Receive Your Deborah Anointing
As I have traveled across the face of the earth, there is a vein of the prophetic word that pops up over and over again: It is God’s time for women!
What does that mean? Women have always been the backbone of the nations. There are certain inherent characteristics that the Lord has placed within a woman—tenacity, strength, endurance, love of children, and a righteous indignation against injustice. Of course, I am not saying that God is not also going to use men more and more powerfully as well.
In fact, God wants to use men and women together to release His Kingdom principles in country after country.
In this new move of the Holy Spirit, there is a fresh need to look at women of the past who possessed a reformational anointing during their generation. The most outstanding example of this type of woman in Scripture is Deborah. She was a judge, prophet, valiant warrior, worshiper, and governmental leader all in one package. Amazing!
There are many such women today. One of them is Jane Hamon. Consequently, she is one of the best people I know who could write on the subject of Deborah, and she has in her newly updated and expanded edition of The Deborah Company. She embodies the attributes of this biblical leader and possesses a God-given flame of righteousness. Her prophetic word is sure and accurate, and she is a teacher of the Word, releasing revelation to the hearers.
Why is it that this book is so important at this juncture of history? While there are many women being stirred to rise up as biblical Deborahs, there are not many role models for leaders and emerging leaders to follow. In fact, as I have looked into the eyes of young women around the world, I’ve noticed they are hungry to be mentored by someone who has blazed the trail before them. This book fits the needs of both those who are beginning to seek the Lord regarding where they fit in changing the nations and those who are doing so already.
Deborah was a woman who knew she could not “do it all” by herself. Hence, she teamed up with Barak to change her nation. As gifted as women are, we simply must understand that God is releasing teamwork between men and women. Of course, the major focus of this book is for women, but it wouldn’t hurt for the “Baraks” to take a peek inside to understand this new move of God.
While in Barcelona, Spain, in 1999, I had an amazing visitation from God. During that startling moment, the Lord showed me a vision of thousands of women mounting up on war horses and marching across the face of the earth, bringing the Gospel of the Kingdom. I saw women from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Russia, North America, Scandinavia, all riding together in a great army of the Lord. These women were in one accord and had coalesced into one voice as they fought abortion, poverty, child slavery, prostitution, and other evils.
Many times as Christian women we have not stood together and have neglected to realize that by forming coalitions against evil we can change and reform nations. Together we can do what no lone voice can accomplish—we can shake the nations of the earth for righteousness’ sake.
Sad to say, the feminists have been much better at coalescing than we Christian women. Consequently, they have formed homes for battered women, affected areas of social justice in particular, and are quoted on major news services. However, there is a shift happening in the earth. The Deborahs of God are arising! They are mounting up together to ride and say, “We will feed the poor, take care of the orphans, preach the gospel, help eradicate poverty, and free slaves and those bound in prostitution! We will have a voice in our nations.”
Deborah had been given the duty of judge, by God, at a time when her nation was in shambles. God hadn’t called her to an easy task; in fact, it was a rather impossible one. Because her country was occupied, the people could not live in villages in the normal way (see Judg. 5:7), and they were afraid to travel the usual highways (see Judg. 5:6). The society had broken down.
There are women who live in such situations today. Other women, even today, are little more than a possession with few or no rights. While many of us do have complete freedom, we must hear the cries of those women who are suffering, whose children are hungry, and who have no place to turn.
Hence, The Deborah Company is such a critical book. We need the Deborahs to arise! For my part, I convene an incredibly gifted group of international leaders, of which Jane Hamon is one of our founders, who are committed to doing just those things. There is a group of “Young Debs” who also gather yearly. These women of merit and courage are feeding the poor, preaching, teaching school, and producing award-winning films. Iqbal Massey who writes a section in this book is one of those women. In fact, we have just inducted her into our International Christian Women’s Hall of Fame as the inaugural member.
I pray that you will find yourself in the pages of this book. Whether you are a woman called to stay home and raise incredible children or a medical doctor, actress, pastor’s wife, evangelist, or any one or more of a multitude of other titles—this book is for you. It will strengthen you in your calling, stir you, and help you understand your place in God’s world.
Thank you, Jane, for this book. The Deborahs of the world have needed it.
