FRIDAY - 15TH APRIL, 2022
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE - Olusola ADEJUMO
THE JOURNEY WITHOUT HONOUR - Don't Downgrade Yourself Series 001
Read Judges 4
Judges 4:9, KJV
"And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh".
Do you want to know what I heard which led to this teaching? "The journey without honour!" Just then, a voice responded in me, "may we not go on one". May I ask, "do you want to embark on a journey without honour?" A journey without honour is akin to a vainless labour. The kind of labour that returns no profit.
By the inspiration of the Lord, Deborah, a woman with a calling on her head called Barak and told him of the need to go war against Sisera. She delivered God's message. "And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand (Judges 4:7, KJV). This is enough assurance for any who has ears to hear. God Almighty said he would deliver Sisera into Barak's hands. However, he isn't satisfied. He's doubtful, scared and unsure. Do you know what he did next? He refused to agree. He refuted Deborah and point blank and bluntly tells her he won't move an inch except Deborah goes to battle with him. It is good to test realities and test the veracity of God's spoken word but this brother Sisera is actually reducing the honour of his office doing this. He's degrading himself as a male and then the leading warrior. He's proving to be incapable. You'll see. At war, the living God, ever faithful kept to His promise and discomfited the Sisera's army before Barak's. They chased and ruined them with the edge of the sword. It was such a very easy battle for the Israelites because God helped them from heaven above (by releasing angelic assistance) and earth beneath (by allowing that ancient river, Kishon to sweep Sisera's soldiers away). In this way, Israel won and Sisera on seeing how the battle has turned contrary flee on his feet. Wait o, he fled? Yes, he did. This fleeing is to fulfill prophecy. Where did he flee to? To Jael, the wife of Heber with whom Jabin, Sisera's Lord have pact. That's wisdom right? You don't seek asylum in the camp of your enemy. You do with whom you have pact to watch each other's back. However, when God has declared that the journey Barak is embarking on with the accompaniment of a woman (Deborah) who shouldn't be dragged into the matter at all will be without honour for him, then prophecy must be fulfilled even under the strictest and harshest or contradictory measures. Prophecy is like a bulldozer. Once it is issued like this. It becomes a force that consumes all hindrances on its path in order to deliver and find rest. The Lord watches over His words to perform them. Let me ask you. Should it be Jael, the wife of Heber with whom Jabin has pact that would kill (betray) Sisera? Who should lie and seek to cover Sisera completely if not she? However, since the release of prophecy, it has gone out contending for realization.
At the arrival of Sisera at Jael's lodge, he was accepted, relieved with milk and treated lordly. It was not long Jael drives a tent peg into his head. Behold the fulfilment of prophecy that the honour would be to a woman.
Let me warn you as the Spirit is urging me to do. Those of you God has given assignments to who's calling others to go on the journey with you when they've not being assigned are only trying to reduce, share or eradicate what honour God could have used you only to cause. Your reason is loneliness, fear, doubt and failure and so you seek a companion. Don't you know that if you call those God has not called or given you, they'll seek payment. That's why Deborah said, "the payment is that the main man (that you should kill) won't be sold into your hand but into the hands of a woman". We women (of whom I'm part) shall carry the trophy and so it happened.
How many of you wants to accept this kind of deal in business? Do you want to miss the real offer? Killing ten thousand soldiers isn't a matter as being the one that carries the head of Sisera. So, be warned and don't bring yourself under conditions that God initially freed you from in all His wisdom. I pray that the honour of the journey will be yours. None will share it with you. The glory is the Lord's but the honour is always men's. There's no assignment without honour but that of Barak whenever it's recounted, there would always be a pointing to the fact that it was a woman who did the job (thereby humiliating him and all the male soldiers taken to battle). It would have been better not going at all. So, be warned.
PRAYER: Lord, may I not bring myself under a lesser treat that I'll regret. I'm courageous, strong and up to the task. Here I am, anoint me.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Joshua 9:3-10:43; Luke 16:19-17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 13:4
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