July 10, 2026
Friday, July 10
In Exodus 5, we see Moses and Aaron do a courageous thing, confronting Pharaoh in obedience to God. And yet, the immediate effect of their act of faith is that life for their people gets worse, and the people are driven to despair. So what does this story tell us? Two warnings and a piece of very good news.
Warning number one: Doing the will of God doesn’t always pay off in the short term. In fact, often it makes our lives temporarily harder. Some of you can testify about this. You’d say, “I gave my life to Jesus, and all my old friends dropped me like a hot rock. I was all alone.” Or “I decided it was time to reconcile with someone I’d been at odds with for years. But when I went to her and apologized, she blasted me. She told everyone I had admitted it was my fault. For a while there, my life was really miserable.” Or “I tried to help a homeless man who I saw every day on my way to work, but he ended up taking advantage of my kindness and swindling me.” Or “I got serious about my faith, thinking it would help my marriage, and my spouse left me anyway.” Remember, you don’t know the battle plan. Don’t give up. As the Psalm says, “Sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
Warning number two: Our hearts are easily tempted by counterfeit Saviors. In the centuries to come, the Israelites would often forget the central message of the Exodus: that God alone was their salvation. In times of stress, they would make alliances with foreign powers instead of trusting in the Lord. They would adopt the gods of those nations as their own, and start following pagan rituals that led to violence and injustice. God knew this was how humans are bent. It’s why He did the Exodus in the way that He did. He wanted us to see, “Only I can save you.”
I believe the primary reason why the Church in America today is declining in its influence on our culture is because of our own idolatry. We say we believe in God, but our lifestyles prove otherwise. Our true gods, the things we dedicate our lives to, are our careers, our possessions, our families, our reputations, our political heroes. None of those things are bad; in fact, several of them are very good. But when they become ultimate things, they twist our characters and distort our message. In the same way God wanted the Egyptians to turn away from their trust in Pharaoh, and the Israelites to reject Egyptian gods, He wants you and me to admit the things that we put too much trust in, and turn to Him with all of our hearts. When that happens, revival begins. When that happens, the gates of Hell tremble.
“Father, I pray that your Holy Spirit would ruthlessly expose whatever idols exist in my heart, that I might put you, and you only, on the throne of my life. Do the same in the American Church. We need revival; I pray we would see it in this generation. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
