I believe the church and our nation stands at a crossroads. There are many that are watching the media as if it is some kind of prophetic omen. I can see fear bubbling up in the people of God. I believe we need learn a valuable lesson from the children of Israel.
I do not believe that it was every God’s will that the nation of Israel be enslaved by the people of Egypt. The story in which I’m referring to can be found in Exodus 1:8-2:10. The Bible says that a new king arose in Egypt who did not know Joseph. He grew paranoid that the children of Israel were such a strong nation, and he was worried that they would overthrow Egypt. So he decided that he is going to enslave the people. He wants to make them afraid as a nation. He wants to keep them as his slaves. So what happens? He does. Nowhere in the Word at this point do you hear anyone saying they weren’t going to be their slaves. The Israelites get fearful, intimidated and allow themselves to become the slaves of the Egyptians. If the Egyptians were so afraid of them because of their numbers, what would have happened if they had faith in God and said no? What if they took over the Egyptians? But they didn’t. Many disagree on how long they were enslaved, but it was anywhere between 200-400 years. That’s a long time for generations to be in bondage. They had become intimidated, and as a result, were enslaved. It wasn’t until later when the midwives refused to murder the male babies does the Bible ever say anyone stood up to the Egyptians.
Then Moses’ mother arrives on the scene. Moses’ mother was an amazing woman. She refused to be afraid of the Egyptians. She refused to allow her son murdered. She hid him in her house before she couldn’t anymore. She set him afloat in a basket in the Nile River. The Nile is known to be crawling with hippos and crocodiles. She believed her God more than any of these things. She believed God so much so that when Moses was to be raised in Pharaoh’s house she got paid to continue to nurse him.
Fear enslaved a nation, but it was the faith of a few ladies that led to its freedom. Today I see fear having too much of a foothold in and out of the church. The media deals it out as if it were a drug. Have people become addicts to fear? Many are afraid and splatter those words from pulpits, to politicians, to worriers on social media. I ask you today, American church, will we be people of faith or people of fear?
There is too much at stake here. We cannot let fear leave us powerless. In the Word, God it says there would always be wars and rumors of war. Intimidation diminishes the power that God has placed inside of you. May we rise up in unity and continue to stand in the places to which God has called us. May we boldly hold tight to the Word of God and refuse to let go. May we arise from the moral decay of our society and raise a standard among the masses. May we learn from the faith of a few women that we cannot just go along with some loud bullies and cower in the corner. May we arise as a people knowing if God be for us, then who can be against us? May we have the peace that surpasses all understanding to stand in the midst of the turmoil and know God is faithful.
Anna M. Aquino is a published author, guest minister and prophetic voice. Her books: Cursing the Church or Helping It? Exposing the spirit of Balaam, Confessions of a Ninja Mom, An Ember in Time and A Marriage in Time are available wherever books are sold. She has been on TBN, TCT and a variety of other programs both TV and radio. Please feel free to check out her website at annamaquino.com.
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