Deborah and Jael: Arise! Becoming the Woman God Created You to Be, Part 2
If Heaven measures obedience rather than visibility, why do so many women struggle to believe God can use them?
Deborah and Jael’s story shows us that both women make valuable contributions regardless of their season - whether they are at home with children, illness, or some other circumstance - or on the front lines of the Kingdom. Both get the same reward.
The anointing on Jael dealt with the strongman and strongholds. She was positioned correctly to deliver a deadly blow to the enemy. She was in the right place at the right time with the right weapon. Jael was a stealthy heroine and a fierce warrior. She defied customary practices of hospitality in order to destroy the enemies of God. It was the call of God inside her that arose and broke through every limitation and man-made expectation to do something that had never been done…
Whether you are a woman on the front line as Deborah was or on the home front as Jael was, this is the hour we must let God take whatever is in our hands, skills, gifts, experience, and talents, and let them be used for the glory of the kingdom. Can you imagine if every woman in the church used their gifts with the courage and boldness of Deborah or ACTED on behalf of the Lord the second she was given the opportunity the way Jael did?
Unfortunately, while many of us love Jesus, and treasure our time with Him, we fail to recognize our gifts. Or don’t think they are good enough. Or fear that we will fail, so we hold back, sitting on the sidelines of the Kingdom, just thinking that someone with better gifts will do what needs to be done. This spirit of timidity has stolen from women in the church for long enough. God’s WORD says that He has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
In the story, Deborah goes with Barak to Mount Tabor, but then when everything is in place, she says, “Get up and go! Has the Lord not already gone before you?” We all need a Deborah in our lives who will tell us when it is time to ‘GET UP’ and remind us of what the Lord says about us. That He has provided everything that we need. If we don’t have a Deborah calling us out of our comfort zone, when we are presented with opportunities to lead and serve as an active part of the body, we will only hear the enemy say “You weren’t really called. God can’t use you. You aren’t good enough, strong enough, godly enough. Just stay down where no one will see how pitiful you really are.” Satan wants you to feel small and unqualified and insecure so that you won’t say “yes” to your calling. That you won’t even see your gifts, let alone use them.
It would be easy to read this passage as a story about a strong woman stepping in because a weak man wouldn't. That message has been preached many times before. But I don't think that's what Scripture is showing us. Deborah wasn't competing with Barak. She was stirring up his courage. She reminded him of God's promise, walked beside him when he needed encouragement, and then told him, "Get up! Has not the Lord gone before you?" Her goal wasn't to replace his calling, but to strengthen him to fulfill it. That's what godly leadership does. It doesn't diminish others; it helps them become who God has called them to be.
Like many women, I spent years believing I didn't have much to offer God's Kingdom. I loved studying Scripture, but I assumed someone else was more gifted, more qualified, more anointed. It wasn't until the Lord began asking me to simply say yes to pray, to lead where He opened doors, and to serve with what was already in my hands, that I realized obedience uncovers gifts we often don't know we have.
Perhaps the greatest lesson Deborah and Jael leave us isn't that we should become exactly like them. It's that we should fully become ourselves before God.
Deborah never tried to become Jael.
Jael never tried to become Deborah.
Each woman recognized where God had placed her, trusted Him with what was already in her hands, and obeyed without comparing her assignment to someone else's.
That may be the greatest battle women in the Church still face today—not discovering our gifts, but believing that the gifts we've already been given are enough when surrendered to God.
Sisters, I don’t know about you, but if this is what we are being called to – and I believe it is – then I don’t think we have one more minute to waste thinking about how our gifts are subpar, or that they will never compare to the gifts of sisters that we see on Instagram or on stage at church.
The Kingdom advances when ordinary people become deeply rooted in intimacy with God and courageously obey whatever He asks, whether anyone notices or not.
Deborah and Jael may be the clearest biblical picture of that truth. One was seen by everyone. The other was seen by almost no one. Yet both changed history because both were fully surrendered.
Women of Tampa Bay, it is time to ARISE.
~Niki Hathorn, Worthy Content Creator
What is already “in your hands” right now—your gifts, experiences, relationships, resources, or opportunities—that God may be asking you to surrender to Him?
What fear or insecurity has most often kept you on the sidelines—fear of failure, feeling unqualified, comparison, waiting for the perfect opportunity, or something else? What would courageous obedience look like in that area?
Deborah and Jael had very different assignments, but neither needed the other woman’s calling. Where are you being challenged to stop comparing your assignment to someone else’s and fully embrace where God has positioned you in this season?
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