God has called each of us to live on mission for Him and share the gospel as we go. For many of us, He’s also called us to lead and train others to do this well. We want to create a culture of evangelism in our ministries and among those we disciple, not just short-lived hype for witnessing that fades over time.
But before we lead others, we must first take the time to lead ourselves—to examine our hearts, our faith, and our obedience to God. As women called into ministry and leadership, this is a necessity.
Rahab’s story is one of the most beautiful demonstrations of how God can take someone with a complicated past and place her in the middle of His redemptive plan. She didn’t just believe with her words. She lived out her faith with bold action before the outcome was certain.
This kind of faith is what we see in Rahab. Her journey is a road map for examined faith. Rahab:
- Recognized who God is
- Believed in God’s power and promises
- Embraced a new identity in Him
- Acted in trust and obedience
So, let’s look at Rahab’s faith as our example.
- Rahab Understood that Yahweh Is God
When the two Israelite spies arrived in Jericho, they found themselves in the home of a prostitute. While Rahab’s profession might be shocking to some, her perspective on God is even more surprising.
She told the spies, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us. … For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below” (Joshua 2:9,11).
With these words, Rahab demonstrated more faith in Israel’s God than many in Israel did. She addressed Israel’s God in Israel’s language. She called Him “the Lord”—singular. Even though her culture worshiped multiple gods, that’s not who she called out to.
Out of all the people in Jericho, only Rahab acknowledged God as Yahweh and looked for a different outcome. She had heard about His mighty work protecting, providing for, and guiding His people, and she was convinced that God was all-powerful. This wasn’t just an intellectual agreement. Rahab was declaring allegiance. She recognized that Israel’s God was sovereign, not just over Israel but over everything.
Let this sink in. Rahab wasn’t part of what we’d call today “the church crowd.” She hadn’t grown up quoting Scriptures. She was a marginalized woman in society, likely carrying shame and cultural labels. Still, when she encountered a situation that tested her faith, her words revealed what she had already come to know: Yahweh is God.
Rahab’s spiritual clarity, without a faith community, Scripture, or teaching, came from God doing a work in her heart. She believed that God is who He says He is.
Do you know Him for yourself? How has knowing Him impacted your actions?
- Rahab Had Faith in the Power and Promises of God
Rahab didn’t just acknowledge who God was—she made decisions based on that belief.
In Joshua 2, after hiding the spies, she said, “Please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death” (Joshua 2:12).
We don’t see a woman who ran around senselessly, acting foolishly, or panicking in fear. Instead, Rahab appeared calm, thoughtful, and strategic. She was a woman raised in a secular lifestyle and community whose faith had been challenged.
Her faith included intellectual assessment and healthy discernment. She had considered what it would mean if this God were real, and she acted accordingly. She knew the more than 234 gods they worshiped in Canaan were not equal to Israel’s God.
Rahab had more sense than many of us. Even after we’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good, we still cling to our idols. She recognized that only one God could save her, so she made a bold move. She hid the spies, helped them escape, bartered for her life and the lives of her family, risked her life and theirs, and complied completely with the oath she and the spies made. She tied that scarlet cord in the window before the battle began.
At some point, leading a ministry requires you to display courage based on faith, like your sister Rahab’s. Before you’re tested, you should be filled with faith in God’s promises and power. Rahab’s faith in God is where her redemption was found.
What opportunities for bold faith do you have?
- Rahab Embraced Her Identity in God
Rahab didn’t stop at belief. She embraced a new identity. Her choice to act by faith and protect the spies made her, in essence, a traitor to her own people. Her alignment with the God of Israel was the catalyst for the change in her identity. That choice came at great personal risk. But in doing so, she also walked into a brand-new future.
Despite her past, she saw herself as part of God’s unfolding plan. She went from being known as “Rahab the prostitute” to a woman whose name appears in the genealogy of Jesus (see Matthew 1:5) and as an example of faith in action in the book of James: “In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?” (James 2:25).
Rahab didn’t believe the lies of her upbringing, ethnicity, womanhood, singleness, or lack of education. She was not content to remain and perish in Jericho. She recognized the God of Israel for who He was and found a new identity in Him. In that identity, she stepped into a purpose that we still discuss today.
When the spies showed up at her home, Rahab knew it was not luck; it was Yahweh. Our God is in the middle of all our situations, working out His purposes just as He did in Rahab’s story. Rahab’s identity is where her purpose was discovered. As a daughter of the King, your purpose is also found in knowing Him and being known by Him.
How are you resting in your identity as a daughter of the King?
- Rahab Demonstrated Trust in God
After the spies agreed to Rahab’s request, they said, “If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his death will be his own fault, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his death will be our fault. And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear” (Joshua 2:19-20).
In verse 21, she answered, “Let it be as you say.” Soak in those words. That one verse may seem small, but it speaks volumes. That cord was her public declaration of private faith.
Her response reminds me of another woman of bold faith in Jesus’ lineage. Do you remember how Mary, the mother of Jesus, responded to the angel when she learned she would give birth to the Messiah?
Mary’s response of trust in God was, “May it happen to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38).
Rahab’s trust in God and her actions of faith led to her being included in the lineage of Jesus alongside Mary. Her “Let it be as you say” positioned her for the kind of impact only God could orchestrate.
Her faith wasn’t just for herself. She went out and gathered her entire family. She probably had to explain the whole situation, maybe even beg them to trust her. But she did it because she trusted God more than her fear.
Trust isn’t theoretical. It shows up in what we do, how we obey, and what we’re willing to risk for the sake of God’s promises.
How are you trusting God more than your fears?
Before You Lead, Let Faith Lead You
Rahab’s life reminds us that we don’t need a perfect record to be used by God. We need a surrendered heart.
So, before you teach, lead, disciple, or build, pause and ask:
- Have I truly acknowledged that Yahweh is God?
- Do I trust His promises enough to obey before I see the results?
- Have I accepted my identity as redeemed, loved, and chosen?
- Am I displaying my faith through bold trust?
The kind of faith Rahab had didn’t just save her life. It reshaped her legacy and turned a broken past into a flourishing future.
Let that kind of faith lead you. Then step into leadership with confidence, clarity, and courage.
Adapted from a session of the National Women’s Evangelism Conference, March 2025. Find more resources for women’s evangelism at nambevangelism.com/women.