The Dreamer - Part 2

It has been an amazing journey into the story of Joseph! Many of us have a dream, destiny, and purpose that God has given us. However, the dream is usually a process that we must go through, because we need to mature into that dream.

The story of Joseph is very much about this maturing process. Many people want the dream, but don’t want the grind. They don’t want the process of maturity that goes with the dream.

Joseph had a dream, but he was immature. He was also favored by his father, Jacob, so he likely also acted privileged, and arrogant which created tension with his other 11 brothers and sister. The scripture says that his “brothers hated Joseph.”

They wanted to kill him but instead they sold him to the Medianite traders. They took the nice coat that Jacob (his dad) gave him, killed an animal to smear it with blood so they could go back and say that a wild animal killed Jacob. Talk about Drama! See Genesis 37:36 NLT

It’s important to note that God’s favor is independent of men’s approval. Men can hate you, despise you, gossip against you and malign you, but if God’s favor is on you… It doesn’t matter!

When Joseph got sold into slavery to Potiphar, God’s favor was on him. Even as a slave, God’s favor was on Joseph.

'The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. ' Genesis 39:2

By all intended purposes, Joseph’s dream was totally derailed. I’m sure at one point or another he was like: “well… I didn’t see this coming…”

What do you learn from a derailed dream? There is a process of learning and growth that we see Joseph going through.

The first is, HONOR.
'The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. ' Genesis 39:2

He succeeded in everything as he served (not slaved) in the home of his Egyptian master.

Talent will build your image, but honor will build your reputation.

God cannot bless you until you learn to be a blessing in undesirable places. The highest form of leadership is serving in undesirable places. Serving your master, while in slavery is a form of honor.

If serving is beneath you, leading is above you.

People notice how we act when we are stuck in the pit. When we are in an undesirable place.

Read Genesis 39:3-5, ‘Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. '

When you bring your best in the worst place or situation, you will turn heads. Many people want to be blessed, without learning to be a blessing first.

Calvin Coolidge, said: “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.”

What you give in the pit, it will be multiplied in the palace.
Honor is not about ideal situations, because honoring someone regardless of who they are is more about your character and moral values, than it is about whether they deserve it or not.

Notice that the bible says: “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life…” Exodus 20:12. Notice that It doesn’t say, honor your father and your mother if they are respectful, good, gracious and loving towards you…”

Doing good towards others, even when they don’t deserve it is honor.

The other part of the learning process is the byproduct of honor and that is INTEGRITY:

Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking, or when others don’t deserve it.

Joseph passed the test of integrity because he passed the test of honor.

‘…Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.' Genesis 39:6-10

Lack of integrity is the direct result of lack of honor. Joseph said, “My master trust me…” “How could I do such a thing?”

The fruit of your honor is integrity.
Honor shows up in our spirit, and integrity shows up in our actions.
Lack of integrity starts with belittling those we are called to honor.

When people steal, cheat, malign and deceive, they do so by dishonoring God and others.

For example, Samson dishonored his parents and also dishonored God by his lack of integrity. He didn’t keep his vows asa Nazarite. He violated them all.

The saddest verse in the whole bible is this one: Judges 16:20 (MSG) “He didn’t realize that God had abandoned him…”

God cannot and will not, bless a mess.

The bible says that Joseph kept out of Potiphar’s wife way. Are you keeping yourself out of the way of sin? Nothing will derail or kill your God-given dreams more than sin can.

Whenever we disregard God’s word, we are belittling Him and we have already displayed a lack of integrity that is so crucial to stewarding God’s dream.

God will test your integrity, and if you lack integrity during that test, that means you are not honoring God and His word.

You cannot live in sin and expect blessings. It doesn’t work that way. If you want to live out a life of purpose and meaning, we must live honoring God and His Word!

Joseph “It would be a great sin against God.” Notice that he didn’t say “it would be a great sin against Potiphar.” Joseph didn’t fear men, he feared God. The root of integrity is the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Prov. 9:10)

Then there is STEADFASTNESS.

I don’t think we are ready for God’s dream to be accomplished unless we learn this lesson first. Weak faith does not deserve God’s big dream.

The dream is difficult by design, to make sure that we rely on God’s might and not ours! It’s His process, with His hand and through His plan.

We can’t buckle every time something bad happens. That displays lack of trust in God. It displays lack of honor in God’s word, and ultimately will result in lack of integrity and steadfastness in Christ.

You know how many Christians stop going to church and growing in Christ because someone said something bad about them? They quit on a God that would NEVER quit on us, because of lack of faith, honor, integrity and steadfastness.

Not every time you do the right things, the outcome will be good.

The bible said that Potiphar’s wife kept putting pressure on Joseph for him to have sex with her, and Joseph kept avoiding it. Until one day they were alone and she forced herself into him and the bible literally said that “Joseph tore himself away…”

When he ran, he left his cloak behind and look what the bibles says:

'Then she told him [Potiphar] her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”' Genesis 39:17-18

The bible says that Potiphar was furious as he heard his wife story. So, he took Joseph and threw him in the Kings prison, and there he remained.

What do you do when you do the right thing and don’t get the right results? You REPEAT
Repeat Honor.
Repeat Integrity.
Repeat Steadfastness.

Repetition is the path to mastery!
God doesn’t just want you to learn his teachings, he wants you to master his teachings.

If you read Genesis 39:21-23, you notice that Joseph was favored in the prison and even in charge of the other prisoners!
'...The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.'

Don’t quit, repeat!

Many people cannot see God’s favor in their prison because they quit rather than repeat. God has great things in store for you if you just stick with it! Catch up with the lates podcast and join us tomorrow for the next chapter! Bring a friend!!