Re: [Awake4HisReturn] Joseph's Faith in the Sovereignty of God
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If any man come after me , let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow meFrom: Michael J. Knight <michaelnight82@yahoo.in>
To: Awake4HisReturn@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sun, June 19, 2011 9:11:24 PM
Subject: [Awake4HisReturn] Joseph's Faith in the Sovereignty of God
Joseph's Faith in the Sovereignty of God
In Genesis 37:18, we read how Joseph's elder brothers plotted to kill him. And we see the sovereignty of God here in making one of the brothers stop that plan and change it to selling Joseph off to some slave traders who were passing by at that time. Who sent those slave traders there at that time? God. God timed the travel of those Ishmaelite slave traders such that they would land up there exactly when Joseph was about to be killed. And those slave traders were going to Egypt, which was exactly where God wanted Joseph to go!! It is wonderful to see the sovereignty of God at work again and again in Joseph's life. God has a plan and purpose for your life too, and nobody can frustrate it. Not your jealous brothers and not your foolish father, nobody. That's what we see here.
By the time Joseph was 17, God had already revealed to Joseph in dreams that he had a purpose for his life. It is wonderful when a young man is so sensitive to God that at an age when most teenagers have filthy dreams, he has dreams from God! Young people don't ever complain that older brothers are not giving you an opportunity to serve God. If you sincerely submit to God, no-one can mess up God's plan for your life.
Here is an example from my life, many older brothers are jealous of my ministry. They suppress me in many ways. They never allow me to speak in the assembly I attended. So I started to preach the gospel on the streets where I don't need anyone's permission to preach! And that is where God is teaching me to preach – on the streets. In the assembly meetings, God teaches me to humble myself under the elders who are jealous of me and never to rebel. God is breaking me like He broke Joseph. But none of those elders can hinder God's plan for my life. When the time comes, God will open doors for me and His plan for my life will be fulfilled. I say this for your encouragement. So don't ever complain against people. The only person who can mess up God's plan for your life is you yourself. Remember that.
God used the jealousy of Joseph's brothers to fulfill His plan for Joseph's life by getting them to sell him off to Egypt. God makes the evil that others plan against us to work for our good and for the fulfillment of His purposes. Hallelujah! If God protected us against the evil that other people try to do to us, that itself would be a great thing. But God does something even better! He makes the very evil that others do to us to fulfill His plan for our life! Isn't that much better, when God turns the tables on Satan like that? Just think - if Joseph's brothers were not jealous of him but were good to him instead, Joseph might never have gone to Egypt. How did Joseph go to Egypt? Step One: His brothers were jealous of him. Step Two: They sold him off to some slave-traders. Step Three: The slave traders took him to Egypt and sold him off there. Thus God's plan to take Joseph to Egypt was fulfilled! So, some of the evil things that others are doing to harm you will ultimately only fulfill God's plan for your life – if you love God (Rom.8:28). You may face a few trials. Joseph had a tough time as a slave too. But it fulfilled God's plan for his life. Praise the Lord!
A man of faith will say, "The God of Joseph is my God too. If I love God with all my heart, any number of people can be jealous of me, any number of people can plan evil against me. But they will not hinder God's plan from being fulfilled in my life." May you have such faith in our wonder-working God.
He who has ears to hear let him hear.
Remember
Only one life, will soon be past,
Only what is done, for Christ will last.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians 13:14)
Love & Prayers,
Michael J. Knight.
"By the grace of God I am what I am…." 1 Cor 15:10.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-C-T-S/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InnerVoiceMinistries/
What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
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