Those Chosen by God Must Be Able to Perform Miracles

Greetings, everyone. Let us delve into the fourth chapter of Exodus. Exodus is a book rich in narrative, with stories that seem almost unbelievable, such as God speaking to Moses. Consequently, many people read it as a mere myth, especially today, when many have only a superficial understanding of the spiritual realm.

I believe that the first three chapters of Exodus are best explained by me, as I have a profound understanding of this book. Since becoming a believer, I have read this book countless times, both in English and Chinese. I find Exodus to be excellent, but studying it is not easy, which is why I have saved it for last.

I have already completed studies on Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus. Exodus is challenging because we cannot verify these events, nor can we ascertain the truth of these miracles and wonders, such as crossing the Red Sea as if on dry land. These things are indeed difficult to believe. But our God is such a God!

Today, please do not be contentious with me. When you see God giving Moses a staff, do not ask me if I have a staff or if I am chosen by God. It does not work that way. What, then, is the theme of Exodus? It is that the army of Jehovah came out of Egypt.

Today, as a Christian, God has released you from the world. Originally, you were toiling in this world, whether as a free man, a slave, or a wealthy person. As long as you exist in this world, you must submit to its norms, and thus you are not entirely free. Exodus refers to the army of Jehovah coming out of Egypt. We who believe in the Lord have come out of the world to become the army of Jehovah God. Do you understand this principle?

In this chapter, we see God calling a vessel that He can use to be the manager of Jehovah’s army. This manager is chosen by God, not someone who can decide to do it or not at will. If God has chosen you, you cannot escape; if God has not chosen you, you may not be able to do it even if you try.

The first four chapters of Exodus describe the legendary story of Moses from birth to his encounter with God. God chose Moses not after he had spent 80 years tending sheep, but from the womb. The same is true for you and me, so that we may come out of Egypt (the world) and become the army of Jehovah God, to inherit the promised land.

God chose Moses to be the manager of the army of Jehovah God and granted him the authority to perform miracles. Therefore, the theme of the fourth chapter is “Those Chosen by God Will Surely Be Granted the Authority to Perform Miracles.” This authority to perform miracles is extraordinary and very important! Performing miracles is not something that ordinary people can do.

The previous chapter spoke of God sending Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, into the wilderness, and then into the promised land flowing with milk and honey. What a difficult task! At that time, Egypt was the most powerful nation in the world, with the most advanced weapons and equipment, and three million free laborers. Think of the value they could create and the GDP they could contribute!

If you say, “I will take them out for three days to worship our Jehovah God,” you know how difficult that would be. How could they allow you to leave? That is money! Your departure would cause the GDP to drop by several percentage points. If today a powerful nation’s GDP were to drop by 20%, no president or pharaoh would allow it. When God chooses someone to do this, you can do nothing without God working with you.

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’?” Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. (Exodus 4:1-4)

Listen carefully, this is not a magic trick, but a miracle, an operation in the spiritual realm. What Moses held in his hand was both a staff and a snake, and the snake obeyed Moses. So, I believe that operations in the spiritual realm depend on who is greater. This staff had been in Moses’ hand for many years, and it was a staff before and it is a staff now. Before, this staff could not turn into a snake, but today, with God with you, miracles are manifested.

Today, we need to know why the hand can hold a snake. Because the snake deceived Adam and Eve. The question is, can we manage this snake, manage the old horse, manage the powers of the underworld? We can! Then what are we afraid of? It is below us, unable to bite those of us who manage it, just as this snake obeyed Moses.

For God to choose someone to bring His people out of the world, the spiritual principle of performing miracles is crucial! But today, many pastors and Christians cannot perform miracles. The first point I am making today is that the person chosen by God, who can bring God’s people out of Egypt, must first be able to perform miracles. Performing miracles is clear evidence that God is with you!

Many people will ask: Did John the Baptist perform miracles? Can you prove that John the Baptist did not perform miracles? John the Baptist’s father was old when he and Elizabeth had this son, and then God spoke to him. That is a miracle! The Bible does not record everything, but that does not mean it did not happen! How do we know that John was a prophet? The Bible says that John was Elijah. The miracles performed by Elijah and Elisha are on par with those of Moses; they were very powerful. So, please do not immediately bring up a lot of negative examples to oppose miracles. What are you opposing? Isn’t that what Moses did?

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’?” (Exodus 4:1)

How can this be proven? The method is not something that you and I make up, but an idea that God gave to Moses. The idea is to throw the staff on the ground, and it will turn into a snake, and then pick it up and it will turn back into a staff. The later miracles are even more spectacular. Moses’ staff turned into a very powerful snake when thrown on the ground. We can manage this snake; it is the authority God has given us.

Today, we must know that the person chosen by God to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, to lead and manage God’s army, will not be believed if he cannot perform miracles. Only miracles and the authority granted by God can prove that God is with you; nothing else can prove it.

If you ask me, how do you know that God is with you? Then look at what I do, not what I say. Liars are the best at talking, but they cannot do anything. Miracles are actually a confirmation that God is with us. Those chosen by God can surely perform miracles! Moses did not perform just one miracle because he was afraid that people still would not believe.

Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the hand was leprous, like snow. “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. Then the Lord said, “If they will not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second sign. But if they will not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.” (Exodus 4:6-9)

More miracles and more miracles! God did not tell Moses that he did not need to perform miracles, that he could just reason with them. God did not do that! In the New Testament, miracles are also used to prove that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus was a man who spoke with authority. He said:

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17-18)

Miracles and wonders are not about a person’s life changing, nor are they about a person becoming good after believing in Jesus. A person who builds God’s army and leads God’s people into the promised land cannot do this without spiritual authority. So, the staff in Moses’ hand was a snake! Being able to hold a snake represents authority!

Later, this staff, representing authority, performed many miracles: raising the staff towards the sea, raising the staff towards the sky, and so on. When the staff was raised, things happened. This was a code with God! When the staff was raised, God did it in heaven! So, when God works with man, He gives the authority to perform miracles to those He has chosen.

Those Chosen by God Often Focus on Themselves

After seeing these three miracles, what would Moses think? He still did not focus on God’s power.

Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

From this, it can be seen that Moses must have had a stutter, and he would turn red in the face when he got anxious. In the past, Moses was eloquent, but he went from being a prince to a shepherd. He suffered such a great shock, and coupled with frequent quarrels with his wife, he could not reason with her. He was like dumplings cooked in a teapot, unable to express his bitterness. He was anxious, and as a result, he developed a stutter.

Even today, many of us still focus on ourselves, thinking that we are not good enough. Although we have served God for a long time, we still rely on our own abilities. We bring out our abilities, and then we find that our abilities are still not good enough. Fortunately, Moses felt that he was not good enough, otherwise, it would have been troublesome.

Those chosen by God often focus on their own abilities. Please do not think that I am a naturally capable person. I am not! Whether you are naturally capable or not does not matter. I am an extremely humble person. What does extremely humble mean? It means that I do not focus on my abilities, and I do not do things based on my strengths or weaknesses, because that is useless. When I say that I am extremely humble, I am not saying in front of people that I am not good enough. That is not humility. It is not about proving whether I am good enough or not, but that my God is certainly good enough!

In the process of God’s choosing, people often focus on themselves. God is using this vessel, and at the same time, He is shaping this vessel. Throughout the process of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he was actually dealing with himself, shifting his focus from himself to God.

Moses believed that although I am not good enough, my God is certainly good enough! My God has given all authority in heaven and on earth to His people, to me, so that I can fulfill His good will in me according to His plan. Today, whether you are good enough or not, as long as you pray, miracles will surely be manifested. There are many miracles that God has manifested in me. Healing the sick and casting out demons are the things that Jesus did the most, and I also think that healing the sick and casting out demons is good. Being healed is certainly better than being sick!

Because Moses had suffered many blows over the years, he focused on himself. He did not do it on purpose, because he really felt that he was not good enough. God spoke to him for a long time, but he said: Lord, send whomever you want to send, but I will not go! Did Moses really not want to go? He really did not want to go! But once God finds you, you cannot escape!

Then God gave him many reasons to make him go. Although he hesitated, he still went in the end. Moses’ story was quoted by Jesus in the New Testament.

Jesus said: “There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. (Matthew 21:28-31)

I ask everyone: Who is more pleasing to God? Of course, the one who went is more pleasing to God. Although people may initially focus on themselves, it does not matter. God can still use you, and you will grow day by day in the following service. I once spoke of a person named Modong, who should have said: I will go, I will go! But he ran away halfway. What is that all about? He said all the right things, but he only talked and did not do!

Moses initially said he would not go, but God still used him, and he went in the end. God prepared the tools to solve the shortcomings he had. If you have shortcomings, it does not matter. God will surely find someone to solve this problem for you. So, God spoke to Moses’ brother Aaron, and Aaron came to find Moses.

Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.” (Exodus 4:14-17)

At first, a person will definitely like to focus on himself, so he will have a thousand and one reasons and excuses not to go. But it does not matter. God can still use you. As a result, Moses thought: I will go back and tell my father-in-law and my wife, and they will definitely not let me go. Then I will reply to God, and I will have an excuse to say that they did not let me go.

So Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said, “Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.” Jethro said, “Go, I wish you well.” (Exodus 4:18)

In fact, God had already prepared everything! The road had already been paved for Moses! Moses did not perform any miracles when he spoke to his father-in-law, but his father-in-law was very supportive of him.

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. (Exodus 4:20)

Then God reminded him again of what would happen next.

God Will Foretell You What Will Happen in the Future

Our God is so good. He tells you what will happen in the future in advance, revealing to you what will happen in the future.

The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’” (Exodus 4:23)

God told Moses in advance that what would happen next would be a bit painful, so painful that all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians would be killed. Is God such a God? He certainly is! No matter who it is, no matter how stubborn he is, as long as he hinders God’s people from serving God, God will strike down what he considers most precious. Whether you are a president or a pharaoh, as long as you oppose God, God will certainly deal with you! God cannot tolerate those dark forces that hinder people from turning back to Him!

So, God instructed Moses that the things that would happen in the future would not be smooth sailing, but these things were all arranged by God. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened by God. Why was this so? To manifest miracles! Suppose Moses returned to Egypt and said to Pharaoh: I want to take the Israelites out of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said: Go, go, I will give you money, take all kinds of cattle and sheep! How could there be those miracles and wonders? The staff would not need to turn into a snake, all the processes would be saved, how could it be so easy?

God’s people coming out of this world, out of Egypt, requires a battle, but the ending is that God leads His people to victory! Not because His people are good enough, nor because His people deserve it, but because this is God’s plan. The army of God must come out of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God and performed miracles. This staff was like a sword of authority received from God. No one could stand before the staff in Moses’ hand, because this staff represented God.

So today, brothers and sisters, do not be afraid, even if you die, do not be afraid. In the eyes of people, Moses was actually risking his life to go to Egypt, but no one could touch a hair on Moses’ head, because he had God’s presence with him! Brothers and sisters, if God tells you the difficulties of the future, He is not only telling you the difficulties of the future, but He is telling you that no difficulty can hinder God’s plan!

Family Often Poses a Significant Obstacle to Our Service to God

Let's set aside the army of the Lord for now and consider earthly armies. If a national leader were to dispatch a general or marshal to lead hundreds of thousands of troops across vast rivers to a certain location for battle, wouldn't there be a price to pay? Wouldn't there be a risk to life? If he were to tell the head of state: "My wife doesn't want me to go!" Would that reason hold? Of course not! Because in the term "nation," the nation comes before the family. Without a nation, where would the family be?

Since ancient times, soldiers guarding the frontiers have risked their lives. How could they possibly bring their wives and children, fanning themselves, sipping wine, and enjoying air conditioning all day long, as if on vacation? If that were the case, just try it. Before long, the enemy army would come and the vacation would turn into a funeral! Understand that this is war, not a joke, nor a vacation.

The army of God, coming out of Egypt, needed to undergo a period of devilish training. Your family cannot be placed on a pedestal, cannot become an obstacle. Moses had it tough, bringing his wife and children to Egypt. On the way, God told Moses to circumcise his son. At this point, Moses' son must have been at least 30 years old, already an adult. Even at 60, Moses' wife was particularly stubborn, so Moses was completely dominated by her at home.

Moses told his wife that God wanted him to circumcise his son, which meant performing surgery on his male genitalia. Moses' wife had never heard of such a thing. Why circumcise there of all places? What if it became inflamed or infected? Where would they find a doctor in the wilderness? Could they still go to Egypt? Would he still be able to marry?

Could Moses or anyone else reason with his wife about these things? In the end, Moses was thoroughly choked off by his wife. Moses was too embarrassed to write these things down. Later, he thought, "Forget it!" But could God agree to that? If you compromise with your wife on such a small matter, how can you lead the Israelites out of Egypt? Since his wife had the final say, then forget about the rest! So God wanted to kill Moses!

"At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him." (Exodus 4:24)

We don't know how God appeared or spoke to Moses. We also can't investigate whether this was a scheme devised by God. Moses wrote it rather obscurely, but Moses was indeed struggling. Those who serve God must pass the test of family! Moses was embarrassed to write the details, because it would be a bit shameful, but he couldn't leave it out, so he could only gloss over it. But that doesn't stop me from digging deep! I'm even better than the paparazzi, digging up things from 3500 years ago.

When Moses' wife saw that God was going to kill Moses, she knew she had offended God, so she used a flint to circumcise her son. The process was actually quite complex. The couple argued, and the son also participated, siding with his mother. According to family democracy, Moses was a lone commander, and the vote would definitely be lost. If you do that, won't God kill you? This is dealt with according to the military law of God's army!

You may not understand that once God has chosen you to accomplish His great plan, you cannot allow anything to become your obstacle. If you are sent to the battlefield today, and your wife tells you not to go, and you don't go, you will be subject to military law! The most difficult hurdle for those who serve God is their wife and family.

The pastors I know haven't passed this hurdle very well. They also try hard to persuade me to follow their logic. But I understand that this military law is not a joke. Because I have been chosen to accomplish one thing, which is to bring God's people out of Egypt, to become an army of the Lord, to trample on the devil, the enemy. This is my Mingding Destiny!

If I die because I listened to my wife, how miserable and shameful would that be! As a result, his wife said one sentence: "You really are my blood groom!" After being married for a long time, couples will have conflicts and become enemies. As the saying goes, enemies have a narrow road. How narrow is the road? It's when two people move their pillows together, onto one bed, that's how narrow the road is. Husbands and wives often call each other enemies, that is, blood grooms, so the Chinese like to say, "It's not an enemy if you don't get together."

No matter what debt you owe from previous lives, if God has chosen you, you must implement it according to the military law of God's army. Later, Moses' son was circumcised, and there was no inflammation, no pus, and it did not affect his future marriage. Nothing was affected. Today, we need to know that on the road of serving God, we must cut through thorns, and you and I need to weigh the price of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. But if you truly overcome, if you truly pass this hurdle, you will surely see the glory of God.

Summary

Whether your eyes are fixed on yourself, looking at your own abilities, or whether you have many excuses and people you are concerned about, God will clear them away. And God will send an Aaron to help you, perhaps more than one. Aaron one, Aaron two, Aaron three... all come to help you, to accomplish God's great plan, to build God's glorious church, to build a strong army that can trample on the devil, the enemy.

If God calls you to serve Him, it is not God's confirmation if everything goes smoothly. Because if everything goes smoothly, nothing can be tested, and we don't know if we can overcome. A person who often compromises, seeing that nothing happens, but in God's eyes, a big thing has happened. You compromise with everyone, but you don't compromise with God; you listen to everyone, but you don't listen to God. I think the result will be enough for you to bear.

I have calculated that it doesn't matter if I am not afraid of anyone, I am only afraid of God; conversely, if I am afraid of everyone, but not afraid of God, then things will be tough! Is it a blood groom? Is it an enemy? It doesn't matter what it is. So everyone today should look at the devil's schemes. The devil often uses our family members as our enemies, hindering us from entering God's good will. So do our brothers and sisters understand? Obstacles are normal, no obstacles are abnormal.

There was a sister in the previous church whose husband supported her, but after coming among us, her husband opposed her. This is very interesting. Why? Because among us, we can trample on the devil, the enemy, so can the demon not stir up trouble in your home? It will definitely hinder you! As a result, Moses went to Egypt according to God's word, performed these miracles, and the Israelites saw it, and they were convinced and believed.

I ask you, what if there are no miracles? Can it work to just talk without miracles? The Apostle Paul in the New Testament said this: It is not to see what people say, but to see people's power, to see if people have authority from God, this is the key. So it is in accordance with the Bible to confirm God's presence with signs and wonders. Those whom God chooses, God will surely give them signs and wonders and the authority to perform miracles. Not only is it so in the New Testament, so it is in the Old Testament, it has never changed from ancient times to eternity.

Our God is so powerful, so majestic, glorious, and awesome. In Deuteronomy, it says to fear the glorious and awesome name of the Lord, this is the key. So God wants to choose people to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt, and also to build them into a mighty army of the Lord. Is it called doing revolution without any obstacles? The work we do is called revolutionizing the devil's life. When we revolutionize the devil's life, the devil will definitely rise up to hinder us.

Pharaoh of Egypt represents this world and the devil, the enemy who rules the power of darkness in this world. So today, brothers and sisters, prepare yourselves, are we willing to be used by God as vessels to manifest His glory? In fact, although Moses gave many excuses at the beginning when he was chosen, why did he still decide to go later? I think Moses finally had an account in his heart, this account is very important, that is, why do people live in this life?

At this time, Moses suddenly awakened the long-buried dream that had been turned to ashes, and the dream of his youth burst out again. After he woke up, he took his wife and children to Egypt. But his wife and children were a bit stupid, and missed the miracles Moses performed in Egypt, and missed the best show in the world.

Later, Moses led the Israelites into the wilderness, and Moses' father-in-law brought Moses' wife and children to find Moses again. Moses was very proud at this time! You know, at that time he was a king of one side! Although it was not said that he was a king, he led 3 million Israelites. How many troops are there in 3 million people? 600,000 troops! 3500 years ago, Moses led 600,000 troops, even the emperors Yan and Huang at that time led no more than that. Moses' reputation was mighty in all directions, and the surrounding people trembled when they heard it, how glorious!

At that time, Moses was no longer the shepherd Moses, but a fierce general leading 600,000 troops, this is the one chosen by God. So brothers and sisters, calculate it, what glory is that! Be sure not to let anything hinder you, even if we have said it, and we have found excuses, we still have to calculate in our hearts, which is bigger and which is smaller. Choosing to be chosen by God, choosing to be called by God, listening to God's word, and entering the great Mingding Destiny that God has given us, is still a good choice.

I think I would choose that too, I said I wouldn't go, but I still went. Although I didn't compromise and paid some price, the final result was still good. So I give everyone an advice, be a Christian, be a Christian who walks in God's will; be a pastor, also be a pastor who walks in God's will. This is a choice that is good and happy beyond compare. Why do I choose this way? Because I have witnessed many examples, all of which are very miserable.

I don't want to be a pastor who is uncomfortable, I just want to be an enjoyable pastor like me. There are not many people in the business of being a pastor and building a church who enjoy it as much as I do. That feeling is so good! Having God's presence, entering God's will, walking in God's plan, and seeing God's glory manifested through us. Although we also use money, we will not worry about money, nor do we need to worry about money, because God will surely prepare very well for us. It must be much better than those tragic stories.

Will we pay a price? We will pay a price. Do we gain? We gain. But what we gain is more than what we lose, because what we gain is a great Mingding Destiny. Some of us followed me to believe in the Lord, and many others came from church backgrounds. Everyone can carefully observe and carefully examine, to see what kind of pastor and what kind of Christian is the best to be? In fact, it is best to be like Moses, it is best to be like the Apostle Paul, and I can even tell you that it is best to be like me, that is really good and happy beyond compare.

To be victorious in this life, to be victorious in eternal life, and to receive the glorious crown that God has prepared for us when we come before God, what a wonderful grace that is!