Women, Be Secure! (Take it from Deborah!)

When I was younger, I had read about the story of the judge Deborah, and I had been impressed with her life to the point of sheer admiration, then until now. But it's only today that I understood another dimension of her personhood.

The main lesson in her life that was the lesson that God is calcifying in me in this season is exactly Pastor Jim Laffoon's point in this article: that a woman should know her place in ministry: it is always behind men.

I had been ignorant, even rebellious, of that principle, because my generation saw women glorifying feminism and the rise of women's lib. I grew up being told by my parents, my teachers, and most adults around me of my potentials for "greatness." I grew up thinking that I should be doing what men are doing.

And yet, gloriously, God started steering me towards submission to men and understanding that when I would already be ready to fit the shoes He's shining for me, I still have to work in submission to men in authority. Though I had started to understand the non-negotiability of that, it was actually just early this year that I started realizing one reason why women are supposed to be in the background.

As I was going through my Victory Weekend late February, I had seen been witness to several anointed women preaching in public. I noticed that when they would speak up front, there would be subtle changes in their tone, body language, and even words, depending on the audience's reactions, and probably depending on the state of their heart. This is not to disparage women, but let me get to my point. I realized that our true gift as women is that we are more attuned to the Spirit: to the emotions, to the things that are unseen to the naked eye.

This gift is both a good and bad thing: because we are more attuned, we can pinpoint how our friends feel and react accordingly, we can better understand what they need at the moment, and we can minister better because of our sensitivity.

And yet, the downside is that in terms of preaching, decision-making and the like, I believe that women indeed do have to give the floor to the men, so to speak. In my walk with God, I noticed that I get flighty, I decide based on what the circumstances tell me, and I go back on my word. These past few weeks, God had been showing me that He is a PLAN A God. Meaning, even if I make the most unwise of decisions, He steers me back to where He had wanted me to be in, in the first place. He is a God who prefers discipline. Because in being disciplined, you learn the wisdom when to make exceptions.

I noticed that women need more boundaries as regards to time management, to caring about others, and in reacting to situations, or even just body language. This goes back to the trait of being sensitive in that women just find it easy to prioritize the need of a person, over the structure or systems of the way things should be run.

That is why men take precedence in running the structure and systems of the church and the ministry, while women should be the ones to take care of those who are wounded, need healing, and who need to be taught how to fly.

Indeed, the man is the haligi ng tahanan, while the woman is the ilaw ng tahanan. We are uniquely made; we need each other. There is God's glory all over our differences. We should understand our Shape, and understand where we belong and rest in the knowledge that God uses us even as we work behind and in support of men. :)

It is strange to me that I learned to move in contentment of my role, but I can only attribute that to God opening my eyes, one layer at a time. :)

I love You, JESUS!!!

Enjoy the article, ladies! (Gentlemen, you can enjoy this too, if you have a mind to peer into our world. This was written by another man, after all.:p)

Lessons in the Life of the Judges: Deborah - A Mother in Israel

By Jim Laffoon


Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.

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 the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariot and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” Judges 4:4-7

“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.” Judges 5:6-7


All of Israel had been cruelly oppressed for more than twenty years. Crushed repeatedly by the nine hundred iron chariots of Sisera, they had been reduced to an impoverished broken nation. The roads had been abandoned and normal life for many of the people had ceased. God, however, had not forgotten them.

In answer to their prayers, he raised up a leader. Her name was Deborah – a mother in Israel. Through her prophetic gifting and wise counsel, she challenged all of Israel to rise up and throw off the yoke of their oppressors.

Finally, because of her faith, an obscure warrior named Barak answered her call to lead the armies of Israel. Under their leadership, Sisera and his diabolical legions were utterly destroyed.

What lessons can we learn from this amazing story of how God used one woman to change a nation?

First, wherever you look in the body of Christ today, it is clear that God is calling women to rise up into their destiny. Whether they are students, professionals, or stay-at-home moms, God is calling them to take their place at the forefront of the spiritual battles that are defining our age.

Second, Deborah was a prophetess. If you are going to fully come into God’s unique purpose for your life, it is critical that you understand the gifts that He has given you. Whether your gift is evangelism, teaching, healing, or mercy, the understanding of how your gift operates is critical to your destiny.

Third, she was a mother. In an hour when much of society has denigrated motherhood, it is vital that you and I see its importance. Motherhood is at the very essence of God’s plan to change history, because he has given mothers the privilege of shaping the lives of their children in their most formative years.

It is typically the hand of a mother, not the hand of God, that carefully lays the initial blocks in a child’s spiritual foundation. These early moments in a child’s development cannot be minimized, because they will become the very foundation stones upon which the child’s whole life will rest.

Fourth, unlike some anointed women I have known, Deborah was secure enough in her anointing and her womanhood to understand and respect the role God had given men. Even though she was Israel’s prophetess, she realized that the responsibility of leading Israel’s armies belonged to a man.

Her acknowledgement of Barak’s leadership, despite his initial reluctance to obey God’s call, gives us a unique perspective on the role of women and men in ministry.

May your eyes be opened to the unique calling that God has placed on your life as you ponder these words today.



© Copyright 2005 by Jim Laffoon