Introduction: How to Find the Theme

Greetings, everyone. Let's delve into the eighth chapter of Exodus. Before we begin, I'd like to share a few fundamental methods for identifying themes in the Bible. The first method is to look for repeated phrases. The Bible contains numerous repetitions, and the more a phrase is repeated, the more likely it is a theme. As we read the Bible, we should strive to discern what God is trying to communicate to us. If we only perceive God's actions without seeing their relevance to us, it falls short. From the beginning, Exodus has consistently emphasized letting God's people go to serve Him. How do they serve Him? By becoming the army of the Lord God, emerging from Egypt. This is no easy task, as it involves overcoming many obstacles.

In this chapter, I've identified several potential themes. The first is "This is the Finger of God." Who said this? The magicians of Pharaoh. I find this theme somewhat lacking because, while it glorifies God, it doesn't deeply connect with us. For instance, in Genesis chapter one, if we define the theme as "God created all things," does God need to consult with you before creating? Even if He did, it might not have a significant impact on you.

Later, I discovered that the second method for finding themes in the Bible is to look for what is relevant to us. For example, God creating all things seems related to us, yet also somewhat detached. Whatever God wants to tell us, whatever He wants us to know how to do, He repeats many times. For instance, when writing a letter, the purpose is to ensure the recipient understands what they should do after reading it. Similarly, reading the Bible requires understanding what God wants us to do. This chapter repeats the phrase twice: And the Lord did according to the word of Moses.

So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields… And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. Then the swarms of flies departed from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. (Exodus 8:13, 31)

Reading this passage, you might be surprised to discover that not only do we listen to God's word, but God also listens to our words. This is quite novel! Why? Because historically, the doctrines I've encountered have emphasized God's authority, God's will, and God's actions. Yet, no one has ever mentioned that God actually acts according to our words. Its presence here is intentional. The intention is that we can lead the army of the Lord God out of Egypt, and the words you declare, God will fulfill. This statement astonishes me! What merit do I possess that God would fulfill what I declare? Let's examine what the New Testament says:

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)

This is miraculous! After hearing this, we must not question it but rather embrace it, thinking, "I, too, want to perform miracles." Many people disbelieve that God will fulfill, and before even praying, they lack faith. How can God listen to them? Brothers and sisters, do not misunderstand! For example, some might say, "I will ask God for a million dollars to see if He will act according to my words." This is uncertain because God desires you to experience Him. However, if your mind is consumed by money, I doubt you can handle a million or ten million.

God Fulfills What Those with Mingding Destiny Say

We must understand one thing: Whose words does God act upon? He will not act upon the words of selfish individuals, nor will He fulfill the desires of gluttonous people. What does God send you to do? He sends you to lead the army of the Lord God out of Egypt! If you are truly doing this, God will act according to your words, which is incredible. We call it Mingding Destiny, a name not of my own making but given by God. Because God told me, "This is called Mingding." From then on, we live solely for God, focusing on one task: leading the army of the Lord God out of Egypt.

I want to ask those who need healing and deliverance, what will you do after you are healed? Many treat their bellies as gods. After leading them to deliverance, I usually tell them to go and do what they should be doing! Because we do not live for our bellies, we all have Mingding Destiny: to build God's glorious church, to build an army of the Lord God composed of mighty warriors, to trample the devil and the enemy, and to liberate the captives. These are two completely different kinds of people, two completely different paths. I have seen some pastors who specialize in gathering those without Mingding Destiny.

The theme of this chapter is "And the Lord did according to the word of Moses." Similarly, the Lord God will act according to your and my words. I believe we are excellent at healing and deliverance. When I pray, various problems and diseases are resolved. Of course, some are not healed because these are all God's actions. Brothers and sisters must understand that the frogs coming up from the water came from God. Whether it is sickness or a curse, it comes from God. If God wants to curse someone and that person does not repent, my leading them in prayer will not work. Sometimes, they are healed, but they become stubborn again, and the sickness returns. This cycle repeats, so is this healing or not? This is where people are foolish.

The Lord God acted according to the word of Moses, but why did the gnats come again? This is a separate matter. I find this world quite interesting. What do those without Mingding Destiny, those who are selfish and only think of themselves, do after they are healed? They think of traveling the world and satisfying their desires. I say, "Now that you are healed, go and do what you should be doing!" They say, "No, what if my sickness returns? I still want to rely on you."

Sickness comes from God, so relying on me is useless because I am not God! There will come a time when prayer will not work. In such cases, I do not engage in moral blackmail, nor do I charge fees. I tell them to go and do what they should be doing! Those who remain here are those with Mingding Destiny, those who build God's church, those who are God's army, those who lead the army of the Lord out of the land of Egypt. What you do is your choice. If people value worldly things too much, they are filled with bad luck. Opposing God is sure to bring misfortune! They have the courage to do that, but I do not. My courage is to act according to the word of the Lord God, and then the Lord God will act according to my word.

One sister told me that chapters eight, nine, and ten of Exodus could be discussed in one go. I feel that would be unfair to everyone, so I will discuss them chapter by chapter. Perhaps God will give me grace to know what He wants to tell me in each chapter. Otherwise, why would God send so many plagues? God must have good intentions in doing so. This chapter mainly discusses how the Lord God acted according to the word of Moses. When Moses spoke to Pharaoh, he was not like a puppet, a copy machine, or a messenger. God seeks those who understand His heart, act according to His will, and speak according to His will.

God Fulfills What Those with a Generous Spirit Say

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain only in the river.”

So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain only in the river.” Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. (Exodus 8:8-13)

In fact, both God and Moses knew that Pharaoh was deceiving them. Each deception adds to the story. Brothers and sisters, do not be stingy. For example, we pray for many people, especially those with a heavy old horse spirit. These people are very worldly and indulgent in the flesh. In the process of serving them, we need to pray repeatedly. Do not mind the repetition, and do not be stingy. In history, there were two great prophets: Moses and Samuel. They both had hearts as broad as God's.

If your heart is as small as a peanut and your brain is as small as a walnut, it will be difficult for the Lord to act according to your words! If it were you or me, what would we say? We would say, "Can that be done? Let me go first, and then I will ask God to make the frogs leave!" People would do that, not acting without seeing results. They would also ask God to punish Pharaoh severely, doubling the number of frogs! But Moses did not do that. As soon as someone shows a hint of repentance, he immediately releases grace. Moses is impressive; I feel my heart is not as generous as his.

You cannot fight the old horse in this way; you must release sufficient grace. If you interact with me, you will find that I give those I serve sufficient grace. Where did I learn this? From the Bible. No matter how you play tricks on me, I will give you sufficient grace, and eventually, you will feel embarrassed. My patience exceeds that of most people. As soon as I see a sign of repentance, I give grace. Would Pharaoh say, "I will let you go to sacrifice to your Lord God"? It is not that easy! As a result, after the frogs were dealt with, Pharaoh hardened his heart again when he saw the disaster relieved.

"But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said." (Exodus 8:15)

This is often the case when dealing with worldly people, especially those heavily controlled by the world. Today they repent, tomorrow they become stubborn again; tomorrow they repent, the day after tomorrow they become stubborn again; back and forth. This is a path to death! If your heart is not broad enough, you will not like to give grace. It is troublesome to fight Pharaoh using Pharaoh's tricks. It is also not possible to fight those who discern good and evil using the methods of discerning good and evil. So we must know that we should always give grace. Our God loves those with a generous spirit.

I want to share a few things that are beyond my imagination. First, I do not like to deduct the salaries of preachers. In the church industry, I often hear that someone earns 200,000 a year outside, but only 50,000 a year when they come to serve in the church. Can 50,000 support a family? Is God's house poor? If God's house is not poor, why deduct so much, making it difficult for them to live? I know a preacher who is poor and cannot afford a house. His house was bought by his father-in-law. If a preacher is poor, can he bless everyone? Why save money for God? Is God poor? God loves those with a generous spirit!

Some brothers and sisters tell me that they want to serve God full-time. We both feel it is good, so they come. I ask the co-worker how much they earned before. They say 200,000, and I tell them that the annual salary here is 220,000. Later, I discovered that the more I do this, the richer I become! Because I believe our God is a wealthy God! Someone asked me where the money comes from? I tell you, the money is given by God! Do you believe it? Whether you believe it or not, it is God's provision! And I also have a characteristic: I encourage my co-workers to tithe if they are willing, or even give 20% or 30%.

God likes to listen to those with a generous spirit and likes to act according to what those with a generous spirit say. If your heart is as small as a peanut, your brain is as small as a walnut, lacking knowledge and wisdom, narrow-minded, seeing only trivial matters, thinking and saying foolish and ignorant things, should you not repent? Poor people cannot be preachers, this is what I say! If a preacher is poor, will he preach poverty? I preach wealth!

Brothers and sisters must know that I am not stingy in giving; in personal consumption, you will find that I only need a little money, enough to use, and I save a lot. It is too difficult for others to earn my money. Some people say to me, "Let me do this for you!" I say, "No, I will do it myself!" "Let me paint your walls!" I say, "No, I will paint them myself!" "Let me come to your house every week to clean, and give me 200 yuan each time?" "No, I will clean it myself!" Do you think I do this because I am poor? No! Because I am rich inside. Did I not say this in last week's sermon? I said it well:

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." (Philippians 4:12)

So it is good to be a preacher in our church because I do not like to deduct their salaries. A pastor who used to deduct the salaries of preachers in his church, resulting in very low salaries, learned from me and figured it out. A few days ago, this pastor's mother wrote to tell me that her son is becoming more and more like me. I said that is good, it is best to learn my generosity. I do not like stingy people. I thank God, I do not know where the wisdom and knowledge come from, but I believe that my God is a wealthy God! I never feel that my God needs me to save money for Him. If I do not spend God's money, who will? If God's money is not for me to spend, who is it for? You see, I am never distant with God. Never be distant with God!

If you are a picky person, you are a stingy person. If you like to find fault with others, you cannot be a generous person, and it is difficult for God to listen to you. Because the words you speak are picky and nonsense, how can that work? Brothers and sisters, can you now understand why Pharaoh changed his mind again and again, and Moses was not afraid of being deceived? It does not matter if he is deceived once more!

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain only in the river.”

So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain only in the river.” Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. (Exodus 8:8-12)

Pharaoh's logic was that he would release them, and then they would be willing to drive away the frogs. He did not expect Moses to agree so easily! This Pharaoh was dumbfounded. How could there be such grace? Pharaoh did not dare to say that the frogs should leave today, fearing that it would not work, so he said tomorrow, enduring one more day. A generous person often sees those people bewildered because they do not know what happened. They think others are not using their brains well. Those who do not use their brains well will think that others are like them.

So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. (Exodus 8:13-14)

The frogs came up and died. I think those frogs were not ordinary frogs; they were probably as big as bullfrogs. Others go out to sweep snow in winter, but the Egyptians go out to sweep frogs. If they are burned, they have a fishy smell, but if they are not burned, they cannot melt away when piled up there. The whole of Egypt was in a mess.

But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said. (Exodus 8:15)

The stench had not yet dissipated, and Pharaoh changed his mind. I understand that worldly people have a set of tricks. For example, people in our area often pat their chests and say, "Leave this to me!" After a while, when you ask how things are going, they ask you seriously, "What's the matter? Did I promise you? Did I say that at the time? Maybe I was drunk and talking nonsense!" You are speechless, and that is being a scoundrel. For example, when you go to ask for money, they will fool you to come the next day. When you go the next day, there is nothing. Even if you have a recording as evidence, you are still rebuffed, saying that you do not trust them, making you feel unreasonable.

People controlled by the old horse are like the Egyptian Pharaoh, who should be called the Egyptian Pharaoh Horse, who is a complete scoundrel. When I fight the old horse, the old horse lies repeatedly and does not keep any promises, just like the Egyptian Pharaoh. As soon as there is a slight relaxation, they immediately change their minds. Later, I understood that fighting the old horse is the same as fighting the Egyptian Pharaoh. The spirit on the Egyptian Pharaoh is the old horse, which is very stubborn and scoundrel, commonly known as the "Old Scoundrel Horse." If you want to bring the army of the Lord God out of Egypt, the first thing that will stop you is the old horse. Its style is very similar to the Egyptian Pharaoh because the Egyptian Pharaoh does not keep his word. It is difficult to drive away the old horse. It comes and goes, and actually never leaves! Those who have driven away this demon know that it is very difficult to deal with.

If you want to drive away the old horse and bring out the army of the Lord God, you cannot use the old scoundrel's way to deal with the old scoundrel. It does not work. You must use God's way, giving it sufficient grace. This is God's wisdom. So we often give enough grace, as many times as it takes, until it is destroyed. It really tests one's patience. Sometimes you feel anxious and uncomfortable, wanting to punch it, but you cannot! As soon as you punch it, the old horse will release more lies in the heart of the person being delivered.

Do you think that God has no way to deal with it when the old horse changes its mind? God uses His methods to manifest His actions again. This is God's means. When we fight spiritual battles, we must use God's means to bring God's people out of Egypt. We must know for sure that when we stretch out the staff in our hand to strike the land, many disasters will run rampant. In the past few years, when we fought the old horse, we knew that the evil spirit behind the plague was the old horse. So do not be afraid of it. They are used by God to punish the world.

When Moses brought the frogs up, I thought that the Egyptian magicians should have put the frogs back into the river. But they also brought the frogs up. I do not understand what they are doing? They are completely helping Pharaoh to make things worse. Are they on Pharaoh's side or Moses' side? It is very funny! It is like kicking the ball into your own goal. The old horse spirit cannot defeat Moses or God's people. The old horse spirit is very interesting. We beat them senseless, and as a result, they give worldly people COVID-19, SARS, etc. They are very energetic.

This world is beyond our imagination. In fact, these spirits of death are all under God's control. Once I served a person with a fever. The spirit was very stubborn when I prayed. The spirits on people with fevers are cold-blooded animals, such as frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles, etc. These cold-blooded animals can cause a series of problems. Who caused these problems? Actually, they were all caused by God. We generally lead people to repent, and the effect of prayer and deliverance is very good. Because these people are stubborn, their minds are filled with worldly logic.

If a person loves the world very much, these spirits will come to torment them. These spirits actually belong to the old horse family. This is a very funny thing. In fact, many people believe in the Lord after they have had enough of worldly troubles and are driven by demons into God's kingdom. I do not know which side the old horse is helping? It once told me that it was helping me to build the church. Regardless of whether the old horse said this, I really think it makes sense. It is really the case that all those who love the world are taken away by the old horse.

God Accomplishes According to What Uncompromising People Say

We mentioned that the magicians could not handle the gnats. Moses and Aaron stretched out their staffs and struck the dust of the ground, and the dust of the ground became gnats throughout the land of Egypt. Think about how much dust there was, and that's how many gnats there were! Don't underestimate these gnats; they may be small, but there are many of them, making them difficult to deal with! For example, in cartoons, we sometimes see armies of ants or locusts swarming around, and we don't know how to handle them!

You chase them away from here, and they come from there; you simply can't get rid of them. Hundreds, thousands, even billions of gnats come, which is formidable! Where do these things come from? They are all worms from hell. You must know that if someone's home is often infested with insects, the spirit of death is heavy in that place. If there are insects, gnats, or a tendency to produce foul odors in the home, it's all due to demons. Even small insects like gnats can be deadly! What happened as a result?

Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. (Exodus 8:19)

Pharaoh and his officials were quite resistant to the bites! These people felt fine, but the next day, flies came. The gnats crawled, but now the flies fly. These are all closely related to the worms of hell, as I said. Guess what happened? Nothing happened to the Israelites; these things all happened to the Egyptians. To what extent? As long as the Egyptians took a breath, flies would enter their nostrils. If they breathed with their mouths open, oh my goodness! They would all be sucked into their mouths, truly eating flies, which is disgusting! Pharaoh couldn't stand it and summoned Moses and Aaron.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.” (Exodus 8:25)

You will find that in battle, the devil is very persistent. What did Pharaoh mean? Didn't you say you wanted to go into the wilderness for three days to sacrifice to God? No need! You can do it here. He wanted Moses and Aaron to compromise. If Moses compromised and agreed, saying, "Okay, let's do it here!" that would be trouble. Moses firmly disagreed.

But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us to death? We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” (Exodus 8:26-27)

As a result of Moses' persistence, Pharaoh's words came again:

So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Plead with God for me.” (Exodus 8:28)

All of Pharaoh's words were lies, just trying to get people to compromise. Those who belong to the world will always try to make you compromise. The truth that we, Chinese Mingding Destiny, convey is: we do what God says, and we never compromise. Of course, sometimes we may not get it right, but I believe God will surely lead us to get it right.

Let's take the matter of baptism as an example. There is no such thing as "sprinkling baptism" in the Bible. Later, I did a little research and observed how people in the world do things, which is prone to compromise. For example, being baptized in the Jordan River, Moses did not compromise, nor did Jesus. Jesus walked all the way from afar to the Jordan River, a journey of several days, relying on his two legs, not driving! It was a very hard thing, and John the Baptist was baptizing there.

Later, people felt that baptism was too troublesome, wasn't this a compromise? They thought, why not just get a bathtub at home! I don't object to you getting a bathtub, but you can't always stay in a bathtub. If you want to dig a canal, I don't object either. But people can't always compromise! If you want a bathtub, how much water would you waste? So the bathtub was turned into a basin, and the basin was turned into a bowl, constantly compromising, and finally the bowl was replaced with a small bottle.

I didn't see Jesus using a small bottle in the Bible, but I did see Guanyin Bodhisattva holding a small jade bottle in "Journey to the West." If the small bottle changes again, I don't know where it will go! People even call it: the water in the bottle is holy water, brought back from the Jordan River. Even if it was brought back from the Jordan River, it's just a small bottle. The Bible doesn't say that.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that the devil's tricks often hinder us, often making us compromise! The question is whether you accept compromise or not? I just gave an example of baptism. There are many compromises in the Bible. The Apostle Paul used to argue with those who kept circumcision about whether to keep circumcision. Paul opposed circumcision because it was a compromise. Compromise is the devil's trick. If you are a compromising person, I tell you that God doesn't listen to you much. If you are an uncompromising person, I tell you that God listens to you. Do you understand now? If you want God to do according to your words, then you really have to be the right material!

First, you must have a Mingding Destiny to bring God's people, God's army, out of Egypt; second, you must fight against the old horse, against the things of the world. In the process of fighting, in the process of the devil's rascality, you must constantly release grace, let them know that Jehovah is God, and your heart must be broad enough; third, you must not compromise. When others tell you that you don't actually need to walk for three days, walking for three days will cause blisters on your feet, I'll send you some transportation, just walk for one day. Many Christians take God's words as wind in their ears. God said:

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37)

Do you understand? If someone says who can do it from ancient times to the present? The person who says this is a purebred old horse. Some people also chime in and say, it doesn't matter, you don't actually need to do it, no one can do it. Do you take God's words as decoration! God's words are established in heaven!

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18)

Today, among us, how many things have we Christians compromised on? That is countless! A few days ago, a brother sent me a video. A pastor was discussing what a pastor's wife is. I listened for a long time and didn't understand which part of the Bible he was discussing. What he was discussing was all invented by himself.

So let us not develop the habit of compromising, let us not develop the habit of hearsay, let us develop the good habit of listening to the words of Jehovah God. If we listen to God's words, God will also listen to our words, this is the root! Brothers and sisters, we must read the Bible well. After reading the Bible, we must act according to God's words. It's not that if we want God to listen to us, God will listen. Do you understand the theme of this chapter? That is, Moses said this long passage, and God will do according to what Moses said.

Summary

Finally, let's make a summary: First, Moses carried a Mingding Destiny, which is to bring the army of Jehovah out of Egypt. This is why God will do according to what Moses said; second, we must have the same heart as God, often giving grace to people. This is the key to fighting against the old horse; third, never compromise! From now on, let us desire to become a person with a Mingding Destiny!

May God bless everyone!