Today's Bible readings are Genesis 41:17-42:17, Matthew 13:24-46, Psalm 18:1-15, & Proverbs 4:1-6
Genesis 41:41-44
41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”
How quick things can turn around in a person’s life that loves God. In the story of Joseph we see a young man with a vision & dream form God. God had a great plan for this man’s life. He began to reveal that plan to Joseph & immediately Joseph suffered great adversity.
The adversity that Joseph faced was not the work of God. It was the work of the enemy trying to hinder the plan of God. We need to make sure that we never give God the credit for what the enemy has done. This is satan’s greatest angle. He steals, kills, & destroys, then convinces us that it was God trying to teach us something. Here is the problem with that: If we think it was God we don’t resist it.
James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Joseph knew that it was not God who was trying to destroy him. This comes out later in his story when he tells his brothers that God turned the plan they had to harm into blessing. I’m sure there were days when the though came that God had forsaken him. It is natural for those thoughts to come. It is the progression of the temptation that satan presents. But Joseph submitted himself to God & the plan that God had for his life & resisted what he knew was not part of that plan.
Show do we know what is from God & what is from the enemy? Here are some things to consider as you try to discern between the 2.
1. Is it life-giving?
Remember that God is the giver of life. He will never bring death or destruction into your life. He does not have either of them in His storehouse. Remember, a man gives out of what He has stored up in Him. God is light & in Him there is NO DARKNESS AT ALL.
2. Does it line up with His Word?
God will never lead us in a way contrary to His Word. His Word is the primary way for us to know His will. It is His revealed will to us. If there are things going on that are not in line with His nature & character as revealed in His Word then we must resist it. If things happen that go against what He has spoken in His Word then we resist it. God will NEVER make you sick & He will NEVER make you poor. He has come so that we MIGHT HAVE LIFE IN ABUNDANCE!
3. Does it match His character?
When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God said, “I will cause My goodness to pass in front of you.” God is GOOD. When He passed by this is what He declared about Himself, “I am gracious, slow to anger, rich love, good to all. That is the character of our God. If it doesn’t match what He has told us of Himself then we should resist it.
When we funnel everything through these determining factors we will be more equipped to know what is from God & what is not. This is going to greatly improve our ability to resist what needs to be resisted & embrace what needs to be embraced.
I want to point out that this is what gives us confidence as we are going through the trials of faith & life. When we know God’s will we know that we will not be shaken. There is a certain degree of boldness that comes with knowing the will of the Lord. Joseph had that. It kept Him strong until that will came to pass.
I like to live my life knowing that it could come any second. The reality is that it could. It did in the life of Joseph. One day everything turned around for him. It happened so quickly that it may have left him a little in shock even though he knew it was going to happen.
I don’t know what it is that you are trusting & believing God for. Maybe there are some things that God has placed in your heart that you are holding onto. It may have been awhile since He first put them there. There may be some things that have happened since He put them there. It may look like things are going in reverse instead of forward. Let me encourage you in the Lord today by telling you that it is a new day. New mercies are falling right now. Remember how quickly it turned around for Joseph & know that the same thing can happen for you!
1. Health CAN CHANGE
2. Finances CAN CHANGE
3. Relationships CAN CHANGE
4. Hearts CAN CHANGE
5. Situations CAN CHANGE
6. YOU CAN CHANGE
BUT GOD WILL NEVER CHANGE. HE WILL REMAIN THE SAME.
1. Good
2. Faithful
3. Loving
4. Merciful
5. Compassionate
6. Forgiving
7. Strong
2 comments:
I was thinking along the same line while reading that passage this morning, in how Joseph remained faithful to God's will, even going through the tests and trials. Sounds like what a lot of us are going through right now. Thank you, Jesus, for your reminders of how you will never fail us if WE just keep faithful and trust in You and Your plan.
This has answered a question tbat my husband and I was going over! !! God is revealing to us through this! !!! Awsome reading today! !
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