“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.’ They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.”
Exodus 8:16-17
Gnats are a prototype for impure thoughts that try to penetrate the human mind. Like gnats, a wrong thought leads to another one, and another one and yet another one. Bad thoughts tend to reproduce. Our mind is like fertile soil where we can decide what kind of seed to sow. We can either sow seeds of faith and hope that come from the Word of God, or seeds of doubt and fear that come from difficult circumstances. When the thoughts of God are revealed in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit, a veil is removed and the spiritual world is revealed with it. When this happens, all failure from the past disappears and all inability produced by our limitations turns to a new life of blessings. These blessings become a reality for us and for our offspring. Solomon said: “for as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7a).
It is not a coincidence that the plague of flies comes right after the plague of gnats since flies represent filth. “And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies” (Exodus 8:24). One of the names of the enemy is Beelzebul, which means, “lord of the flies.” It is a symbol of impurity. The mind that gets contaminated with negative thoughts can become the adversary’s favorite place to sow all kinds of impurities. Our God is Holy, which is His nature. Holiness implies purity, beauty, harmony, perfection, greatness, glory, excellence and power. Holiness takes priority over everything. When God revealed His holiness to the people of Israel, they stayed there in awe because the very glory of God descended upon the mountain and the whole earth began to shake. When the Israelites experienced it they shook, because they knew nobody could stand before His presence and holiness. Holiness produced a reverent fear in all the people, who told Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die” (Exodus 20:19). Holiness leads to a greater commitment to God, which produces a mindset that is open to the revelation of His Word and brings peace and harmony only by the Spirit of God. That is why the Lord gave this order to His people, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“It’s amazing how in our daily life we acquire arguments and concepts that we know are wrong, but we become so familiar with them.” Those were Leonardo’s first words while sharing his testimony. “I met my wife at school. During high school when she was sixteen and I was eighteen, she became pregnant. We tried to form a family and decided to live together, but our home’s foundations were built upon sand. As many had predicted, our relationship was heading towards failure. I was living from the generational curse that I inherited from my parents, who were never married and were still living together. I even thought that marriage was not important and that I should never be tied to just one woman. One day I was invited to attend an encounter where I was confronted by the Word of God. I felt that I was looking at myself in a mirror and I realized I was on the wrong path, leading my wife and my son to a destiny of misery. That day I decided to turn my life around. I repented with all my heart and I consecrated my life to God. After making this decision I felt that the chains of oppression that had been inside of me for years were broken. All the arguments in my mind disappeared in an instant and I felt that I had received deliverance, healing and forgiveness for my sins. My greatest desire was to restore my family. So, when I came back home and I found my wife and my son, and with a broken heart and I hugged them. With tears in my eyes I asked them to forgive me for all the times I had taken from them, and for not being a good example of a proper husband and father. That day I asked my wife to marry me. That was such a shock for her because she had always insisted on us getting married, but I would always ignore her. I told her about everything I had experienced on the encounter and I encouraged her to attend one that was going to take place later that year, and she did. God transformed her and changed her nature as well. When she came back we began all over again. We started a new season of intimacy and we were able to rescue the lost love in our relationship. This time everything was different because God was with us, and that is the most important thing in a relationship. Our marriage became an inspiration to my parents, who also decided to take the step of marriage although they had lived together for twenty-four years. As a family we not only love God, but we also serve Him in everything we do.” (Leonardo Rojas)
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“My mind is the fertile soil where the Word of God was sowed and it gave the abundant fruit of life.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: Isaiah 62-64; Proverbs 30
- New Testament: Luke 24:36-44; Hebrews 13:1-8
