Gtcotr/ws021809
Key Scriptures: John 8
31 ¶ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Fact: Most of you are not reaching your potential.
Fact: You would do better if you only knew what to do.
Fact: God knows what you need in order to reach your potential.
Fact: God is not hiding the truth from you. In fact, He brought you right here, right now to tell you what you need to do.
Without God’s plan you are being deceived, wasting time and making costly decisions every day. God’s Word contains His plan; it is a guidebook detailing successful patterns of life which anyone can follow.
Since God has gone to all of the trouble bringing you to this place, preparing what He wants you to hear and positioning you for your next step, you may as well decide right now that you are going make the most of this time. Let me encourage you to listen closely to what I am going to say, looking for at least one thing you can commit to memory and work on this week.
How will you know that one thing? The Holy Spirit of the living God will spark something on the inside of you, like a light coming on or your spirit saying ‘Amen’ to the truth. When it hits you, catch it, grab hold of it, put it in a place of memory in your mind or write it down so you can continue the process of allowing the truth to set you free.
When you feel that spark or hear that ‘amen’ it’s a sign that God is helping you to realize something He has been telling you for a long time and you finally slowed down enough to hear it. Truth often hits us with an “oh yes, I knew that” kind of revelation. It’s not something new, but yet it is. However:
The power of truth is not in the hearing of truth but in the doing of truth.
James 1 NLT
23 For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.
24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
25 But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
So, let’s turn in our Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 41, as we continue in the truth, learning principles of success from the life of Joseph. Each of the fifteen principles we have covered thus far are spiritual exercises for life. God wants you to reach your potential, your highest grace of life. In order to do this you need to be in your best spiritual condition. I am going to help you get there.
Don’t be like the forgetful hearer James refers to. Use each exercise as life presents opportunity and strengthen yourself. Believe me, every day life will give you a chance to work on the areas you need to strengthen. Now, let’s get to our exercises for week six.
1. Confidence
Not confidence in yourself or your own abilities, but confidence in God in you … confidence that God can do all things through you.
Genesis 41
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
Joseph had never been the ruler of a nation before. But, he had been the ruler of a home, second in command in Potiphar’s house. And Joseph had been second in command in the prison … so …
* The same God Who had prepared Joseph in the past
* The same God Who had positioned Joseph in the present
* Was the same God Who would prosper Joseph in the future
If you can look behind you and have confidence in the God of your past then you can look ahead and have the same confidence in the God of your future.
If you have no confidence in the god of your past … you may need a new God. Perhaps you were the god of your past … doing it your way … getting your results … worshipping at the altar of your life!
When young David volunteered to fight against Goliath, his own brothers along with the whole army of Israel laughed. What could this little boy do against such a giant, a battle hardened Philistine warrior, King Saul asked? Fair question ... answer:
1 Samuel 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
David had confidence in the God of his past. We all need to build a history with God. It begins by trusting God where you are with what you have.
* It was God who placed Joseph in the court of Pharaoh and Joseph was confident God would sustain him.
* God did not place Joseph in the court without first preparing Joseph for the task.
* Can God sustain us when we have no experience? Yes … however, but most often God chooses to use those who have answered the call to come and be prepared for use.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.
* How does Christ strengthen us … just like He strengthened David and Joseph … life and a lot of exercise!
2. Meekness
Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.
You know who wrote the book of Numbers … Moses did! Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is knowing it’s not you but God in you.
God most often calls greatness out of obscurity and seldom do the flamboyant, braggadocios, arrogant know-it-alls who get too big for their britches, come to great use in the Kingdom of God.
Genesis 41
42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot …
44 … without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
46 ¶ And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea …
* Joseph did not mind getting his hands dirty and doing the work.
* Joseph did not see himself any better than anyone else.
* One of Joseph’s keys to success was his meekness. He saw himself as no more gifted, no more special, no more entitled than others … but for God!
There are no great men or women of God … there is only a great God and men who allow God to live in them in a great way.
* Scoot over and let God live in you … work on it!
It’s Christ in you, not you, that’s the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
The last spiritual exercise for week six focuses on the art of being:
3. Normal
In a crazy, busy world where Joseph could have been completely consumed with work, after all he had only seven years … and if this did not work out he would most likely not be sent back to prison but executed … however, in the midst of all of his crazy business and important responsibilities of life, Joseph still found a way to be normal.
Genesis 41
50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.
51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.
52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
There is a keen and essential balance to life. I have come to know it through one of the more than 500 life principles God has given me over the last 30 years of ministry. The essential balance of life is:
* Make a living
* Make a life
* Make a difference
These are set in their priorities and should be managed so as to accomplish all three of these responsibilities simultaneously. Leave one of them out and you will be out of balance and an out of balance life will not be a successful life.
Joseph’s life was anything but ordinary. However, he found time before the years of famine came to set his life in order.
* Joseph took time for family.
* He paid attention to raising his children, each one special …
* No matter who Joseph was at the office, he was husband and dad at home.
The everyday disciplines of life are difficult during stressful seasons.
People often go astray simply because they lose contact with the importance of simple everyday chores of life.
Life must be maintenanced with a hands-on approach.
If we are great we will first be great in our ordinary.
If we cannot conquer the ordinary, the normal day in and day out disciplines of life, how do we think we qualify for the extraordinary?
God wants you to be successful but if we lose touch with the simple realities and responsibilities of life or forget the most important things of life, what good is that?
What if you gained the whole world, the Bible says, and lost your own soul? What if you made that next million, got that promotion, made that sale but lost your family, sanity or soul?
This week’s exercises:
* Strengthen your confidence factor by trusting God
* Scoot over and let God live greater in you
* Pay attention to the important things in life – Be Normal!
