Wrong Exits Versus Right Exits
by Dr. John TetsolaGod has assigned specific routes for us to accomplish His will for our lives. Lack of understanding of our placement and purpose of our connection to a house prevents us from properly submitting to the God-ordained places and people in our lives, causing us to make wrong exits. Such was the case with Hagar. Even though Hagar was mistreated, her reaction moved her away from the relationship and place that was destined to bless her and bring an inheritance to her unborn child.
"And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian…and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face."Genesis 16:3-6
In Genesis 16, we see the portrait of an individual who attempted to exit wrongly. Hagar, Sarai's maid, was given by Sarai to her husband Abram, to become his secondary wife (mistress). When Hagar found out that she was pregnant, she began to look with contempt on Sarai, and despised her. In response to Hagar, Sarai became angry and jealous and blamed her wrong decision and action on her husband Abram. Sarai made it very uncomfortable for the pregnant Hagar. She mistreated Hagar. She afflicted and treated her so harshly and severely that Hagar had to flee from her presence. Hearing this and imagining the picture of the entire scenario, it is impossible not to be sympathetic to Hagar, and be angry with Sarai. But God did not look at it that way.
Despite Sarai's actions, Hagar's exit was wrong. Even though Sarai, as a leader, did not respond properly, the principles of exiting and entering in still applies. This is true today in the life of the believer. As Christians we are going to find ourselves in places, relationships, and even churches and ministries that may wrongly deal with us and harshly mistreat and humiliate us without any fault of ours. Our actions and reactions must not be the kind exhibited in the Scriptures here by Hagar. We must learn to remain in our places to reap a harvest. The Bible says that Hagar "fled from her presence." What happened was that Hagar left her "place." As believers there are places, territories, boundaries, and relationships that we are placed in, called to, and connected by the Spirit of God as part of the accomplishment of destiny in our lives. And these places, as long as we remain there and are faithful, become the place of harvest in our lives. Even though what was done to Hagar was wrong, her reaction moved her away from the relationship and place destined to bless her and bring an inheritance to her unborn child.
Stop Running
"And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai."
Genesis 16:7-8
The angel of the Lord found Hagar while she was in "another place." The Bible says she was found by a "fountain of water in the wilderness." This must have been a more serene place in comparison to the tumultuous atmosphere that she was running from. Even so, look at the angel's question to Hagar, "Where did you come from? And where are you intending to go?" Hagar's response is like a lot of Christian responses today, "I am running away from my mistress..." Isn't that what often happens when we don't like places or people, or when we feel that we are being treated wrongly? The first instinct is to always run, but you must stop running. There is always one person you can't run from, and that person is yourself. You will always meet God and yourself wherever you run to. What you don't allow God to work in you in one place will always accompany you wherever you go until you are willing to confront it.
The questions asked by the angel are key to understand, because if you don't know where you are coming from or exiting, you will not have an understanding of where you intend to go. How we leave must always corroborate with where we are going, or intend to go. I believe the angel's questions prophetically reveal Hagar's lack of understanding of her placement and the purpose of her connection to the household of Abram. Hagar exited the place destined to bless her and bring an inheritance to her unborn child. What place are you ready to leave? Don't make a wrong exit which could ultimately cost you your destiny. Commit and submit to that place. When Jesus mentioned eating His flesh and drinking His blood, He lost many followers. But Peter recognized that although Jesus' saying was hard and difficult to understand, by faith he was able to say, "To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." Stay in your place to reap a harvest, and never delude yourself; if you must exit, exit right so that you can enter in right. The way you leave a place, person, or thing determines how you enter into the next phase of your life.
by Dr. John A. Tetsola