It took one day to get the Israelites out of Egypt but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel! Yet another tragedy that can befall a man is to desire the very things that enslaved him. This is what is called slave mentality. It has physical and spiritual consequences. After a deliverance session, the young girl asked me angrily: why did you send the demons away? To my surprise I replied with a question: are you not happy that you are free? In reply she said: “I love them, they give me supernatural powers.” Many today suffer self-afflictions because of this mentality. God-man relationships are destroyed because of this satanic mentality. If this is too deep, read slowly…
cf Ex 16:2-4,12-15
The whole community of the sons of Israel began to complain against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and said to them, ‘Why did we not die at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we were able to sit down to pans of meat and could eat bread to our heart’s content! As it is, you have brought us to this wilderness to starve this whole company to death!’… ‘I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel. Say this to them, “Between the two evenings you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have bread to your heart’s content. Then you will learn that I, the Lord, am your God.” And so it came about: quails flew up in the evening, and they covered the camp; in the morning there was a coating of dew all round the camp…When they saw this, the sons of Israel said to one another, ‘What is that?’ not knowing what it was. ‘That’ said Moses to them ‘is the bread the Lord gives you to eat.’
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
1. After their mighty deliverance from slavery, the people of Israel showed signs of slave mentality: they preferred the food of slavery to the hardships that comes with freedom. You may wonder at their gross ingratitude to God and to Moses and ask what must have prompted such behaviors.
2. Nothing but the feeling of insecurity causes slave mentality and causes one to continue depending and appreciating oppression and suppression. As slaves, the Israelites did not have the liberty to “sit down to pans of meat and eat bread to their heart’s content!” as reported. They twisted the reality to suit their cravings. What is certain is that in Egypt they were sure, at least, of daily food given to them by their slave masters. Their fears were the uncertainties that will be encountered in the desert which raises feelings of insecurity and causes slave mentality.
3. Slave mentality have physical and spiritual consequences. The fear of leaving behind the ‘benefits of evil pasts’ have made some remain in some form of self-affliction or bondage when they continue choosing momentary joys over lasting peace. Uncertainties about the future have caused many to contaminate their blessings by compromising with ungodly standards, rather than wait on God with faith, and working hard for a brighter future. They fear the challenges that comes with freedom and prefer momentary happiness in bondage.
4 Child of God, desire and embrace Spiritual freedom- a freedom that comes only through spiritual revolution of the mind to embrace goodness and truth. This is what St Paul teaches when he says:
Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth…You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires (Eph 4:23-24 & 22).
5. Until you experience this Spiritual revolution of the mind you won’t understand the purpose of miracles, you won’t see the hidden wisdom in living life of righteousness. Many Christians today lack this spiritual revolution the mind. To them, the words of Christ is relevant today:
‘I tell you most solemnly, you are not looking for me because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat.’ (Jn 6:26)
TASK: Child of God, every miracle is a sign and every sign has meaning and points to a greater reality other than itself. Slave mentality blocks our ability to recognise and understand the workings of God in our daily lives and creates fears and uncertainties that make us feel God has abandoned us. Ask the Lord now to help you recognise and understand the daily miracles in your life.
Pray Psalm 25:4-6 now. Repeating verses 4 and 5 3 times. May the Lord open the eyes of your mind to perceive and understand deep spiritual things. Amen
