Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Dearly Beloved, I bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On this wonderful Sunday morning. I say a very big Happy Mother’s Day to every woman. Thank God for women, this world would have been a very boring place without women. Woman you are truly special and we celebrate you today and always. You will agree with me that women are going to play a very vital role in God’s time agenda, as a matter of fact, we can already see that happening.

If there was ever a time that women needed to arise and be all that God has ordained for them to be, that time is now. Just look around you, women all over the world are doing incredible things, they are making their mark in politics, education, science and technology, engineering, ministry, across all spheres of endeavor. Child of God, I have come to challenge you, because you cannot afford to be left out. It is time to arise as the Amazon that God has made you to be. 

This therefore begs the question of, who is an Amazon? The dictionary definition of an Amazon describes her as a tall (not necessarily referring to physical attributes), powerful and an aggressive woman. An Amazon is said to be a female warrior. I believe an Amazon is a woman who is bold, audacious, willing to take risks and fearless. An Amazon woman confronts her confrontations with confidence and does not accept no for an answer. In a world filled with injustice and wickedness, it is time for such women to arise from obscurity. The times when women would just sit and weep over their challenges are long gone. This is the moment for women to arise and take their stands as Amazons, accomplishing all that God has purposed for them.

All through the Bible, we see several examples of women that distinguished themselves as Amazons, but today, I would like to focus on Rahab. Probably this would come as a shock to many of us, considering what Rahab was known for as a person in the Bible, but I dare say that despite her faults, inadequacies, and her past, Rahab was a woman who refused to be held bound by her history and these perceived weaknesses. Rather, she decided to rise above them and dared to be different, and her story changed, such that she was recorded in the lineage of Jesus. For those who are not familiar with Rahab, the book of Joshua 2 gives us an insight into the type of person she was.

The Bible tells us that Rahab was a harlot, she was a prostitute, and I know that ordinarily she is not a person anyone would want to associate with. However, not only was she was a harlot, but she was known across the city of Jericho, meaning that even in her scandalous profession, she still stood out. Joshua sent some spies to the land of Jericho, and who decided to lodge at Rahab’s. The King of Jericho heard about the spies from Israel and sent some men to arrest them. But Rahab took a risk and hid the spies. It was a risk that could have cost her life, but she was willing to take it. You probably want to ask why she did what she did, given the risk involved, but Rahab sensed that God had already given the people of Israel the victory over Jericho, and so was sensitive enough to grab the opportunity to secure her future, while she could. She negotiated on behalf of herself and her entire family, that the Israelites would preserve everyone that was found in her house, when they eventually came back to take possession of Jericho, even as God had declared.

This story of Rahab highlights some qualities of an Amazon; the ability to take risks, even in the face of eventualities, and the sensitivity needed to discern opportunities and maximize them, the ability to negotiate and more. Indeed Rahab arose as an amazon when she decided to take responsibility for her life. Yes, she had made mistakes that brought her up to the point where she was a harlot, but she took responsibility for her life, and made a turnaround, to the point where she has now become a reference point in the scriptures.

Beloved, Amazons are unstoppable, daring, pace setters; they achieve results. Each and every one of us has what it takes to arise as an Amazon, and impact our world for the Kingdom of God, don’t allow anything deter you. Take responsibility for your life, make up your mind to be all that God ordained for you to be, and my prayer for you is that your expectations will be made manifest. 

Maranatha!

In His Royal Service

Dr. Mike Okonkwo

The Presiding Bishop of TREM