ROLLING AWAY THE REPROACH OF EGYPT

The American church has long been captivated by the society around her. The theology of fallen society has become the theology of many of God’s people. But now another generation is rising up—people who are tired of the wilderness, tired of the powerlessness, tired of the name of Jesus being trampled underfoot.

The Lord is calling His own and saying, “If you want to inherit the life that I died to give you, you must choose to turn away from sin. You must refuse to walk in what is common practice in a fallen society.” It is an hour of the miraculous again, and God has invited each of us to be a part of it. We are a type of Joshua’s generation, about to go into the Promised Land, but we cannot go in until the reproach of Egypt is rolled away—until we are clearly marked as the people of God.

That is why at the end of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Examine yourselves!

How do you do that? It’s simple: Start by asking yourself some questions.

Am I living in victory? Do I have dominion over sin, or does sin have dominion over me? Do I try to present an argument to justify my sinful practices? Remember, Jesus gives His Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins, promising that sin will no longer have dominion over them. He declares that old things are literally cut to the root, and although they may appear to have life, in reality they are dead. In their place is new life—new power, new victory, new hope and a new future.

Ask yourself: Is my life a testimony of Christ? Are people asking me the reason for the hope that is within me? Am I drawn forward by an inner knowledge that the Lord’s plans for me are for good and not for evil, to bring me to an expected end—a place that my heart has always longed to go?

If you are determined to go God’s way, He will give you the grace that you need. You are going to find life and you are going to find it more abundantly.

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. A strong, compassionate leader, he is a frequent speaker at the Expect Church Leadership Conferences conducted by World Challenge throughout the world.