Thought for the Day II

"I want you to see this great truth about the nature of man. Remember the story of Moses and Pharaoh? Remember the plagues? Remember the bondage? Life in your world is just the same. The world is like Pharaoh and as long as you are paying tribute to the world's contributions:

• You can go ahead and go to church
• you can live in your own little area
• You can believe anything we want to
• You can have special feast
• You can call God by any name you want to

but just stop paying tribute to Pharaoh, i.e., (the world), just move your affections and your money, your time, your family; just move out of Egypt and see what happens. They will say, "go on, follow your God, get away from here, we don't need you anyway,” but it won't be long and they will come running after you again. Because the Pharaoh, (the world) needs slaves to perpetuate its purposes.


The world needs those who are willing to be slaves to its devices and traps. The world dangles the money carrot - the familiar territory carrot - the job security carrot - and any other carrot it can get you to bite on - in hopes you won't take your time, money, talent, skills, loyalties and desires out of Egypt. But don't think that by getting out of Egypt, all is well.


The Israelites were released from bondage after 400 years of slavery and...........well let me read part of the story. "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:" Exodus 13:21. God had just delivered His chosen people from bondage to freedom and was now leading them by day and by night. Just the same as with you, God delivered you from the bondage of the world and leads you and guides you by day and by night.


But watch what happens when the pressure is on. "And they (the children of Israel) said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?  V12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." Exodus 14:11-12.

It didn’t take long for the children of God to start complaining. Just apply a little pressure and have little faith, and the short-cutters looked back at their bondage, as if it were better than being led by God by day and by night. I know many people who have turned back to become slaves of Egypt (the world). Christ didn’t give them what they wanted, so they turned back. Too many people are like that today. The faith walk does not interest them. Even though, the alternative is bondage and slavery, the truth is, sometimes it seems easier to go back to the familiar, than to take the faith walk with God."

Excerpt from The Power of God Thinking II by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2012