I’m reading Exodus this morning and this question popped up in my Spirit. “Why did God need Pharoah’s permission to deliver his people? Why couldn’t God just say, “Listen up. At 6:00 am tomorrow, gather your things cause we are leaving. If Pharaoh and his army tries to attack us, I’ll destroy them. But we are getting up out of Egypt.” After all, God is God.

I asked Google but he didn’t know. So I asked the Holy Spirit. He said, cause the people would not have listened. They did not have the fortitude to demand their deliverance. This generation of Israelites had not seen the miracles of God. They worshipped a God they had heard of but not met. Mentally, they were defeated. Emotionally, they were discouraged. Spiritually, they were ignorant. They cried out to God in their pain but with no expectation of deliverance. The people needed Pharaoh’s permission to go with confidence.

Then I asked (I gave up on Google and went straight to the Holy Spirit for this one), “Are there any areas in my life where I am waiting for permission to be free?” Sure enough, The Holy Spirit revealed a couple of areas.

Any area where you feel defeated, helpless, discouraged is an area you are waiting for permission to be free. God wants to say to you, “Meet me at 6:00 am cause we are getting out of here.” But He knows, we are not ready. So the plaques that seemingly surround us, are opportunities for God to once again demonstrate his faithfulness, his miracle working power on our behalf. I’m not saying God is the author of the plaques, I’m just saying, He is using them. He is developing within us the fortitude necessary to walk in the freedom already granted.

Listen up. Do you want to accelerate your prison break? Remember the door is already unlocked. God is just waiting on you to decide it’s time to come out. You have two things the children of Israel didn’t have – The Word of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Meditate on his Word. Pray in the Spirit. This will give you the fortitude, the strength to meet God at 6:00 am and get up out of Egypt

Permission has been granted. It’s time to walk in freedom!

““Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” Exodus‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬