Egypt signifies a place of slavery and slavery is nothing more than being in bondage to something. Whatever your Egypt is, it’s got you held captive. Egypt is the absence of freedom.
I had an Egypt, I’m sure you had one as well or may even be in an Egypt. If you feel like there’s something that’s got you on a chain than this one is for you. I want you to know right out of the gate,
Jesus wants you to live a joy filled life of freedom.
My Egypt
The things that were constantly holding me down in life were the things that God freed me from. I couldn’t be who God made me to be because of what I was going through, I was in an Egypt.
I shared in detail about my Egypt and I did that in week 2 of this series, go back and read it here.
In the middle of my Egypt when I literally thought things couldn’t get better. God stepped in and he took me by the hand. He healed me and gave me a new song to sing.
Egypt was not where God wanted me to be and he doesn’t want you to be there either.
I love some of the lyrics from this week’s song:
“You stepped into my Egypt and you took me by the hand, you marched me out in freedom straight into the promised land. I will not forget you God, I’ll sing of all you’ve done.”
Which leads me to why I included this in the series – Don’t go back!
The Israelites had been freed from captivity in Egypt and they were wandering around in the wilderness. In the middle of the wandering they started complaining, they couldn’t see just how blessed they were. They didn’t understand that God had broken their chains off of them! They said:
The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:3)
They couldn’t see what God had freed them from. God exiled them, God gave them what they wanted for so long while they were in Egypt!
God doesn’t hear our cry, part the red sea and free us just so we can go back to the things that put us in Egypt in the first place.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:14-16)
What’s your Egypt?
I believe God wants to step into your Egypt, grab you by the hand and march you out in freedom! He wants to give you life to the fullest.
If your Egypt is a person, someone that tears you down and strips you of your worth, stop hanging out with them. If your Egypt is an addiction of some kind, Jesus wants to satisfy you beyond what your drug of choice ever could – his well never runs dry. Stop going back to things that kill your joy. Stop running back to the things that bring you conviction. Stop going back to the Egypt that God brought you out of.
When you don’t go back to your Egypt there will be some people that don’t understand and they may even call you crazy for leaving Egypt. Here’s what I learned though:
Some people can’t and won’t understand God’s work in you and you have to be ok with that.
No matter if you are in Egypt or you just came out of Egypt, pray this prayer and listen to the song below. I truly believe God will speak to you through it. Just about every time we sing this song at church I cry in my row… it’s more than a song, it’s a story. A story God wants you to know something about. God has freedom for you my friend. Not captivity.
Prayer:
“God I turn to you now. God come into my Egypt and hold me. I need your presence God, I cannot live this life alone. Jesus bring me out of Egypt, restore to me what was taken, give me a new song filled with lyrics of freedom. Jesus help me remember how good you’ve been to me so I don’t go back. Amen.”
Bryant Westbrook 