A few years ago I did a Bible Study by Charlotte Gambill. I believe it was called “Be That Girl”. The study was 6 weeks and touched upon some cool women in the Bible that we aught to be like. One stood out to me the most. I want to talk about her. I want to talk about how she found out about someone foolish that entered her city and how she dealt with that unwanted issue.

Ok. We will look at scripture real quick and I’ll get my thoughts out.

(Warning: this ends bad for the guy that came into this city)

2 Samuel 20

So there was this “troublemaker” named Sheba son of Bicri, who was stirring up some crazy warfare against King David. King David even said that Sheba son of Bicri, ( I guess that’s just the full name the Bible keeps referring to him as, lets just call him Sheba) was able to do more harm then Absalom ( remember him? He pretty much wanted to take his dad’s kingdom by force, that didn’t work out too well for him either). I’ll pick up scripture here at 2 Samuel 20:15:

15 All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah. They built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, 16 a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 17 He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”

“I am,” he answered.

She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”

“I’m listening,” he said.

18 She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. 19 We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”

20 “Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”

The woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown to you from the wall.”

22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

I want to point out that Joab had a whole lot of men with him. He was over the entire army of Israel. They were about to tear that city apart to get to this one man. And it took ONE “wise woman” to change his mind. Notice the army was literally battering the walls and then as she spoke, Joab was like- “no way, I wasn’t doing that”. OK, Joab. She began to remind Joab who they are. What they have in their city. What they are in the very core. what’s inside their city. And that is peace and faithfulness. They are held in high regard as a city, and it seemed she might be in a leadership position. In a position to save an entire city because she was wise. You guys, she had wisdom, faithfulness and peace. She came to Joab with those traits and saved her city and chopped off the head of something that was corrupt, vile and well, trouble. She didn’t wait on it. She knew what needed to be done and did it. She didn’t wallow in despair of what got into her city. She simply told Joab, “His head will be thrown to you from the wall”. She wasn’t going to coddle the issue. She wasn’t going to hold this thing’s hand. She just chopped off the head of the issue and threw that thing out

SO…. what are we allowing in our walls? What issue do we need to stop hiding in the walls of our hearts> what is it that we need to simply cut off and throw out. Not thinking twice. You guys! She didn’t just hand the issue (Sheba) over, she chopped his head off!

I was dealing with something creeping up in my walls these last few days. Oh…. ya know, a little stress, a little self pity, lack, a little self doubt ( a lot)… they were all just finding refuge in my heart walls. I was allowing them to go on ahead and make their home, simply by being stuck on thoughts like; “how will I pay for bills? Will my paintings ever sell? Am I even good at that? Am I a good mom that I say I am? The thoughts grew into something else. Anxiety and Insomnia crept up the walls. You know the kind of anxiety that gives you heart pain. The Insomnia that keeps you tossing and turning and waking up every hour with heart racing and panic setting in, yep, that’s what I allowed in there. I called out to the Lord this morning, “Lord! what the heck is going on over here? I love sleep and your word says that you give sleep to your beloved at night ( Psalm 127:2) I am your beloved, so what is going on? ” I hear Him say, “what are you allowing in your walls?” The Lord reminded me of the story in 2 Samuel. He started to show me what I have allowed hiding in the walls of my heart and was telling me to get rid of that. He reminded me of the wise woman in the story and I kept hearing, “Be that girl. Be that Girl that chops off any troubled thing that comes at her at it’s roots and throws it out . A woman full of wisdom that leads her home in that wisdom, peace and faithfulness.”

I walked around my house proclaiming life over me and my family, and the promises of God for us in His Word. Chopping the heads of the little (or Giant- so it seems) ugly lies that have crept up in the walls of my heart. All we can sometimes see is that very giant. We don’t see the promise, not the Goodness of God.

If you are reading this, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what’s hiding in the walls of your heart. He will show you. Start telling that thing to leave. It’s trespassing. These “troublemakers” come by many names like anxiety, lack, sickness… BUT, they are trespassing ( I guess hell isn’t very cozy after all). We are meant to commune with the Lord of All using our words to bring life and essentially co-create beautiful things. Bringing life and peace where we go. With these giants that have trespassed we just can’t seem to see clearly. See the Goodness of God and what he has planned for our life. Guys, chop that giant’s head off and see the goodness. See the horizon. See where the Lord is leading. He really is Good ALL the time.

Ok. those are my thoughts of the day.

Go slay some giants you guys! ( spiritually speaking) You got this. Be that Girl who throws the trouble that lurks in your heart out from the walls of her heart.

Ok, now I’m really done.