Deborah - The Valiant Heart Before Deborah arose as a "mother in Israel," the nation sang songs of lament, not victory. What kind of songs can we sing over our nation today? Would we have the victory songs of the Lord rise from our land again? We need women like Deborah--women with heroic and valiant hearts to reclaim our land for God. It took a valiant heart to engage a powerful adversary and lead the nation to victory. It took a valiant heart to climb the ranks of men into political, judicial, spiritual, and ultimately military leadership. It took a valiant heart to exercise the various roles of prophetess, judge, arbiter, counselor, teacher, ruler, wife, songwriter, military strategist, national deliverer, and "mother in Israel."
Anna -The Watchful Heart Impulsively Anna moved in closer so she could hear. The nearer she got, the more she felt God's Spirit moving on her, igniting her soul with expectation. Her heart cried, Oh, Lord, is this the One--the One we have been waiting for? Is this the blessed Redeemer? By now her heart pounded wildly as the prophetic voice within her shouted, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
The Syrophoenician Woman - The Tenacious Heart If she saw no smile in the Lord's eyes before this, she surely did now. Her remarkable courage, her love for her child, her humility, her tenacious heart, and now her quick and brilliant response drew His admiration. Seeming to do a complete turnabout, He declared for everyone to hear, "Woman, you have great faith!" (Matt 15:28) He had just commended her in a way He had never commended one of His own disciples. In fact, only days before, He had scolded Peter for his lack of faith, saying, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:31)
Triumphs of the Heart : The Promise of Joyful Living
If you have already read the other two books in this series, you will
realize that women are NOT second class members of God's family. If any
doubts remain, however, this book is the clincher. These biblical stories
prove that not only does God favor His daughters, but it pleases Him to use
them, sometimes in utterly amazing ways. Forced to rise to the occasion,
women like Deborah, Esther, the Syrophoenician woman, and Priscilla opened
their hearts to God, conquered their doubts and fears, and rose to
incredible heights. And God has victory for you, too, in this, your hour of
destiny!
So how do you see yourself? If you want to say, “Hey, I’m not a victim, I’m
a victor; I’m not a wimp, I’m a warrior; I’m not a beggar, I’m a believer –
yes, and truly believe it – this book will transform your thinking. Through
the motivational application sections, you’ll gain renewed vision and
direction for your life. Armed with the truth, you will courageously step
out to make a difference in your world. God has mighty triumphs ahead for
you. You’ll see!
“God has used this book in my life a lot. I’m currently teaching a Sunday School class based on it, and I find it strengthening my heart in whole new ways. Living in an anti-Christian university town presents my church and family with intense challenges. But I know we are here “for such a time as this”! I’m better learning to understand my position and authority in Christ, and even to invade enemy territory with confidence. He’s got victory for you, too! – Cheryl
Feedback:
I am currently reading your book, Triumphs of the Heart. Thank you for sharing this with us. . . I have spent the last three years in seminary and although my course work has been educational, I am so happy to have a chance once more to read simply for pleasure! :) The Lord has already used your book to both encourage and convict me. Thanks for being willing to speak truth into the lives of people like myself. -- Lorie LooneyII wanted to tell you that while I was reading the first chapter in your book, Triumphs of the Heart, dealing with Anna, the watchful heart, God was revealing this as a message for the Church. We had a word from the Lord about us being watchful in prayer, and seeing what God wants as we wait upon Him in this season of our church; revival has been steadily happening for years, but God is readying us for the next step. This is very exciting as the words watching and waiting keep coming to my mind and heart. -- Cheryl Newberry
Review:
Pursued by suffering and pain, we may wonder where to find the joys of living. The refreshing approach in Triumphs of the Heart offers us hope. Intent to show the reader the way of a joyful, productive life, Cheryl Ford presents eight Old and New Testament women by telling the story of each woman and revealing keen insights in each chapter of this book.
Each woman illustrates a type of triumphant heart. Anna reveals the watchful heart. The Syrophoenician woman shows the tenacious heart. The queen of Sheba has a searching heart. Deborah pictures a valiant heart. Queen Esther possesses a daring heart. Priscilla enjoys a liberated heart. The woman with only two coins exhibits a sacrificial heart. Finally, the woman at the well shows an evangelist’s heart.
Let us look at Cheryl Ford’s development of Queen Esther’s dilemma. The reader can feel her tension as she discovers courage to face almost certain death. Doing much more than merely retelling the story of Esther, the author discusses the underlying issues raised by the situations facing her. Finally, she asks us to consider whether we have any Hamans in our lives, urges Psalm 37:12,13 as encouragement, and calls for prayer in response to this chapter’s lessons.
Karen Davis, Pulpit Helps
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