What Is Your Egypt? Finding the Courage to Step Into Freedom
Choking dust and scorching heat. Sweating from the heat and the uncertainty mixed with excitement, a mother held the hands of her two young children as they walked away from the only home they had ever known. The wails of grieving Egyptian families fading in the distance. Carrying every article of clothing she owned on her back, she followed the rickety wagon in front of her with every household possession her family owned. It wasn’t much, but it was everything. The glint of gold caught her eye and she again stared amazed at the bracelet her neighbour had generously given her before they departed. Along with earrings, cloths of purple and red, sandals for the family, and ornaments for her hair. It was more wealth than this young Hebrew woman had ever seen at once, let alone held in her possession.
The events of the previous 24 hours were swirling around in her head. Not only of that day, but the last several weeks. It was too much to dwell on; too fearful, awe-inspiring, and wondrous to understand. All this young woman had known was slavery and hard work; the fear in her mother’s eyes as she wondered if her aged husband could survive one more day of this back-breaking work; the anguish of her own husband as he returned from the mud pits each day. Pharaoh was a task-master before, but these past weeks had become unbearable.
Trouble was stirred up in the Palace. A rogue Hebrew had challenged Pharaoh to free the people. But Rameses’s only response had been to make the work harder. Impossible even. Men fell under the whip of the slave masters, the elderly fainted in the heat, crushed by their burdens. No relief was in sight.Then strange events began to take place.
There was blood for water, millions of frogs followed by the stench of their decaying bodies; the relentless itching of lice in their hair and on their animals. It had been an unbearable, confusing, bewildering few days. Each of the plagues had gone as quickly as they came. Even more perplexing, the plagues continued but the Hebrews were spared. After the lice, not one plague entered the land of Goshen where the Hebrews lived. Flies, dead and diseased livestock, boils, hail of ice and fire, locusts—swarms of them.And then darkness so deep and so thick, it was as though you could touch it; feel it wrap its cold arms around you. Only the Hebrews had light in their homes strong enough to cut through this strange darkness. What was it? All of this was followed by a command from Moses to slaughter a lamb and cover the doorposts, eat quickly, and prepare to leave. Leave and go where? But the morning brought only more strange events. The light of dawn was ushered in by the gut-wrenching sound of screaming and wailing. A sound unlike had ever been made in this land. It could be felt in the air. The unthinkable had happened: death in every home. Not just death, but the death of the firstborn son in every family. Not one home had been left untouched, including the Pharaoh’s. Every home except the Hebrews—those covered by the blood of the lamb on their homes.
The Egyptians had had enough. Not only did they tell the Israelites to leave, but they loaded them with every kind of wealth and treasure they had. Thousands of Hebrews, all supplied with the wealth of their enemy. It seemed more like a dream than a reality. And then…Freedom. It was a concept she had never spent time pondering before. Freedom was for the elite and the birds of the air. Not for her, not for her family, or her children. There was talk of a Promised Land; rumours of green hills with milk and honey. But where was it? What was it? What would be there? How would they get there This rag-tag group of Hebrews had never left the boundaries of Egypt. Vast wilderness and unknown peoples were all that faced them. She didn’t know where she was going or how they would get there. But one thing she knew for certain— life would never be the same.
The young Hebrew woman in this story could be any of us. Prior to Jesus, our lives are spent in bondage to a kingdom that serves itself. No chance for prosperity, legacy, or advancement. Bound, tormented, and without hope for a future.
But then comes Jesus. He sets us free, removes us from the kingdom of darkness, and brings us into Promise. But we have to be willing to go into the exodus with him to get to the Promised Land. And not every part of our heart exits Egypt at the same time. Our spiritual salvation is sealed at the moment we confess Jesus is Lord, but our soul goes through a life-long process of sanctification—becoming more like Jesus and less like our old selves. There are parts of us that take a little more work to want to leave the bondage of Egypt, or even recognize that it is still in bondage.
Our Egypt isn’t necessarily a physical place. Egypt is any place in our hearts where Jesus isn’t yet Lord. It’s a place of bondage. It’s a place where no matter how hard we try to do it right, we fall back into the same patterns and ways as before. Egypt can look like many things, sometimes even look like a good thing (something that we think is protecting or helping us).
Egypt may look like:
Fear
Guilt or condemnation
Addiction
Bitterness and unforgiveness
Regret
Self-protection (anger, isolation, independence, disconnection)
Unhealthy coping mechanisms
Generational cycles or family habits
Empty religion without relationship with God
Activation:
Ask God to reveal your Egypt.
Pray: “Lord, show me the areas of my life still bound in fear, regret, or old patterns.” Pay attention to what comes up — a thought, memory, or emotion.Acknowledge it honestly.
Write it down or name it out loud. Egypt often hides in what feels familiar but isn’t truly free.Choose repentance or forgiveness.
If it’s sin, confess it. If it’s hurt, choose forgiveness. This is where the chains break.Renounce the lie.
Ask: “God, what lie have I believed here?” Then speak the opposite truth of His Word.Invite Holy Spirit to fill that place.
End by asking Him to fill your heart with His presence where bondage once was.
This post is the first in my upcoming series: From Egypt to the Promised Land—A Journey into Freedom, Healing, and Victorious Living. Each blog comes from my five-part book series coming your way!
