This is a word of encouragement for the believer who is at the threshold of deliverance. You have prayed and trusted God. You are now waiting for your healing, your breakthrough or your deliverance. But suddenly things got worse. Please read Exodus 5. Prophetically this is a drama and you are an actor there. Choose your ‘role’! Pharaoh stands for the devil. Moses and Aaron stand for mature servants of God, leaders, pastors. The people of God represent the believers in Christ. The Egyptians are your unbelieving friends and relatives. They do not understand your desire to be free. If they do not get converted to Jehovah they will be left behind once the door of freedom is opened for you. This is the background story: The people of Israel have been in Egypt for more than 400 years. Initially things were good for them but later, they became slaves to the Egyptians and suffered greatly. God sees their pain and sends Moses in His name to be their savior. Moses confronts Pharaoh, the king of Egypt with the words: “Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness!” (Ex 5:1). Pharaoh rejects Jehovah’s word. He attacks God’s people. He increases the burden upon the slaves. From now on they have to work double for the same ‘salary’. The leaders of God’s people are under great pressure to perform the impossible. To please Pharaoh they oppress their own people. But they failed to perform. They are beaten and abused by the Egyptians task masters. Lesson: persecution coming from your friends and enemies shall increase just before your healing, your deliverance. Behind them is the devil who is trying to stop your progress!

Under pressure to work in such a negative environment of hopeless frustration and deep depression, the people of God make two mistakes. The first one is this: they go and cry to Pharaoh to make their labor lighter. Pharaoh refuses to listen to their pleas and even insults them saying that they are ‘idle and lazy’. Pharaoh calls their desire to worship Jehovah as ‘lies and vain words’. Lesson: the devil has no mercy. Never expect any good thing from the devil. He will try to kill you with work so that you forget to worship your God. You should cry to God and not to the devil. This is the second mistake: Rejected by Pharaoh, the people of God insulted Moses and Aaron. They blamed their leaders for their troubles. Lesson: if you are blind to God’s plan to heal you, to deliver you, to bless you, when trouble comes you will attack the man of God who brought you the good news of salvation and hope. Never insult your pastors! Bless and pray for them! Moses stands as a true man of God. In the past, when his people rejected him as their leader, Moses ran away from ministry. But this time he stands trusting God. He does the right thing: “Moses returned to the Lord” (Ex 5:22).

Moses prays to God who answers with an immediate action. This is not a time for only words! God promises to punish Egypt and they will know that He is God! “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord” (Ex 6:1, 2)

Child of God, these are some lessons for this season: God calls you to serve Him but your obedience must be tasted. You have to stand faithful even when you are lonely and rejected like Moses! Trust God who called you. Do not trust in man! Never complain! Do not slander your pastors! Pray for wisdom, for understanding of God’s plan in your life! God sees the end from the beginning. Pray that you see the end of the trial too! The joy you see at the end will empower you to endure! The devil hates God’s worship and God’s work. You must pay the price to be a worshipper or a worker for God! Trust God for the breakthrough! For miracles! For vengeance! You should know that before the day breaks the night is the darkest. Be encouraged! Forget the past! The devil is a liar and a loser! God has the last say! Press on into the light! Exercise your faith! Hold on to your hope! God is working something on your behalf! God is not a man that He should lie! This trial will not kill you! You shall come out of this fire stronger than ever! Your testimony has been approved by God! Both friends and enemies will see it! None can stop it! Let the weak say: I am strong! Let the sick say: I am healed! Let the poor say: I am rich! Let the oppressed say: I am free! Free to worship God! To the glory of God! Be filled with the Holy Spirit! In Jesus’ name, amen!

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal 6:9)