Patient Endurance Wins!

In Genesis chapter 42, we read the moving account of Joseph coming in contact with his brethren after many years. What a story! There are many lessons to be learned here.

Joseph saw his brethren, Joseph knew his brethren, and Joseph remembered the dream he dreamt concerning them. This is profound.

Do you know what I love about God? It's this very point that He (God) makes in this chapter. People may try to stop and block your progress, hinder you, for whatever reasons, bad mouth you, commit evil acts against you, and get others to join in, but they will never be able to stop the blessings God has placed upon your life!!!  What God has for you, is for you! Your only task is to be spiritually in the right condition, which is staying in tune with God, while remaining obedient to Him. The way may not be easy, but as long as you make yourself listen to God, and do things His way you will come out on top!

The very thing that Joseph's brethren thought they would stop him from doing or becoming, was the very thing he accomplished in the end! How powerful is that? Individuals may try to keep you out of ministry, or try to block you from serving God in your local church, or even speak evil of you, but the reason they are even doing what they're doing is because they ultimately want to stop what God wants to accomplish through you. Unfortunately, they have partnered with satan. Oftentimes, you may feel as if their tactics are working simply because their actions against you seemed to prevent you from being a part of certain things, or knock you out of the running for opportunities. NOT SO! God has chosen to use their evil to bring about your success and elevation! This is what I love about God!

When negative things are happing to us, we rightfully so, chalk it up to a personal attack. True, it is, however, God is the only one in authority when it comes to your life and my life. If He doesn't prevent something from happening, you better believe that it is divinely approved by God for your good and my good. This isn't an easy pill to swallow. 

We know all of what Joseph endured and experienced. Things went from bad to worse. Some of the stuff he went through was horrific and heart breaking. You would even be moved to think that this poor young man's reputation would be ruined by the lie of Potiphar's wife. No rape, or attempted rape charge stuck, and his incarceration neither. His brothers started the ball rolling in the direction it went and all the evil that befell Joseph worked out for his good!!

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Joseph's brethren could have never seen what was coming. They put him into that pit and they went on their merry way, happy and glad to get rid of their brother. Out of sight, out of mind, so they thought! So who gets the last laugh here???

God turns the tables on them. They must face the very one they rejected and hated, again! Joseph remembered the dream and he knew that eventually, things would come full circle for them all. He may not of understood the dream when he first dreamt it, but later on, after he saw the elevation and exaltation of God in his life, he knew he'd see them again.

Oh the pain that came flooding back, the tears, and the hurt, can now be finally dealt with. Joseph can now respond to the evil done against him.  He does so in a Godly manner with the authority he had as governor. No revenge took up residence in Joseph's heart, just pure honesty and truth.

If you continue to read over the next chapter to the end of Genesis, you see how the story ends in victory! What a blessed and wonderful end. 

I don't know what you're going through, right here, right now. I don't know what the journey has been for you, but I know this, that what God has done for Joseph, He will do for you! God is faithful! God is fair! God is the restorer of things that we have been robbed of. He says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Trust God for your circumstances. He gives the ability to endure and tolerate the difficulty. Stay in close fellowship with Him and tell Him all about it. Constantly talk out your struggles, issues and pain with Him. Keep the doors of communication open between you and God, then sit back and watch what He will do for you!!!

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