calls to the marketplaces, or on the streets. 

This is what Ed Silviso says in his book, 

Anointed for Business: “The call to serve 

in the marketplace and the call to serve in 

traditional religious setting are both valid and 

interdependent since they involve ministers 

who respond to the same divine calling.” 14 

It is sufficient to begin with your family 

and even the larger community. Whether 

we serve from the pulpit, the mission field 

or inside the boardroom, the principles to 

spread the gospel, multiply and replenish in 

our respective fields are the same. According 

to Silvoso, believers in the marketplace who 

hold strategic positions in business, education, 

and politics need to know they play a vital 

role in the establishment of God’s kingdom 

on earth. 

The Deborah principles, as demonstrated 

in this journey, are just as effective today 

as they were back then. I believe the most 

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important messages in the Deborah story can 

be boiled down to six important principles, 

which, if taken seriously can transform your 

life: 

• Speak God’s promises aloud. Victory 

is encased in the Word of God. 

• Declare God’s promise(s) that relate to 

your specific situation. 

• Fill your mind with the Word of God. 

Your thoughts eventually create your 

world. 

• Take it on faith: You were born with 

the necessary talents to fulfill your 

mission. 

• Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

Be ready to obey even by taking the 

smallest of steps. 

• Keep trusting. Once God has spoken, 

expect Him to honor His Word. 

And furthermore, “Let no corrupt 

communication proceed out of 

your mouth.” (Ephesians 4:29). 

“If any man speaks, let him 

speak the oracles of God.” (1 

Peter 4:11) 

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Remain Grateful 

In her closing scene, we see Deborah’s 

expression of her gratitude through the act 

of worship. She was very aware that even 

the heavens, the stars, and the rivers came 

to her rescue. Deborah rejoices for such 

a supernatural miracle: “They carried off 

no silver, carried off no plunder…from the 

heavens, the stars fought…fought against 

Sisera…The river Kishon swept them away… 

March on my soul, be strong” (Judges 5: 

19-21). 

It’s been nothing short of amazing how 

these teachings have changed my life for 

the better. It boiled down to learning what 

God says about me, and speaking what 

God speaks about me. Deborah spoke deliverance. 

Right away, we see that her thinking 

was in line with God’s promises. She spoke 

words of courage to her people. She prophesied 

victory. 

When I look back at all God has taught 

me throughout this Deborah journey, two 

things are especially strong in my spirit. The 

first is, “Do not overthink the Word of God.” 

In other words, take Him at His Word. The 

Word is His power source, His weapon of 

warfare, peace, health, and provision, both 

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in the spiritual and natural states of being. 

His Word is the way maker. It is that simple, 

once we put it to the task. 

The second revelation is closely related 

to the first, and that is, “Do not overcomplicate 

the Word of God.” Yes, I realize as 

we study and meditate on the Word, God 

will give us deeper and deeper insights. But 

as I heard one pastor say, the Word of God 

is written so that any layperson can understand 

and benefit from it. 

Most important of all, think that whatever 

God has placed in your spirit, it’s all possible. 

It all belongs to you, no matter how grand. 

Think like Deborah and go get it! Think of 

how many people you’ll be able to help 

along the way. 

Today, I invite you to decide to apply 

the Deborah approach to areas of your 

life that are challenging. Dedicate yourself 

to living the Deborah principles. Step up, 

start speaking as God speaks, declare and 

obey the Word of God and watch Him allow 

supernatural miracles to invade your life. 

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Keep Walking! 

The desire of the righteous shall be 

granted” (Prov. 10:24). 

As we said before, there’s a good reason 

believers use the phrase, “walk of faith” 

because, after the first step, there must be 

many, many more steps if you seriously 

intend to possess the promise. But keep 

heart, and take the long view. Deborah had 

to take every trek of faith with Barak and his 

weak army up to Mount Tabor. No doubt, it 

was a struggle with rough terrain, obstacles, 

and troublesome times, but she had made up 

her mind to keep walking until she reached 

her God-ordained destination. 

On your journey, ask God for a new 

mindset, a new perspective of the challenges 

before you. Ask Him for wisdom, ponder 

on His promises, take Him at His Word, 

and according to the prompting of the Holy 

Spirit, believe Him whole-heartedly. Then, 

ACT when prompted by His Spirit. 

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Prayer to Accept God’s Promises 

May we never take God’s 

Promises for granted. May 

they send roots deep in our 

souls. May Your words bear 

us fruit such as is uncommon 

To our natural understanding. 

May Your promises bring us 

fresh revelation, wisdom, and 

understanding daily; May Your 

Presence be with us always! 

The story of Deborah blesses us with a 

simple yet profound prayer. And as I take 

leave of this journey with you for now, may 

her invitation to rise to your greatest self be 

fulfilled in your life. 

“May those who love you Lord 

be like the rising of the sun 

when it rises in its power.” 

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About the Author 

After a successful career in corporate 

management, Nikki Chaplin has turned 

her insights and expertise into leadership 

and writing. She has a passion for helping 

women leap into bolder, braver versions of 

their innate selves and stand for a positive 

difference in their own unique sphere of 

influence. 

Nikki Chaplin is a certified coach, speaker, 

entrepreneur, and author of Dare to Live 

Your Dreams, foreword written by renowned 

motivational coach, Les Brown. She holds 

a B.A in Economics from the University of 

Western Ontario, Canada and an M.B.A. 

from Florida International University. 

Twitter: Nikki_Chaplin1 

Facebook: NikkiChaplin1 

Instagram: NikkiChaplin1 

161

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References 

1. Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda, 

“Women of the Bible,” (Zondervan 

Publishers, 2015). 

2. Dr. Seuss, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go,” 

(Random House, 1990). 

3. Marianne Williamson, “A Return to 

Love: Reflections on the Principles 

of A Course in Miracles,” (New York: 

Harper Collins, 1992). 

4. John R. Van Gelderen, “The Faith 

Response,” (CLC Publications, 2011), 7. 

5. Mark Batterson, “The Circle Maker,” 

(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan 

Publishers, 2011), 15. 

6. Bruce Wilkinson, “Secrets of the Vine,” 

(Multnomah Publishers, 2001). 

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7. Mark Batterson, “The Circle Maker,” 

(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 

Publishers), 74. 

8. J. Packer, “Knowing God,” (Downers 

Grove, IL: IV Press, 1993), 30. 

9. Bill Johnson, “Hosting His Presence,” 

(Shippensburgh, PA: Destiny Image 


10. David Herzog, David, “In the Glory,” 

(Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image 


11. David Herzog, David, “In the Glory,” 

(Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image 


12. Rachel Hickson, “Little Keys Open 

Big Doors,” (Grand Rapids, Michigan: 

Chosen Books, 2007), 76. 

13. Aaron Fruh, “The Decree of Esther,” 

(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Chosen 

Books, 1958), 44. 

14. Ed Silvoso, “Anointed for Business,” 

(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Chosen 

Books, 200), 19. 

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Additional References 

Finis Jennings Dake, “Dakes Annotated 

Reference Bible,” (1991). 

Ashley English, “Keeping Bees,” (New York: 

Lark Crafts, 2011). 

Dani Johnson, “First Steps to Wealth,” (Call 

to Freedom Publishers, 2011). 

Dennis Waitley, Being the Best (New York: 

Pocket Books, 1982). 

Mark Sanborn Mark, “You Don’t Need a Title 

to be A Leader,” (New York: Doubleday, 

2006). 

James Strong, “Strong’s Concordance,” 2010. 

Sue Monk Kidd, “When the Heart Waits,” 

(New York: Harper San, 1999). 

Eddie Russell, Catholic Evangelist “It’s Faith, 

But Not as We Know It.” (Australia: FMI 

Books). 

http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/ 

Dabar 

https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/ 

peace/laureates/2014/yousafzai-bio 

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All scripture quotations unless otherwise 

indicated are taken from The King James 

Bible, The Amplified Bible and The New 

International Version (NIV). All emphasis 

within quoted scriptures are the author’s own. 

Certain pronouns and references to God, The 

Father, The Holy Spirit, The Son and The 

Word have been chosen to be capitalized 

and may differ from some publishers’ style. 

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