More than Conquerors

I am not a fan of boxing, wrestling and all those games that involve hitting, fighting and getting others to go through physical pain. I can hardly stand watching another person being beaten for a title. For me, it is hard. Yet for another person, these sort of games could be their favourite. Watching as fighters conquer each other and lifting up the trophy is therapeutic for some people. The essence of boxing, wrestling and all these fights are motivated by one thing: the winner’s title. In some cases, you see blood on fighters, some get fractures, others are paralyzed, some die on the spot and yet more of such games are invented each day. Why do people delight in seeing others in pain? I believe the winner and loser mentality is so much part of our lives that even in activities that do not involve fights, people still strive to become the best out of many. We tend to develop a fighter mentality with the aim to conquer everything and everyone.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ‭‭(Romans 8:37)

Our Christian journey is alluded to as a battle in many instances in the New Testament. Believers face discrimination, persecution, pain, and many other atrocities because of their faith. In some cultures and families, coming to Christ is a recipe to be ostracized. Other people also met their death just because of their faith. The average believer in an unbelieving territory has to navigate through several hurdles each day. Paul experienced in full force these sorts of persecutions. Yet, in ‭‭Romans 8:35, he asked a profound question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” In all his many battles, Paul was certain that nothing is worth separating us from the love of Christ. Like the boxer or the wrestler contending for a title, Paul states that our faith is worth standing for even if it costs us our lives. To Paul, irrespective of what we go through, we are more than conquerors. ‭‭Romans 8:37 states that “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” How is that even possible?

Paul explains in ‭‭Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In other words, nothing is worth the love of God that we have been shown through Christ Jesus. So even in persecution, we are more than conquerors, even when we are discriminated against, we are more than conquerors. When people revile us and call us all sorts of names, still we are more than conquerors. When persecution leads to even death, the believer is still more than a conqueror. Even though we are in a battle, the end has already been determined. We are more than conquerors! Therefore, do not let anyone’s perception of your faith build in you a loser’s mentality.

Listening and obeying God’s commands

In the book of Judges, we meet Deborah, a woman described as a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, a judge who led Israel at her time‭‭ (Judges‬ ‭4:4‬). At the instruction of God, Deborah invited Barak to lead the army of Israel against the army of Jabin, king of Canaan. Jabin’s army commander was Sisera. However, Barak responded “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” (‭‭Judges‬ ‭4:8‬). You would have expected Deborah to run away from the battle field, afterall she wasn’t chosen by God to lead the army. Yet, this brave woman agreed to go to war with Barak. She knew that God had already given the Israelites victory. Deborah’s response was this: “Certainly I will go with you. But because of the course you are taking, the honour will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. (‭‭Judges‬ ‭4:9‬). Let’s consider some lessons from Deborah’s story‬‬.

“Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honour will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. ‭‭(Judges‬ ‭4:9‬)

Faith in God: Deborah had faith in God concerning the outcome of the battle. She knew the nature of the army Sisera commanded; he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years (Judges‬ ‭4:3‬). By strength and logistics, the Canaanite army was far ahead of the Israelites but the battle was determined by faith not fear. Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭(AMPC‬‬) defines faith as this: NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Deborah had an assurance of victory even when she was yet to see it. In our walk with God, faith is the currency that silences our fears. Have faith in God and trust Him 24/7.

Obedience to the Lord: Obedience is the key to show that we have faith in God. Deborah demonstrated her obedience by conveying the message of the battle to Barak. She even went ahead and followed Barak to the battle. She obeyed the Lord to the  latter. Our obedience should not be pegged on our whims and caprice. We don’t have to obey only when it is favourable to us. Our obedience to the Lord is seen in how we live and follow God’s commands. Fear can hinder obedience to the Lord. Barak was afraid of the Canaanite army and his obedience to the instructions from God was tied to Deborah’s response to follow him to the battle. He said, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” (‭‭Judges‬ ‭4:8‬). Because of course Barak took, the glory of the battle was given to another woman (Jael).

Servant Leadership: Deborah was a woman with many responsibilities. She was the wife of Lappidoth,  which meant she managed her home. She was a prophet and also a judge. In Deborah’s days, Judges were powerful people. Yet, Deborah was ready to follow Barak to the battle. She wasn’t just pleased to lead, she was also pleased to serve in the army (possibly giving spiritual guidance). Good leaders are servant leaders. They serve their people and are committed to ensuring their safety and well-being. Jesus taught His disciples this servant leadership mindset by stooping low to wash their feet (John 13:12-17). Washing of the feet was the task of the lowliest servant of the house.

Give praise: After the Lord gave the Israelites a resounding victory, they gave praise to the Lord. Deborah acknowledged that the victory was from God but not based on their strength or tactics. Judges 5 is a celebration of the faithfulness of God. Thanksgiving or giving praise to God should be our natural response to the blessings we receive from God. Each day, we receive the gift of life, and the abundance of God’s grace. Praise should be our lifestyle each day. An attitude of gratitude is a ladder to the next altitude of God’s grace. We should give thanks with a grateful heart. When Jesus healed the ten lepers,  He expected all of them to give thanks but only one returned to give thanks. Jesus said, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” Then Jesus said to the man who returned to give thanks; “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭17:17‭-‬19‬ ‭KJV‬‬). The next level of our victory is the level of wholeness and this only comes from the attitude of gratitude.

Deborah teaches us that with God on our side, victory is assured even in the most unlikely situations. But, we are not passive actors in this victory. God expects us to demonstrate our faith through our obedience, our leadership and even in our praise. Our active faith will make us whole in Jesus’ name.
After the resounding victory, the land had peace for forty years (Judges‬ ‭5:31) because Deborah chose to listen and obey God’s commands.

Deborah: A prophet, a wife and a judge

Juggling between work and family has become the norm for the 21st century woman. Each of these responsibilities demands commitment and dedication. Imagine going to work for 8 hours or more in a day and having to take care of the family (husband and kids) afterwards. This may sound tiring but the average ‘working class married woman’ is committed to both home and office. This isn’t new, even in the olden times, some women relentlessly juggled between home and work and were still considered good at both places. A typical example of such women is Deborah. When the Israelites arrived in the promised land, before they had kings, they were ruled by Judges. The judges were like prime ministers. They ensured that the people lived right and in safety. Naturally, you would expect such a daunting responsibility to be given to strong and mighty men considering the fact that battles were constantly fought during those times. The nation of Israel itself was quite rebellious and they were stiff-necked people. Like the 21st century world, each one wanted to do what pleases them with little disregard for God. Their disobedience landed them in different battles and the Lord raised the judges to help them win their battles and to maintain law and order. 

Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. (Judges 4:4)

With such a job description, you might consider the strong and mighty warriors to be qualified to judge the nation. Of course, Israel had strong and mighty (physical strength) judges who helped them to defeat their enemies. One unlikely judge was Deborah. “Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time” (Judges 4:4). Deborah’s job description begins with a prophetic ministry, her role as a wife and her office as a judge. As a judge, “she held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided” (Judges 4:5). How was she able to hold her home together in addition to her prophetic and executive responsibilities? Deborah would have been a confident woman who knew what to do at every time. She wouldn’t spend unnecessary time doing unnecessary things. She would have been committed to building her home, her ministry and work. Obviously, Lappidoth her husband might have been instrumental in all this. Deborah was a God-fearing woman, a go-getter, a purpose driven leader, a mother and a lover of her husband. She embodied all these together and still excelled in all.

When Jabin, king of Hazor and Sisera, his army commander, oppressed the Israelites (for the Israelites turned away from God), Deborah had to lead the people to battle. “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor” (Judges 4:6). Although God had promised them victory,  Barak’s reply was, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” (Judges 4:8). Deborah did not shudder, she accepted the challenge and led Israel to battle. God granted them astounding victory over their enemies. Deborah, the prophet and the wife of Lappidoth had a music ministry as well, that is she was a worshiper. After their victory, she sang the song of Deborah (Judges 5). One woman, different responsibilities, and yet able to play all these roles to the fullest. Deborah was not your everyday woman. She was made for more. She defied the status quo,  and did what was ascribed to mighty men. She did not allow societal perception to affect her. She was a woman who knew her call and she worked hard to ensure that she fulfilled her call. 

Deborah, just the Proverbs 31 woman reminds us that you can have it all and do it all. Her rise to the top did not make her rise above her husband. The challenge of our generation is that when some women take on responsibilities that make them higher and more publicly seen and respected than their husbands, they expect their husbands to pay “homage” to them. With all the social accolades, Deborah still remained the wife of Lappidoth. She submitted to him and he was the head. 
Dear married man, don’t be jealous when your wife rises higher than you. Help her to shine in her career or ministry. Be a shoulder to lean on and be praying for her. 
Dear woman, no matter how high you rise, you cannot rise above the standard of God. You can be a wife, a warrior, a professional, and any other position. You were made for more. Don’t allow your career to ruin your home. Have a Deborah mindset. 

Thanks be to God!

When we come to understand that we have something that is the prayer topic of others, we will be grateful for life and all that God has given us. Take a look at your life before you met Christ and the current state of your life. There are many reasons to be thankful.  On a daily basis, we have victory over sin and temptation. We do not do the things we used to struggle with in the past. We have become victorious over the sins that pulled us down. 

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

The wages of sin is death but by God’s grace, we have received the gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). We have enough reasons to be thankful to God. We have been given victory over sins and temptation. The stings of death over our lives are broken. We are no longer slaves to sin, fear and death. We are children of God. What a great privilege!