OUT OF EGYPT
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
~ Exodus 20:2
Egypt is described as a place of hardship, oppression, or imprisonment, referred to by God as "The House of Bondage" (Exodus 13:3). Bondage, in this context, represents a form of slavery, captivity, or imprisonment that restricts your freedom and compels you to act in ways that control your natural abilities. Bondage manifests in various forms: Spiritual, Physical, Mental, Financial, and Emotional. Regardless of the type of bondage you may experience, it has never been God's will for you to remain in that state. He loves you and is calling you out of Egypt, out of bondage.
In Egypt, the children of Israel were brainwashed by Pharaoh, living under his control, pleading to his every beck and call, and working tirelessly to build his kingdom. Pharaoh was so afraid and intimidated by their growth that he took extreme measures to hinder it and keep them enslaved in bondage. In your life, Pharaoh could represent a god, idol, or even the devil himself. Pharaoh doesn't necessarily have to be a person; it can be anything that prevents your freedom, distracts you from your God-given purpose, or hinders you from receiving God's promises. Your Pharaoh seeks to destroy you and the gifts God has placed in you, preventing them from maturing to their full potential. Recognizing the potential within you, Pharaoh tries to hinder your self-discovery and the realization of the plans and purposes God has ordained for you. Pharaoh knows that if you ever get the chance to leave Egypt, it will mark the end of its authority over you.
Pharaoh will attempt to keep you incapacitated, distracted, or overly busy. Its goal is to keep you from the things and people that matter the most. And more importantly, away from building an authentic relationship with God and receiving the abundant life He promised you. When you've been stuck someplace or under the authority of something most of your life, it becomes customary to you, as if that is where you belong. Unfortunately, you don't realize that you are a prisoner to it until you experience something different or something drastic happens that forces you to hit rock bottom and realize that you have gotten in too deep.
During my time as a hospital sitter, my role was to monitor patients with specific restrictions to ensure they adhered to them. On this day, I had to sit with a lady with schizophrenia. This woman was restricted to the bed because she was at risk of falling. Whenever the nurses would come in to give her medication, she would hide it under her tongue and dispose of it after they were gone. She was fine all day until she heard a voice telling her she had been there too long and it was time to go.
I continually reminded her that she could not get out of bed. Every time she would try, I would have to go over to lay her back down. Eventually, I had to move my chair closer to her bed. Once she finally realized I was not going to let her get out of bed, she screamed, “Touch me again, and I’m going to knock you out,” as she swung her fist to hit me. Her aggression left the nurses with no choice but to put restraints on her to keep her down and to protect me.
The restraints only worked for a little while. Then, around 5 a.m., she started up again, yelling, “I have to get out of here; Jefferey has to go to dialysis.” “Get this crap off of me. Now!” I’m assuming this must have been around the time she would typically get up and get her son off to dialysis, and she was afraid he would miss it. She was determined to get out of those restraints and out of that bed to reach her destination.
This lady kicked, screamed, spit, fussed, and cursed all night until, finally, she broke loose from the restraints. She yearned to be free, believing that continuous medication was impairing her ability to comprehend. It seemed to her that this medication was causing her to miss out on crucial aspects of her life. She felt that, at that time, being restrained affected her and the person most important to her. She knew that if she didn't break free, her son’s life was on the line, and she was determined to do everything possible to ensure she got free to protect him.
It is cases like these often drive one to cry out to God (Exodus 2:23) because it is only in God that we find our help. Just as God heard the cry of the children of Israel and provided them with a way out through His servant Moses, He hears mine and yours too. He has offered us a way out through His Son Jesus Christ. Though leaving your own 'Egypt' won't shield you from trials and tribulations, it will release you from the restraints and burdens it imposes (Matthew 11:28).
If you're reading this, it’s because God's hand is upon you, knocking at the door of your heart. He knows that everything around you is taking a toll on you, He also knows that you have had enough and you're ready to break free from the burdens and turmoil that Egypt is causing you. God hears your heart's cry for freedom, and He has an appointed time for your deliverance. However, when your time of redemption comes, when you hear His voice, harden not your heart; get out of there, and do not turn around. DON’T GO BACK!
