PROBLEMATIC PATHWAYS TO PURPOSE: JOSEPH - Purposeful Living Series

PROBLEMATIC PATHWAYS TO PURPOSE: JOSEPH - Purposeful Living Series

Have you ever shared a dream with the wrong people? Joseph did, and things worsened before they improved. I explore Joseph’s story to illustrate that pursuing purpose can sometimes involve obstacles.

Chapter Markers

• 0:00 Opening Prayer And Posture
• 3:18 Purpose Is Specific And Costly
• 7:20 Joseph’s Family Conflict And Favouritism
• 12:20 Dreams Reveal Calling And Trigger Hate & Envy
• 19:50 The Plot Against Joseph And The Pit
• 28:10 Sold To Egypt And Positioned Near Power
• 31:10 Potiphar’s House Preparation Through Service
• 33:59 Integrity & Purity Tested By Seduction And False Accusation
• 42:35 Prison Promotion And Gifts Make Room
• 48:05 Pharaoh’s Dreams And The Palace of Power
• 54:30 Forgiveness, Humility, God Meant It Good

Transcript

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Opening Prayer And Focus

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Gracious Father, the words that you speak, their spirit and your life. Lord, we are all your children. We are all learners. We are all here to receive from you. We are all here to hear the voice of our Father. Spirit of truth. Reveal all things pertaining to who our Lord is. Tell us things to come. Take from Jesus who is in heaven, intercede on our behalf. Take from Him and bring it down to speak to each one of us. Lord Jesus, it's all about you. You are the reason why we're here. You told Matt Mary, Mary, you have chosen the right thing to sit under my feet and to hear me speak words of life, words that can heal, words that can save, words that can deliver. Lord, we don't want to be familiar with your word. Open our eyes to behold, wondrous things. Open our hearts to be old, wondrous things. Lord, let us be attentive, oh God. Let our hearts be receptive to receive and believe your word in the swell. Soften our hearts as you speak the seed of your word. What is the point of hearing your word and we don't believe your word? What is the point of hearing your word and we don't do your word? What is the point of hearing your word and we don't receive, we don't see any transformation in our lives? But that is not the case, oh God. We are intentional because the Bible says if we diligently seek you, we will find you. They that love wisdom, wisdom loves them. They that seek wisdom diligently, they will find. And wisdom is a person, and Jesus, you are the wisdom of God. Lord, I know you have a word for each one of us, and I know, Lord, that you will speak to our situation. In all of this, Jesus, may we know you, may we know you, may we see you throughout the scripture so that we know who you are as a person and develop an intimate relationship with you. Lord, we're not just here to take from you, but we're here, oh God, to give back, we're here, oh God, to love you, we're here, oh God, to honor you, we're here, oh God, to appreciate you, we're here, oh God, to be obedient to you, Jesus. You bother us with your blood, and the only thing that we can give back to you is just praise and worship. Let it be all about you, Jesus. Let the people hear you, let the people see you, let the people, oh God, let that let that desire to want to know you, oh God, let it become stronger because eternal life is not you. So, Jesus, may we know you, may we know you in the cross, may we know you in this message. We thank you, Lord. In Jesus' precious name we have prayed. Amen. Amen. I

Purpose Comes With Problems

SPEAKER_00 3:18

want you to pay attention because this is gonna be a powerful message. I strongly believe in it, and um, we're gonna look at Joseph's problematic pathways to purpose. God has a purpose for each one of us. Okay, God has a plan, and the plan of God is generic, but when it comes to the purpose of God, it's specific, each one of you have a purpose. Everything that God created serves a purpose. When I look at you, my brother, I see that God has a purpose for your life. You're not here by accident, each one of us have a purpose. But the question is when you know your purpose, the journey to fulfill your purpose, at times, most times, it's not easy. That is why believers easily give up. God promised me, God said, I'm gonna be this, but why are circumstances happening to me? Jesus had a purpose when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, the angel revealed to Mary that this is the Son of God, and he is gonna be the savior of the world. That is his earthly purpose. So anyone that is in this universe has a purpose. Even Jesus came with a purpose that is to save humanity from sin. But guess what? Even at the beginning of the purpose of Jesus, there was what problems, problems. One of the problems was Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus. Now, when you are trying to walk in the path of your purpose, child of God, I'm here to tell you that you are gonna face problems. Okay, that's just a fact. I'll be deceiving you to say, you know what? The pathway to your purpose is gonna be smooth. That is not true, even Jesus, his pathway to his purpose was not smooth, my brother. Even at birth, there was a challenge. Now, let's look at a case study of Joseph. Problematic pathways to purpose fulfillment, we're gonna use the story of Joseph for us to learn a few things. Number one, to learn perseverance, to learn certain principles, and also the persecution that comes in the path of purpose fulfillment. If you look at the story of Joseph, this is just an outline of the story of Joseph, okay, in the book of Genesis. You look at personal relationship and purpose responsibility, you look at the plot of Joseph, the Pete of Joseph, the prophet from Joseph, we're gonna look at a particular house that is called Potiphy's house. We're gonna look at the prison that Joseph was in, we're also gonna look at the palace, but before Joseph can get to the palace, oh god, I are you guys are you guys paying attention to what I'm saying? Before Joseph gets to the palace, my brother, he had to go through several problems. We want to get to the palace. Sometimes we want to get to the palace in a quick fix, we want to get to the palace with shortcuts. Jesus didn't get the crown just like that, he had to go through the cross for him to get the crown. It's just the principle of life a tree, start from the bottom, and then we see it from the top. We want to get to the top, but we don't want to start from the bottom. So when he looked at the pathway to Joseph's destiny, according to the book of Genesis, let's let's look at each of these points. Number

Family Dynamics And Favoritism

SPEAKER_00 7:32

one, personal relationship and personal responsibility. Okay, the personal relationship is Joseph came from a big family, okay, a polygamous home. Joseph played a role, his father played a role explaining the hostility between Joseph and his brothers. In the family, the conflict that Joseph had with his brother was as a result of his own father and Joseph himself. When it comes to Joseph, when he was still young, he was full of pride. Look what the Bible states in Genesis chapter 30 37, verse 2. Joseph being 17 years old and was feeding the flock with his brothers, and the lad was with the sons of Bela and the sons of Zappha, his father's wives, and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. So, what I see here is a sense of pride as he was growing up. He reported his brothers to their father, that established hostility between Joseph and his brothers. Now, his position in the family. Now, Joseph had a problem with some of his brothers, but you know what happened? The position in the family is that he is the most loved in the family, just as Jacob loved the best, that is Rachel, loved Joseph's mom than all the other wives. That same love had for Rachel transferred to Joseph himself. So Joseph is the most loved by the father than the rest. That creates what? Personal vendetta against Joseph. What can we learn from this as parents? Even if you love your firstborn, don't make it obvious to the rest of the children. Even if you love your last born, don't make it obvious in the rest of your children. Because if you're not careful, your children are watching you. They're gonna say, Daddy likes my sister better than me. Daddy likes brother better than me. Guess what? You are gonna have issues with your brother, with your sister if you're not careful, even though your brother has nothing to do with this, because of your dad's favoritism on one child, then the next, that can create issues in the family, and we see the same trend between Abraham and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac, between Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau. Now, when it comes to Jacob's family, we see one man, one boy, Joseph, and the rest of the brothers, 11. Partiality, favoritism in a family context can create chaos. Look how Jacob expressed his love for Joseph. The Bible says in verse 3, now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age. Okay. And look what he did for Joseph in verse 3. Also, he made him a tunic of many colors. Okay, there's one thing for you to express your love for one of your child above the rest, but there's another thing for you to publicly showcase in the face of the rest of the brothers or in the in the face of the rest of your sisters. What Jacob did was he made a special robe, a special tunic, a special clothing of many colors just to express how much he loved Joseph. Guess what? That also creates hatred, animosity towards him from his brothers. To the prison was because of number one, love. Love, love can get you in trouble. Love can get you in trouble. Love is a good thing, but how people say it can get you in trouble. So that's one of the things that God got Joseph in trouble. Love. And another thing is leadership. That

Dreams Reveal Calling And Conflict

SPEAKER_00 12:19

is his purpose. Let's look at Genesis 37 verse 7. So God revealed the purpose of Joseph in a dream. How many of you dream at night? Do you dream? Do you remember your dreams? What kind of dreams do you have? Are there dreams that you're able to see your future? Talk to me. Have you ever had a dream where you're able to see your future? Interesting. But Joseph at a young age had a dream, my brother. He was able to see his future. That is why, as parents, God, what is the purpose of my son? What is the purpose of my daughter? Help me to know their future so I can prepare them towards their future. God revealed the future of Joseph in a dream. Two dreams, and they're similar. So the first one was in Genesis 7, there were they, yeah, we were binding chiefs in the field. Then, behold, my shaft arose. That is Joseph's shaft. Because the dream illustrates uh agriculture, what they were actually doing in real life. They were farmers, okay. Sometimes what God does is that God takes what is real to you to give you a dream, and that is why at times you will not able to interpret those dreams because we don't understand the natural element of that dream. So Joseph is saying that my shaft, that is mine, okay, stood upright. So my shaft stood up upright, and then your sheaves, that is the 11 brothers, their own sheaves, stood all around, all around the one shaft of Joseph. They stood all around like a circle, and guess what happened? They bowed down to that one shaft. Very symbolic, very symbolic. But now Joseph told his brothers this dream, but the interpretation of this dream came from his brothers. The interpretation of this dream came from his brothers. I want you guys to follow. Okay, look, oh God, look at the reaction. First of all, they they they they already hated Joseph because Joseph is the most loved than all of them. Now you're having a dream about us? You must be crazy. Now look look at their response, their reactions. Now, Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more. There's already hatred because of love. Now you're trying to tell somebody about your purpose, you're trying to tell somebody about your future, you're trying to tell somebody about your plan. Somebody that doesn't like you. Why would you be so naive? So Joseph was a little bit naive and a little bit cocky. Why are you telling your future plans to your brothers? They already hate you. Now they hated him more because of this dream. Now look what they said. The interpretation of that dream. Shall you indeed reign over us? Wow, shall you indeed have dominion over us, Joseph? What's wrong with you? You're already loved than us. Now you want to lead us. Now you want to have dominion over us. Who do you think you are?

unknown 16:10

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

You are loved by our father than us. Now you want to be the leader of us, and you're telling us this dream. This dream clearly states that you are gonna lead us, you are gonna have dominion over us. But innocent Joseph didn't know that was not his that was not his own initiative. God gave him that dream, and his brothers correctly interpreted that dream. So that's the first dream. Now the second dream. Let's go to the second dream. Verse 9. Then he dreams still another dream and told it to his brothers and said, Look, I've had a dream, I've dreamed another dream, and this time the sun, the moon, and the 11 stars bowed down to me. Okay, you see, the dreams are very symbolic. I'll find time wanting to teach on how to interpret dreams because I dream a lot. So he's saying that I have a second dream. Now, this time, the first dream was all about agriculture. Now, the the second dream is all about the celestial body, that is the heavenly body, the star is the moon and the sun. Okay, now Joseph is saying that the sun, the sun, and the moon, and the 11 stars bow down to me. Let's go. Let me let me ask you a question. Who do you think the sun represents here? Who's the sun that who is the sun in this dream? The sun, what does the sun represent here in this dream? The father. So the sun represents the father. What about the moon? The mother. What about what about the stars? The eleven brothers. Simple, yes. So we're saying that the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars all bow down on the earth before me. What you see, the dream is the same, but the means are different. One was agriculture, one was the solar system. But the end result was what? Bow down. You see, that's all. The end result is that my brothers, you're gonna bow down to me. My father is gonna bow down to me. My mom is gonna bow down to me.

unknown 18:32

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Now, when people tell your dreams, how do you respond to people's dreams when they tell you? Are you gonna respond with envy and hatred, or are you gonna say, you know what? I'm happy for you, brother, because God has given you this dream, God has given you this talent, God has given this opportunity, I'm happy for you. What can I do to help you fulfill your dream? But most times we we are oh my god, most times we are there to destroy people's dream. If you cannot help me fulfill my dream, don't stay in my life to destroy my dream. If you cannot help me fulfill my God's given dream, I don't want you to be in my life to destroy my God-given dream. We have to be very careful because not everybody that will come into your life that are happy for your progress, that are happy for your advancement, even your own family, even your friends. Wait, we we're seeing this in the family. Now the brothers hated Joseph because of love, they heavy Joseph because of the two dreams, because of his purpose. Now, let's go to the plot, the Pete and the prophets.

The Plot Against Joseph And The Pit

SPEAKER_00 19:52

This is how the okay, the foundation of the problem was because of love and leadership. Now, this is the problem, the pathway to Joseph's destiny. Number one, the plot conspired against Joseph. They want to kill Joseph. Can you imagine? Your own brothers want to kill you. Your own brothers want to kill you. You know why they want to kill Joseph? Because of his destiny. Look what it states in Genesis 37, verse 19. Look, this dreamer is coming. 20. We shall see what will become of his dream. Wow, look, this dreamer is coming. Let's see what that dream is gonna become in life. That's hatred. They said, Okay, we're gonna kill you after we after we have killed you. Man, let's see if your dream about us is gonna come to pass. Because your dream is not gonna come to pass because you're dead. You have to be alive for your dream to come to pass. So you're making fun of Joseph. Look at this dreamer, look at this dreamer. Now, let's see what your dream is gonna come after we have dealt with you, we have killed you, we have cut you off. That is the plot. Let's look at Genesis 18 18 19. Now, when they saw him, because the father sent him to go and look for his brothers. Okay, so on his way coming, they saw him. The Bible says, now they saw him from afar, even before he came near, even before Joseph came near. Look at their plots, look at their intention. Your own brothers plotting against your life. Wow, that's why Jesus said, Your greatest enemy is within, the enemy outside can do nothing to you. Oh god, the dangerous enemy in your life is the one close to you. Because the one close to you know everything about you, the one close to you know your weaknesses, the one close to you know your strengths. I'm not saying that you should be afraid of people close to you, Mama Lydia. Don't be afraid of me, Carol. Don't be afraid of me. But I remember we should we should suspect one another, especially when it comes to our divine assignment. If you're not gonna speak laughing to me, be quiet. Because I don't want you to obstruct my path to destiny. The Bible says they conspired against him. What? To do what? To kill him, to kill your own brother, to kill your own brother.

unknown 22:30

Wow. Wow. Man.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

So what they wanted to do was to kill him, and then they were gonna, when they kill him, they're gonna cast him into the pit. And then they're gonna cover it up. That was the plan, that was the initial plan. Kill Joseph, cast him into the pit, and then look what it says in verse 20. Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit, and we shall say that is when we go back to speak to our father who loves Joseph so much than us, we're gonna cover up this death, this murder. We're gonna tell our father that, hey daddy, some wild beast devour your favorite son, he is gone, daddy. Your son that you love, he is dead, he is gone. A wild beast killed him.

unknown 23:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

Wow. Now, in all of this, I want you to focus and see God in this. God used the eldest brother, Reuben, to interfere. Because Joseph, they would have killed Joseph, they would have killed Joseph. But look at God's intervention. You see, when you are in your pathway to your destiny, because your destiny is so powerful, because your destiny is what people need. That is why every human being is important. My brother, you are important, my sister, you're important. Everyone here, you are important. Life is waiting for you. There's no human being that is useless on this earth. God didn't create any useless human being. We are the ones that make fun of each other, we are the ones that put each other down, but not God. They wanted to kill Joseph. But look at God's intervention through Reuben. Okay, let's read. 21 22. But Reuben heard it. What are you guys trying to do to my to our younger brother? You guys trying to kill him, cover this up, and then tell daddy that, oh, a white beast, kill your favorite son. No, no, no. I'm I'm the eldest brother, and I'm not gonna allow this to happen. You know why? Because he's trying to amend for his sin because he slept with his father's wife. God, these things are in the Bible, the Bible is real. Reuben is in remorse. My father is already grieved because I slept with his wife. Now, if you guys kill the son of his love, you're gonna frustrate daddy more. He interfered. And he and he delivered him out of his hand, out of their hands, and said, Let us not kill him, let us not kill our brother. And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood, my brothers, but you know what? Cast him into the pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay your hands on him. So, what he was trying to do was very strategic. He said, Okay, guys, because oh God, you see, sometimes when you're with with people, five against one. Reuben was the only person that was on Joseph's side, but the rest of the brothers were against Joseph. Now, when you're with people, anybody's against you except one person standing up for you, what do you do? You that is standing up for that person, apply wisdom, or else you will also be part of that. You know what Reuben did? Ruben said, Okay, guys, don't kill him. I like the other suggestion, put him in the pit. Because if Reuben would have taken Joseph and said, Joseph, come. I'm pretty sure the rest of the brothers will say, Reuben, what are you doing? It's wrong. No, don't do that because we plotted this, this is our intention, and we shall come, we shall we shall see the fulfillment of this. But what Reuben said that, let's cast him into the pit, and then Ruben was gonna come later on when everybody's gone and get Joseph. Look, look at what the Bible says that he might deliver him out of their hands and bring him back to his father. That was his plan. Put Joseph in the pit, he's gonna come at night, take Joseph out, and bring Joseph to the father. That was his plan because he knows that if he takes Joseph now, all of the brothers are gonna fight him. So God used Reuben to intervene to spare the life of Joseph. We you see, you know, if you look at the life of Joseph, God was with him, God was with him. Child of God, I'm here to encourage you on your way to your destiny, the pathway to your purpose. I'm here to encourage you. I'm here to tell that God is with you. God is with you. Don't be afraid. Yes, the road is gonna be hard, but don't be afraid. God is with you, and we see the first instance indirectly that God was with Joseph through Reuben. We might not see the name of God, but God was with Joseph through Reuben. So we have looked at the plot that is to destroy him. We have looked because another thing about the pit, eh? When you are in the pit of life, Peter is a place where you are stationed, you are on one spot, and that can delay and detain your destiny. Most of us, our destiny, our purple, we is like we are in the pit of delay, we are in the pit of detention. Nothing is moving, nothing is moving. So they tried to kill him, they couldn't. Because when he killed somebody, you kill their destiny, they didn't succeed. Now, okay, if we cannot kill your destiny, you know what we can do? We can stop your destiny. Satan is very wicked. If Satan cannot take you out, cannot kill you, you know what he will do? He will frustrate your destiny, he will delay your destiny, he will detain your destiny that way. Okay, Ibrahim, you're gonna leave. Carol, you're gonna leave, but I'm not I'm gonna make sure you're not gonna fulfill your purpose. I try to take you out, but God interfere, but I'm just gonna let delay or detain stop you from your purpose. That's what we have to be spiritually sensitive to constantly pray that God take my life out of any demonic pit. Now, the next thing is profit, profit.

Sold For Profit And Positioned By God

SPEAKER_00 28:17

One of the other brothers, Judah. Oh God, hey, God, now this is where God now intervened. But the way God intervened was through an opportunity. Hey, the first one was God used Homaka, God used Reuben, Reuben remorse of his father. God touched his heart, fight for your younger brother. Now, God is also touching the heart of Judah. Judah, I know from a human point of view, you see your brother as a merchandise. Hey, God, Judah saw Joseph as a merchandise, as a product to sell on Amazon. As a slave to sell on Amazon. But God was in it. God was in it. Look at look at look at what Judah said. So Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there if we kill our brother? I mean, I'm a businessman. What what investment am I gonna get if we kill our brother? This is a precious good. He's the most loved by our father. He has he has a special clothing. What profit are we gonna make from from his death? Nothing. But you know what? Look, come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. Guys, we shouldn't kill our brother. Let's sell him, let's make money. Let's make him go away from us. Let's make him go away to another land from us. And let not not and let not our end be upon him, for he is our brother in our flesh, and his brothers listen. Judah spoke, they listen. Reuben spoke, they listen. So they sold Joseph to the Midianites, and the Midianites now sold Joseph to Egypt. So that's how Joseph ended up in Egypt. He was sold to the Midianite, and the Midianite now resold Joseph to Egypt. And the type of person that they sold Joseph to, that person is in a position of power close to Joseph's destiny. Ah, you guys don't understand. That person that you see. That's what the Bible said. God causes all things to work together. Potiphar was not just an ordinary man, the Bible says, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, he was a prominent man in the parliament of Egypt. Because God has seen the future of Joseph ahead of time, and God is positioning people who are destiny helpers in the midst of challenges, in position, oh my god, important figures to help pave the way into Joseph's destiny. Hope you guys are catching what I'm saying. Now let's look at the preparation, the persecution, and the principle.

Preparation Through Small Responsibilities

SPEAKER_00 31:09

That is Potiphar's house. When he arrived in this house, the Bible says Genesis chapter 9, verse 2. The Lord was with Joseph. Now we see clearly. Okay, with Rubin, we didn't see the Lord was with Joseph. With Judah, we didn't see the Lord was with Joseph, but the Lord was behind the scene. Now God made himself obvious. He said, Joseph, I caused all things to work together. Now you're gonna see my hand and this. The dream that I that I revealed to you when you were young, that dream is about to come to pass. That dream is about to come to pass. The Bible stated that Joseph became the overseer in the house of Potiphar because God was with Joseph in the land. Let's read this quickly verse 2. Then the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian, and his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and served him, that he made him overseer of his house and all that he put under his authority. So we see that God is preparing Joseph in that position of leadership for us as ministers. Some of us, like I was saying on Friday, I don't know where God is taking you. But upper room is an opportunity for you to serve where God is taking you. Joseph didn't just end up in the palace overnight. God gave Joseph a small opportunity. That is, Joseph, stay in Potiphar's house and serve. Have a leadership role, be an overseer to see how faithful you are in the little things. Then I can trust you with bigger things. Sometimes we want God to trust us with big things, but we're not faithful in the small things. For Joseph to get to the palace, Joseph has to station, first of all, in Potiphar's place to be an overseer before he became the governor, the prince, second in command after Pharaoh. He had to start somewhere. That is the preparation. Sometimes in life, God is preparing you, but most times we don't recognize that we are in our preparation stage. We want to be to the top, but we're not prepared. If you're not careful, when you get to the top, if you're not fully prepared, if you don't have the competences, if you don't have the characteristics, success can kill you. Success can bring you down. Yes. And God is so wise that God will not put a child to be the king. If you're still a child, God will not make you the king. So you have to be a growing man with responsibility and accountability for you to have a role of power. Now, something happened. Persecution.

Temptation, Integrity, And False Accusation

SPEAKER_00 34:00

I'm not gonna read the entire account. While he was on the pathway to destiny, Potiphar's wife saw Joseph was handsome. Joseph was minding his own business. This woman, my boss's wife, likes me. Oh Joseph, come and sleep with me. The Bible says that this woman kept on pestering Joseph. Joseph, come lie down with me. You a woman, your husband is a leader, your husband is a big man, and you want to sleep with a boy boy. You want to sleep with a house boy. If I may say that, fear woman, my brother, fear woman. I'm telling you this. So Joseph refused. You know what Joseph said? Joseph refused. We see sexual harassment and false sexual accusation. So this idea of women, Me Too movement that happened on social media during COVID, you all know about the Me Too movement? Women just lying about men. Again, don't get me wrong, things happen to women that are bad. Yes, things happen to women that are bad, but some of them are falsified. So this idea of sexual harassment, it's not just men that do it to women, women also do it to men. It's just that men don't complain. Yes, men don't complain because society has taught men to keep their mouth shut. Society has told men, men, keep your mouth shut. You cannot be abused. You might actually like it, but that's not true. So we see here in an account that Joseph was sexually harassed, Joseph was falsely accused. The woman wanted to grab Joseph, Joseph ran away. That's why the Bible said, flee from sexual immorality. And the principle here is this let's let's read this verse. This is good because you see, before God is taking you to the place of destiny, God wants you to develop certain principles. Your character has to match with your calling. We as ministers, our character has to match with our calling. Our principles have to match with our purpose. That is why we have politicians in place of power. They are crooked because they have not developed their character yet. But not so with God. Before God puts you in a place of authority, God works on your character. That's exactly what God is doing with Joseph. Because Joseph is a young man, handsome, and Joseph is becoming the governor, the second in command in Egypt. Man, if Joseph didn't have self-control, all the women in Egypt, beautiful black woman, I heard. But God tested Joseph. Three things I've learned as us as men that God will test us: money, woman, and power. My brother, young man, three things that God is going to test us as men: money, woman, and power. Money, woman, and power. That's exactly that's that's what that's the test of what of Joseph. Money, the money will come later. The power will come later, but the first test was what woman. Remember that, young man. Remember that if you want to fulfill your future in life, money, woman, and power. And we see that in the life of Joseph. Mama, it's true. I know you're looking at me like that. Okay, okay. So now let's look at the principle here, okay? Joseph recognized that yielding to Potiphar's wife, seduction, will have will be a great offense against God. One thing about Joseph, he feared God and he respected his master. He feared God and he respected another man's wife. Men that sleep with married women, they have no virtue. Why would you sleep with a married woman? You don't have that, you don't have respect for another man. How would you feel if another man sleeps with your own wife? That's why God hates adultery because it's disrespect. Your wife is your wife. Don't sleep with my wife. You're a beast, you're an animal. Joseph was saying that. Hey, woman, first of all, if I do this, it's a great offense against God. I fear God and I respect my master. My master is not home. Why should I take advantage of his wife? I know you don't respect your husband, but me, I respect your husband. And he said, Look, woman, my master does not know what is with me in this house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me. Because you are his wife, how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? Woman see the opportunity was there for Joseph to do it with this woman. Young man, our greatest strength comes in self-control. Man, our greatest strength comes in self-control, and that self-control will be tested when the opportunity is there. It will be tested when the opportunity is there. That is the principle. Now

Prison Seasons And Purposeful Potential

SPEAKER_00 39:14

let's go to the prison. We're almost done. We're gonna pray. Let me see if there's more.

unknown 39:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:19

Now, the woman, okay, before we okay, so this is what happened, okay. How Joseph ended up in prison. So this is what the woman said. Then in verse 17, then she spoke to him with the words like this saying, The Hebrew servant, you see, he's calling Joseph's servant, but Joseph is an overseer, okay. The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us come into me to mock me. No, lied. Joseph didn't mock you. Joseph actually respected you, woman. But you're lying about Joseph. Oh, this young man came into this house, my husband. You see, she's blaming the husband. Hey, women with accountability. It's the fact, women do so. I maybe you you guys have accountability. But me, my observation is that it's hard for women to be accountable because we have taught women that they are righteous. We have taught, even the church have taught that women can do no wrong. It's a lie. Women are sinners, men are sinners. We are all sinners. She's blaming her husband that this young man that you brought into this house, this young man has come to mock me. Big fat lie. So it happened. I selected my voice and I cried out that he left his garment with me and fled outside. Hey, so it was when when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, You see, one thing that God told me, whenever when it comes to my word, obey me, don't obey no woman. The day you obey woman over my word, you're done. Adam made the same mistake, Abraham made the same mistake. This man is making the same mistake. He did not investigate. Ah, Joseph, I see that God has been with you. Let me go and ask your God if this is true. Because the way to get to a man's heart is through woman, love. Adam could have said, No what, Eve, I'm not gonna do it. But because Adam loved Eve, Adam didn't even think twice, he ate. Abraham, get a second wife. Because Sarah said, Oh, Abraham, I don't think we're gonna have children, get a second wife. He obeyed, but the only person that resisted his wife, Job, when his wife said, Curse God and die, Job said, You're a foolish woman, you're a stupid woman. Should I curse God? Why? No, I'm not cursing God. No, I'm not. I'm sorry to say this. The easiest way to bring a man down is women. Satan has applied this strategy from Genesis. Mama is the fact from Genesis with Adam, all the way in Revelation, when Jezebel was in church, seducing servants of God. It's in the book of Revelation. It's in the book of Revelation. They are good women, but you are bad women, they are bad men, they are good men. His master didn't have the chance to investigate, he just listened to his wife. Look what it says. Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. Now look at this. Like I was saying, Joseph was resold to a prominent man. Now, Joseph is in a prominent prison. Oh God, he was he was resold to a prominent man who works for Pharaoh. Now, Joseph has been thrown in a prison, it's not just an ordinary prison, it was a prison for government officials. You see how God is paving the pathway to his destiny. Now, in the prison, God gave Joseph an opportunity. First, the leadership opportunity was in Potiphar's house, he was the overseer. Now, in prison, God was with him. 39, 22, 23. Then Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, but the Lord was with Joseph.

unknown 43:04

Wow!

SPEAKER_00 43:05

Each time Joseph is going through something, the Bible states that God was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and he gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed Joseph's hand. All the prisoners that were there, Joseph was a supervisor of prisoners. Now the potential, he has the ability, and I'll reduce you a little bit. He has the ability to tell and interpret dreams. No, oh God. The difference between your purpose and your potential is that your potential is the ability to do the works of your purpose. Your purpose is like your position. In the case of Joseph, his life purpose is he's a leader, a global leader, and the potential that works with his purpose is the gift of telling. Dreams and interpreting dreams. Most of you, you know your purpose, but do you know your potential? You can know your potential, but you don't know your purpose. Your potential is not necessarily your purpose. You can say, Okay, my potential is I'm a prayer warrior, but that is a potential, but that is not your purpose. We have to know this distinction. You can know your potential, your skills, your ability, your spiritual gifts does not make you enter into a spiritual office. That's why musicians who know how to sing they think that they are pastors. They think that God has qualified them to enter into ministry. No, you're working on your gifts, not an office. An office is different from gifts. Never, never allow your gifts into an office. Have an office and say, God, you have put me in office. What are the gifts I need to exercise in this office? So the potential, it's okay. Joseph was not yet in his purpose as a leader. He's exercising what? His potential. Okay? In Genesis chapter 40, Joseph told and interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's two officers, the butler and the baker. Look what it states. 40 verse 8. And they said to him, We each have had a dream, and there's no interpreter of it. So Joseph said to them, Oh, do not interpretation belong to God? Tell, tell me, please. You see, I said before that he was a little bit proud when he was young. But now God has humbled him. You see, the pathway to purpose is for God to humble you. Jesus had to be humble for him to become the king. One of the greatest ways to achieve to the measurement of God is humility. That's one of the traits that God will work on you. Because you know why? God has to humble you. Because when you get there, oh look, Winnie, you can't talk to me like that. Madame Lydia, you can't talk to me like that. You think that now you want to become like Satan. Pride is deadly. The first criteria for greatness in God's agenda is humility. Jesus has to humble himself. Satan was great, but because of pride, God brought him down. So let's be very, very careful. You see now what Joseph is doing that. Jesus is saying, okay, God has given me this gift. No, no. This gift, I cannot, I cannot operate this gift without God. That is why Joseph said that. Do not interpret belong to who? God, not to me. So, my sister, the spiritual gift of prayer, the spiritual gift of teaching, the spiritual gift of media, the talent that you have, it is given to you by God. It's given to you by God. Now, we're almost there, okay? The

Pharaoh’s Dreams And Sudden Promotion

SPEAKER_00 46:37

palace. The palace. The palace. Pharaoh had two dreams, okay? So, okay, before we get there, Joseph, when Joseph had interpreted the dreams of the of the government officials, Joseph asked him, Please remember me. They've put me in this place forcefully. Please tell Pharaoh to remember me. He did not remember Joseph when they got out. Sometimes in life, you're in a place where you're looking for people to help you. When you're looking for people to come true for you. If people don't come for you, it's okay. Another principle that I've learned about Joseph is forgiveness, humility, and forgiveness. We're gonna see that at the end. Joseph would have had grudge. I'm helping people with my purples, like Musumba. I am praying for people. God, nobody's taking care of me. I'm gonna stop praying. I'm gonna allow, oh, she has gone through a lot. If she would have allowed bitterness and and offenses that will change how she views people, that will stun her process, that will stun her progress. Humility and unforgiveness is very, they are very essential to the pathway of your purpose. Always be humble and always forgive. Always be humble and always forgive. Amen. So Pharaoh had two dreams, and Joseph's potential is needed. Don't don't don't don't mind. Joseph is not yet in his purpose, officially in his position of purpose, okay? But the potential is the one paving the way. Sometimes our potential paves the way. The Bible says a man's gifts make room for him or her. So don't don't despise your potential. God, you have given me this talent of media. How can I maximize this talent? God, you have given me the gifts of singing. How can I maximize this? Because that potential is what God will use to lead you into your official assigned purpose in life. Amen. So, Genesis chapter 41, verse 1. Then it came to pass at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream. So Joseph was still in prison in two years. He didn't give up. Don't give up. Sometimes you can be in prison. I don't know what kind of prison. You can be in that prison. It could be one year, nothing happened. Two years, nothing happened. But don't give up as long as you have received a dream from God. Hold on to that dream. Hold on to that dream. So the opportune time came. Pharaoh had a dream. And he slept and he dreamt a second. Now, this is how what happened. Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all his magicians of Egypt and all the wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them for Pharaoh. You see, one thing I've learned about purpose. Your purpose makes you distinct. Your purpose makes you the difference maker. Your purpose makes you the difference maker. Because the difference maker in this scenario, in this opportunity, the magicians could not do it, the wise men could not do it. Because they were not meant, their purpose were not meant for this. Somebody has been assigned, somebody has been created, conceived in this world to solve a problem. That's what our purpose can do. Our purpose solves problems in society. Steve Job, why do we have the iMac? There was a problem of communication, problem of television, problem of connection. God gave him a purpose of apple. He got rejected. His own company, he left, he came back. Every man, every woman has a purpose. Don't discredit yourself. Now, in verse 9, then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh. Okay, this man did not remember Joseph, but something happened for God to tell this man, remember, the man that interpreted your dream. And my son told you that, Hey, remember me to Pharaoh. The opportunity came for Joseph to be remembered with Pharaoh. Look what the Bible states. He said, Oh, I remember my faults. These days, when Pharaoh was angry with his servant and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, we each had a dream. I'll just jump. Now, verse 12. There was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard, and we told him and interpreted our dreams for us. Now Joseph was remembered. Okay? Now Pharaoh said, Please send and call Joseph for me. They brought Joseph quickly out of the dungeon and he they shaved him and they changed his clothing. Oh my god, this is the beginning of change. They did get him out, they shaved him. Because when you're in prison of life, sometimes you look shabby. Sometimes when life, when life, sometimes for me, I can give my testimony. When I'm when I'm when I'm down, when I'm dispressed, my house is scattered. I don't clean the house. If you want to know that I'm something is wrong with me, come to my house when I'm down. Plates are everywhere, the dishes are now washed, everything is everywhere. Because sometimes in life, when life presses you, you're not able to think, you're not able to put things in place. So Joseph was in the dungeon, he could not shave. He looked very, very rugged. Pharaoh asked that he should be brought out. He was brought out. The Bible says they changed his clothing. Remember, he had a special clothing and they took that clothing away from him. They took that special clothing from him. And now and then I've had a dream, and there's no one who can interpret it. But I've heard that it's said of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it. And again, humility. Then Joseph answered first, saying that it is not me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Life has humbled Joseph to always say, you know what? I try to make life out of my own, but I can't. But Pharaoh, I'm gonna tell you that the potential that I have is God, everything is about God, everything is about God. So and then after that, this is how now Joseph ended up becoming um second in command in Pharaoh's house. Verse 39. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there's no one who has such a discerning and a wise as you. You shall be over now. Now the greatest responsibility comes now. You shall be over my house, and all my people, a foreigner, a foreigner in another country, and you are the second in command in another country. It's like us coming from Africa, my brother, coming from Uganda, and we're here in Canada. And God said, I want you to go to Canada because you were somebody prominent. God allowed you to go through all the problems, the pathway for your destiny, and now you became the second in command. After who? Who's our prime minister? McCurney after McCarney, and McCarney saying that you are you are in charge of all the provinces, not just Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba. Exactly like that with Joseph. They made him a man in prison, a man in a dungeon. He became second in command in the entire Egypt. He says, You shall rule according to your word. Only in regard to the throne, I will be greater than you. Joseph, the only time I'm greater than you when it comes to the throne, other than that, after me is you.

unknown 54:19

Wow!

SPEAKER_00 54:20

Now Joseph is in the palace, a prince, but it took many problems for the pathway to destiny, for the pathway to purpose. And I'm gonna close with this.

Goodness, Gifts, Humility, Forgiveness

SPEAKER_00 54:33

What is the principle in all of this? Goodness, goodness, using your potential, using your gifts, using your natural talents, using your abilities, using your abilities to help people. Look at an example how Joseph was able to exercise goodness in Genesis 45 to 7. I'll read this quickly. Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream. Both of them, each man's dream in one night, each man's dream with its own interpretation. And Joseph came into them in the morning and looked at them and saw that they were sad. They were sad. And so he asked Ferris officers, officers who were with him in the custody of the of his Lord's house, saying, Why do you look so sad today? That's goodness. What guy? Why are you sad? They had a dream and they need somebody to help them. That is goodness. So use your gifts, use your talent, use your ministry, use your office to be a blessing. And another thing that I've learned about the principle from Joseph's story is forgiveness. Forgiveness. Forgiveness. He forgave his brothers, and he also forgave Pharaoh's officials. And then humility is very important. He learned that as he grows up. He said everything belongs to God. Interpretation belongs to God. It's not me anymore. And then the Bible finally says in Romans chapter 8, verse 28 that we know all things work together to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose. The reason why at times you're going through problems as you're obedient to the will of God, as you're obedient to God, you are faced with challenges. Don't be surprised that would happen. Even Jesus, on the pathway to the cross, on the pathway for him to become the king of kings, he had to go through with the cross to save you and I. So anytime you're trying to fulfill your purpose, expect problems, Mama Lydia. Expect problems, Mama Jane. Don't be afraid of those problems. I'm here to tell that God will be with you. This same God that was with Joseph is the same God of today, is the same God of tomorrow, and that same God will be with you. He will cause all things to work together for your good. And finally, I read this and then we're gonna close and pray. Genesis

God Meant It For Good

SPEAKER_00 56:53

chapter 50, verse 15 to 21. Joseph is gonna explain to us why everything happened. My brother, I'm here to tell you that everything in this life happens for a reason. Nothing in this life doesn't happen by chance. I know people say, Oh, it's just by chance. It's a lie. You are in this church for a reason, you're here today for a reason. God put you here to hear this message for a reason. I don't know what you're gonna take away from this message, but I pray you'll take something tangible that will help you fulfill your purpose in life. Joseph said in verse, I we start reading from verse 15. When Joseph's brother saw that their father was dead, okay. Don't forget, they did evil to Joseph when he was young. When the dad was around, okay, this is this is your thinking. They said, Okay, when dad is around, maybe dad can talk to Joseph because dad loves Joseph. Okay. So now they try to use, they try to use that favoritism for the dad now to speak on behalf of Joseph because Joseph now is in a big place. You see, what I've learned in this life, yeah? When you're nobody, nobody cares about you. When you're nobody, nobody respects you. But my brother, my mama, when you become somebody, hey, people that never used to call you, sir, that never used to call you ma. Hey, yes, sir, yes, ma. But you were calling your names, my brother, my sister, come here, do this. No, the way they will address you, they will address you differently. Somebody was saying that there's there's two ways you approach a poor man and a rich man. When you approach a poor man, you approach a poor man by asking this poor man, Who are you? When you approach a rich man, you ask the rich man, How are you? See the difference? A poor man, who are you? A rich man, how are you? So why are you saying that you already know the rich man? Why won't you ask the same question to the rich man? Rich man, who are you? No, you you think that you know the rich man based on his wealth? False. But you're saying that, hey, I know who you are based on your wealth. I want to get to know you. How are you? Tell me, how are you feeling? But when it comes to the poor man, number one, I mean, I don't even care how you're feeling, I don't even care how you're sleeping, I don't even care where you live. Who the who the heck are you? Who are you? So they were playing this game when Joseph's brother saw that their father was dead, and they said, Perhaps Joseph will hate us. Wow! They were thinking toot for tooth, they were thinking Joseph was gonna revenge, but God has worked, God has worked, mama, in the heart of Joseph for forgiveness. God has walked in the heart of Joseph for forgiveness, and he used the butlers when the butlers could not remember him, he forgave them. God has prepared his heart to let go of offenses and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him. So they sent messengers to Joseph saying, Before, now God, now they're using their father, they said, Before our father died, he commanded, saying, Thou shalt speak to your brother Joseph. I beg you, Joseph, please forgive the trespass of your brothers, please forgive them of putting you into the pit, please forgive them for plotting to kill you, please forgive them from profiting from selling you on Amazon. Please forgive them. For what they did to you was wrong, what they did to you was wicked, what they did to you was awful. But Joseph, please, before I go, as your dad that loves you, before I died, my son, please forgive your brothers because now you're in a place of power and position. After Pharaoh is you, anything you say is a degree. That's why don't you ever, ever in your life underestimate anybody because you don't know who they're gonna be. When I see that young man, I cannot underestimate him because I don't know his future, I don't know if he's gonna be the next prime minister of Canada. One day I will stand before him. You never know who people are gonna be. Don't look at their age, don't look at their skin, don't look at their economic status, don't look at their education, don't look at their gender, don't look at don't let no human criteria view people. How God didn't view them. He says, I beg you now, please forgive the trespass of the servant of God of your father. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. He wept because this was a sensitive healing moment of reunion. Daddy is gone. My brothers are afraid of me. That's why I said humility. He learned humility. If Joseph was proud, now this is my time. I'm gonna pay back. Who do you think you are? You can talk to me like this, you can come to my palace and address me like this. You guys are Hebrews, you guys are slaves. You don't come in my presence. No, that's why I said the principles to the pathway of destiny that we can learn from Joseph forgiveness, humility, forgiveness, humility. That's exactly what Jesus did because Joseph is a prototype of Jesus. Forgiveness, forgive the whole world, humility, he was humble to go to the cross, being the Son of God, so we can see Jesus in the life of Joseph as an example. Joseph wept, then his brothers also went and fell down. Now look at the fulfillment of the dreams that the sheaves will fall down before his shaft, and then the eleven stars will bow down to that one star. Now look at the fulfillment of that dream in this verse. Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face. That dream came to pass. I'm here to tell you when God gives you a dream, even though it tarries, it shall surely come to pass. And behold, we are your servants. Ah God, behold, shall we indeed serve you? Shall you indeed have dominion over now? That was their language. Remember? That was their language. Shall we? Shall you indeed? It has come to pass. Now you're the one saying, Shall we? Now you're the one saying that Joseph, I want to be your servant. So be careful what you say about people. One day you're gonna rip up that word that you said about somebody's life and destiny. Now, I like this. This is where I'm gonna conclude and we're gonna pray. Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid. One sign that you're forgiving people is when people come to you, your presence is welcoming, your presence is loving, especially people who have offended you. My sister, I know you have hurt me, but come close to me. Let's hug. I don't have nothing against you. That's healing, healing has taken place. But when you see somebody that's offended you and you saw them, trauma, ah, you still having grudge and bitterness. No, I'm not gonna talk to you. Don't talk to me, don't come near me. That was not the case of Joseph. Joseph said, Do not be afraid, even though after Pharaoh is me, we are still brother, blood brothers. Come near me, do not be afraid. And oh God, look at his humility. For am I in the place of God? He said, Interpretation belongs to God. He said, Pharaoh, God will give you peace of this dream. Does he say that? Am I in the place of God? The young man has learned that everything he's going to be in this life is God. If you want to, if you need a partner to your purpose, a partner to your purpose, your destiny helper, the greatest, let it be God. Because people, you see, the difference between God and people is that when you're in the pit and in the prison, people will not remember you, they will not be there, they'll run away. But the Bible says, when Joseph was in prison, the Bible said God was with him. So who do you need in your life purpose as a partner? Go with God. He said, Am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me. That was your intention. You meant evil to destroy me. You want to kill me. You could not kill me. You sold me for profit, for greed, and you guys were eating while I was in the pit. Can you imagine? His own brothers were eating, having fun while he was in the pit. But now look at the intention of God. God, God meant it for God. So, whatever you're going through, God will cause all of them, good or bad, to work out for your own good. Even the ones that people plot against you, God will make it good. Look what it says. In order to bring it about as this day, do you know your purpose? Like I said, your purpose is not for a selfish reason. The purpose of God in your life is never just for you, it's for the goodness of humanity. That's how you know that God has a purpose for you. When you're saying that God, what you have put in me, this place that you have given me in the workplace, this position as an intercessor, like our minister was saying today that pray, pray for the ministers. As a minister, pray for the people. Because your purpose, your gifts, it's not just for you, it's for the benefit of others. So, ah wow, Mark, who shut up. So, Joseph's purpose was actually for the good of his own people, good of his own people in the future, because there will be worldwide famine. God has sent one of the sons of Jacob to go ahead to save the entire nation. But guess what? They wanted to kill him. But God looked at the bigger picture. He says, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people, your purpose saves life. Your purpose serves mama, your purpose is not just for your own. The Bible said the gift that we've been given is for the benefit of the church. So if you're not using your gift, you're only using your gift for yourself, you're not really living a fulfilled life. If somebody asks you to come and play play the drums, you're charging God, God give you that gift for free. I pity those again. I don't know why worship ministers monetarize their their gifts when it was given to them freely, spiritual gifts. How won't you use it for the church? Especially when the church is in need, they need a worshiper. Why do you have to? Oh my god, put a price tag on that. That baffles my mind at times. Finally, now, therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. That's how you know that somebody has been truly forgiving and they're humble in a place of position. He uses that position to be good to those who persecuted him.