Today I wanna share about one of my heroes. It's probably not going to be someone you'd expect or guess very easily. It's a woman from the bible who had amazing faith in God and truly powerful, humbling love for others. You're probably thinking its gotta be Mary the mother of Jesus... nope. Maybe Ruth... nope. Hmmm, Esther... again nope. Sarah...? No. This woman was very beautiful yet many did not see her true value, strength and character - they only saw her outer beauty. But this girl had so much more to her than what you saw with just your eyes. The inner strength and faith this woman had was enough to bring down an entire fortified city. Guessed who it is yet? Her name was Rahab. A true hero and inspiration to us all. Not only does her story get recorded in the book of Judges, she also gets a mention in the "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews 11 along with huge names such as Abraham, Moses, Samson, Gideon, David and Samuel.
Rahab was a prostitute, something many looked down upon, judged and scorned - yet these same people would visit her in the dark hours of the night to fulfill the corruption of their hearts. I'll say this plainly, no girl wakes up on her 10th birthday and says "I think I'll be a prostitute when I grow up". Rahab was a slave to corruption. She didn't want to be a prostitute at all and I can prove it. She hated doing what she did but was forced into a horrible devaluing career path by circumstances beyond her control. You see the thing is this, God promised the land to His people as an inheritance and the city of Jericho was slap bang right in the way to them getting what God promised. Up until this point God had led His people with strong men of God like Moses, Aaron and Joshua but now it was time for a woman to take the stage. God spoke to the heart of this girl and told her what He was going to do, that the city would fall and that God's people would move in and take control of it. Rahab listened to God and trusted in Him and saw this as her ticket to freedom - not only for her, but for her whole household.
So when the spies came gather intel on the city - Rahab was ready, her heart was already prepared. She was ready to give up the life she had and take hold of freedom that came from trusting and putting her faith in God. The city falling meant she lost everything - her clients, her job and the few friends she had. But she was happy to let it all go. It was time for freedom and she knew it. She took in the spies, protected them from the city guards and helped them escape down the walls unnoticed. When the city fell and the soldiers moved in they were given strict orders to find and rescue this girl and her whole family. Because of her amazing faith, her entire family was saved and gained freedom. God spoke to me a few days ago with this phrase "I do not call the qualified, I qualify the called" then He asked me to speak about Rahab. Now I know what He meant. Jesus doesn'tlook on the outward appearance as we do, He looks on the heart. In this story Rahab was someone many would easily dismiss as dirty, lower class filth yet God saw amazing value and treasure in her that was used to bring salvation to all those she loved and God's people obtaining their promised land.
This girl was a true hero of love. Her love didn't just speak - it moved and acted. So don't you ever believe that lie that you're not good enough, that you've done too much andtheres no way God could ever forgive or use you for His Kingdom. God says "I use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise". Jesus will use anyone. Anyone who bows the knee before the King of all Kings is given full rights to His Kingdom. Complete and final adoption into the family of God and amazing purpose for your life. So today, just trust and believe in God - take His hand and He will lead you. He doesn't require you to jump through all the hoops of religion, He just says "drop what you're holding and come". He gives life and I can personally attest that it's a truly amazing life - far beyond your imagination and comprehension. Who knows, you might the catalyst to many others freedom around you... God loves you.
Rahab was a prostitute, something many looked down upon, judged and scorned - yet these same people would visit her in the dark hours of the night to fulfill the corruption of their hearts. I'll say this plainly, no girl wakes up on her 10th birthday and says "I think I'll be a prostitute when I grow up". Rahab was a slave to corruption. She didn't want to be a prostitute at all and I can prove it. She hated doing what she did but was forced into a horrible devaluing career path by circumstances beyond her control. You see the thing is this, God promised the land to His people as an inheritance and the city of Jericho was slap bang right in the way to them getting what God promised. Up until this point God had led His people with strong men of God like Moses, Aaron and Joshua but now it was time for a woman to take the stage. God spoke to the heart of this girl and told her what He was going to do, that the city would fall and that God's people would move in and take control of it. Rahab listened to God and trusted in Him and saw this as her ticket to freedom - not only for her, but for her whole household.
So when the spies came gather intel on the city - Rahab was ready, her heart was already prepared. She was ready to give up the life she had and take hold of freedom that came from trusting and putting her faith in God. The city falling meant she lost everything - her clients, her job and the few friends she had. But she was happy to let it all go. It was time for freedom and she knew it. She took in the spies, protected them from the city guards and helped them escape down the walls unnoticed. When the city fell and the soldiers moved in they were given strict orders to find and rescue this girl and her whole family. Because of her amazing faith, her entire family was saved and gained freedom. God spoke to me a few days ago with this phrase "I do not call the qualified, I qualify the called" then He asked me to speak about Rahab. Now I know what He meant. Jesus doesn'tlook on the outward appearance as we do, He looks on the heart. In this story Rahab was someone many would easily dismiss as dirty, lower class filth yet God saw amazing value and treasure in her that was used to bring salvation to all those she loved and God's people obtaining their promised land.
This girl was a true hero of love. Her love didn't just speak - it moved and acted. So don't you ever believe that lie that you're not good enough, that you've done too much andtheres no way God could ever forgive or use you for His Kingdom. God says "I use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise". Jesus will use anyone. Anyone who bows the knee before the King of all Kings is given full rights to His Kingdom. Complete and final adoption into the family of God and amazing purpose for your life. So today, just trust and believe in God - take His hand and He will lead you. He doesn't require you to jump through all the hoops of religion, He just says "drop what you're holding and come". He gives life and I can personally attest that it's a truly amazing life - far beyond your imagination and comprehension. Who knows, you might the catalyst to many others freedom around you... God loves you.
