Warriors Wanted

Warriors Wanted

Deborah

Read: Judges 4:6-10

The young woman waved as she took a last look from the bus window. It would be a long time before she saw her family and friends again. Her stomach churned as the bus pulled out. Looking around, she wondered if the others felt the same way. She had no idea what basic training would be like—would she make it through? Suddenly, she remembered the package her parents had handed her. Tearing away the paper, she saw a beautiful book on the history of the Marine Corps. As she ran her fingers across the emblem with the eagle, globe, and anchor, her heart swelled with pride.

Deborah’s unique position in Israel’s history included a military aspect. When she summoned Barak to muster an army to fight against their oppressor, Deborah was speaking God’s commands as his prophet. Was she appalled by the military general’s response that he would go only if she went too? Regardless of her feelings, Deborah rode out with Barak. The reward for her willingness to accompany him was the sight of Israel’s forces charging into battle. Her heart must have swelled with joy and gratitude, knowing that God had promised them victory over the larger and more powerful enemy.

Whether or not we know it, we are all involved in spiritual warfare. Satan and his forces of evil constantly battle against God, trying to keep people from knowing Christ. If we belong to God, Satan attacks us to weaken our faith and witness and to make our service ineffective. His weapons include fear, doubt, greed, materialism, and a whole arsenal of temptations; our weapons are prayer, God’s Word, and the support of the Holy Spirit and other believers. God is looking for warrior women who are willing to take a stand against evil and oppression. No matter how powerful our enemy looks, we can confidently face the battle knowing that God has promised a victory.

Every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

1 John 5:4