Greetings, everyone. Let us examine the fifth chapter of the Book of Judges. I have pondered over this chapter many times, having read it over a hundred times. The theme of this chapter is "Arise! People of God." Chapter 4 of Judges speaks of "God delivering the enemy into our hands," but how does He do that? Some may say, "God, I repent, forgive my sins, and blot out my transgressions." I tell you, this is not what God desires. Of course, repentance is a crucial part, but the most important thing is the arising of God's people.

I tell you all, in this generation, God wants to raise up His people to become those used by Him, because God will fight for us in front of us. You will see with your own eyes the enemy being struck down by God and delivered into our hands. Judges Chapter 4 speaks of "God delivering the enemy into our hands," but the question is, are we Deborah? Is it because of Deborah or some other reason that God does this? This matter truly needs to be discussed.

I. The God Deborah Knew

Deborah wrote a song, and I think Deborah was a very talented person. She was not only good at fighting but also courageous and resourceful. This Deborah was remarkable. Why? Because of the God she knew. Do you know what she said? She said, "Our God is great and awesome."

"LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked before the LORD, even Sinai quaked before the LORD, the God of Israel." (Judges 5:4-5)

This is the God Deborah knew. If the God you know is not the same God Deborah knew, without a doubt, you are mistaken. Deborah's knowledge of God can be proven by facts. How can this fact be proven? Because God delivered the enemy into the hands of Deborah and her commander Barak. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must know that all these things should praise the LORD.

"When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the LORD! “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will praise the LORD, the God of Israel, in song." (Judges 5:2-3)

This is extraordinary! We must know how great and awesome our God is. I once heard some people who had learned a smattering of healing and deliverance say, "Wow, you have to be careful, don't lay hands on people, or the demons will jump on you." I thought, "Demons need you to lay hands on people to jump on them? That demon is too useless."

I tell you, many people's understanding of God is not Deborah's logic, and that is a tragedy. Some time ago, a brother in our Chinese Mingding Destiny was following others to cast out demons and happened to minister to a cancer patient. After he finished ministering and returned home, what happened? He began to experience uncomfortable symptoms, which frightened him, as if our God was not capable. He asked me, "Teacher, do you think this illness of mine is because I cast out demons?" I said, "No." A few days later, he came to ask again, "Is this illness of mine because I cast out demons?" I said, "No!"

We must be careful not to equate demons with God. It is not like that. Demons are far from God. Demons are created by God. Can the relationship be the same? Don't be afraid. You must know the God Deborah knew. I ask you, when Deborah went to war and won, it was God who delivered the enemy into her hands. Did she know that God would be with her? She really didn't quite know. Did she know that she would die on the battlefield? It seems she knew, and it seems she didn't.

Did Deborah know that Sisera's nine hundred iron chariots were formidable? How could she not know? Did she know that Sisera was a victorious general? I tell you, Sisera had never lost a battle in his life, but he lost to Deborah. She knew everything. Was she afraid? It would be a lie to say she wasn't, but she was not afraid of death.

So when she wrote this song, she was filled with praise and gratitude. She knew the God she knew. But some people like to say, "God, you go fight, and when you're done, I'll just go clean up." So they still don't know God. You have to make some effort. So Deborah knew God, and she suppressed the fear in her heart, relying entirely on faith.

I was thinking, had Deborah seen God? No. Had she heard God speak to her? Maybe not. If the Bible said she really heard God and God appeared to her, all shining with light, it's not true. I tell you, people must have faith, and that faith is built on the manifestation of God, which is not called faith. True faith is believing even when you haven't seen anything or heard anything. I know this because the God I know has not appeared to me, but when I was casting out demons and fighting battles, I relied completely on the God I knew through the Bible, believing He should be like this. The result was extraordinary. God wants to raise up His people.

Actually, it is not too difficult for God to eliminate Sisera and his people, because God can eliminate whoever He wants. It's not too difficult. The difficulty lies in what? God is willing to work with people. God doesn't like to destroy people. God doesn't like to do that. What does God do? God likes to work with people, and to work with people, He has to choose people. So our God is a God of war, fighting together with people.

Some people say, "Can you stop mentioning Chinese Mingding Destiny? It's still in the branding stage." Some people say, "Oh, it seems like Chinese Mingding Destiny is very impressive, as if it's very proud?" It doesn't matter. What they say cannot discourage me. In this generation, God has made a very wonderful revelation. Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology of victorious warfare, especially in the spiritual world, trampling on the devil and the enemy.

If the Jesus you believe in is like Santa Claus, soft and mushy, unable to do anything, it's no good. Some people pray like this: "God, please heal me. God, please heal me." Without a doubt, they won't get better. Because I have seen too many cases of people praying like that all the time. I think, what does this sentence mean? Do you know what it means? It means that God doesn't seem willing to heal them, so they keep asking.

I tell you, Chinese Mingding Destiny doesn't have that. Chinese Mingding Destiny believes that by Jesus' stripes, we are already healed. Cast out the demons. What does repentance do? Repentance only does one thing: it makes the devil an illegal resident in our bodies, and then we cast out the demons in the name of Jesus Christ. This is a battle. Do you understand?

Many people hope that this battle will be a quick kill. But these people don't know that before the quick kill, there must be a partial kill; before the partial kill, there must be an hourly kill; before the hourly kill, there must be a daily kill; before the daily kill, there must be a monthly kill; before the monthly kill, there must be a yearly kill. It goes up little by little. I see them unable to even do a yearly kill, wanting to do a quick kill, and then giving up when they can't do a quick kill. Aren't they fools?

So, brothers and sisters, you must begin to know that Chinese Mingding Destiny has discovered a very great mystery: the army of the LORD came out of Egypt. I tell you, when the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were wearing ragged clothes, carrying burdens in front and behind, holding a child in their arms, and a baby in a pouch hanging in front. Oh, the way they looked, with all the people and children, was a pitiful sight. A group of beggars came out.

If you read Exodus, you can read that the army of the LORD came out of Egypt. So we build the church according to the army of God, able to attack and seize territory, plundering the enemy. Among us, brothers and sisters, if you truly want to know God, wanting to be like Deborah, finances are not a problem at all. The key is whether the God you know is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Deborah. If you know the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Deborah, you will surely be victorious in battle. I tell you, what destroys us is definitely not demons; what destroys us is ourselves.

Some people say, "Teacher, no, look at my problem." I say, "Don't say anything, because you don't know God." Some people say, "Teacher, why am I still in debt?" I say, "With the way you're doing things, how can you not be in debt? Always trying to trick God, playing games with God, how can things be good?"

So we, this group of God's people, must arise! We must know our God, as Abraham knew God, as Isaac, Jacob, and Deborah knew this God, who will lead us out of Egypt. He will fight for us in front of us. That is extraordinary. Everyone must remember that perhaps we are in an economic crisis, perhaps a global crisis is coming. It will definitely come. It will be a very tragic one. The last very serious economic crisis was in 1929, and it will soon be a hundred years.

I tell you, at this time, do you want to learn to fear our God? Do you want to learn to fight in the spiritual world? Do you want to believe that our God is helping us plunder the enemy? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so finances are not a problem at all.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that if you don't know how to repent, let your pastor teach you. As long as you are truly willing to repent, even terminal cancer can be healed, and those who cannot stand on their legs can stand up and walk. Those who are truly willing to repent should rise up and fight, becoming the people used by God. God wants to raise up His people. This is God's promise.

II. God Wants to Raise Up the Vessels He Has Chosen

Do you know that God wants to raise up the vessels He has chosen? God wants to fight for the Israelites. Did the Israelites repent? Yes, they did. At this time, they cried out to God, and God raised up the vessels He had chosen. Let's first talk about the situation Deborah was in. I tell you, the officials in Israel were unemployed, and out of forty thousand people, there were no shields or spears to be seen. They were being trampled on. It was a very desolate era. Everyone in Israel was only looking out for themselves. The officials were unemployed, meaning no one dared to do anything. Why? Because if they did, the enemy would capture the king first. Whoever rose up would be suppressed.

Sisera's iron chariots and Jabin, the king of Canaan, heard that there was a Deborah in Israel. Sisera and his people said, "Get rid of her. You think you can rise up after we haven't dealt with you for a few days? Your wings have hardened?" They were going to take nine hundred iron chariots to get rid of Deborah. As a result, Deborah saw what kind of situation? There were no guns, spears, or shields in the Israeli army. Among the Israelites, no official dared to say he was an official. How desolate was that?

When the Israelites repented, turned back to God, and cried out to God, God raised up Deborah. I tell you, this takes courage. Jabin said, "There is an official among the Israelites, and a Deborah has risen up, a woman." After hearing this, Sisera and Jabin laughed and said, "It's easy to deal with her." Before they even sent troops, Deborah called Barak, and the people of Israel came. Deborah wanted to rise up. You must know that it was in a very difficult environment. Let's talk about Manchuria. During the Japanese occupation, it was fun to raise up an anti-Japanese hero? That was no joke. So Deborah really had courage. What did Deborah say?

"Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose as a mother in Israel." (Judges 5:7)

That's quite a tone, isn't it? I actually quite like this tone. We also say that in this era of spiritual desolation, God wants to raise us up to be a blessing to this generation. Amen! So Deborah had a character, a character that God wants to choose. God wants to choose a vessel, and this vessel must be a vessel of war, working with God to fight and trample on the devil and the enemy.

The battle we fight is not a worldly battle, and the kingdom of God is not a worldly kingdom. We don't engage in these worldly things. In the spiritual world, we trample on the devil and the enemy. That's why, among us, if you are truly willing to repent, healing is 100%. Don't play games with God. So I encourage everyone not to give up. The state of your repentance is directly proportional to the state of your physical healing. This is because of the battle in the spiritual world. We must cast out the devil and the enemy.

As a result, Deborah heard that there was a highly skilled warrior named Barak, so she sent someone to invite Barak. I ask you, would Barak come? Some people say, "Oh, I don't like female bosses the most." As a result, Barak came. I don't know if he could see Deborah, or if Barak saw Deborah's aura. I tell you, a person's aura is the spirit. Deborah had a lot of faith.

As a result, Deborah probably set up a small table and poured tea. Barak and Deborah, oh my goodness, both their names have "Ra" in them, so this became the "Ra" era. Regardless of whether it's the "Ra" era or what era, Deborah and Barak sat down, and they talked very congenially. They said that in this generation, God wants to raise us up to do one thing, and that is to let God deliver the enemy, Jabin the king of Canaan, and those nine hundred iron chariots, and Sisera, into our hands. God wants to raise us up in this generation to govern Israel. This forty-year generation of Israel is our generation.

Actually, sometimes I like to say that I knew long ago that God sits on His throne, watching to see if there is anyone in this world who can become a vessel used by Him. I said, "God, I am the one." Our church is extraordinary. Every brother and sister is willing to sacrifice themselves. Why are they all willing? Our brothers and sisters must know that, let alone anything else, just what we are doing has stunned many churches. Our church has prayer and Bible study meetings from Monday to Sunday. Can they compare? I said to an old pastor, "This is the foundation of building a church. This is the way to build a church." As a result, he looked at me and smiled and said, "In Singapore, that's impossible."

I am particularly moved. People would rather be trampled on by the devil and the enemy than be raised up by God. I tell you, no matter who he is, if he is a person willing to be used by God and raised up by God, God will definitely raise you up. Brothers and sisters, start cheering yourselves up. In this generation, we must arise. We must be willing to sacrifice ourselves. Those who do not sacrifice themselves are busy with their own affairs. How can they have time to care about God's affairs? How can they rise up? They can't rise up.

So brothers and sisters, you must begin to know that you must become a vessel chosen by God. After being chosen, what do you do? After God chooses you, He doesn't want you to sacrifice, although you are willing to sacrifice yourself. What God chooses is those who are willing to sacrifice themselves, not to let you sacrifice, but to let you rise up, and everything you do will prosper. With me, with this kind of mood, charge forward again and run forward. I tell you, if you win the battle in the spirit, how can you not prosper?

Do you know that the people of Israel were also willing to sacrifice themselves? Oh my goodness, all the Israelites came! According to the previous nature of the Israelites, they would be so frightened that they would pee their pants. Or when they heard that Sisera's iron chariots and Jabin the king of Canaan were sending troops, oh, they were so embarrassed. They were a group of wet-crotched cowards who had been bullied by Jabin the king of Canaan for many years. You might say, "They were foreign immigrants." Actually, no, they were the same group of Israelites. Later, when the Israelites had Deborah, and Barak was also raised up, they came in droves.

I tell you, why is this happening? Because God is going to do a miracle in this generation! Our God often does very miraculous things. Even now, I am still moved, moved by these colleagues among us, who are still following me. Actually, when these colleagues first came, they said, "Teacher, I have resigned." I said, "Then what are you going to do?" They said, "Come to the church to serve." I thought, "I can't let down their parents." I said, "If we can't pay your salary for six months, how long can you still persist?" They said, "Teacher, we can still persist for six months." I said, "Okay, let's try it for a year." Actually, my heart was up and down. Do you know why? I didn't want to let down their parents.

I tell you, this group of people has been raised up by God! So many years have passed, and God's provision is extremely abundant. Later, when the parents of these colleagues among us saw me, they all said that I had trained their children too well. This is a church that wins battles. I can tell you that fighting demons is one battle after another. If you have ever been liberated from bondage, if you have been healed, and this battle has been fought on you, that battle was not fought by you, but because of us.

I saw a sister with terminal cancer who had studied the "101 course" four or five times and is still doing it. She repented deeply. So in my heart, there is a very deep feeling. Actually, I really want to serve her with my colleagues and release her from the hands of the devil. In this battle, God has delivered the enemy into our hands. God wants to raise us up in this generation.

Before, the officials of Israel were inactive, but now it's extraordinary. At that time, the rich and the poor, three in a group, two in a group, yesterday they may have been arguing with their neighbors, saying, "How did you take advantage of my family?" Now, when they hear Deborah, the Israelites rush up. It's amazing.

When I read this chapter, I felt that this was a song written by Deborah, a song written by Deborah for our generation. Among us, brothers and sisters, no matter who you are, whether you are a noble or an ordinary person, today God wants to raise you up. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be blessed. Remember, it is a tragedy for people to live in this world for decades or hundreds of years without the opportunity to work with God. It is the greatest regret of a person's life, being busy all day long, not being busy with the kingdom of God, not being busy working with God.

Brothers and sisters, start not being soft and mushy, and don't be like Santa Claus when you open your mouth. Start fighting. God wants to raise you up. Some people like to say nice things, as if the God they believe in is not a God of war. How can they believe in Santa Claus? If he puts on the robe of Santa Claus, he will definitely look like him, because that's how he usually is.

Brothers and sisters, we must become the army of Deborah in this generation, becoming the army of God. God is looking for such vessels. Don't be afraid of the crisis. What are you afraid of? What you fear is God delivering us into the hands of the enemy. Do you understand? At this time, God wants to deliver the enemy into our hands. If you don't have a share in it, isn't that a tragedy?

III. God's People Must Have a Desperate and Fearless Character

Brothers and sisters, you must know that avoiding battle is not the way to solve the problem. If you say, "Then let's not fight." Then you know that when the Israelites chose to worship idols, the battle came to their gates. What happened? Out of forty thousand people, no shields or spears could be seen. Why? They were disarmed, surrendered, and it was over. As a result, all the work they had done in the past years was for nothing. It was done for the king of Canaan. What could they get in the end? Brothers and sisters, you must be careful in the spiritual world. If you are busy and busy, and the demons come and take away everything you have done, what is the benefit?

"When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the LORD!" (Judges 5:2)

This is a character, so brothers and sisters, we really need to have this character.

"My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the LORD!" (Judges 5:9)

This Deborah is very powerful. She admires these people very much. What does Deborah say? My heart is with the princes of Israel, who willingly sacrifice themselves and run in the front. You run in the front. Are you saying that your bones are hard, or are those iron chariots hard? The iron chariots are definitely hard. So why does Deborah dare to run in the front? Willingly sacrificing herself, that is the attitude.

I really admire the pastors among us. My heart is also with them, because no matter what time of night it is, they are often serving there. Sometimes I feel sorry for them, but I also praise my God. I want to praise my Lord. Do you understand? So I tell you, those who desperately dare to die will not die.

"Zebulun is a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field." (Judges 5:18)

Do the bullets in the battle have eyes? Bullets don't have eyes. But the eyes of our God watch over you. You don't need to worry or be afraid, so desperately dare to die. This is a character. Whoever has this character will surely plunder the enemy. What crisis? Crisis is the opportunity to plunder the enemy. So we must begin to arise! Those who make a lot of excuses, you must be careful.

IV. Those Who Do Not Work With God Should Be Cursed

"Curse Meroz," said the angel of the LORD. "Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty warriors." (Judges 5:23)

Is that help? But He uses the word "help." I think it's not to help the LORD; God doesn't need you. God needs you to benefit. Was it cursed? It was cursed. Then there was peace for forty years. What happened to the Israelites? There was peace in the country for forty years. I ask you, will God forget this? During these forty years, the Israelites all rose up and prospered. But Meroz and its people declined. Why? Because God wanted to curse those in Meroz. So, brothers and sisters, never hide. What did Deborah say?

"Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women." (Judges 5:24)

Jael defeated Sisera and drove the tent peg through him. This Jael is quite something. I tell you, if God gives you victory through your battle, you cannot but be blessed. If God cannot use you because you ran away, deserted, that's a big problem. I tell you, it's no joke. She, a little woman, came in with a hammer and a tent peg. If Sisera hadn't been asleep and opened his eyes, wouldn't that have been terrifying? Sisera said, "What are you doing?" Jael said, "Nothing, the tent is about to fall."

Jael didn't just gesture and hesitate to strike. If she had gestured and hesitated, she would have woken Sisera up. She aimed at Sisera and, bang, it was over, battle finished. Why? Because God wanted Sisera's life, and it was done through Jael's hand. Jael is most blessed of women, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

The most correct choice in a person's life, I believe those who have followed me to serve until today are blessed. If we look around, open your spiritual eyes, you can see the future. I often say, you don't have to live too long, you will see how God raises us up among all nations. God will raise us up among all nations, so that our brothers and sisters may receive the benefits of the gospel in Jesus Christ. Amen!

V. This Battle is a Heavenly Battle

Our brothers and sisters must know that earthly things are but shadows of heavenly things. If you read history, you will find that many times, including the fall of the Shang Dynasty, it was a heavenly battle. The fall of the Zhou Dynasty was also a heavenly battle, and the fall of the Qin Dynasty was also a heavenly battle.

"From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong!" (Judges 5:20-21)

I tell you, what kind of battle is this? This is not a confrontation between people and iron chariots, nor is it the Israelites fighting with spears, shields, and spears against the iron chariots of Jabin, the king of Canaan. It is a heavenly battle. I tell you, the heavenly battle determines who wins or loses. Because the stars are actually angels, fighting in the heavens, fighting the spiritual things behind Jabin, the king of Canaan, and Sisera. As long as the spirits behind them are defeated, the earthly army will be defeated by the Israelites.

Brothers and sisters, start seeking victory in the spiritual world, and stop being afraid of this and that. If you lose the battle in the spiritual realm, you will not follow God. Brothers and sisters, you must know to work with God to win the battle, otherwise nothing you do will work. Relying on your little brain, with a heart as small as a peanut and a brain like a walnut, you can't do it. Our brothers and sisters must know that this is a heavenly battle. In fact, Sisera was a victorious general. Why do I say he was a victorious general?

"Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she cried out, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?'" (Judges 5:28)

Sisera's mother thought, "If he wins the battle, won't he have wiped out the enemy and returned? Why is he taking so long?" What on earth happened?

"The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, 'Are they not finding and dividing the plunder: a woman or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck—all this as plunder?'" (Judges 5:29-30)

Sisera's mother was still waiting for her son, not knowing that her son had been nailed to death by Jael with a tent peg. I want to share something with you. If a person can win the first place in the Huashan Sword Competition, I tell you, without the help of the spiritual realm, he cannot become the first. Remember, if he is a gambling king, without the help of the spiritual realm, he cannot become a gambling king. If you want to make money, it is difficult without a spirit on you. If you are an actor, it is difficult to become popular without that spirit on you; you have to slowly figure it out.

That's why I sometimes say, "With the way you believe in the Lord, I think you shouldn't believe it, because with this way of believing, you will suffer a bit." You should quickly change to another one. Look how good the White Dragon King is, how good the things they do are. Many famous actors and singers, aren't the things they do quite powerful? If you want to pursue that, you should do that well.

If you want to follow God, let's follow God well, let our spirits strive forward, do our best, constantly pursue knowledge of spiritual things, and constantly conquer territory in the spiritual world. May every benefit of the gospel of Jesus Christ be obtained, and may God's promises in Jesus Christ be fulfilled in us. Amen!

VI. God's Enemies Will Perish

To tell you the truth, where do God's enemies come from? Do you think it's Jabin, the king of Canaan? Do you think it's Sisera? I tell you, God's enemies are the offspring of vipers. The problem is very serious, they have turned the temple into a den of thieves. If you want to serve God, if you want to be a pastor, then you better be a victorious pastor.

I met a sister a few days ago, and she was very confused. She observed that those pastors who got cancer were in serious trouble. She saw that they seemed to firmly believe in God, but God was not pleased. But what did she see in return? She saw those who didn't seem to serve God, those who did business well, doing business well, living well, driving around in their seventies and eighties, doing things prosperously. Isn't that amazing? It's really amazing.

So I tell you, no matter who you are, whether you are a commoner, a Barak, or a Deborah, as long as you are in the kingdom of God, you must hold on to God tightly. God's enemies will perish, and never go to the side of God's enemies. In the days of Jesus, this was revealed in the Roman Empire. Jesus did not curse those centurions and so on. On the contrary, Jesus said of those Pharisees, "They are a brood of vipers." That's deadly, they will all perish.

Let us open our spiritual eyes, let us know if we are God's enemies, and never do wrong. Let us begin to be raised up by God, begin to love God, and love the Lord your God with all your heart and strength, instead of just completing a process, playing a cameo role. Begin to love the Lord your God with all your heart and strength. If we are used by God, then life can be laid down, and time can be offered up. Because we have laid down our lives, what else can't we offer up? Because those who love God will shine like the sun in its brilliance.

VII. Those Who Love God Shine Like the Sun in Its Brilliance

Do you see the needs of this generation? I tell you, even if there are a thousand or ten thousand Chinese Mingding Destiny churches, they will not be able to serve completely, because this generation is too desolate. I met an American sister, and she told me that the churches in America are very desolate now. Some time ago, I contacted a sister in a church in Australia, and she said that the churches in Australia are also very desolate. But that is their desolation. God will make those of us who love God shine like the sun in its brilliance! What a wonderful promise. Always remember, arise! God's people. Amen!

May God bless everyone!