2. BY FAITH BARAK

3. Barak teaches us that sometimes the call of God to live by faith includes a call for us to work with others to glorify Him.

4. Judges 4:6-9 Deborah summoned Barak, son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Hasn't the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you: 'Go, deploy the troops on Mount

5. Tabor, and take with you 10,000 men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites? Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin's forces, his chariots, and his army at the Wadi Kishon to fight

6. against you, and I will hand him over to you.'” Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.” “I will go with you,” she said, “but

7. you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera into a woman's hand.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

8. You have to admire the humility of Barak.

9. You have to admire his selflessness.

10. You have to admire his faith in God’s promise to lead them to victory.

11. Lessons for us:

12. These are the great indicators of real people of faith in any generation: Humility, selflessness and relying on God and not himself for the victory.

13. The battle is the Lord’s.

14. Judges 4:14 “The Lord is marching ahead of you.”

15. What are you battling today?

16. Not only does He do battle for you, He will go AHEAD of you and prepare the way for you to follow Him to victory!

17. At Ridgecrest let’s learn the value of teamwork. Debra and Barak did together what they could NEVER have done alone!

18. So for those of you who are filled with fear or worry today ask yourself, “Why is that?”

19. Where do you start? “At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.”

20. You start by submitting your life to the total control of God and taking the first step of faith to follow Him.