- TODAY'S BIBLE TEXT
Text: Judges 4:1-24
1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. 2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. 3 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. 5 And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? 7 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. 8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. 9 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. 10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him. 11 Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. 12 And they showed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. 13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon. 14 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. 15 And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. 16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.
17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. 19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. 20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. 21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 22 And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. 23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. 24 And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
- MONDAY 15TH JANUARY 2024 DEVOTIONAL
Monday, 15th January 2024; Day ten of the 21 days fasting.
THE MANTLE THAT OVERCAME DARKNESS
Text: Judges 4:1-24
Memory verse: Judges 4:18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.
By today’s standards, Deborah’s, Barak’s, and especially Jael’s actions would have been perceived as hateful, divisive, and unloving. Jael was about to carry out a justice that would be considered highly offensive in our day. Am I suggesting we need to do something like her? It needs to be said loud and clear that I am not condoning physical violence of any sort, especially the kind from Jael. Hers was a truly brutal and gruesome move. However, there are spiritual lessons we can draw from her actions.
Imagine for a moment how the larger Body of Christ might respond to the news of what she did. Jael would be cast out into the shadows, withdrawn, never to be spoken of again. It’s important that we understand the context of the times and learn how to decode the differing strategies of warfare according to the age we now live in. Under the Old Covenant, God’s people had to fight in hand-to-hand combat because their battle was still with flesh and blood. Through the New Covenant of Jesus, the battle lines have shifted, and our warfare is now largely a battle with spiritual principalities. God’s people were still at war with spiritual principalities then, but they had no supernatural weapons by the Blood of the Lamb to fight with. But we do. Therefore, while ours is a spiritual fight, there are significant spiritual lessons within Jael’s physical warfare that we can apply to the battles of our age today. There are three strategic tools that Jael used to take down Sisera.
The Mantle: And he turned aside to her into the tent; and she covered him with a mantle. When Sisera first entered Jael’s tent, she covered him with a mantle. Why is this important? Do you remember what Sisera’s name means? Meditations. This is the battlefield of the mind, where thoughts and ideologies build their high places above God. This mantle she covered him with prophetically points to the Deborah mantle that God has anointed you to carry today. She covered the meditations of the mind with the truth of God’s Word. The word used for covered is the Hebrew word kasha, and it means to literally “cover over, make a covering, conceal, and overwhelm”. God is anointing you in this hour, daughter, to cover and overwhelm the lies with the mantle of Deborah, which is the truth of the Word of God.
It reminds me of the quote by St. Augustine, “The truth is like a lion, you don’t have to defend it, let it loose, it will defend itself.” Unfortunately, far too many within the Body of Christ are hesitant to let the truth loose; therefore, they are giving lies free jurisdiction to reign. We must cover over and overwhelm the lies with the inherent truth.
- TODAY'S HYMNAL
CGDS HYMN 1; SS&S 1167:
BE THE MATTER WHAT IT MAY, ALWAYS SPEAK THE TRUTH
1. Be the matter what it may, always speak the truth;
Whether at your work or play, always speak the truth
Never from this rule depart, grave it
deeply on your heart,
Written 'tis upon your chart :
" Always speak the truth ! "
2. There's a charm in honesty, always
speak the truth ; [speak the truth ;
There is meanness in a lie; always
He is but a coward slave, who, a present
pain to waive,
Stoops to falsehood; then, be brave;
Always speak the truth.
3. When you're wrong, the folly own,
always speak the truth;
There's a triumph to be won, always
speak the truth ;
He who speaks with lying tongue adds
to wrong a greater wrong;
Then, with courage true and strong,
Always speak the truth.
- TODAY'S PRAYER POINTS
Prayers
1. Lord God, help me to access Your light for me in every area of darkness in 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.
2. Lord God Almighty, make me an all-round overcomer in this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
3. Lord God Almighty, I decree and declare that I have overcome all challenges by the blood of the lamb this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
4. Lord God Almighty, I decree and declare that I have overcome all-round challenges by the word of my testimony this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
5. Oh God, make 2024 my year of unusual testimony for me and my household in Jesus’ name. Amen.
6. Lord God Almighty, let Your truth be my shield and butler this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
7. Lord God Almighty, let the mantle of the Holy Spirit be my strength always this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
8. Lord God Almighty, deliver me from any impending danger ahead of me this year in Jesus’ name. Amen.
9. Lord God Almighty, let Your word be to my total salvation physically this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
10. Lord God Almighty, let Your word be to my total salvation spiritually this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
11. Oh God, make 2024 a year of unusual testimony for me and my household in Jesus’ name. Amen.
12. Lord God Almighty, put Your words in my heart to help me fulfil Your purpose for my life this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
13. Lord God Almighty, help me to know and to fight for the promises You have set aside for me this year 2024 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
14. Lord God Almighty, never allow Your light to go off in my life in this year 2024 and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Declarations
Almighty God, let the truth in your word that I represent and defend speak for me and defend me this year and always in Jesus’ name. LORD, my light must not go off, with your mantle in me, your word and light in me, let it overshadow every meditation that exalt itself above your cause in Jesus’ name. your light is more powerful than any form of darkness, let your light rule the world, my life and destiny and the destiny of every member of my family in Jesus’ name. Amen. Your word and truth shall be my shield and butler this year 2024 and always in Jesus’ name. deliver me from any impending danger ahead of me this year in Jesus’ name. oil my lamp to project your light to the whole world in Jesus’ name. Amen.
