THE VICTORY IS SECURED IN THE SPIRIT FIRST

In today's article, we shall discover how Moses and Aaron went boldly to confront Pharaoh. For four hundred and thirty years the children of Israel suffered as slaves in Egypt, under the rulership of Pharaoh. After those years of pain, God remembered them, and sent a man to go and deliver them.

Reference: Exodus 7:10-12 English Standard Version (ESV) 

'So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.'

When God was ready to deliver His people from the hands of Pharaoh, He raised a deliverer. The presence of an uncommon prophet in Israel was usually a sign that God had remembered them. More so, in your Christian walk today, the presence of Jesus in your life is the greatest victory ever and you must celebrate Him every day. Therefore, it is always time to testify because God has remembered you.

However, there's a good lesson to learn from today's topic. God anointed Moses to go and confront the very powers that had kept the people of God captive. Commissioned by God, Moses went to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let His people go. When Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh, the first sign and wonder they performed was to put down his staff, and it turned into a serpent. 

Note that Pharaoh was wearing a crown designed with a cobra's head. That was symbolic of all the evil powers of the land of Egypt based on the cobra spirit. In fact, the cobra was a significant royal symbol in ancient Egypt. It was also drawn and sculpted as an image called a uraeus, which denoted their protection. Pharaoh also had to place it on his head, transforming the striking cobra into his sign of protection and defence.  

When Pharaoh saw this sign performed by Moses and Aaron, he wasn't moved. So he ordered his own magicians to do the same. Pharaoh's magicians cast their own staffs down and they also turned to serpents. But to their amazement, the serpent from the staff of Aaron swallowed all the serpents from the staffs of the magicians. God defeated Pharaoh in his own game; He destroyed the source of all their power and defence. This was exactly when Moses, the servant of God overcame witchcraft and serpentine powers in Egypt through the might of God.

Here's significance of this great defeat: When Aaron's staff swallowed up the staffs of the magicians of Egypt, it meant a spiritual programming for the Egyptians to be swallowed up in the red sea. So the red sea victory took place in the spiritual realm in form of the staffs' contest. Though Pharaoh become very stubborn after that, as stated in the next verse (see Exodus 7:13), it was only a matter of time for the victory to manifest in the natural realm. 

Hebrews 29:11 (NIV) reads, 'By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.' The Egyptians were all swallowed up by the red sea, not because the Israelites cried out to God to save them but because it was projected to happen in that manner due to the staff' contest in Pharaoh's palace. Their staffs being swallowed up in the very beginning was a spiritual manipulation waiting to happen at the red sea, in a matter of time.

Beloved God has given you the power and ability to destroy all the works of the enemy in your world. But when you pray and exercise your authority, believe it's done and settled. Observing how bad or stubborn the situation may still seem is believing lying vanities. What you've addressed by the Spirit will surely manifest in the natural; therefore maintain your confession and refuse to be moved, no matter what you see. 

The Word of God gives us guarantee of absolute dominion and victory when it comes to all the attacks of the enemy but first you must know how to apply the Word for your victory. The Bible says, 'you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free' (Romans 8:32 KJV). If you have a revelation of the victory and power God has given you in any area of life, you'd enforce and establish in the spirit realm, absolute victory over every power of wickedness against your life. You can do this through effective prayer and declarations. 

The knowledge and application of accurate truth will trigger your liberty in the spirit realm first. However, ignoring the works of the enemy does not take them away. You must confront it because if there is any manipulation of the enemy in any area of your life, and you've refused to confront and address it by the Spirit, the enemy will continue to take advantage of you in that area. 

Jesus said, 'Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you' (Luke 10:19 KJV). To trample on the works of the enemy, you must address it spiritually. It doesn't mean you should deliberately go and trample on live serpents and scorpions; the battle is rather spiritual. Yes, you have to do something about it in prayer; put on the whole armour of God and establish your desired victory in the spirit and by the Spirit, and it will surely replay in the natural realm.

Scripture Reading - Matthew 11:12; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Ephesians 6:12-13; Hebrews 11:3.

Exuberant Declaration:

Thanks be unto God who gives me the victory in all things, through our Lord Jesus Christ! I reign and dominate over all the works of the enemy always. The victory of Christ is resident in my spirit and I exercise it by prayer and by enforcing the truth of God's Word in any given circumstance; thus I prevail over the battles of life. Hallelujah!