About 30 years ago Jesus took me to Exodus 8:1-10 to prepare a message for a conference. As I read those scriptures I began to think of the “plagues” that I had encountered in my life. Perhaps you can relate to that. Things that seemed impossible to eliminate from my life.
I would at times try to convince Jesus that I had done everything I knew to eliminate these areas of my life that did not submit to HIS Name and HIS Word. Areas in which I did not feel the freedom of the Spirit as I should.
Then I read the account of the plague of the frogs that covered Egypt during the process of setting the children of Israel free from the bondage of the Egyptians. As I read slowly and intently I began to process the message God wanted me to learn. When Moses was called by Pharaoh to make the frogs go away he made an interesting statement. He told Pharaoh to have the honor of selecting the time when the frogs would leave. The words indicate that whatever time Pharaoh said for the frogs to leave would be the time the frogs left. But Pharaoh, who had endured frogs in his bed, in his soup, on his table, along the paths he walked, answered tomorrow. TOMORROW! Are you kidding????? There are frogs everywhere! Why on earth didn’t he scream, NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But he didn’t.
As I began to mull over how very stupid Pharaoh was to wait another 24 hours before commanding the frogs to leave I felt a check in my spirit. I began to think about the power provided in the Name of Jesus and HIS Word. How at the Name of Jesus every name would bow. How HE had triumphed over all and as HE left earth told us that HE had given that power to us. As I thought, I realized it was not a lack of power stopping my freedom from certain “sins that so easily beset you” to borrow a good King James phrase, but rather a hesitancy in applying that power.
There were some things I discovered I had become comfortable with. Things that I had learned to tolerate in my life. As we have been taught, things we tolerate we will never be free from. I realized in some areas I had either lost or never developed the ability to see them as Jesus does. Because I did not view them as HE does I did not see the urgency to remove them from my life as seriously as HE does.
Some of the things can seem as innocent as a spirit that is impatient, an unkind tongue, an unwillingness to extend forgiveness or let go of offenses. But you see they are not innocent. They not only hurt the people they are directed toward but us also. They contaminate our souls.
Pharaoh may have adjusted to stepping around frogs as he walked. But is seems he had forgotten how the presence of the frogs would leave contamination everywhere. The type of contamination that would leave a reminder of their presence for some time. So in that moment he replied that tomorrow would be the day the frogs should leave.
I have asked Jesus to help me see the issues in my life through the same lens HE does. If I can do that then when I see those things I will employ the power of HIS Name and HIS Word and tell those “frogs” they have to go. Since HE has given us a free will, HE is in essence saying that we have the honor of telling these attitudes when to go. As for me, I do not want to hold on to anything that is not like HIM for one minute after HE reveals it to me.
So let’s have a spiritual extermination party and run the “frogs” in our lives out.
Hope to see you soon with a thought from the Tea Room.