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The Deborah Anointing

Written By: Michelle McClain Waters

Introduction

EMBRACING THE CALL TO BE A WOMAN OF POWER AND INFLUENCE

Village life ceased. It ceased until I, Deborah, arose; I arose like a mother in Israel. —JUDGES 5:7

VILLAGE LIFE HAD ceased. The conditions in Deborah’s society had become deplorable and tragic. The will of her people had been broken by the cruelty and ruthlessness of their Canaanite oppressors. They were suffering the consequences of their own disobedience before God. There was a great vacuum of the presence of God in the land. Life had almost come to a standstill. Thieves invaded and caused roads to be abandoned due to the danger of assaults. Trade and commerce had obviously collapsed, for caravans could not even get through the bands of outlaws scattered up and down trade routes. There were no children playing outside, no neighbors standing in the yards engaged in conversations, no socializing in any fashion much like the streets of my own Chicago, and maybe like your town too. Many are confined to their homes because of violence. What is the answer to these deplorable conditions? I am. You are. Woman of God, the Lord is extending a great invitation to you to become a part of His story and to effect history. He is calling ordinary women like you into His extraordinary work. Make no mistake about it: embracing the marvelous calling of God is not easy or glamorous. There will always be obstacles to overcome and seemingly more attractive ways to live. Yet, God calls us to live as His ambassadors among the nations, spreading His love and making an eternal difference in the lives of those in our sphere of influence. It’s not about God being a part of your story; it’s about your being a part of His story. It’s not about who is for you or against you; it’s about whom you are for. You are not just a woman who has authority; you are also a woman living under authority.

Will I live consumed with who is for me or against me, or will I live consumed with whom I am for? Am I making my mark and fulfilling some humanistic purpose, or is God making His mark through me? As the Lord begins to direct you to embrace your calling and the stirring in your heart for His destiny and purpose for you, I believe that you will begin to take on a similar divine urgency and sense of responsibility for things greater than yourself. I believe that you will begin to see yourself as a woman of influence, conviction, and power. There is a divinely inspired cry coming out of your spirit, declaring, “Not on my watch!” The passion and righteous indignation of the Lord is arising in the hearts of women to take up the sword of the Spirit to touch heaven through prayer and intercession to bring reformation on the earth. Just as Deborah had been called to become the spokeswoman for God, telling of divine revelation and strategy that would lead the nation to victory, I see you taking on this same mantle and walking in the anointing of wisdom and revelation to bring solutions. You will take on these characteristics of the Deborah anointing and will speak the right words to awaken men and women in powerful places to advocate and endorse kingdom rule and advancement.

What Is the Deborah Anointing?

“I, Deborah arose” (Judges 5:7). The Hebrew word translated as “arose”1 in this passage of Scripture is a compound word that describes the position women must take in this time of crisis in the earth. It means:

1.To arise (hostile sense)—Deborahs will confront the powers of darkness with the power of God, liberating thousands of people around the world. 2. To arise, become powerful—Deborahs will be activated in the power gifts of the Spirit—the gifts of faith, healing, and miracles.

3.To arise, come on the scene—Deborahs will be voices for the voiceless.

 4.To stand, to maintain oneself—Deborahs will pioneer a movement among women that will empower the next generation to fulfill their destinies in every area of life.

 5. To be established, to be confirmed, to stand, to endure, to be fixed, to be valid, to be proven, to be fulfilled, to persist, to be set, to be fixed, to fulfill to confirm, to ratify, establish, impose, to stir oneself up—Deborahs will have a resolve to stand boldly in the call of God. They will not apologize for the anointing and grace they have to lead. These modern-day Deborahs will have resilience and persistence.

Many who carry a Deborah anointing will be blessed with the gift of leadership. They will be women who have developed the character and ability to inspire and disciple the next generation to walk in the fullness of their call. These modern-day Deborahs will have a lifestyle of prayer and worship that will cause a generation to return to their first love, Jesus. A key theme of the Book of Judges is that it exposes the depravity and corruption of the human heart. Time and time again when God’s people cried out for Him to save them, He would empower a deliverer to rescue them. But when the deliverer (judge, prophet, or king) died, the people would slip back into their compromising, permissive lifestyle. Their corrupt hearts were exposed; they loved this world with its bright lights, pleasures, possessions, wealth, honor, false worship, and idolatry. Modern-day Deborahs will be women after God’s heart who will lead a generation to stand for God’s ways of righteousness in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation. Deborah’s office was between Ramah and Bethel. Ramah meaning a place of idolatry and Bethel being the house of God. The Deborah anointing is a grace the breaks the idolatry in the human heart and causes it, through mentoring, discipling, and training, to be matured and purified.

The motivation of the modern-day Deborah is the mother’s heart. The mothering anointing is returning to this land. This facet of the Deborah anointing is the ability to nurture a generation. One of the major causes of rebellion in the youth of our society is rejection and lack of guidance. Modern-day Deborahs will spend time in the presence of the Lord to gain strategies and insight on how to empower this generation with wisdom and counsel. Deborah was a wife, mother, intercessor, and prophetess. She was also a judge and a national deliverer. This is not a bad résumé for a middle-aged woman living in an oppressive Middle Eastern culture. We are introduced to her story while she is in full manifestation of her calling. I would like to share with you the key factors that will activate a Deborah anointing. You may not possess all of these characteristics, but it is important for you to cultivate each gift for whatever level of manifestation is needed in developing your call and assignment.