The Bible is the Living Word of God and everything in it has been included for a reason… Today I want to write about the fact that Holy Spirit *may* be bringing to your attention – there may be a time (or times in your walk with Jesus) where you, as did Moses – encounter a “Pharoah” in your own life. What do I mean by that? I mean come up against someone who feels they have the authority to thwart or bring you to a halt in the way God is leading you or tries to stop you from walking in the fullness of your calling or blessings.
“Pharaoh” means the son of the sun. The Egyptian kings, Pharaohs, were regarded as gods and the spirit of Pharaoh has to do with destruction of good things in their infancy. Remember that Pharaoh’s heart was so hardened that the Lord had to bombard him with ten plagues. But Moses stood firm in faith and in proceeding in his calling of ALL God called him to do. As was the case with Moses can be the case with us.
IS THERE SOMEONE WHO IS TRYING TO THRAWT WHAT GOD IS DOING IN YOUR LIFE?
Remember, ol’ slewfoot does not want to see you succeed in your walk with Christ. He does not want you to go forward but to become discouraged because in doing so, you allow your eyes to be removed OFF Jesus and onto your circumstances. But I sense that Holy Spirit is telling you who are reading this post, to proceed as God is instructing you. Do NOT be dismayed. God has you at the point that you are at in your walk for a reason and His good and perfect will, WILL prevail in your life – but you have to keep trusting God! Keep holding fast to your promises in Him! Do NOT back down out of fear or allow yourself to “cower” because of this Pharaoh that has arisen in your walk! Isaiah 54:17 tells us:
“No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” “
No Goliath or Pharaoh can stand in your way! It *may* seem as though they are “all powerful” but they are NOT. Ephesians 6:12 tells us:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
I think we forget that Moses put His trust in God. He recognized when God called Him to work through him to deliver the Israelites out of slavery that Moses first response was as follows – let’s take a look at Exodus 3:10-13:
Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
Perhaps you are feeling right now as Moses did, that you don’t have the skills to proceed to whatever it is He is calling you to do. Listen! We CAN’T do ANYTHING in and of ourselves! NEVER COULD! We are ONLY vessels who have allowed ourselves (because of our acceptance of God’s gift of salvation and agreeing to make Jesus Lord OVER our lives) that God is able to do a work in us at all!
No, Moses COULDN’T do ANYTHING of his own strength! It was in his obedience of letting God work THROUGH him that the Israelites were set free! I think we lose sight of the fact that Moses had been raised and brought up in the SAME environment as Pharoah. Which made what God was asking him to do ALL the more difficult! Perhaps he had loved Pharoah as his brother! They had been of the same household. It is NEVER easy when God asks us to do something for Him that hits us in a difficult and personal way… And the devil knows this!
Imagine how difficult it was for Noah to hear the banging of fists on the walls and the door of the ark when the rain came down and the floods rose up? All the while he and his family and the animals abided in the safety and inner sanctuary of the ark. Remember. it was not Noah who had closed and shut the door, it was God Himself! It had to have been emotionally painful to hear the cries of those that had previously mocked them for their faith, finally coming to the truth of his words. Remember, Noah KNEW these people! These were not strangers! But it was too late…
Often a “Pharoah” in your life IS someone that the devil knows you have a personal attachment to, usually it is someone within your family or inner circle, someone you love dearly. Someone who unknowingly has allowed the “hardening of their heart” to occur. Someone who mistakenly thinks that they have the authority and power to keep you from proceeding in what God has called you to do. My heart breaks for anyone who is experiencing this right now… And many who are reading this ARE experiencing it! Being persecuted for their faith in God! Mocked for their decision to follow Christ! And BOY can that hurt! But here is the thing –
GOD IS CALLING YOU FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
Hold fast to what God is calling you to do! PRAY for those who think they can stand as a Pharoah in your life! They are in a VERY dangerous position! And most of the time they are not (because they are not saved OR they are functioning in that “religious” spirit – which is that of the Pharisees or Sadducees, but that’s for another post…) even aware of their own predicament! This is when God wants you to GO forward trusting in Him! No one can block what God has for you! So don’t lose heart! The Bible tells us in Matthew 10:28:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
We are to walk BY faith! We are to RECOGNIZE that No, we CAN’T do ANYTHING in and of our OWN strength! But we CAN with God’s strength! Philippians 4:13 tells us:
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
TEN times Moses had to come before Pharoah and proclaim plagues that would occur if He did not let God’s people go. There may be MANY times where you have to face this Pharoah OR a Pharoah in your life. Someone who mistakenly *thinks* they have the power and authority to hold you back. Someone who boldly mocks your God! Someone whose life is in danger and they aren’t even aware of it because God is NOT a God Who is mocked! Time and time again you may be put in the uncomfortable situation where you are having to come face-to-face with them, but remember –
GOD IS WITH YOU! THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD!
Can you imagine how surprised and how heart sickened David was when King Saul sought his very life? It hurts in a special kind of way when “the Pharoah” that arises in our lives are those we love most of all! This is where we need to be prayed up mighty much! This is where we need to TRUST God! This is where we have to intercede on their behalf! I have seen God soften hearts in the most unexpected ways! I have seen hearts go from stone to flesh and for God to raise up dry and dead bones in someone’s life! I have seen God remove spiritual blinders of eyes that were blind to Him. Look what Jesus did in the life of Paul who once killed and persecuted Christians! There is NO telling what God WILL do if we choose to stand firm and trust and believe that NOTHING and NO ONE will delay what God has for you OR what God is calling you to do!
PRAY AND STAND UPON THE WORD OF GOD!
God has given you weapons for your warfare! It is SO important that we stand girded up in our spiritual armor as in accordance with Ephesians Chapter 6. (Read it for yourself). No Pharoah will successfully prevail over your life because you have made Jesus your Savior, Lord OVER your life and GREATER is He that is IN you than he that is within the world. And so, I ask you – whose report will you believe? The Pharoah that stands before you with his/her arms crossed against their chest, thinking they have the authority to keep you from ALL that God has for you??? OR will you believe the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac – Who because of Jesus has become YOUR God, Who is mighty and has already shown that NOTHING can stand in His way?! Please pray with me:
Father God, I thank You that the victory has already been won for me in Christ Jesus. There is a Pharoah who is standing in the way of what You have for me or what You have for me to do. I ask that You humble him/her/them – I ask that You SHOW them Who YOU are! I pray that they would see Your mighty power in this situation. That there is NONE greater than you! That no weapon CAN prevail against me because YOU are my God! You have made me the head and NOT the tail! I stand victorious IN Christ Jesus Who purchased my victory with His shed blood on the cross on Calvary. I pray for this Pharoah, that You would soften their heart of stone! I pray that whatever it is that is keeping them from seeing WHO YOU ARE, that You would open their blind eyes, give them ears to hear you, a nose to smell your sweet fragrance! I pray Father God that You would turn this tide and uncross their hands from in front of their chest to raised arms in praise and awe of you instead! Make me victorious Father! That the victory will be YOURS! I thank You Father that You are able! Be glorified Father in Jesus’ mighty name I pray, AMEN!
Do not be afraid, do not be intimidated by ANYTHING that the devil tries to put in your way, for the steps of the righteous are ordered BY God, and He ALONE is God, there is NONE greater! Jesus Himself is even right now seated on the right hand of the Father interceding on OUR behalf. God has ordered angels that have been assigned to minister and protect us! He has given (upon acceptance of the gift of salvation) Holy Spirit to live INSIDE of us as Teacher, as Comforter, as our Guide to guide us in ALL our ways! There is NOTHING that can come against us and succeed for Jesus Christ IS our Lord and EVERYTHING, every knee MUST bow, EVERY tongue confess that He is Lord! No, we CANNOT do anything in and of ourselves – we NEVER could, but GOD can, and YOU belong to HIM. \0/ \0/ \0/
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