Did you know the older people are, the less likely it is they will come to faith in Christ? Statistically, only 25% of people receive the gift of salvation after age 18. That tells us how important it is to pass down the truths of the Bible and our Christian faith to our children and grandchildren, but it also tells us something about spiritual warfare.

I was reminded of this while reading Exodus 1-5 this morning. God has preserved the life of a young Hebrew named Moses because He intends to use him to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt into the promised land of Canaan. In Exodus 5, Moses and Aaron present their case for the first time to Pharoah, requesting time off for all the Hebrews to go into the wilderness and worship their God for three days. Pharoah’s response is as expected: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice? I do not know the Lord. I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2).

Out of spite, he increases their burden. No longer will they be given straw to make bricks but will have to go out in the fields and gather their own, yet their production quota must remain the same. They will have to work twice as hard to attempt the impossible. When they fail, their foremen are beaten and told the people are lazy.

Of course, this discourages the people. In taking the first step to free the people, Moses and Aaron have caused Pharoah to hold on to them even more tightly and make life even more miserable. Even Moses is confused about what God is doing.

Exodus 5:22-23 – Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharoah to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

I love God’s response.

Exodus 6:1-2 – Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharoah; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.” God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD…”

God goes on to tell Moses exactly what He will do.

I will bring you out…

I will deliver you…

I will redeem you…

I will take you for My people…

I will be your God…

I will bring you to the land…

I will give it to you…

God allowed Pharoah to show his hand. He exposed his evil, unbending, hard heart. He revealed that he had no mercy for the people and desired no good thing for them. He destroyed any illusions that slavery was a safe place to stay.

I believe the same thing happens in the spiritual world when God determines to bring us to salvation. As a child, the enemy hasn’t had time to take hold of our hearts. We are more innocent, not having seen evil, but are easily bent toward the love of God. We trust more easily. We believe more readily. As we grow up, however, our enemy, Satan, has more and greater opportunities to trap our hearts and minds with his deception. Either we go down a path of rebellion towards God and experience all the evil and ungodly things Satan offers, or we cling to the moral code and values we were taught, experience some success and pleasure in life, and conclude we don’t need God after all.

When God starts to work on our hearts and draw us toward salvation, the enemy is aroused to battle. He increases his grip on our lives. We fall farther away from God in depravity as he convinces us we’re beyond saving, or we fall farther away from God in self-works and self-righteousness as he gives us the pleasures and comforts of this world.

Satan always overplays his hand, however, and at the time God determines, God says, “Now you shall see what I will do!” God is fully capable of lifting us from Satan’s grasp and freeing us from our slavery to sin.

It will take a lot to break Pharoah’s grip. As God begins to unfold the plagues, Pharoah hardens his own heart, and as a result, God hardens his heart beyond repentance – a terrible place to be, and one that will end in Pharoah’s death and eternal separation from God.

In this story, Pharoah is like Satan, holding on tightly but destined to lose. Moses and Aaron are a picture of the Holy Spirit, asserting God’s right and authority over the souls of men. Jesus won the battle on the cross, just as God broke Pharoah’s grip. All the Israelites had to do was follow Moses and Aaron out to freedom.

Are you, or someone you know, struggling to take God at His word and receive forgiveness and salvation? If God is drawing you, there is a spiritual battle going on that has eternal implications for your soul. Satan has no power to hold onto you, but you must surrender to the Holy Spirit that is drawing you, repent of your sins, and ask God to save you. Turn your back on slavery and walk into the freedom and eternal life that Jesus came to give you. Now you shall see what God will do!

2 Timothy 2:24-26 – The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.