In this process of determining what I want (based on a sermon I heard a few weeks ago),  one thing that popped into my mind last week, after seeing like-manner posts,  is that I'm not concerned about God preparing a table before me IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES. If God wants to, GOOD. Otherwise, I don't care if my enemies see my blessings/wins or not. That's not my focus. That focus might actually lead me to do the wrong things in an effort to make something happen.




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Barak had no shame in asking a woman, Deborah, to help him fight.

He had no resistance against God leading him to ask a woman for help.  He rode beside her, unlike some who may get directions and ideas from women, then put the women in the background or completely hidden, then walk out the directions and ideas as if they were his own.

He didn't seem to despise or reject or degrade in any way - spiritually, emotionally, intellectually - a woman/women. Men who do such seem to puzzle women and other men who can't see how those type men can incubate in a woman and are probably raised by a woman, but disdain and degrade women and suggests that in doing so, they are obeying God. 

Audio texts pictured. (I listen to the Bible when I'm driving and audio text myself my thoughts about what I hear.) 
My thoughts when listening to this chapter were that Barak wanted Judge Deborah to go with him because of her wisdom and perhaps her Ministry of Presence. To impart wisdom, one has to speak. How many take a woman with them, probably their wife (Judge D was not his wife. She had a husband.), but expect her to not say a word - just sit and look pretty and look like the man is doing a good job of being a husband. Come on! 

There are many Baraks who find themselves buddying up with their wife, especially later in life, when everyone else - all their guy friends - are stationed at home taking care of health issues with self or the spouse, raising grandkids, or have just run out of all the energy they had in the past that they expended hanging out with male friends (who also had families at home waiting). They eventually find their 'home' again. Don't we all?  

Ladies,

No. I won't help you mistreat her. I'm sure, that if she's like the rest of us, she has other people in her life working hard - and out loud - to let her know they think she's a worthless nobody to them. 

Leave her alone.


Psalm 35:20 KJV
Psalm 35:20 EXB

When Jesus gave up the ghost on the cross, Joseph asked for His body in order to bury it. Some thought Jesus' burial was the end of Him.

In Matthew 25, when the master gave talents to his servants to multiply, one servant buried his talent. 

Women, how many of you have buried your talent, either out of unbelief thinking if it's hidden, it will go away or out of fear like the servant who buried his talent or probably because you spend too much time helping others. 

A pastor once reminded me to not neglect my calling by spending too much time helping others work on their calling.  (I wasn't neglecting mine, nor was I the source of help to someone else that he surmised I was, but I totally understood his point and appreciated his concern.)

There is a gift of helps, but when it is not our specific gift, women still tend to put everyone else first and end up burying that which God specifically called us to do.  Then we don't have time left to learn the functions of the auxilary/ministry we have been assigned to lead or study  for the lessons or songs we've been asked to teach or sing.

Let's not bury our talents in our earthly body by doing someone else's work because we don't think they can do it or because we have spoiled them by helping them so much. Let's do our's first - I know that will be hard sometimes because we want to help and tend to try to get others' things out of the way so we can settle in and do our's...which rarely works - THEN we can enter into the joy of the Lord, not just when we meet judgment after death but also on earth when we stop grieving God's Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

Amen?
Amen.