Deborah

Discover the enduring power of faith and leadership with Deborah's story from the Book of Judges. Join us on a journey of courage and divine obedience in our latest podcast episode.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:19

Hi and welcome to the Cheer Up Podcast. I am your host, kara R Hunt, and with me today, and as always, is my lovely co-host, sherri Swalwell. How are you doing today, sherri?

Speaker 2: 0:33

I am doing really good. Our family is getting over whatever it is that's around here that it was trying to get us down this weekend. But you know what? It's not going to happen. So we're just going to plug along and I'm just thankful for health and I'm thankful for a chance to rest. I'm thankful for God's grace. I'm just thankful for a lot of things this morning. How about you?

Speaker 1: 1:02

Well, thanks for asking Sherri how I'm doing. I am blessed to be alive. And for those of you who may not be familiar with that phrase, it is something that Sherry and I have talked about BTBA. I believe it is like hashtag BTBA, something that Sherry and I have talked about over the past couple of seasons. This is our fourth season of the Tura Podcast and if you are just now tuning in or if you're new to our podcast, we want to say welcome and for all of our loyal listeners those who are local, as in nationally, and those who are globally, internationally we just want to thank you for being loyal listeners and for always tuning in to the Chiro podcast. And again, for those who are new, podcasts are uploaded once every week, once every Wednesday morning, and again, this is our fourth season. And if you're new to us, welcome to Cheered Nation, and we just want to say hi and welcome and thank you for joining us.

Speaker 1: 2:14

And today we are going to continue our discussions. I am so sorry I don't know where my words are. This morning we want to continue our discussions on biblical characters in the Bible, and the reason we are focusing on biblical figures in the Bible is because, believe it or not, even though who they are and what they did and what they're known for in Christianity and or just without the world or in church tradition, so to speak, because of the miraculous things they did or the very impactful things that they did, even though a lot of that was thousands of years ago in some cases, it's still so relevant to us today because we face the same type of situations. And today, in this episode, we are going to be discussing Deborah. Deborah in the Bible. For those of you who would like to look her up, it's Deborah D-E-B-O-R-A-H and we're talking about Deborah the prophetess. There is another Deborah in the Bible and I believe she was a nurse, right, sherry.

Speaker 2: 3:34

Ooh, I honestly I did not know there was another Deborah in the Bible.

Speaker 1: 3:40

Yes, yes, because it's. I believe this Deborah, deborah, Deborah I want to say Deborah because, for those who want to go look it up, in the book of Judges in the Old Testament, you can find the story of Deborah and everything leading up to it. I would recommend that you start at Judges, chapter one and read all the way to Judges chapter six and read our way to Judges 6. And that gives you a complete oversight of why she had to be raised up, why she had to be raised up as a judge and everything else. It kind of gives you a better context, just context, of everything that's going on. So I would just read from Judges 1 to Judges chapter 1 to Judges chapter 6. But she is, I believe. I think she's named after another Deborah in the Bible who came before her, who was a nurse. Okay, and I'm almost positive. So there was another Deborah and she was a nurse and I can't remember who she was a nurse to, but I believe she was a nurse to someone royal, if I'm not mistaken. So don't quote me on that, but for those of you who are very interested in that, you could do a name search on Deborah. But I believe this Deborah, deborah, the prophetess. The prophetess is named after that Deborah. Okay, so there's again more than one Deborah in the Bible, but we're talking about Deborah the prophetess. And why do I call her a prophetess? Because the Bible calls her a prophetess, and that's pretty much how I believe.

Speaker 1: 5:19

Chapter 5 or 6 starts off and it says and Deborah a prophetess, the wife of Lepidoth, judged Israel at that time. So the Bible called her a prophetess. And one of the things that Deborah is well known for in the Bible she was the first woman judge and that, you know, had to be raised up, and she was a very, very good judge. You know, had to be raised up and she was a very, very good judge, you know, and judges back then meant the same as judges today. As a matter of fact, the Hebrew word for judge pretty much means the same thing that we think of as a judge today, and it means one who sets right what has been put wrong, and so she was a judge to the Israelites at the time and she was also a prophetess.

Speaker 1: 6:16

And one of the things she is known for mainly just one of them is, you know, mainly just one of them is and you know, one of the interesting things about Deborah is that kind of like her story is not that long, like just what she did, what she said and what happened really only takes up a couple of verses and it just really doesn't go into like a lot of depth regarding that.

Speaker 1: 6:45

However, it kind of wraps up with her song called Deborah's Song that she's singing at the end and it's a song of victory that she's singing at the end, that you learn all the details of everything that happened and why, what led up to it, why they had to do it and everything like that. And when I say victory, that means she was, you know, in war. So basically she's a prophetess. And she has said to Sisera who excuse me, I'm so sorry Barak, she has said to Barak, who was, you know, a leader of one of Israeli armies, and Sherry, I'm going to do a quick run through this, so please correct me if I'm wrong you know, because I'm giving just a general basics because I don't really kind of run all of it for our listeners this morning.

Speaker 1: 7:38

But you know she was like hey, barak, you know, didn't the Lord tell you that he's going to deliver Sisera and everything into your hands and everything else? So what are you going to do about it? That's the camera translation. She's like so what are you doing? Why are you sitting on your hands? You need to do this.

Speaker 1: 7:59

And Barak was kind of a skittish type of person and you can just tell, as you're reading through this particular story, that he didn't have really strong faith. He didn't have faith at all and he pretty much was just like okay, well, deborah, everyone knows you know the Lord and that the Lord knows you. So, yeah, if you go with me, because this guy God wants me to go up against, he has like all these iron chariots, he has all these horses, he is like going to run over us like it's nobody's business and he wants me to go out there. But I'll go, deborah, if you go with me, because I know that you know the Lord and he talks to you and you know and everything else. And she's just pretty much like what, all right. So she goes and they went. So she goes and they went.

Speaker 1: 8:45

And the Bible doesn't even say that any Israelites were lost in that war. It just says that it was complete, total annihilation of the enemy. That was way bigger than them, meaning as a number, way stronger than them, as in might and instruments of war if you could call it back then might and instruments of war, if you could call it back then horses, swords, armor and what other you know other things they used back then in war and they just were outnumbered, outpowered, outmightied, you know, and everything else. And so Barack was fearful. He's like, yeah, I know, but like I don't want to go by myself because you know I don't know the Lord like that, but you do, and if you go, then I think you know we'll be okay and everything else. Anyway, they go and the entire enemy army falls to them, you know. And there's victory, right. That's why Deborah sings this song at the end, because it was like a complete victory. And, like I said, I don't think it's anywhere where it says any Israelites were lost, but there were tens of thousands of the enemy's side that was lost to the sword. And so Deborah, when I think about her and in that particular incident and we've got to remember one of the reasons that God had told them to go to war was because they were being seriously oppressed at the time, you know, by the enemies of Israel. They were just being really, really oppressed at the time. It was very scary for them.

Speaker 1: 10:19

I mean a lot of the details, like I said, is told in the song Deborah's song about what they did, why they did it, who helped them, who didn't. I mean she calls them all out. I mean it's really really interesting to read. That's why I say, if you go and you just want to do like a topic study, like on Deborah, I just remember I just recommend reading chapters. One to like chapter 6, I think, is where her song is and it goes into why they did what they did and she thanks those who helped them and then she calls out those who didn't help them, who should have helped them but who didn't, and she talks about how all the glory goes to the Lord. And you know it's just a very, very interesting read and when you read the chapters before that it all just kind of ties in and makes sense.

Speaker 1: 11:15

But what stands out to me about Deborah here is that her faith, her unwavering faith. God had told her something and she knew that Barak, the one of the captains of her army, army or whatever was supposed to do this thing. And she's like, wait, you're not doing it, but didn't he tell you to do this? And I mean, she wasn't afraid of confrontation. And to be in her position. I don't even think you could be, because there would come times where you would have to confront people about their behavior, and especially if you're a prophetess, have to confront people about their behavior, and especially if you're a prophetess, because that's what prophets and prophetesses did in the Old Testament. They had to confront people, sometimes one-on-one, sometimes as a group, sometimes as a nation. Right, they just had to confront them and there was no sugarcoating it. It was like you had to tell them what the Lord said and you couldn't blink an eye, right, and she, just she did that and she didn't blink an eye. But yet she knew who all the glory went to and she was not afraid. Barak was afraid of the army that was coming against them, but she was not. Why was she not afraid? Because she knew that the Lord said that he would deliver them into their hands. And in today's world we just got to now not today's world, I believe prophets and prophetesses are very rare, but I do believe that they exist. But even if we're not a prophet or prophetess, still it's just.

Speaker 1: 12:42

Her story is so encouraging and so inspiring that it just reminds you that when God tells us to do something, that we just need to do it. We just need to step out in faith, no matter how big the enemy seems right, no matter our Goliath, so to speak, no matter how it looks like we're surrounded. You know, like Elijah thought. You know, not Elijah, but like Elijah did before and we talked about that in that scripture where there was like a whole invisible army that the other guy couldn't see. It's just like we have to be when God tells us something or when he tells us to confront a situation, we have just got to do it. Do it in a godly boldness and just confront the issue and or the person and know that God's going to work it out.

Speaker 1: 13:31

And when we're faced with heavy, heavy battles, where it looks like there's just no way we can win, when we feel completely surrounded by enemy forces and it's like it looks like in the natural that you're toast, like you're done, like you're over. But we don't see that invisible army. And it's like it looks like in the natural that you're toast like you're done, like you're over. But we don't see that invisible army. And it doesn't say in the scriptures that Deborah did either. But she knew it was there. She knew that, with God's might, that they would be able to overcome the enemy. Why? Because he told her so. Those are my thoughts on that particular, on Deborah. What are yours, sherry?

Speaker 2: 14:09

Well, I love everything that you said In my, so I usually love my one study Bible and I happen to so I've read Deborah in that and it was incredibly helpful and eye-opening, but I also read it in um my new King James version and it happened to have, um, it happened to have some extra commentary about Debra in it, and so I was reading the extra commentary and it was talking about a few different things.

Speaker 2: 14:38

one Debra um was going about minding her own business. Like she, she made herself available to people, um, she didn't like start out in the morning saying, okay, God, I am going to do this for you and I am going.

Speaker 2: 14:56

No, it was. God told her what to do and she was obedient. She made herself available when God wanted her to. She, like you said, was not afraid to speak the truth. She told it like it was. She spoke the truth in love. So she did it very kindly. But when Brock hesitated and he didn't want to go, she said yeah, I'll go with you. But she never once took over. She never once said okay, we're going to do it my way. This is how it is. If you're not going to do it, then step aside and I'll get the job done. No, she stayed in her lane.

Speaker 2: 15:35

Yes, she stayed in the lane and she was very bold to tell Brock. You know what? That's fine if this is the way that you're choosing to do it, but just know you're not going to get the victory in this. There's going to be a woman that's going to get the victory and there's going to be a woman that ends up defeating Sisera the enemy defeating Sisera the enemy. So you're still going to go. God's still going to make you do what God's telling you to do, but you're forfeiting the victory that God is trying to give to you and it's going to go to a woman instead. Nothing wrong with it going to a woman, but God had originally wanted it to go to Brock. So that just goes and shows.

Speaker 2: 16:20

Another thing also is that God is way more powerful than we ever could be. God invites us in and God allows us the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than us. And if we say no, that's not going to stop God's plan. God's plan will still happen. He will just choose somebody else to do it. Plan God's plan will still happen. He will just choose somebody else to do it. So we're not bigger than we're not bigger than God and we're not bigger than God's plan. Nothing can can stop what God has, what God has ordained. And um I so many people talk about Deborah and about how amazing and wonderful she was, and she was I'm not I'm not disputing that fact, but I think that one of the things that is encouraging is that, like you said, she wasn't somebody special necessarily. She just made herself available to be used by God and that's what made her special, and God can do that with any and all of us Like we all can be Deborah.

Speaker 2: 17:21

We all can be the people that God chooses us to be, and we all can be used by him, whether it's something big, whether it's something little. She was also called the mother of Israel, or she called herself the mother of Israel.

Speaker 2: 17:36

I'm not sure which, but it never says in the Bible whether she had biological children or not. So God can use us, just like Abraham. We learned about him last month, about how he was the father of all nations and he only had two children. And when God told him he was going to be the father of two nations, he didn't have any children, he was old and his wife was barren. So don't underestimate the ways that God can use us.

Speaker 2: 18:07

Don't underestimate God's plan and what he has in mind. And if we stay humble and if we continue to give him the glory, it's amazing what he can do through us. And it's amazing what we, or what he will allow us to be a part of not not what he will allow us to do, but what he will allow us to be a part of, because all the glory goes back to him. But I don't know. It just amazes me and fascinates me and thrills me to think that he wants to use us in even just a small part of his ultimate big plan, and I just love that. Israelites were in a cycle of obeying God. Things were good. Then the next generation disobeying God, forgetting his promises forgetting what they needed to do and things were bad.

Speaker 2: 19:06

So then they would repent, not necessarily because they were truly sorry, but because they didn't want to be going through the torture anymore. And then the cycle would repeat, and then the cycle would repeat, and then the cycle would repeat. And I don't want to live in that kind of cycle. I don't want to. I don't want to do good because God's blessing me, and then forget about all the blessings and then end up miserable and being like, oh well, just like with parents, like there is no parent I know of that wants their kids to obey them simply because they don't want to be punished anymore or because they don't want to be grounded anymore.

Speaker 2: 19:44

Parents want your, your obedience, because of wanting to be obedient, and it's the same thing with God. I don't want to obey God because I don't want him to punish me. I want to obey God because I love him so much that I want to please him and I want to be living in a right communication with him and being able to be used by him in whatever way he chooses. So I mean, those are kind of some of the lessons or the things that I feel like I've learned from Deborah's story. But, like we're always saying, kara, we so encourage you to read it for yourself, not just because when you read it for yourself, you'll get the full picture, but also because God could show you something completely different than what.

Speaker 2: 20:35

He's showing us. In fact, more than likely he will, because you're in a different position than we are. You're in a different life stage, a different season, and God just loves to be so personal. So I don't know. I never used to really understand Deborah's story until I read it I think it was this summer, and now I get it. Now I get why people say be a Deborah. Be a Deborah, because I was always like what in the heck does that mean she's a judge? Why do I have to be a judge? What?

Speaker 1: 21:06

is this about Deborah?

Speaker 2: 21:07

that I've got to do, but I mean there's so many, so many life lessons that we can learn from her, and yep, that's my take.

Speaker 1: 21:18

Yeah, excuse me, and just so many life lessons. And I kind of want to just go back to something you said where she didn't take over, right, Because how easy would that have been right? I mean human nature speaking, right.

Speaker 1: 21:46

Well, if she was already a judge, then she was used to being in charge, so that would be even harder, right? That's what I'm saying. It's like you're already used to being a leader, you're already used to being in charge, you know that this needs to be done. And you have this person here who is just very hesitant, very wishy-washy, just very shaking in their boots, so to speak, you know. And now through her eyes she's like what's your problem, dude? You got this. He said that he's going to deliver them into your hands. And of course, that doesn't make much difference to Barack, because he's just seeing everything in the natural right. And it would have been so easy for her to just be like you know what, move aside, I ain't got time for you. Right? Either you lead or you follow, and right now I'm going to have to lead and you're going to have to follow because you're not doing what you're supposed to do. That would have been so easy, right and understandable, because it can become frustrating. But in your eyes, you already know, the victory is assured. But in his eyes he doesn't, and he's trusting her Right More than he's trusting the word of the Lord. And that can become a problem in so many ways, when you trust the person or the prophet or the prophetess or someone else's relationship with the Lord because it's stronger than yours, then you do yourself, especially when the Lord has already said to you you're going to have the victory. And, like Sherry said, he didn't.

Speaker 1: 23:18

Barack did end up doing what you know what Deborah said, with help, but he didn't get the reward for it. He didn't get to say I took out the enemy, right. He left that to a woman and that woman's name is Jael. We'll get to her story a little bit later. J-a-e-l in the Bible for those who would like to do a topic study. But yeah, that was left to Jael, right, and she was the one who was able to take out the enemy. We're not going to tell you exactly how yet, because it's really really quite amazing how she was able to take out Cicero, you know, but God had already had it planned out. He had it planned out for Barak. He was like hey, you know what, barak, you and I are cool Again, this is a care translation. You and I are cool. You're very skilled at what you do. You know what. I'm going to put him in your hands and you're going to have the victory and you know, and everything else, and he's just like I don't know, lord, I'm kind of scared about that, right, he's like you know what, fine, have Deborah, help you. This is what's going to happen, but the victory is now going to go to a woman, um, and he's just like which.

Speaker 1: 24:30

You have to think now we're not talking in today's military right, where that would not be abnormal. We have women right now, in every branch of the armed forces, who have done amazing things and have earned all sorts of meritorial awards and honors and different things like that. So we're talking back then. And to lose something as a man that you were supposed to do, but then a woman takes care of it, that was embarrassing, that was humiliating. We're talking about a completely different time now here. So, because he didn't have the faith, he didn't get a chance to do it which could have really, just as far as military strategy goes back then could have just really put him up really really higher than what he already was, but it took a woman who had to really take care of the enemy. So, like Sherry said, he's not going to stop. He'll say, yeah, you know, go ahead and do it, but he values obedience, even in a phase, and I just can't stress how overpowered they were compared to, like, this complete army that was coming against them. I mean they were looking like at annihilation. That's how big the threat was that was coming against him. So I don't think he was wrong to be afraid, but I think he was wrong in not having faith. But you know what I take that back. I think he should have. No, I think he should have been, because he knew the victory. It wasn't like God didn't tell him that. You know, I'll let you know how this turns out when I get closer to the end. You know, it was like he was assured the victory.

Speaker 1: 26:23

And I think sometimes in our lives, whether it's a medical diagnosis, whether it's a job issue, a career change or anything to do with our children, our spouses, things that are going on politically and globally in the world, when it just all seems overwhelming and everything is just coming against you, I don't think we should be shaking in our boots like Barack.

Speaker 1: 26:52

I honestly think we should just be. You know what, god, you are in control Right Now. They didn't have the Bible back then. We do Right, god, you are in control right Now. They didn't have the Bible back, then we do right and we know that God is going to have the victory in the end, regardless. And so I don't think we should be, like you know, shaking in our boots and scared and our teeth chattering because we're so afraid of the things that's going on around us, whether it be wars, or rumors of wars, or you know, or actual war and or things happening and you know even more close to home, like the Lord's, like you know what. I need you to get up, you need to leave that state, I need you to move to this one, and I'll show you the provisions when you get there.

Speaker 2: 27:37

Well, that's scary, right?

Speaker 1: 27:40

You're like Laura, can I have the rest of that plan? Like, where am I going to work, where are we going to live, you know? But he's like, just trust me, I just need you to be obedient and I will show you the rest of the plans along the way. That's very scary to say to your family, hey, we're leaving this state, we're going to that state and we're going to live in this city. And when your family starts asking you questions, okay, well, where are we going? Where are we going to live? Where are we going to work? I have no idea.

Speaker 1: 28:06

But God said to move. But God said we need to move, we need to go here, right, and they're like what? Like who does that? And so basically, that's kind of what Deborah was facing. It's like who does that? Who says let's go out there, let's do this?

Speaker 1: 28:23

We look surrounded, we don't have, you know, and everything else. And so I think sometimes, when God tells us to move, we need to move, even though we don't have the complete story, we don't even have the next step sometimes. And he doesn't do that to be mean or anything like that. He's doing that to build our faith, to see if we have more faith than him, or more faith than idols, or more faith than people who are saying you really want to move there, like, are you sure? Because, like, do you know anyone there? Do you have a job lined up? You know you're going to have people who are going to be and they're not being mean, they're asking valid questions.

Speaker 1: 29:04

But when you know that, you know that, you know that the Lord has told you something, you have got to move. And it could be very, very scary, but it shouldn't be scary. Does that make sense to me, sherry? And the reason I say it shouldn't be scary is because God has already told us he's going to provide for us. He doesn't tell us. How Does that make sense?

Speaker 2: 29:25

It makes a multitude of sense, and I'm sitting here trying to play both sides of it. So if I was a new believer, and even as a seasoned believer, there are times in my life where I just don't know. And so my question to you could be so how do we know that this is what God wants me to do? How do I know? Well, you can know from the Bible that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will never leave us or forsake us. There are thousands of promises in the Bible that he gives. We can also be assured that God loves us more than we love ourselves, and he wants the best for us more than we do. And he wants the best for us more than we do. And God never promised as we go back to John 16, 33, he never promised that we would not have trials and tribulations. He said but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. I have conversations with my kids all the time. My kids are older, they're young adults, some of them, some are still teenagers, which are almost young adults, and I have conversations with them all the time, even as they were growing up, that God wants our maturity and God wants our character. He wants to build our character more than he wants us to have a comfortable life.

Speaker 2: 30:53

Amen, he is going to put things in our path and he's going to put things in our life, like Kara said, to determine or to ask the question do we trust him? Is it going to be scary? Sometimes, absolutely. But you know what? If we get it wrong, if we swore, if we well sorry, I don't think we're supposed to swear If we know, without a shadow quote, unquote, without a shadow of a doubt, I know, I know, I know that I'm supposed to do this, and then it turns out very badly. Or it turns out that, nope, I heard him wrong, I was on the wrong frequency. You know what? That's okay, because maybe you'll be detoured from getting to the end game as quickly as you wanted to, but that's all part of God's plan.

Speaker 2: 31:51

He's okay with that because he'll turn you. If you truly, truly have surrendered your life to him, then he will turn you. He will get you back to where you want to be, to where he wants you to be, which, hopefully, is where you want to be, where he wants you. He will get you back there and you will have learned valuable lessons. It all goes back to.

Speaker 2: 32:09

Also, I grew up where it was very hard for me to make mistakes, it was very hard for me to not get things done right, and I started to work for a different boss about a decade ago and one of the things that he's really taught me is that failure is not really failure when it teaches you Like it's. That whole Albert Einstein Is that? No, thomas Edison, I think was the Thomas Edison where he said you know, I learned a thousand different ways how not to do a light bulb before I learned how to do a light bulb. So failure is not failure. Learning and building character and building your faith and your trust is not failure when you are, god doesn't expect you to.

Speaker 2: 32:59

God didn't expect Barak to be perfect with what his mission was. God didn't expect perfection. He wanted faith and obedience. That was what he was asking for. He wasn't asking for perfection. But it's kind of how I want to leave it today, because next week, when we talk more, when we dig even further into Barak, I want to talk about the whole faith element, kara. I want to talk about how it takes our faith to ignite God's actions. I kind of want to leave it at unless you have something more that you want to say that God wants our obedience more than he wants our perfection. So he didn't expect Brock to be perfect, he just wanted Brock to obey.

Speaker 2: 33:51

And that's all he asks of us is for us to obey, and then he'll do the rest. God is more than willing. God wants to do the heavy lifting. He only wants us to step into the river first, and an act of obedience and an act of trust. There's the difference. So if you think that it all depends on you, it doesn't, it doesn't. So let that reassure you. All that depends on you is obedience and faith, and God will handle the rest.

Speaker 1: 34:26

Amen. I have nothing to add today, Sherri. That's the perfect way to sum up the Deborah and well, at least the Deborah part of it, and next week we'll be talking about Barack.

Speaker 2: 34:39

So if you guys have anything that you want to add, if you have anything that you want to tell us, we would love for you to talk to us. So you can head over to cheeruppodcastgmailcom and you can talk to us via email over there If you need prayer or encouragement. Like I said, if you want to continue this conversation, or head over to Facebook group Cheer Up Podcast on Facebook and you can start a group conversation or a group chat and we can all weigh in and talk about today's topic. But it all goes back to John 16, 33, and that's where God says these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. God says these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace in the world. You will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world Again. He doesn't expect perfection and he never promised easy. He just wants our faith, he wants our trust and he wants our obedience and he says we will have peace because in him we will have peace. And he says we will have peace because in him we will have peace.

Speaker 2: 35:43

Head over to Kara's website, karahuntcom, and you can find out all the latest things there. Pretty soon, eve is going to be up for preorder and I'm telling you you do not want to miss that. It is an amazing book. I love all of the Paper Dolls series, but I especially love Eve and I think when you read it you'll understand why. You can head over to my website, kerryswallwellcom. We still have the monthly membership available. There's a senior discount and a younger person's discount. So head over there and you can find out about those things discount. So head over there and you can find out about those things.

Speaker 2: 36:25

One of the best ways to learn how to trust, learn obedience, learn how to take those steps of faith and to learn to hear God's voice and what he's telling you is to build that daily relationship with him. And if that's something that you struggle with, if you need and I say accountability loosely, but if you need someone to come alongside you and encourage you in that area, if you need someone to guide you in different directions of how to stay focused on building your relationship with God, well, that's what Jesus in the Everyday, monthly Membership is about. It's my way of helping us all to grow our relationship and to just deepen that relationship that we have with God, our Father, with Jesus, the Son, and with the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. So if that's something that you think would be helpful to you, then head over to SherrySwellallcom and you'll find out the details over there. Then head over to SherrySwellallcom and you'll find out the details over there.

Speaker 2: 37:23

I think that is pretty much everything, and I truly cannot wait. I'm excited to come back next week and talk about Brock and how faith plays into all of this and plays into the obedience and just the whole thing. And we'll definitely still be talking about Deborah, because you can't talk about Brock without Deborah, because they're both integral parts of the story. And then I honestly can't wait Kara, until we start talking about. You always say her name so much better than I do. I always say jail, but that's not right, yeah yeah, I think of it.

Speaker 1: 38:01

Yeah, yeah, I think of jail, yeah yeah, and history.

Speaker 2: 38:04

So I cannot wait to as that one person says, or that famous person says, or something like that and I'm sure I'll massacre it because I never get phrases right but something about and that's the end of the story, or that's the real story, or whatever. But I can't wait till we, um, are able to tie it all up in a bow, um, because it is really an interesting story about bravery, about faith, about trust, um, and I think I'm really glad that I didn't live during most that time period, because you know, just being a woman back you didn't get out of it, Like there was still responsibility for women too.

Speaker 2: 38:44

So it wasn't like just because I was a woman, I got to stay at home and bake the bread. God called the women. He called the men. He called anybody who was willing. There we go. That is the way that we should end it. God called anybody who was willing male, female, it didn't matter if. If you trusted him and if you obeyed him and were willing to take a step of faith, God was going to use you.

Speaker 2: 39:06

And having said it that way, I wouldn't have minded living back then, because that might have been kind of neat to walk on the wild side.

Speaker 2: 39:12

So I'm going to challenge everybody today as we end. What is one thing that God is calling you to do? What is one thing that God is calling you to do? Whether it's reaching out and saying hi to that stranger in my hair, whether it's a sorry, or whatever your grocery store is, I'm letting you know where I live, whether it's buying a cup of coffee for somebody, whether it's taking that first step towards reconciliation with a family member or a friend where you've had conflict what is one, one act of obedience, one step that God is calling you to do.

Speaker 2: 39:48

that's scary, that something that you just really are resisting, that you don't want to do. What's one step of obedience that God is calling you to to to make him pleased and to help him realize that you want obedience to him more than you want comfort and your own way, and that is how I want to end it today. So have a great week, Email us or start a topic on the Facebook page and let us know how God challenged you and what he asked you to do and how it turned out. Have a great rest of your day, a great week, and we will talk to you next week. Bye.