I want to look at some practical mindsets pertaining to working in the Kingdom of God. You must forget who you were in the flesh and identify with who you are in the Spirit. To walk in Christ is to be equal with Christ in Word, deed and righteousness. To do this, you must loose yourself from the philosophies and doctrines of men. You must believe what God has said about you.

WORKING WITH MEN

In the past, it has been difficult for some women to work the ministry alongside our brothers in the Lord. This is due to the fact that women have been trained to regard the ego of the man. But I challenge this. Christ is the same in all of us. His Word is the same and His commandments are the same. Then ministry should not be stressful. It is when we are operating in the flesh that we are burdened with the stress that comes with regarding flesh.

Women are commonly thought of as bossy in the ministry; however, the woman who walks in Christ will operate the same as a brother who walks in Christ. In other words, the character will be the same. All in the Body of Christ must be entreated by the character of Christ. If flesh is offended, it should be offended with the character of Christ and not the character of the woman who walks in the flesh. Relieve yourself of the stress by walking in the Spirit. Be what you are in Christ and there will be no controversy, no second-guessing, no tiptoeing around flesh and no regard for gender.

The rules for men in the Body are the same as those for women. God's laws are the same for all. To have any other mindset would give the woman an inferiority complex. I need you to 'think Christ.' In the Spirit you are very Christ. It is His character that will work the ministry. If this mindset is not achieved, then you have rejected the example that the Father has given to us of His authority to use the woman as He chooses.

Judges 4:4

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she JUDGED Israel at that time.

The Spirit of the Lord was upon Deborah as she operated in the highest office of the land. The key here is that she was married. The fact is the life of the woman called by God is bigger and greater than that of marriage, child rearing or domesticity. We see examples of this all through the scriptures. That is why it is important for those who would be married today to choose a mate such as Lapidoth, Deborah's husband.

The woman who is called by God should only choose a mate who is sympathetic to the call in her life. Otherwise, she will indeed have trouble in the flesh. Paul warned us of this. He said those who are free; seek not to be bound (I Corinthians 7:27).

I believe this story is meant to teach us God’s sovereignty (his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure). He will use whom He desires. We do not read of any office that Deborah's husband walked in. He was simply her husband. This should not have been intimidating to him. Although I cannot say the same for some of our brothers today; for indeed, many men are intimidated by the call in their wife's life. My own advice to the woman would be to walk in the Spirit and allow Christ to work through you. God will do the rest. Let us look further into this 4th chapter of Judges.

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 Kedesh-naphtali, 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.

First of all, the above scriptures reveals that Deborah judged all Israel. This means that she was given authority by the Spirit of God that rested upon her to settle disputes and give instruction to the men of Israel. So much for the theory that “God would never use a woman to have authority over man.”

It should be noted that Deborah's interaction with Barak was that of God's messenger. Nevertheless, the message she received from the Lord was to give instruction to Israel's General. Barak recognized the power Deborah had with God. He reverenced it. Her disposition with God became a safety net for him. He was comfortable walking in the instructions that came forth from God's woman. Men of today ought to take note. However, the women of today should likewise take note and loose themselves from the traditional mindset that men have placed in them.

Deborah is an example of the magnitude to which God can use a woman in a ministry full of men. We are not to be intimidated nor are we to be proud.We should just be Christ. Let us trust God for life and ministry.