Exodus Chapter Three recounts that the children of Israel had been enslaved in Egypt under the whip of Pharaoh’s taskmasters. They suffered, 400 years had passed, and they were still there. Then God appeared to a man named Moses at the burning bush and called out to him:

“Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:9-10).

What a commission! Moses had been to Egypt, and he knew it was the greatest empire on the face of the earth at the time because Egypt ruled the world. Yet God spoke to him—a man with neither weapons nor an army. Moses knew that it would take the power of God to deliver the people from Egypt; no nation could do that. But he wondered how the miracle would happen, so he asked God for a sign.

God asked him, “What is that in your hand?” and he replied, “A rod.” Then God said, “Cast it on the ground.” The Bible says, “…So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent” (Exodus 4:3). Then God told him to pick it up by the tail, and when he did, it became a rod again. When God finished speaking with Moses, the Bible says, “…and Moses took the rod of God in his hand” (Exodus 4:20).

It became the rod of God because God’s presence had come upon it. When something is brought into the presence of God, it becomes sanctified. This rod was sanctified by the presence of God; the anointing of God came upon it, and this still happens today.

“Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’” (Exodus 3:10-11).

This is the question many still ask today. When God tells you to do something for Him, you might wonder, “Who am I?”
When God sends someone, He sends a person who needs a miracle to accomplish what He wants to be done. He chooses the one who is inadequate on their own.

Moses asked, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” But God replied, “I will certainly be with you…” (Exodus 3:12). And that is all you need. God didn’t say, “Surely, I will send you an army,” or “Surely, I will provide you with enough swords and horses.” No! He said, “…Certainly, I will be with you; and this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12).

Until they left Egypt, the children of Israel could not serve God on the mountain. This is important. Sometimes, we try to force people to serve God on the mountain, but they cannot serve Him there until they are delivered from Egypt.

Egypt symbolizes the world, and the mountain represents the temple. It was Moses’ mission to bring them out of Egypt. He had an evangelical message for the children of Israel: deliverance from the whip of Pharaoh’s taskmasters.

When Moses came down from the mountain, he went to the people and said, “Good news, we’re leaving slavery.” The people might have thought, “We’ve been here for 400 years, and there’s been no good news.” But God said, “I have good news: you are coming out,” and Moses led them out.

Until he did that, no one could serve God on the mountain because they needed deliverance, and that deliverance was in the good news they heard. We must understand that those still in Egypt cannot serve God on the mountain. In other words, sinners do not go to church.

You may have invited a friend (who isn’t born again) to your church, and they came, but that’s not the point. Generally, as a normal practice, sinners do not go to church. They might fill a cathedral when the anointing of God is absent because they can hide their sin. They can go anywhere for religion because the devil doesn’t bother you if you have religion—he’s got you where he wants you. Everything is fine as long as you don’t have the Holy Spirit.

What’s sad is that even many people with the Holy Spirit are still enslaved. As long as you’re not “fanatical” in your Christian commitment by preaching the gospel you’ve received, the devil will be at peace with you…

This text is an excerpt from the book “JOIN THIS CHARIOT” written by Chris OYAKHILOME.

We invite you to read the following article: “The Hour to Revive Is Here!”

SINNERS. SINNERS. SINNERS. SINNERS. SINNERS.