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GOD DEMANDS FOR A LIFESTYLE OF THANKSGIVING.
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him; rooted and build up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." Colossians 2; 6-7.
"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20.
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" - Colossians 3;15-17.
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2. For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” 1 Timothy 2: 1-2.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6
"Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." Ephesians 5:4.

Written above are some of the charges on thanksgiving given to the New Testament believers. A critical study of all these charges reveal thanksgiving goes beyond church service activities or something we do occasionally. This is because looking at these charges on thanksgiving with such phrases as ‘abounding therein with thanksgiving’, ‘Giving thanks always for all things’, ‘in everything give thanks’ - these phrases all talk of giving of thanks to God as something that should be constant, continuous and not just an occasional Sunday service thing or morning and evening thing.
Furthermore, the verses understudied make the following known about thanksgiving;
1) It is an integral part of our Christian faith walk. Ephesians 5:20. Colossians 2; 6-7
2) Thanksgiving should be the core of our prayers. Philippians 4:6.
3) All our actions and deeds must be done with thanksgiving. Colossians3:15-17.
4) It must be part and parcel of our conversations. Ephesians 5:4.
5) We are to give thanks for everything. 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
6) Thanksgiving should be made for all men. 2 Timothy 2:1.
7) And last but not least we are to give thanks for all things. Ephesians 5:20.

What can we make out of these verses? They reveal that thanksgiving to God is more than just a commandment. These verses are simply talking about a lifestyle of thanksgiving! That is something that should be part and parcel of our lives. Simply put, it is talking about living a thankful life! This is quite revealing as God wants us all to live a thankful lifestyle.
A critical study of the Scripture reveals that our Lord Jesus lived a life of thanksgiving! All other men of faith Abraham, King David, Daniel, and Apostle Paul just to mention a few had lifestyles of thanksgiving!

A lifestyle of thanksgiving is one that gives thanks to God in the good times as well as in the bad times, all day long day-in and day-out. It is a lifestyle that expresses gratitude to God in all we do in life - thanks-living, thanks-breathing, thanks-speaking, thanks-thinking, thanks-feeling, thanks walking, thanks- imagining, thanks-singing, thanks-praying, and thanks-doing. A lifestyle of thanksgiving is a life of deep faith in God. A lifestyle of thanksgiving is a reflection of a heart fixed upon God; His love, goodness, and interventions in all our affairs of life.
How on earth can we achieve this? Simply by maintaining an attitude of gratitude to God all day long - that is living in the consciousness of the goodness and faithfulness of God all day long! A lifestyle of thanksgiving is a God-centered life, fearless, devoid of all troubles, worries, and worldly cares. This is God's recommended lifestyle for the believers in Christ Jesus. This is God's Kingdom lifestyle and it is the best lifestyle. Until one gets fully involved, one can never fully know or understand its gains and importance.

As Christians, a continual daily life of thanksgiving to God is a must in our privacy, family, and place of work all day long. A life of unceasing thanksgiving is mandatory for every true Christian unto our God who has called us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His dear Son. This implies you do it whether you feel like doing it or not, in storms of life as well as in smooth life’s sailing, whether you are happy or not, blessed or not.
The life of a Christian is a life full of the wonders of God. He loads us daily with benefits. The Lord has done so much for us, has favored us greatly. Dare we keep quiet and not gratefully acknowledge Him who has done and given us so much? Our Lord Jesus our Master and perfect example lived a lifestyle of thanksgiving for us to emulate.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I>
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Thanksgiving and praises are closely related for the two are fruits of our lips unto God. (Psalm 63:3; Hebrews 13:15). God has great pleasure in both of them. They have the same principles to the extent that in some versions of the Bible they are used to mean the same thing, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving in your heart and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto him and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4). “By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15). However, they differ slightly.

Thanksgiving has to do with acknowledging and appreciating God for who He is, and all that He has done for us in the past, all that He is doing presently, and all that He would do for us in the future. Praises on the other hand has to do with the declarations of His doings and his excellences - ascribing to him the honor and glory due to him in appreciation of Him.

Thanksgiving precedes praise; this implies thanksgiving comes before praises. Thanksgiving is the mechanism that spurs us to hearty praises. The overflow of thanksgiving from the heart gives birth to true praises. When a heart is thankful, the Spirit of God in man soars up and ascends to the presence of God who is Spirit. As the heart through the lips pours out thanksgiving unto the Benevolent God, the praises of God springs forth also especially in songs of praises. Other fruits which proceed out from a grateful apart from praises include doing good and giving to God and others.
The truth is that genuinely thankful people are oftentimes praiseful people because their hearts which is being saturated with gratitude will always break forth into ceaseless songs and words of praises effortlessly and continually to God. However, not all praiseful people are thankful people.
Although, both thanksgiving and praising God can be faked without meaning what one says, however, it is easier to fake praising God than thanksgiving. This is because the act of praise can be learned and one can become very good at it. Thanksgiving is more demanding than praises in that it demands more commitment and involves our gratitude to be in a high degree. This is why it is possible and easy to sing praises to God without knowing Him or meaning it as evidence in the lives of many professed Gospel singers and unbelievers as well; while it is impossible to be thankful and not sing His praises no matter how bad the voice may sound! What some people refer to as praise is nothing but mere recitation of attributes of God based on human knowledge - a learned art and not spiritual revelation therefore what they render is nothing but mere lip service praises. Only gratitude ignited/ motivated thanksgiving and praises are genuine and acceptable unto God.

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To praise implies to tell or say wonderful things about people and most especially God. Praising God is the act of declaration or telling of His great and wonderful doings and the excellences of His attributes. Psalm 145: 3-7 best defined this, “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts, I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.”

God is great and He is greatly to be praised! The whole Bible abounds with exhortations to praise God (1 Chronicles 16:23; Psalm 95:1; 96: 1-2). Of great importance also is the fact that it is a command given by God to all nations and kindred irrespective of race, color, statures, sex, age, and religion (Psalm; 67:3-5; 117:1; 148: 11-13; Isaiah 42: 10-12; Romans; 15:11). Praising God is not only limited to humans but something to be done by all living things He created, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (Psalm 150:6). The inanimate nature also is not left out, (Psalm 148:8-9; Psalm 98:7-8; Isaiah 44:23; 55:12).

The importance of praising God by those who have embraced His gracious salvation through faith in His son Jesus Christ cannot be overemphasized for we are told in Isaiah 43:21, that we were created for His praise. This implies that praising God is our destiny and duty. Apart from this, it is something God is highly delighted in. He dwells in the praises of His children.

Therefore, it is mandatory for us Christians to be praiseful unto God because “He is our Praise” having predestinated, created, and redeemed us for His praise (Deuteronomy 10:21; Isaiah 42:2; Ephesians 1: 4-6,12; 1 Peter 2:9). God dwells in the praises of His redeemed (Psalm 22:3, Isaiah 60:18).

God is worthy of our praises continually and all day long because He is a great God who has done great and marvelous things past finding out (Psalm 71:6; 35:28; 107). His glory is revealed everywhere for us to see so we must declare His glory everywhere, “The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day to day utterest speech, and night to night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19:1-2).

Great and marvelous things beyond human comprehension happen when we praise God. “OH THAT MEN WOULD PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GOODNESS, AND FOR HIS WONDERFUL WORKS TO THE CHILDREN OF MEN! Psalm 107:8.
Have you praised God today? Why not just say something beautiful to Him right now?

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

www.lovelashblog.com

Scripture reveals there are basically two types of thanksgiving. There is the regular or routine thanksgiving and there is the worship or devotion thanksgiving known as the ‘sacrifice of thanksgiving’.

The regular or routine thanksgiving is the type of our day-to-day thanksgiving unto God for the mundane things of life which we include in our daily prayers, before and after meals or in our conversations and in anything we do telling God “thank you, Lord.” This type of thanksgiving can be done by anybody, anywhere and anytime. It is usually of short duration.

The scripture makes references to “sacrifice of thanksgiving” both in the Old and New Testament (Psalm 50:14; 107:22; Hebrews 13:15). In the Old Testament, it is called a peace/fellowship offering and was among the five animal sacrificial offerings enacted by God for worship by the Israelites His covenant people. It is a type of thanksgiving to be carried out in addition to the routine thanksgiving. It is an advanced and elaborate form of the thanksgiving done in the place of worship, the Tabernacle. It is a thanksgiving accompanied with an animal offering and other gifts. It is an occasional voluntary, time-taking and outstanding thanksgiving celebration for specific special favors and mercies received of the Lord as enumerated in Psalm 107. It is a joyous celebration done with singing, dancing, playing of musical instruments in the context of organized public worship in the Tabernacle according to the demand of the law in Leviticus chapter 3 and 7 with strict laws and presided over by a priest (Leviticus 7:12-15).

It is called a fellowship/peace offering because it is an offering which the offerer who is in fellowship with God brings to express gratitude and praises to God and fellowship with others. It is the only offering that the offerer and those who are ceremonially clean around him could eat from. The obligations and the laws of the fellowship/peace offerings are given in Leviticus chapter 3 and Chapter 7:11-39. According to Leviticus 7:11-16, the peace offering is divided into three parts according to purpose namely: a) thanksgiving offering v.12 - This is for expression of gratitude to God for special and specific favors such as deliverance from sickness, trouble, or death or for a spectacular blessing received from God, b) vow c) voluntary offering.

It is an offering only those that have already offered other sacrifices such as guilt, trespass offerings could offer and only those who are ceremonially clean could eat from. It is the only sacrifice that the offerer and members of his family could eat from. It is a sacrifice God has great delight in. It involves setting aside quality time, a day or even days, bringing an oblation of a perfect animal or more, and other things to appreciate God for His specific goodness and mercies some of which was enumerated in Psalm 107. No petition whatever is made on such occasions, only thanksgiving and praises. King David, Solomon, and Hannah are among the individuals that practiced this.

The sacrifice of the peace offering is of great relevance in that it is a prototype of the supreme peace sacrifice of Jesus the perfect Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace. It points to the peace and reconciliation and fellowship we have with God based on Christ’s death on the cross (Colossians 1: 20).

In the New Testament, the sacrifice of thanksgiving is also a sacrifice enacted by God for the spiritual Israelites, those who have experienced His gracious salvation through His son Jesus Christ and have been made kings and priests unto our God to celebrate His eternal love, mercies and goodness continually, Hebrews 13:15. But unlike that of the Old Testament that was a part of the animal sacrificial ritual system involving animal sacrifices and other gifts rituals, the New Testament sacrifice of thanksgiving does not involve any animal sacrifice but a continuous day to day offering of fruits of our lips (genuine thanksgiving and praises from the depth of our hearts) and cheerful voluntary giving through Jesus Christ to God, Hebrews 13:15. This is because Jesus Christ by His once-for-all sacrificial death and resurrection has fulfilled all the demands of not only the laws of the peace sacrifice of thanksgiving but also all the laws of the sacrificial ritual systems.

What is now left is the continuous sacrifice of thanksgiving which is the response of our love, faith, and obedience to God for freely giving us everything that pertains to life, and His unspeakable gifts of His son Jesus Christ for our salvation and all that He accomplished for us. By all standards this should be a joyous celebration done with singing, dancing, playing of musical instruments in the church, in the privacy of our rooms, or among family members. It could be accompanied with voluntary but generous gifts out of love and gratitude. It could be done anywhere.

The real idea behind this type of thanksgiving is God’s desire that we spend quality time worshipping Him with thanksgiving and praises regularly for who He is and all that is ours through Jesus.

However, the simple fact that it is referred to as a sacrifice to God still makes it a sacred offering. This implies it is something to be offered to God in the beauty of His Holiness. For this reason, only the thanksgiving offering made by someone that is a genuinely born-again Christian is acceptable to God.
From what has been written above, we realize that the sacrifice of thanksgiving is not just a religious ritual of talking, giving, dancing, and singing, but a serious act of worship from hearts full of gratitude and love as led by the spirit of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ and Apostle Paul showed us perfect examples of this type of New Testament Sacrifice of thanksgiving.
“By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruits of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased (Hebrews 13:15-16).

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

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The word ‘Thanksgiving’ is a household word in religious circles most especially in Christendom. The word “thanksgiving” is self-explanatory; it implies the act of expressing/ giving /offering our thanks/gratitude to God. The word thanksgiving is used only in connection with the worship of the only living God, the most beneficent and the most benevolent. Scripturally, the act of expression of gratitude to God, the Creator and Possessor of the whole heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything therein for who He is, His goodness and mercies, His works in Christ and through the Holy Spirit is known as thanksgiving. This implies Thanksgiving is all about appreciating God and for Him alone.

In Christendom “Thank you God/ Father” or “Thank you Lord/Jesus” or “Thank you Holy Spirit” are the most common English words of expressing our gratitude or appreciation to God.

In as much as it is expected of all humans who are all benefactors of God to offer Him thanksgiving, not all offer it or can offer it for many reasons such as: a) Many humans don’t believe He exists and many that know He exists don’t accept Him as their God - the source of all they are and have. 2) Pathetically. many Christians or believers who knew him as God are not thankful to Him either because they have either taken His goodness towards them for granted or feel too big or too busy to express their appreciations to Him. One has to be thankful to God in order to be able to offer thanks to God because you can’t give what you don’t have.

For one to be able to offer thanksgiving to God, one must first and foremost believe He exists and recognize and acknowledge Him as the source, owner, and giver of all we have and for all things.

Secondly, one must accept and cherish whatever He has given or done as a willing act of His goodness and mercies.

Thirdly, one must humble oneself as a beneficiary to be able to ascribe His doings to Him. Those who believed they are self-made cannot offer thanksgiving to God
Thanking God can be done inwardly and silently, however, most times true thanksgiving cannot be offered without the opening of the mouth and verbally telling Him, “thank you Lord,” even if it is just a whisper.

From what has been written above we have learned that thanksgiving goes beyond the mere religious ritual of talking, giving, dancing and singing, but something that involves knowing and expressing our heartfelt gratitude to God.

Thanksgiving is not any man or church’s doctrine but an eternal doctrine. It is as old as creation itself, for the Angels created before man gave ceaseless thanksgiving and praises to God in heaven (Revelations 7: 9-12; 11: 15). Adam and Eve practiced it as we are told; the garden was full of thanksgiving and melody, Isaiah 51:3c. The flood of the time of Noah did not drown or end it; it was actually the first response of Noah to God after the flood. The patriarchs all offered it to God. The Mosaic laws affirmed it and made it central in their worship - feasts and animal sacrificial rituals. All the great godly men in the Scriptures lived it. Jesus performed it severally and the Apostles and the early Christians practiced it.

And if communication with God has been termed prayer, then thanksgiving is the oldest way of communicating with God. It is the very first of all prayers, the most stressless yet the most powerful and most effective. It is a prayer that God accepts and responds to with the speed of lightning.

God has been so good to us and we can never thank Him enough even if our whole body should be tongues. Thanksgiving is the foundation of our spirituality and if worship is said to be those actions and attitudes that revere and honor the worthiness of the great God of heaven and earth, then thanksgiving is the core of our worship.

And if God had created us for His pleasure, then we must not fail to give Him our ceaseless thanksgiving because it is something that pleases Him. “By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. but to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16).

Have you thanked God today? “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

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As the world marks the annual Valentine’s Day (a supposed lovers’ day celebration) today the 14th day of February 2021; I deemed it fit to remind us of One whose love is worthy of being celebrated all days of the year. This is no other person than the Almighty God; the source of true love and the indisputable true lover of man’s soul. God is Love, 1 John 4:8. This implies that His very essence is love; Love is all He is, and His love has all His Attributes. This indicates His Love is true, infinite, great, immutable, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, the most benevolent and the ultimate. His love is awesome, perfect, great, beautiful, good, kind, patient, real, true, incomprehensible, and incomparable.

God’s love for humanity was the reason for creation because all He created was to serve the needs of man one way or the other. Love was the very reason He created man with His own hands in His own image and likeness whereby man shares certain of His wonderful attributes and moral characters to a certain degree. His love for man was the reason He breathed into man’s nostrils and made man a living soul, carrier of His very type of life. He has very wonderful plans for man to make him have a fulfilled life, Jeremiah 29:11. Although man was the last to be created yet because of His great love for man He crowned him with honor and glory, He made him the crown of His creation whereby He gave him dominion over everything created, Psalm 8;4-8. His love for man is great and incomparable.

When man sinned against God and incurred His wrath, he was sent out from the beautiful garden where he had everything that pertained to life, yet God’s love would not let man go because man was precious to Him, Isaiah 43:4. In love, He sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ to this world to save man from all the powers holding him in captivity and restored him back to Himself, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”, John 3:16. Jesus Christ who is God’s Love personified gave His life as a ransom for man’s soul. He suffered and died on the cross of Calvary in man’s place; the righteous for the unrighteous while we were yet sinners, 1 john 4:9-11. As many as believed in Him, He gave them power to become sons of God, John 1:12. There is definitely no love greater than this John 15:3.

God’s love is the most benevolent, a love that gives His very best and withholds nothing back from the beloved. It is a love from whom all wonderful and perfect gifts flow. God in His love gave to man everything He created on earth for our free use. He gave man everything that pertains to life and godliness. He gives to all that asks from him and even at times to those who did not ask. In His love, He will supply all man’s needs according to your riches in glory and He will do things that are exceedingly, abundantly above what man can ever think or do. He daily loads us with benefits. In His love, He spread His love abroad our hearts at the reception of His gracious salvation so that man can love like Him and become like Jesus. There is no other lover that compares to Him in generosity.

God’s love is infinite which implies His love is, limitless, immeasurable, without boundaries or borders. The depth, width, and height of God’s love are unfathomable; it is deeper than the deepest oceans, higher than the highest heavens and wider than the expanse of the whole universe.

God’s love is Eternal – an endless love, Jeremiah 31:3. It has no beginning or end. A love that is forever living and forever actively alive! It is a love that can never die. The most turbulent storms cannot drown it and no amount of surging flood waters can quench the flames of God’s love.

God’s love is Omniscient. A Love that is so powerful and strong that nothing on earth or in heaven can separate the beloved from, Romans 8; 35-39.

35)”Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulations, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or unclothedness, or peril, or sword? …

37) Nay, in all these we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God’s Love is Immutable – an unchanging love. It is not subject to change, remains the same no matter what happens, “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and for ever more” (Hebrews 13:. God’s love can never change, nor grow old, can never wane, and can never fail. God in His love can never forsake, abandon or jilt or hurt His beloved, Deuteronomy 31:16; Hebrews 13:15.

God’s Love is true and has no atom of falsehood, pretense, hypocrisy, deceit, ingenuity, flattery or insincerity.

God’s love is a gracious Love – Love that is freely and generously given to the undeserving. God’s love is ever-considerate, ever-mindful of the beloved person and needs. It is unconditional; all-encompassing, all-embracing, does not discriminate, does not reject/refuse or cast out any that comes to Him, John 3:37. There is a place for all the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the sinner, the saints, male/female, old or young in God’s heart. In His graciousness He chastises us in love when we are going astray, Hebrews 12:6; Revelations 3:19.

God’s love is Omniscient – love that knows everything there is to know that pertains to the beloved – everything about the past, present and future, dreams, aspirations, needs; just name it

God’s Love is Omnipresent – God’s love is not an occasional love but all days and seasons love. It is everywhere present and accessible to all. This implies God’s love is everywhere present, even where you are right now! The echo of His love is relayed to mankind every minute by minute in His glory as revealed in the heavens on a daily basis. All His creations everywhere relay His great love to man at all times. God’s love is not a passive love but an active one that motivates, inspires, cares, encourages and brings out the best of the beloved.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your love for mankind. I am very grateful that I am among the privileged ones that have embraced your gracious salvation through faith in your Son Jesus Christ and have been experiencing your love on a personal level. I am so undeserving of your great love for me. Knowing that you just love me for Jesus sake is something too wonderful and too lofty for me to comprehend.

I CELEBRATE YOUR LOVE FOR ME AND ALL MANKIND TODAY AND ALWAYS.

If you are reading this post and you are wondering about the possibility of you enjoying God’s love as described above, I want you to know that it is possible, you can. God loves you, be you black, white, colored, albino. He loves you be you rich, poor, male, female, educated, tall, short, disabled or whatever. Jesus was given for you “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

a) Come to Him and repent of all sins, Acts 3:19. 1 John 1:9

b) Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you, Romans 5:8, Acts 10: 40&43

c) Invite Jesus into your heart, Revelations 3: 20

d) Totally surrender everything to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to be in total control of your life.

e) Spend time alone with Jesus in prayers and studying His Holy Scripture on regular basis.

I LOVE YOU LORD JESUS.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.
www.lovelashblog.com

It is one thing to be thankful and it is another thing to express our thankfulness to our benefactor for their kindness or gift to us. Being thankful and not expressing it does no one any good, but being thankful and expressing it does wonders. The act of showing or expressing our gratitude to our benefactor is known as appreciation or being grateful. To show someone appreciation involves knowing/ recognizing and acknowledging the person as the giver or benefactor. Appreciation is expressed in our words, actions or deeds. The most common way is in words - verbally. The most commonly used English word for appreciation is the word “thank you.” Thank you is one of the shortest sentences, yet one of the most powerful words spoken among humanity. It is a short phrase that leads to a better life. It is a natural verbal response/expression of gratitude to someone. It implies it is something one has to say except one is dumb, even the dumb utters it in their own special way. It is a word used to express our gratitude/gratefulness or appreciation to someone that has done us a favor, for past, present and future promises. Naturally, it is something said with great joy and humility towards the giver.

Being appreciated is one thing that all humans desire; yes, we like and enjoy being appreciated even when we tell those who appreciated us “don’t mention it!” Lack of appreciation when it should be given demoralizes. It is responsible for the many troubles between married couples, children and parents, employees and employers and in all forms of relationship.

When we appreciate those that deserve it, it performs great wonders. It relieves tensed nerves; brings a smile to a frowning face; gladness to a heavy heart and strengthens tiring hands. It binds the heart of the giver and receiver closer. Appreciation brings out the best of the one so appreciated. It encourages the appreciated to do more. It is morally right to always show appreciation to our benefactors for every gift received and every act of kindness no matter how small.

List ten people that you appreciate in your life, call or send text messages to them telling them how much you appreciate them and thank them for their help and assistance.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.
www.lovelashblog.com

These two words - being thankful and gratitude are words we use interchangeably in our daily conversations yet they differ in meaning. Gratitude is one of the natural positive emotions like love, therefore it is universal. Gratitude like the other emotions is of the heart/mind. Gratitude of heart occurs whenever the specific hormones responsible for it is triggered up in response to the pleasant and delightful positive input of things, happenings and situations received from the Spiritual or physical realm. Gratitude of the heart joyfully recognizes, acknowledges, appreciates and reciprocates life's goodness, and being thankful for them. The human emotions and feelings are of the mind and spiritual in nature and therefore can easily conform to what they are exposed to, which implies they could easily shift grounds or change course. They can be influenced and controlled. All emotions and feelings can increase tremendously in intensity.

When the heart is full of gratitude wonderful feelings of inexplicable joy and gladness erupts from it unto all parts - body soul and spirit, one smiles, dances, kneels down, sings, tells others, says sweet words to oneself and others; one is at peace inwardly and outwardly. One is full of expectancy and radiates so much sweetness and kindness to other people around. One is energized and could literarily undertake any task successfully without getting tired. This feeling is what being thankful implies. As we can see here, "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter; and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us: whereof we are glad" (Psalm 126: 1-4).

Thankfulness is a word that indicates the quality of our thanks - a very high level, degree or quantity of gratitude in the heart - a heart full of thanks; a revelation to the fact that it is possible for the heart to be devoid of thanks - thanks-empty, thankless. It implies it is only a heart filled and full or abundant with gratitude that can express thankfulness. Jesus said from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The level or degree of thankfulness in your heart determines the degree of your thanksgiving. Thankfulness of heart is jubilant and expressive in nature, this is because the whole heart - mental, emotions/feelings and the will are involved and this, in turn, involves the whole body.

Being thankful - a joyful response is the most needed and important ingredient in appreciation or thanksgiving. One has to be thankful to be able to tell someone thank you because a heart empty of gratitude cannot give what it does not have. Thanksgiving without thankfulness is emptiness, lacking inner joy; reluctant and unwilling therefore needed to be pushed/cajoled because it is full of self. Gratitude is a thing of the heart, once it is not from the heart; thanksgiving becomes mere lip-service and hypocritical/mechanical, is based on human effort and geared towards self-glorification. It is impossible to be genuinely thankful/grateful and not express it. Thankfulness is uncontainable. It is not something that can be bottled up, if the heart is truly thankful/grateful, it will overflow out and it shows one way or the other in the words, looks and actions of one that has it. A thankful heart does not need to be cajoled, pushed, or forced to offer thanks verbally or give of one’s substance before doing so, because thanksgiving, giving and worship flows out freely and willingly from a thankful heart. Thankfulness of heart opens the hand to give bountifully. Thankfulness of heart has an overwhelming flow of gladness and rejoicing, it is jubilant in nature and would make one dance, jump, sing or do any action that connotes rejoicing. Thankfulness humbles the heart and the whole being therefore would willingly bow the head or the knee to the benefactor. Thankfulness takes total control of the whole man from himself to focus on the benefactor. Thankfulness of heart would go the extra mile to please the benefactor, willingly reciprocating by giving something back to the benefactor not as a payback but as an act of love and gratitude.

To be thankful involves accepting, liking, attaching importance and worth/value to all gifts and favors received no matter how little or small they are. Any gift or favor not liked or which importance is not attached to is not valued and even when accepted it is never appreciated; likewise the giver of such gifts. One thing we should have at the back of our hearts is that all gifts given or favor done by someone costs the giver something. And to be thankful, one must know that whatever we have been given is not our right but privileges.

As Christians we are charged to be thankful always to God and man, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15). This implies our hearts must be full of gratitude at all times that is having an attitude of gratitude to God always for His benevolence.

The Christians should be the most thankful to God in everything and at all times most especially because of all that Jesus is, did, and obtained for us by His birth, sufferings, death, resurrection and ascension. “Be thankful unto him and bless his holy name” - Psalm 100:4.

Are you a thankful individual? What are you thankful unto the Lord for today?
GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.
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WHY IS MAN SO ENDOWED?

God’s statement before creating man in Genesis 1:26 reveals one of the reasons why God made man the way he was made. It is therefore not surprising that after he was created, God blessed him and gave him dominion over all other creation on earth and things in the sea (Genesis 1:28-29). This implies man being endowed with great talents, potentials, powers and abilities were for him to be able to carry out his God-given assignment as God’s coworker. God’s blessings and charges to man reveals that man is God’s ambassador and coworker on earth and not as the owner but to manage the resources as a steward of the owner, Psalm 8:5-8..

However, from the song by the angels in Revelation 4: 11 comes the revelation of the overall reason why God created all things including man "Thou art worthy, Oh Lord, to receive, glory, and honor and power: for thou art created all things and for thy pleasure, they were all well created”. This implies all things including man were created for His pleasure – to give Him pleasure. And what is that which gives Him pleasure? Glorifying Him is! Isaiah 43;7. This implies man was primarily created to glorify God (worship) for everything and in everything – in his walk, works, words and possessions.

Worship is all about the right and acceptable responses of gratitude for all things and in everything we do to God for who He is and His goodness to us. To glorify God is to love Him, acknowledge His goodness and greatness and give Him the glory by thanking and praising Him alone (1 Chronicles 16: 28-29; Isaiah 42;8; 42:5).
The Bible reveals that God did not abandon man to his fate after creating, blessing and giving him dominion over all things. God planted a garden full of very pleasant fruits and other beautiful things and placed man there to tend and care for (Genesis 2:8-15). He gave him commandments to guide his life and stay in the garden, Genesis 2:16-17. When God saw there was no companion for him he caused him to go into a deep sleep and made a compatible companion for him (Genesis 2: 21-25). God also visited them on a daily basis in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:. This implies they lived in a personal fellowship with God that involved moral obedience and intimate communion. It also implies they enjoyed the presence of God of which we are told is the fullness of joy, and pleasures forever more, Psalm 16:11.

Now, the question, is if you were in the position of Adam; how would you have responded to God who had created you fearfully and wonderfully and had given you His breath of life in your nostrils, created all things beautifully and He has given to man all things to freely enjoy which included divine blessings, dominion over every living thing whose being and existence he has contributed nothing; a planted beautiful Garden of diverse fruits a very beautiful, conducive environment, ready supply of all things and comfort, a job; made a coworker with God; given a help meet: protection from all dangers and given a hand of fellowship with God who visits every day? Nothing short of grateful responses I am so sure!

Thanksgiving and praises would flow forth naturally from him to His maker as expressions of his gratitude. With the nature of man and by the reason of all that God gave to mankind, living with a thankful heart and offerings of continual thanksgiving and praises should be his lifestyle.
With gratitude Adam would had come before His Presence in awe and wonder at the awesomeness and glorious majesty of God and then with joy and gladness humbly laying prostrated before Him in adoration of His being and person. He would then have offered torrents of thanksgiving and praises from a heart of thankfulness and love to God for all the immeasurable gifts. Thankfulness of the heart stirs up thanksgiving and praises of the mouth.

As each new day ushered in God’s daily benefits, he would go about his daily life with all his thoughts on God and his lips would sing His praises continually in an attitude of love and gratitude and carrying out his duty with all diligence and great rejoicing with grateful thoughts of the great giver and our Lord. Thanksgiving and praises are all about joyful and heartfelt responses for God’s person and His goodness and mercies to us. With a heart full of thankfulness they would have served and worship God with joy and gladness of heart continually. “Man’s true religion is in rendering to God all that is God’s, and in continually acknowledging that everything he is, has, and enjoys is from God” – Andrew Murray.

Doing this would have resulted into a very intimate, cordial love, devotion and obedience because appreciation binds the heart of the beneficiary to the benefactor. Apart from this it would make them know, believe, understand and trust God dearly, be totally dependent on Him, totally committed to Him because appreciation focuses and fixes both eye and heart on the benefactor! Apart from these; man would have experienced a blissful life, full of joy and gladness since gratitude of heart to God is one surest way of being glad always. These are what God wants from us in our fellowship with Him, to love him. be glad in him, know him, believe and understand that He is God and so praise Him (Isaiah 43:10). These are what He greatly delights in and this is the purpose of our being created and this is what worship is all about (Isaiah 43: 7&21).
Adam and Eve did glorify and worshipped God the way expected of them before the fall. The Garden of Eden was a place of joy and gladness, thanksgiving and melody before the fall, Isaiah 51:3.

YOU AND I WERE CREATED TO GLORIFY GOD. SO IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU GLORIFIED HIM TODAY?

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

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1) Man, a unique and relational being to God:
According to the Scripture, man was created uniquely in the image and likeness of God, Genesis 1:26-27. His being created in the image and likeness of God implies among other things that he is first and foremost a spirit being since God his Creator is Spirit (John 4:24). As a spirit being, man has all the spiritual organs needed to relate and have fellowship with God. Man as a spirit being is to live according to the dictates of the spirit and for God; this implies setting their whole heart only on God and on the things of the spirit and not on the flesh and the physical world around them, 1 Corinthians 2:10.

In creating man, God made a physical form with the dust of the ground to house the spirit man to enable him to stay in the physical world. This form is known as the body or flesh (Genesis 2:7). Man’s body is a wonderful, beautiful and complex entity with different parts, bones, muscles and sensory organs of which some are internal while some are external. Although the organs are many, yet, they all work and function perfectly well together as one body to the extent that any malfunction of the tiniest organ affects the whole body. Among the external organs are the skin, eyes, nose, ears and mouth. These are known as the sensory organs; the skin feels touching, eyes to see things in his surroundings, ears to hear sounds, nose to smell things and breath, mouth for taste, means of expression, and communications with others. With all these he could relate to the physical world and other creatures he lives with.

After God made the body of man using dust from the earth, He breathed unto his nostrils and man’s physical body and organs became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). This is his self-consciousness that involves his mindset, emotions, feelings, and power of choice (Gen. 2:19-20; 3:6-7; 9:6). The soul is the mustering point of the flesh and the spirit. With the spirit, man relates in the spirit realm and relates his experience to the soul. The sensory organs in his physical body relate his experiences to the soul; the soul then considers these experiences and responds back in actions, deeds, thoughts and words. By God’s design, all parts of man’s body are indivisible; they all work together in unity, so no organ can be underrated.

Man being created in the image and likeness of God also implies he possesses certain of God’s attributes most especially His moral attributes (characters) though to a lesser degree. Man being made in the likeness and image of the Omniscient God, the only wise God is intelligent; he has high mental capabilities; he can know, reason, meditate, comprehend, understand, assimilate, create, memorize, and imagine things. His being made in the image and likeness of The Omnipotent God implies he is also endowed with great potential, powers and capabilities. His being made by the responsive God implies he is responsive too; he can respond to things and situations from the physical surroundings with the aid of the outward body sensory organs; he can also respond to things happening in the spirit realm. His being made by a living personal God (Genesis 2:7) implies he is also a personal being with mindset, emotions, self-consciousness, and power of choice. His being made in the likeness of God who speaks; whose Word is Life and Spirit and who operates with the words of His mouth and spoke everything into existence implies man can also do likewise with his words. His being made by a God who appraised everything He created each day and declared them good, appreciates by commendation, rewards and praises good works, condemns and punishes indolence means he too can appraise, appreciate, condemn, reward and also punish. All these are pointers to the fact that man is a relational being to God his creator, Psalm 100:3.

TO BE CONTINUED…
GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

1) Man, a unique and relational being to God:
According to the Scripture, man was created uniquely in the image and likeness of God, Genesis 1:26-27. His being created in the image and likeness of God implies among other things that he is first and foremost a spirit being since God his Creator is Spirit (John 4:24). As a spirit being, man has all the spiritual organs needed to relate and have fellowship with God. Man as a spirit being is to live according to the dictates of the spirit and for God; this implies setting their whole heart only on God and on the things of the spirit and not on the flesh and the physical world around them, 1 Corinthians 2:10.

In creating man, God made a physical form with the dust of the ground to house the spirit man to enable him to stay in the physical world. This form is known as the body or flesh (Genesis 2:7). Man’s body is a wonderful, beautiful and complex entity with different parts, bones, muscles and sensory organs of which some are internal while some are external. Although the organs are many, yet, they all work and function perfectly well together as one body to the extent that any malfunction of the tiniest organ affects the whole body. Among the external organs are the skin, eyes, nose, ears and mouth. These are known as the sensory organs; the skin feels touching, eyes to see things in his surroundings, ears to hear sounds, nose to smell things and breath, mouth for taste, means of expression, and communications with others. With all these he could relate to the physical world and other creatures he lives with.

After God made the body of man using dust from the earth, He breathed unto his nostrils and man’s physical body and organs became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). This is his self-consciousness that involves his mindset, emotions, feelings, and power of choice (Gen. 2:19-20; 3:6-7; 9:6). The soul is the mustering point of the flesh and the spirit. With the spirit, man relates in the spirit realm and relates his experience to the soul. The sensory organs in his physical body relate his experiences to the soul; the soul then considers these experiences and responds back in actions, deeds, thoughts and words. By God’s design, all parts of man’s body are indivisible; they all work together in unity, so no organ can be underrated.

Man being created in the image and likeness of God also implies he possesses certain of God’s attributes most especially His moral attributes (characters) though to a lesser degree. Man being made in the likeness and image of the Omniscient God, the only wise God is intelligent; he has high mental capabilities; he can know, reason, meditate, comprehend, understand, assimilate, create, memorize, and imagine things. His being made in the image and likeness of The Omnipotent God implies he is also endowed with great potential, powers and capabilities. His being made by the responsive God implies he is responsive too; he can respond to things and situations from the physical surroundings with the aid of the outward body sensory organs; he can also respond to things happening in the spirit realm. His being made by a living personal God (Genesis 2:7) implies he is also a personal being with mindset, emotions, self-consciousness, and power of choice. His being made in the likeness of God who speaks; whose Word is Life and Spirit and who operates with the words of His mouth and spoke everything into existence implies man can also do likewise with his words. His being made by a God who appraised everything He created each day and declared them good, appreciates by commendation, rewards and praises good works, condemns and punishes indolence means he too can appraise, appreciate, condemn, reward and also punish. All these are pointers to the fact that man is a relational being to God his creator, Psalm 100:3.
TO BE CONTINUED...
GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

1) Man, a unique and relational being to God:
According to the Scripture, man was created uniquely in the image and likeness of God, Genesis 1:26-27. His being created in the image and likeness of God implies among other things that he is first and foremost a spirit being since God his Creator is Spirit (John 4:24). As a spirit being, man has all the spiritual organs needed to relate and have fellowship with God. Man as a spirit being is to live according to the dictates of the spirit and for God; this implies setting their whole heart only on God and on the things of the spirit and not on the flesh and the physical world around them, 1 Corinthians 2:10.

In creating man, God made a physical form with the dust of the ground to house the spirit man to enable him to stay in the physical world. This form is known as the body or flesh (Genesis 2:7). Man’s body is a wonderful, beautiful and complex entity with different parts, bones, muscles and sensory organs of which some are internal while some are external. Although the organs are many, yet, they all work and function perfectly well together as one body to the extent that any malfunction of the tiniest organ affects the whole body. Among the external organs are the skin, eyes, nose, ears and mouth. These are known as the sensory organs; the skin feels touching, eyes to see things in his surroundings, ears to hear sounds, nose to smell things and breath, mouth for taste, means of expression, and communications with others. With all these he could relate to the physical world and other creatures he lives with.

After God made the body of man using dust from the earth, He breathed unto his nostrils and man’s physical body and organs became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). This is his self-consciousness that involves his mindset, emotions, feelings, and power of choice (Gen. 2:19-20; 3:6-7; 9:6). The soul is the mustering point of the flesh and the spirit. With the spirit, man relates in the spirit realm and relates his experience to the soul. The sensory organs in his physical body relate his experiences to the soul; the soul then considers these experiences and responds back in actions, deeds, thoughts and words. By God’s design, all parts of man’s body are indivisible; they all work together in unity, so no organ can be underrated.

Man being created in the image and likeness of God also implies he possesses certain of God’s attributes most especially His moral attributes (characters) though to a lesser degree. Man being made in the likeness and image of the Omniscient God, the only wise God is intelligent; he has high mental capabilities; he can know, reason, meditate, comprehend, understand, assimilate, create, memorize, and imagine things. His being made in the image and likeness of The Omnipotent God implies he is also endowed with great potential, powers and capabilities. His being made by the responsive God implies he is responsive too; he can respond to things and situations from the physical surroundings with the aid of the outward body sensory organs; he can also respond to things happening in the spirit realm. His being made by a living personal God (Genesis 2:7) implies he is also a personal being with mindset, emotions, self-consciousness, and power of choice. His being made in the likeness of God who speaks; whose Word is Life and Spirit and who operates with the words of His mouth and spoke everything into existence implies man can also do likewise with his words. His being made by a God who appraised everything He created each day and declared them good, appreciates by commendation, rewards and praises good works, condemns and punishes indolence means he too can appraise, appreciate, condemn, reward and also punish. All these are pointers to the fact that man is a relational being to God his creator, Psalm 100:3.
TO BE CONTINUED...
GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

INTRODUCTION
The word thanksgiving is a popular term in Christendom and it is something we have all involved in religiously. However, the truth is that there is more to thanksgiving than many of us are aware of. Thanksgiving is in fact not an occasional religious activity, but it is God’s recommended lifestyle for His children! This implies that Christian life is supposed to be that of gratitude to God through Jesus Christ; always giving thanks to Him for all things (good and bad) and in everything (in all situations and circumstances) and for all men (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:15-17; Ephesians 5:4; 1; Thessalonians 5:18; 2 Timothy 2:1; Ephesians 5:20).

A lifestyle of thanksgiving has been God’s eternal demand from His children according to the Scriptural charges on them both in the Old and the New Testament. A lifestyle of thanksgiving is one that gives thanks to God in the good times as well as in the bad times, all day long, day in and day out, in all our words, actions, and deeds. A lifestyle of thanksgiving is a life of deep faith in God! It is a God-centered, victorious, contented, peaceful and joyous life devoid of all fear, worries, and worldly cares. This is God’s recommended lifestyle for the believers in Christ Jesus, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This is God’s Kingdom lifestyle and it is the best lifestyle anyone could live.

A critical study of the Scripture reveals that our Lord Jesus actually lived a lifestyle of thanksgiving! All other notable men and women of faith in the like of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Hannah, King David, King Solomon, King Hezekiah, Daniel, and Apostle Paul just to mention a few, lived lifestyles of thanksgiving to God and they all had great victories and testimonies!

The gains and importance of this lifestyle are enormous. However, until one gets involved one can never fully know or understand its significance. So get this knowledge here. Did God not say in His word that “Therefore my people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge; Their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.” (Isaiah 5:13).

A LIFESTYLE OF THANKSGIVING SERIES is yet another encouragement series from www.lovelashblog.com to help individuals live a victorious and fulfilled Christian life. READ AND BE BLESSED.

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A great famine came upon the whole earth as Pharaoh’s dreams had indicated and as Joseph interpreted for him, Genesis 41:15-36. This made his brothers come from the land of Canaan to Egypt to buy food without knowing Joseph their brother was the one in charge. They came and paid obeisance by bowing down before him and even called him “my lord” while they referred to themselves as “thy servants” as his dreams they had vehemently rejected and opposed years back revealed, Genesis 37:5-9; 44:26-28. He later revealed himself as Joseph that they had sold into slavery to them and they were astonished. At the invitation of Joseph, Jacob, their father, the brothers and all members of their family came down to Egypt and Joseph settled then in Goshen, the choicest of the lands in Egypt and nourished them all as he had promised, Genesis 47:11-12.

Thus, Joseph’s dreams were fulfilled despite all opposition! Most importantly, God’s plan to use Egypt as the place where the lives of his chosen people would be preserved and where the nation of Israel would be born was fulfilled, Genesis 45:5, 7. What a happy ending to a true-life story with a very sad beginning coupled with intricate life’s challenges and victories.

GOD’S PLANS FOR HIS CHILDREN CANNOT BE THWARTED

Joseph’s story affirms the fact that God truly has unique and wonderful plans and purposes for believers and unbelievers alike according to His words in Jeremiah 29:11. These plans preceded our births. God reveals His plans and purposes at times to individuals through dreams and other ways He chooses to do this. He also gives gifts – endowments, grace and the needed people that will help put one on track to the actualization of His plans and purposes.

In the course of fulfilling God’s plans for one’s life, one is bound to come across challenges as revealed in Joseph’s life. This implies challenges are inevitable. Among the challenges one would face in life is the one aimed at truncating or stopping us from fulfilling God’s plan and purpose for our lives. This happens to be the toughest of life’s challenges because it is caused by Satan the adversary – the power that opposes God’s plans for an individual. Although, it is a spiritual challenge yet Satan uses human agents and circumstances to cause serious oppositions against individuals to make them derail. Unfortunately, many have lost out at this point. This is because victory is not by power nor by might, but by the spirit of the Lord. The power of opposition tried all they could to derail Joseph but they failed because he lived his life in total surrender and dependence on God.

Everything God has spoken concerning each child of His like Joseph is bound to happen; no plan of His can be thwarted by any. This is to correct the erroneous belief some have that certain human with occultist powers, such as witches, wizards, have the power to change God’s plan, no one can (Isaiah 14:24). God’s eternal plans and purposes remain the same. God is Sovereign; therefore He is Lord over all powers and circumstances of life. It is not in their power to harm any child of God who lives a daily life of godliness and righteousness. If God is for us who can be against us (Numbers 23: 23a; Job 1:10). Satan and all the principalities have limitations they cannot exceed, they can only do that which is allowed of them by God as revealed in the trials of Job in Job 1: 8-12; 2: 2-7. Jesus is the head of all principalities (Colossians 2:10, 15; Ephesians1: 21-22). We are also above them since we are seated in heavenly places in Jesus far above all Principalities and powers (Ephesians 2: 6). “The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.” (Psalm 33:10-11). Therefore as a child of God, don’t be afraid of the adversities and oppositions when they come because God the giver of the dream would not allow them to triumph over you in victory, He will uphold you and the dreams to the end. King David beautifully described how God gave him victory over his enemies in Psalm 18:32-43.

GOD ALL THE WAY!

God played very important and vital roles in Joseph’s life. God remained the only constant being in Joseph’s story from the beginning of his life to the end, especially regarding his dreams. God was the one that gave him the dreams and made them came to pass despite fierce opposition to kill him and the dreams. The power of oppositions failed to overcome him because God’s counsel alone stands concerning individuals (Isaiah 40:. He watches over His words to perform them.

We could also see from Joseph’s life that God was in control of all situations and circumstances in spite of the apparent attempts of the enemy to truncate his plans. He was in control of events that seem to contradict or oppose His will for him. He was not just in control He was actually in everything he passed through with him and this was the secret of all his victories of which Joseph knew too well. This was what made Joseph unruffled by any negative happening. God performs all He has appointed for His children. Apostle Paul affirms this saying, “it is God who will and will do it.” He works in us both to will and do his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). The Psalmist said, “the Lord will perform all that concerns me” (Psalms 57:2). By this, it means God personally sees to the actualization of his appointed plans for us (Job 23:14). This implies God does not abandon any of His children to their fate, but rather He stands will you to the end to finish the work He began in each individual (Phillipians1: 6). Therefore don’t be afraid to undergo any assignment given to you, He will help you achieve it.

Joseph’s life story started on a sad note, however, it ended beautifully. What an encouragement to know that every plan of God concerning each individual has been made to give a beautiful and expected end (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8: 28). Is it not wonderful to know that whatever the believer is going through, God would bring out something beautiful from the rubbles of a broken life and beauty from ashes? All he allowed Joseph to pass through in life was for his good. the end of his suffering has to be a source of endurance for a lot of people of all ages. God surely makes all things beautiful in its time, Ecclesiastes 3:11a. Praise God! Someone asserts “that there is a clock called providence, with which God keeps time and pace so that everything becomes beautiful in its own time. Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac at the appointed time. And what a source of encouragement to uncountable barren women the story has been.”

God alone has the power to make His plans fulfilled in one’s life and to cause the adversary’s evil plans to be for your good. God is aware of whatever we are going through and that He can overcome evil with good if we surrender our own will to the power of His supreme will and that is why Apostle Paul affirms in Romans 8:28. “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” The above quotation could be termed to be; we know, we are sure; we have done it and found it true that “in everything God works for…” and all things work out together for good in accordance to God’s purpose or plan so that all the glory and honor be given unto Him through Jesus Christ.

We know that all things are possible with God and that no purpose of His can be thwarted as long as we remain faithfully in love with Him, waiting and looking only upon Him and not looking and going after other gods for solutions.

Dear esteem reader, all that has been discussed so far in this series on Joseph’s life’s challenges and his victories over them all are written to let you know that all life’s challenges can be overcome! God has wonderful plans for your life and as a child of God, you too can be helped by God to triumph over all your life’s challenges.

No matter how difficult and tough life and situations had been with you; know that you have an expected end because everything will work out in your favor in the end by God’s grace. You don’t need to know how, just trust God and believe that He will make it work out for you. Don’t stop hoping and believing in the Lord Jesus and His ability to make things right for you.

If things are not working as fast as you think they should, please be patient, remember God’s time is different from your own time, persevere and wait for His time and everything will work out in the end. Don’t give up, keep striving and things will fall in shape someday. Always remember that winners never quit and quitters never win.

No matter how bad things are now, better days lie ahead if only you will allow God to hold the reins of your life as he did with Joseph’s.

If you are reading this and you are unsure of God’s plans for your life or you want to fulfill God’s plans for your life, you have to embrace God’s gracious salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Come to Jesus now and receive revelations of His that you do not know (Jeremiah 33: 2-3) by taking the steps written below;

Admit you are a sinner (Romans 3:23; 6:23).
Repent of all sins (Acts 3:19. 1 John 1:9)
Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you (Romans 5:8. Acts 10:40 & 43).
Invite Jesus into your heart (Revelations 3:20)
Forsake all sin (Isaiah 55:6-7)

WE HAVE COME TO THE C[b][/b][b][/b]ONCLUSION OF THE WONDERFUL ENCOURAGEMENT SERIES BASED ON JOSEPH’S VICTORIES OVER ALL THE ADVERSARY’S OPPOSITIONS IN HIS LIFE.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING A PART OF THIS. REMAIN BLESSED.

GOD LOVES YOU, AND SO DO I.
www.lovelasblog.com

Pharaoh made Joseph a ruler in Egypt. As in his usual character, Joseph accepted and adjusted quickly to his new position and started work in earnest that very day of his appointment, Genesis 41:46. As he had successfully predicted, the seven plenteous years of harvest came. He diligently carried out the ingathering and storage of harvested goods until the years ended, Genesis 41:47-49. Then the seven years of famine started and because he had in wisdom prudently stored up harvested goods, only in the land of Egypt was food. He was careful and prudent in giving and selling out stored grains to the Egyptians who came to buy and also people from other nations. He managed the whole situation perfectly and successfully that the stored goods were not exhausted and lasted until the seven years famine ended. He was so faithful in carrying out Pharaoh's business in his care that Pharaoh never had any cause to question his sincerity. He was indeed a perfect example of good stewardship that believers are supposed to render in all our dealings in any business.

One of the challenges facing youths these days is the area of their duties. Many don't want to work but want to live big. As a result of this. many of them live in penury and abject poverty and sooner than not they become depressed and suicidal blaming their foes on everyone around them. Unfortunately among the few employed, many are so dishonest, unfaithful, unaccountable and fraudulent that they ruined businesses committed into their care. What a false projection this is to Christianity! The truth is that Christianity does not condone laziness, fraud, dishonesty, unaccountability, untrustworthiness and unfaithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2).

Work was the first thing God instituted for man after he was created (Genesis 1:28; 2:15). Work is man's means of keeping body, soul and spirit together and putting food on the table. There is no food for lazy man (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The patriarchs, our Lord Jesus himself, the disciplines and early Christians were all prudent, hardworking, faithful, diligent in their chosen professions. All Christians are called to serve to do whatever they can lay their hand on. Our Lord Jesus taught us the importance of being faithful in whatever work others engage us to do for them saying "He that is faithful in the least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust in much. If therefore ye the unrighteous mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own" (Luke 16:10-12). This simply implies that how you treat other people's business in your care determines your blessings! God rewards hard work and faithfulness!.

To dare to be like Joseph is to be hardworking, prudent and diligent in whatever we do. Joseph from childhood had proved himself to be hardworking and one who did everything he laid his hand on with all his heart and as unto the Lord and God blessed him, Genesis 39:3. As a teenager, he was dutiful to his father and went with his brothers to look after their father's flock and was never involved in any shady deals his brothers perpetuated. When he was a slave in Potiphar's house, he carried out his duties with all diligence that Potiphar made him the overseer over his household. When he was falsely imprisoned, he also performed his duties excellently that he was also put in charge of other prisoners. For Joseph, there was no time for dulling, idleness or laziness at work and all those he worked for never doubted his integrity and honesty in business. He was indeed a prudent, honest and trustworthy man. Truly "a prudent man stands before kings and not mean men," Proverbs 22: 29.

BEING LOYAL/ FAITHFULNESS TO GOD
Joseph as a family man was blessed with two sons within the first seven years of plenty. He named the first son Manasseh which means "For God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house." He named the second one Ephraim which means "For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction," (Genesis 41:50-51). The names revealed he still maintained his intimate personal relationship with his God despite all the unpalatable things he passed through and his many years of sojourn in a strange land where the God he served was not being worshipped. The naming of his sons in acknowledgment of the Almighty God and not any of the idols of Egypt indicated that his staying in the land full of idolatry for almost twenty years, his being married to the daughter of an Egyptian idol priest and his being the second in command position to Pharaoh considered as a god and an idol worshipper notwithstanding, he remained loyal to Jehovah, God of his father’s - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is to say that six of the most powerful things of influence that can cause one to become disloyal to God which are environment, fame, power, riches, position, love life and close association/relationship with idol worshippers could not influence him to join in idol worship and become disloyal to his God. What a loyal and outstanding man of faith Joseph was!

Joseph at a very young age entered into a personal intimate relationship with God and remained loyal to God through thick and thin. The death of his mother could not make him hate God, so also hatred and ill-treatment by family members could not. The downturns of life couldn't affect him so also the upturns of life. Long years before fulfillment of his dreams could not make him give up on God. His staying all alone without a family member in a land full of idolatry as Egypt for years did not make him forget about his God. His wife of a different tradition, custom, and religious background couldn't influence him to worship idols as Jezebel influenced King Ahab and as the wives of King Solomon turned his heart from God. Nothing could corrupt him, nothing could make him deny God!

Joseph held on to God in the darkest part of his life as well as in the sunshine years. This is loyalty and faithfulness! This is the mark of someone who deliberately chose to worship God, not for gain but because He alone is God. It is the mark of one who has genuine love and faith in God in his heart. It is a mark of one whose heart has been surrendered totally to God. In his sunshine days, he did not allow fame, power and riches to derail him and make him forget his God. He showed us with his exemplary life that staying loyal and faithful to God from the beginning of our life to the end of it irrespective of the challenges that come our way is possible.

Being disloyal to God our creator is one of the temptations one could face in life. It is pathetic to note that majority of those who claimed to be atheists today have Christian backgrounds, but they fell out with God for reasons such as:
1) failure/disappointment of not receiving answers to their prayers or desires.
2) Hardship and suffering.
3) Taking offense with God because a believer they trusted and looked up to let them down.
4) They have gotten their heart desires or achieved their goals and believed they no longer need God.
4) Some left because they were being enticed by the fame/wealth of the occult.
5) Some left because they were envious of the prosperity of the heathen and felt God wasn't fair to them.
6) Some left because they had become rich and comfortable.
6) Some because of the overwhelming storms of life faced.
Falling out with God is the worst mistake any human could make.

It is a fact that in life there are certain situations one would get to such as arriving at the top of one's career, fame, the glory that one would feel being on top of the world, and belief that one has arrived; that time that one is fulfilled, comfortable and has all one’s heart desires. At that point, the possibility of thinking that there is nothing more needed again in life would be high. This is the period many would claim to be self-made forgetting that all has been the Lord's doing.

It is also a fact that there are certain situations one would face that it will seem as if God has hidden or turned His back at us or that He is against us or has even forsaken us. At such times the temptation to seek help from elsewhere or to give up on God would be high. It is even possible that one may not even have such intentions of seeking help elsewhere. However, the evil one would engineer people close to you to advise one to forsake God as Job's wife did. They may even go further to go on one's behalf to go and make a pact or consultation with the devil on one's behalf without one knowing about it. Please don't accept whatever charms anyone brings to you as help to overcome life's storms, you will be entangled. No charms can stop life's storms! You might be encouraged to go and make a consultation with the seer, the witch doctors etc, please don't go, this was the mistake King Saul made. Nothing good comes out from such consultations. Having great wealth and success is another thing that could make one become disloyal to God forgetting that it is God that makes one great and wealthy.

You might be staying among unbelievers, and see them with no problems and prospering while you are struggling hard to survive. King David saw himself in this situation and almost slipped as he said in Psalm 73:1-19 . Don't compare your life with the unbelievers, Joseph was alone in a land full of idolatry, yet he remained true and faithful to God. He did not serve their idol and he was not afraid of them (Psalm 16:4). He was able to resist them because he set his eyes on God (Psalm 16: 8-11).

Christianity is referred to as a race because it has a starting point of being born again, a finishing point at death and also a reward in the afterlife. The reward does not belong to those who begin it, but to those who finished the race enduring the activities of the world, the flesh and Satan to the end. The world would not want one to finish the race and would try to stop one by dangling the pleasures of the world before one's eyes, so that one can settle down and give up on one's faith. Settling for the world's pleasures, which are all vanities and of no eternal values implies forfeiting God's eternal reward. The flesh will also seek to entangle one to fulfill its desires and prevent one from pressing on in following God. But remember, those who fulfill the desires of the flesh cannot please God. Satan will make many fierce attacks on your faith but you must persevere. He will use friends, family and loved ones to hate you, persecute you, condemn you, discourage you all in a bid to make you slip, and make you give up on God, However, don't ever deny God. Satan through the occult might give you seeming wonderful promises of fame and wealth. Know that all his promises are full of lies and deceit, they are deadly snares. Don't be enticed, nothing he gives lasts. Just endure, don't because of wealth or any lack you suffer join the occult, "what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul" (Matthew 16:26). The trend in Christendom now where instead of involving in doing any legitimate work they can lay their hands on to do to fend for themselves and family members, many now take to praying and fasting for miraculous prosperity and blessings. This is not scriptural. If you cannot find any office work, then create one. God gave us hands so that we can work with them. He only blesses the works of our hands. As a result, many able-bodied young men and women have turned to beggars and are a burden to others. This type of lifestyle does not glorify Christ, therefore it must stop! There is work for you to do at the exact location you are. Start at doing something tangible. At the beginning, the result may not be encouraging but with time, you will be happy you did.

Remain steadfast with God because he will recompense you according to your dealings with Him, if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. In your time of prosperity remember God, likewise in the time of your lack. Don't take your burdens to fellow humans, they will only lead you astray and give you wrong counsel to forsake God. Take whatever your burden is to God in prayer, wait for Him. Don't lose your confidence in God, Isaiah 26:3.
If you are reading this and have not yet embraced God's gracious salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, please, come to Jesus now before it is too late by taking the steps written below;
-Admit you are a sinner, Romans 3:23; 6:23.
-Repent of all sins, Acts 3:19. 1 John 1:9
-Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you. Romans 5:8, Acts 10:40 & 43.
-Invite Jesus into your heart, Revelations 3:20
-Forsake all sin, Isaiah 55:6-7

DON'T EVER FORGET GOD, (DEUTERONOMY 8:11-20).
GOD LOVES YOU SO DO I.

surebona:
Please I need assistance, how can I survive a heartbreak from a relationship of over 6yrs. She was basically my friend, sister and girlfriend. I am not in a good state of mind. All I need is help and hope that I will survive this. Please help me. Even if it's one reply that can help me I will be very grateful

Oh Dear, so sorry about what happened to you. The reality is that God has just delivered you from someone that was not worthy of you. Turn your sorrow to thanksgiving. The one meant for you will surely come in Jesus name.

Interestingly, Joseph’s release and freedom from slavery, prison, transformation, and exaltation to the throne could be said to best describe what happens spiritually when a sinner under the captivity of Satan and bondages of sin embraces God’s gracious salvation through faith in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ based on his death, resurrection and continued work. God freely offers us eternal life in Jesus Christ. God’s gracious salvation through Jesus Christ is God’s solution to all problems facing man that emanated from transgressions and fall of Adam due to disobedience to God’s commandment not to eat out of the forbidden fruit of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden, Genesis 2:16-17; 3: 6-7; Romans 5:12, 17,19.

As one repents, turns to God and takes a bold step of faith towards Jesus Christ believing Him as God’s Son and the only Savior for lost humanity, the Holy Spirit the seal of His promise is bestowed, Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians .1:22. The Holy Spirit is that which causes regeneration and transformation. Through this process, eternal life from God Himself is imparted to the believer, John 3:16; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 5:11. One becomes a child of God John 1:12; Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 3:26. He also becomes a new person created after God in righteousness and true holiness (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:24). This is being “born again”, John 3:3.

Just as Joseph was held in slavery and captivity against his will for several years, so also are all unsaved persons enslaved to sin, impunity and lawlessness, Romans 6:17-20; 2 Timothy:2:26.

Just as Joseph’s release and freedom from slavery and imprisonment under Potiphar came through Pharaoh – a higher power than Potiphar not based on Joseph’s effort or wisdom but by God’s divine intervention and grace, likewise has God’s gracious salvation that releases from slavery, imprisonment and deliverance from all powers that be (Romans 6:6,18,22; 1 Peter 2:16) comes from the Sovereign God unto mankind not based on man’s will, good works, efforts or wisdom but by God’s love and grace (John 1;16; 3:16).

Just as Joseph’s freedom from prison came by the word of Pharaoh, so also does the truth of Jesus Christ found in the Word set whoever hears and believes it free from sin, destruction and Satan’s dominion (John 8:31-32, 36). As one responds by coming back to God in repentance and accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior, one has freedom (Acts 16:31, Romans 1:17, Ephesians 1:15; 2:.

Joseph’s release from the prison to Pharaoh signified his pardon, freedom from any accusation and condemnation. Likewise, anyone that responds in faith to Jesus Christ has forgiveness of sins and freedom from guilt and condemnation, Romans 8:1.

As Joseph’s release from imprisonment by Pharaoh ended Potiphar’s power’s over him, likewise embracing God’s gracious salvation through faith in Jesus Christ ends Satan’s power and dominion over any repented sinner. A believer ceases to be under the power and influence of Satan. At that instance, powers have changed hands. Joseph was translated from the prisons to the palace of Pharaoh. Likewise, anyone who comes to God through faith in Jesus Christ is translated from the Kingdom and power of darkness into the Kingdom of His dear Son in whom we have redemption through his blood, even forgiveness of sins (Colossians1:13-14, Acts 10:43; Romans 4:6-. Such becomes a citizen of Heaven (Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11) and is passed from spiritual death to spiritual life; from the power of sin to the power of Jesus; from the dominion of Satan to the dominion of God (Acts 26:18) and rescued from the penalty of sin (Romans 1: 16).

Just as Joseph’s freedom and coming to Pharaoh’s palace placed him in an intimate relationship with Pharaoh, so also taking a step of faith to Jesus brings us into a new personal relationship with God as our father and Jesus as our Lord and Savior (Matthew 6:9; John 1: 12; 14:18-23). One becomes a son of God and heir, Galatians 3:29.

Just as Joseph was given power by Pharaoh over Pharaoh’s household, so also has God through Jesus given all believers dominion over all angels, and everything he has created and in His kingdom (Genesis 1:28). Joseph was made a joint ruler to the throne of Egypt so also has Jesus made believers joint heirs to his Father’s Heavenly Throne (Romans 6:17, Galatians 4:7, 1 Peter 3:7). He made us kings and priests unto God and Father (Revelations 1:62).

As Pharaoh gave Joseph his ring that bears the seal of his name to transact business in his name, likewise has Jesus given the believers the baptism of the Holy Spirit to accomplish mighty works in His name and to make believers witness and proclaim effectively (Acts 1:8; 2:14-41, Romans 15:18-19; 1 Corinthians 2:4).

As Pharaoh arrayed Josephs in a vesture of fine linen, likewise Jesus has removed from those who believe in Him garments of filth, shame, pain and arrayed them with garments of salvation and righteousness and praise (Isaiah 61: 3, 10)

As Pharaoh made Joseph ride in the second chariot which he had, so has God made believers to be seated in Christ Jesus in heavenly places far above all principalities and powers (Ephesians 1: 21).

Just as Pharaoh gave Joseph absolute authority over all land and the people, likewise, Jesus has given absolute authority to believers over Satan, his cohorts and the kingdom of darkness (Mark 3:14-15; 6:7; 16;17, Luke 9:1-2; 10:17, Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:18; 19:12).

As Joseph was given a new name that indicated his being made a full-fledged son of Pharaoh, so also has Jesus Christ given us a new name which indicates our spiritual birth status such as ‘Sons of God’, (John 1:12, 1 John 3:1), ‘Friends’, (John 15:13-15); ‘Brethren’, (Matthew 23:8; 28:10).

As Joseph was given a wife so has Jesus made us his bride (Jeremiah 3:14).

These and many more are the spiritual freedom and transformations bestowed on anyone that embraces God’s gracious salvation which leads through life in the present, Luke 19: 9,10.

There is the future aspect of God’s salvation that would happen when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again (Romans 13:11-12; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5). Believers will be delivered from the coming wrath of God, (Romans 5:9; 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9). They would share the divine glory and receive a resurrected or transformed body, (Romans 8:29; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 1 Corinthians 15:49-52). They would also receive rewards as faithful overcomers, Revelations 2:7. What a gracious salvation indeed! Nothing else compares to this.

This wonderful and great God’s gracious salvation that liberates and transforms and empowers is too marvelous and must not be missed. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at first began to be spoken by the lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Hebrews 2:3-4).

My dear esteemed Christian, these things are written here are true, therefore, hold on to your salvation to the end by working out your salvation with fear and trembling so as not to lose the future aspect of our salvation (Philippians 2:12).

If you are reading this and have not yet embraced God’s gracious salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, please, come to Jesus and be set free from satanic bondage and slavery by taking the steps written below;

Admit you are a sinner, Romans 3:23; 6:23.
Repent of all sins, Acts 3:19. 1 John 1:9
Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you, Romans 5:8, Acts 10:40 & 43.
Invite Jesus into your heart, Revelations 3:20
Forsake sin, Isaiah 55:6-7
“IF THE SON THEREFORE SHALL MAKE YOU FREE, YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED,” (JOHN 8:36).

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

I am interested.

Joseph left the prison and came straight to Pharaoh at his palace. Pharaoh narrated his dreams to Joseph and with the help of the Holy Spirit of God Joseph gave the correct interpretations and also proffered correct solutions to the dreams, Genesis 41: 17-36. Pharaoh and all his servants were satisfied with all the interpretations and solutions he proffered, Genesis 41: 37. Joseph advised Pharaoh to look for a wise and discreet man to execute the solutions given.

PHARAOH MADE JOSEPH A RULER vs 40-45
Pharaoh said to Joseph..." forasmuch as God hath shown thee all this, there is none as discreet and wise as thou art; Thou shall 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....I have set you over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand and arrayed him in vesture of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah: and he gave him a wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of on, and Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt", Genesis 41: 39-45
Now, let us analyze the implications of all Pharaoh did for Joseph.
1) "Thou shall 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." [/i]This implied Pharaoh's royal household members including His queens, princes, princess, other relatives and palace chiefs and servants are all under Joseph, Psalm 105:20-22.
2) [i]"And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand." The giving of Pharaoh's personal ring which had his name and seal implied he had empowered Joseph to do business on his behalf and in the name of the king.
3) "And arrayed him in vesture of fine linen," [/i]Vesture of linen belonged to the royal and those in the high class. This implied a change of class and dressing - from a prisoner's to a royalty and from the garment of ordinary cheap prison material he wore to the royal expensive garment of expensive materials of silk and fine linen.
4) [i]"And put a gold chain about his neck;" Gold chairs are worn by the royals, the wealthy and are usually given as gifts to those Pharaoh was pleased with. Joseph who before now had prison fetters of iron on now has a gold chain about his neck. Psalm 105:18.
5) "And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee." It implied he had become Pharaoh's second in command and master over all the warlords and other servants in the palace with immediate effect. This included all the magicians, the wise men, and Potiphar the captain of the guard. They all paid obeisance to him.
6) "And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." [/i]With this statement, Pharaoh gave Joseph absolute authority over the land of Egypt and everyone in Egypt
7) [i]"And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah:" Him being given a name by Pharaoh implied he has been fully integrated as a full-fledged son of Pharaoh and an Egyptian. He was no longer the "Hebrew servant" as he was previously referred to by Potiphar's wife, Genesis 39:17.
7) "And he gave him a wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On." [/i]With the gift of a wife, Pharaoh addressed one important need and area he had suffered greatly before now which was loneliness and being single. With the gift of a wife, he now has a companion. And since he was of marriageable age, an important need for a choice of wife which he might have difficulty in choosing had been met. He had become a husband and therefore a family man. God indeed set the solitary in families, Psalm 68:6
And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt, Genesis 41: 40-45. This implied Joseph accepted his new position and responsibilities and assumed work immediately. All these within a day!
This is an amazing exaltation and transformation; from prison to the palace! What an amazing upturn in change of life; in a day, Joseph woke up as an ordinary, unknown slave, prisoner and bachelor and a nobody in his prison garments but before the close of that same day he was already a free man, a ruler over the land of Egypt and all her people and a husband. Not only that, he had become a master over Potiphar, his former slave master and jailer. This was a total turnaround of life for Joseph. It was a brand new life!

IT IS THE LORD'S DOING
Certainly, Joseph never had the faintest idea that he would be so honored the way it had happened. It was not part of the dreams God had revealed to him. All that would probably be in his mind as he was being taken from the prisons to Pharaoh palace and even after he finished with the dream interpretation would probably be to be permitted to have an audience with Pharaoh so as to be able to plead his unjust imprisonment case and be released from the prisons. However, the great and wonder-working God who can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us had a better plan and a bigger surprise for him, Ephesians 3:20.

It is also very certain that all Pharaoh did for Joseph was not premeditated and was way far beyond being the rewards for the dreams he interpreted and the solution he proffered. Pharaoh's decisions for Joseph would have come as a big surprise to those present in the palace at that time who would have expected that one of them would be given that position as Joseph had suggested. What Pharaoh did could only have been made possible by God, the King of kings, in whose hands are the hearts of kings and He directs them wherever He wants like a river, Proverbs 21:1. The wonder-working God to whom promotion belongs had risen on Joseph's behalf, Psalm 75:6. God the lifter up of our heads had lifted him above all his problems, situations, and enemies! In fact, God had prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies, anointed his head with oil; and his cup overflowed, Psalm 23:5. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes, Psalm 118:23.
[i]"He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with the princes, even with the princes of his people," Psalm 113:7-8
"The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifted up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the lord's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be in silence in darkness, for by strength shall no man prevail," 1Samuel 2:7-9.
God is indeed God, the unchangeable changer, Daniel 2:20-21. God alone has the power to make great and also change times and seasons of life "Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength to all." 1 Chronicles 29:12.
What a wonderful God we serve!

What a great, unexplainable joy and gratitude that would have filled Joseph's heart to the God that had made all these to be, "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad, Psalm 126: 1-3.

DARE TO BE LIKE JOSEPH
What could have made God so honor Joseph the way He did? The answer to this question is simply that God was pleased with him. God rewards individuals as it pleases Him and does this handsomely too, "I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power, and by my outstretched arm, and I have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me," Jeremiah 27:5.

Joseph pleased God in all his ways as all our previous discussions have revealed! In addition to all previously mentioned qualities of his which included his obedience, love, consecrated life of purity and holiness, total submission to the will of God, kindness, discipline, and integrity are his humility, fearlessness, and selflessness as could be seen in his encounter with Pharaoh.

Joseph was a humble man. We could see Joseph's humility in his encounter with Pharaoh. If Joseph were to be a proud individual, he would have accepted the acknowledgment as a dream interpreter Pharaoh acknowledged him in his statement in the presence of all the magicians and wise men and servants present, "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph ... and I have heard say of you thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. However, Joseph immediately rejected it and acknowledged God instead saying, "And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, it is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace," Genesis 41: 16-16. He did the same thing in Genesis 40:8. This is humility - acknowledging and the recognition of God as the One behind all we are or all we have or all we are able to do and achieve. The supernatural gifts of true visions, dream dreams, interpret dreams correctly and several others exhibited by men belong to God alone, and were given by Him, Daniels 2:28; Joel 2:28. Therefore no man should take this glory for himself but give to God whom it is due. God does not share His glory with anyone else. God honors those who honored him, "...for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." 1 Samuel 2:30. Therefore to please God as Joseph did we must learn to always acknowledge God in all our ways.

Joseph had great faith in God and love for God. Joseph's great faith and love for God could be seen when he without fear of being killed acknowledged the Almighty God that he served before Pharaoh, who was considered a god himself and his magicians. Great faith and love for God propels one to fearlessly and boldly witness about God and His powers before men who have the power to kill the body of flesh without fear for one's life as the three Hebrew boys also did in Daniel 3: 16-18. Faith and love for God denied in the presence of others is no faith or love at all. Whosoever confesses his faith and love for God without fear or shame will God love and also manifest Himself greatly for and in their lives too, Daniels 3: 20—30; 6:16-28; John 14:2; Luke 12:8-9. God rewards greatly all labours of love for Him. It is a good thing to acknowledge and proclaim the greatness and power of God to the heathens without fear or shame in all places as we are told to do in Matthew 28:18-19.
Nothing stopped Joseph from suggesting to Pharaoh to make him the one to implement his suggestions instead he suggested that Pharoah should look for a man to be put in charge. This reveals he was a contended and selfless individual. He did what he did without expecting any reward from Pharaoh since he knew that no one can have anything except being given from above and that God's blessings alone make one rich. In the long run, Pharaoh himself chose him because he saw that no other man in the land of Egypt deserved to be put in charge safe the man God revealed the meaning to, Genesis 41:38-39. Indeed, godliness with contentment is great gain, Timothy 6:6.

The reason why Pharaoh gave Joseph that exalted position was revealed in his statement 41:38-39. Joseph radiates the light of the Holy Spirit of the Living God in active operation in his life all over his body, words, and actions for all to see. The Holy Spirit is the supernatural power of God indwelling God's children to strength, teach, comfort, and several others, John 16: 13-14; 1 Corinthians 2:10. Pharaoh a pagan priest could recognize that Joseph carried the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God in him was his enabler and was what distinguished him from others. Potiphar saw this in him as well and made him the overseer of his house. Even the keeper of the prison also saw this and made him the overseer too, Genesis 39: 4, 21-22. As God's children, we are all carriers of His Holy Spirit; we must live a life whereby the beauty of the Holy Spirit of Jesus be made manifest in our lives for the world to see and glorify God, Matthew 5:14-16.

JOSEPH'S UPTURN CHANGE OF LIFE
In an earlier part of these series, precisely in Part 9, we discussed how Joseph's experienced a downturn change of life from being the favorite of his wealthy polygamous father to becoming a slave and a prisoner in Egypt. Interestingly, here in this part 14, we've seen how he now had an upturn change of life from being a slave and prisoner to becoming the prime minister of Egypt, thirteen years after. Such is life!
This has to buttress this remark I previously made, 'Life has a way of surprising us with sudden changes that throws one off balance. Life changes unpredictably, one moment it is bright and sunny and at another moment it is dark and gloomy; one moment one is at the mountain top and another moment one is down in the valley; one moment one is at the zenith point the next moment down to zero point; one moment one is rejoicing, next moment one is mourning; one moment one has a house full of everything and at another moment one has lost everything like in the case of Job in Job 1: 1-19. Life is like a spinning wheel drive that when it spins, those at the top go down/under while those under can go up one moment and the next moment those under go down and it keeps spinning like that. What is most intriguing about life changes is that unlike the spinning wheel that is controlled by man; no man has control over life's sudden changes; no man can predict when it would happen, no man can prevent it from happening and no man knows for how long one remains before another change happens."

In truth, no condition in life is permanent. A change of any life's condition to another is possible within the twinkling of the eye.
It is worth mentioning here that had Joseph not accepted his downturn change and persevered in all that he passed through, he may not have possibly had an upturn change of life. Joseph was in a downturn change of life for thirteen years of unimaginable and imaginable hardship and sufferings but he persevered. Then suddenly, God made things change for the better for him. This is why you should never give up on life no matter what you are facing because God can cause a good turnaround in your life within the twinkling of the eye that will erase all you have suffered or lost in your downturn change of life and make you gain more than hundred folds of what you might have lost or missed, Isaiah 61:7.
When you are down and everything seems grounded or gone, know that it is not yet over; God can change your condition from a deplorable state to a better one, so don't lose hope. When things look pretty bad, know that your breakthrough is just a few steps away, therefore keep hope alive. Even when it seems God is silent, know for sure that He is working on your behalf at the backstage.

In your upturn change of life, don't look down or maltreat those under you as Potiphar and his wife did to Joseph. Can you imagine how Potiphar and his wife would have felt when Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt; a ruler over them? Such is life too.

The story of Joseph and all his challenges and exaltation affirmed the fact that God is Sovereign and intervenes in the affairs of men. God does not forget any of His children. His plans for each of us are indeed good, Jeremiah 29:11. God alone has the power to turn the evil plans of the enemies for the good of his children and also change one's condition for the better, therefore put all your trust in him and wait patiently for him as Job said, Job 14:14. While tomorrow may seem uncertain, you can trust the unchanging and unfailing God who holds tomorrow in His hands. God loves and cares so much for you. He will help you and you will have reasons to glorify His holy name because with Him, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

Good loves you and so do I.

See continuation and similar posts on www.lovelashblog.com

Which bank?

It was yet another day and morning in the life of Joseph in prison where he had been jailed for an offense he did not commit. That particular day made it exactly two years that the chief butler who Joseph had thought would facilitate his release from the prison disappointed and failed him, Genesis 40:1- 22. He woke up as usual and went about his duty of going from one prison room to the other overseeing the welfare of his fellow prisoners.

Suddenly, the prison door flung open with the chief butler at the lead of other palace servants on an errand from Pharaoh to bring Joseph urgently to the palace. Pharaoh had dreamt the previous night. The dreams were so real and yet very terrifying that early in the morning he called all the palace servants and all the magicians in the land and narrated the dreams to them seeking interpretations. However, none of the servants or the magicians of Egypt could interpret the dreams. The king desperately and urgently needed a dream interpreter (vs 7-. Then, the chief butler remembered Joseph, the dream interpreter whose trust he betrayed. He spoke of his encounter with Joseph the Hebrew dream interpreter whose interpretation of dreams had by him and the late chief baker came true as interpreted two years ago, Genesis 40: 9 -13.

Pharaoh had sent for Joseph to be brought before him to help interpret his dreams. His long-awaited freedom has come at last and unexpectedly! He shaved and changed his raiment from the prison uniform (vs 14). This marked the end of his unjust imprisonment. His freedom was offered on a platter of gold and made possible only by God so that no man will say he facilitated his release and share God’s glory. What a miraculous vindication and release from prison! God had brought all his challenges to an end. The thirteen years of fierce travails that were orchestrated as a result of him innocently narrating his dreams to his family members for which his elder brothers’ hated him and planned to kill him and his dreams and eventual sale into slavery had ended! Glory to God in the highest!

UNDERSTANDING LIFE’S CHALLENGES

“Yet man is born into trouble, as the sparks fly upward”, Job 5:7. This is because such is born into a sinful world under the rule of the devil the wicked one. This statement implies that everybody, old/young. Male and female, believers and unbelievers alike will encounter troubles in their life’s sojourn in this sinful world. These troubles are otherwise known as life’s challenges or turbulence. Most life’s challenges are very unpleasant causing us so much pain and heartbreaks. The way and manner one sees it and responds either negatively or positively are what determines the outcome.

There are different types of life challenges one can encounter, Such as:

1) LIFE’S NATURAL CHALLENGES: these are God-ordained life challenges based on times of seasons of life as written in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. According to the scriptures God, our creator has plans and purposes He wants each of us to serve on earth before creating us. Therefore, God as the perfect architect of life in planning and designing each person’s life has included in it certain instances, occasions, and incidents, meant to help build up, teach, correct, discipline, train, develop and bring out the best of the individual according to the purpose of the individual. They have been carefully included in the structure of our lives so they are not avoidable. Just as the final physical structure of a building cannot be fully comprehended and appreciated while still in the building plan on paper until the physical structure is finished, so also can individuals not understand why most challenges are brought across our way until the end. Only God understands fully His own plans and purpose for each individual. Interestingly, no one particular challenge under the natural life challenges is permanent, they each have times allotted which cannot be added or subtracted from. So any life challenge in this category faced will surely pass away in its due season. They are not to ruin us but for our benefit. They give us unique experiences that spice up our lives, 2 Corinthians 4:7-10.

The good news is that God has given each of us the capability and grace, and everything else needed to endure and pass through all the different life challenges that we may face.

2) SELF-CAUSED CHALLENGES: These are challenges that are consequences/repercussions of each person’s past wrong choices and decisions made, such as choosing to live a promiscuous life most times lead to having sexually transmitted deceases and unwanted pregnancies; moving with notorious associations/gangs which may lead to been imprisoned and several others, James 1: 2,13: Galatians 6:7. The repercussions of such wrong choices and decisions made most times are terrible and life-long.

3) THE TRIALS OF ONE’S FAITH CHALLENGES: These are challenges put across our Christian faith as allowed by God to try our faith. Some can be very severe but at the same time endurable as seen in the case of Job, Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6. Faith related challenges have great rewards such as an increase of patience, James 1:3,4,12; chasten us Isaiah 48:10; purify our faith Matthew 3:3,4; 1 Peter 1:6-9; bring us to a better place, Psalm 66:10-12 and also glorify God, 1 peter 4:12-16.

4) FAILED TEMPTATION RELATED CHALLENGES: Isaiah 14:17. These are challenges that happen to one as a result of falling into the snare of Satan through sin. Such were the challenges that King David brought upon himself and his household as a result of the willful adultery he committed with Bathsheba and also killing her husband. No sinner will go unpunished and no peace for the wicked. Think twice before doing any evil because the repercussion of wrong choices or decisions made is capable of killing one or making one’s life miserable for life. Romans 6:23. Don’t give in to the devil, Ephesians 4:27

5) SATANIC ATTACK RELATED CHALLENGES: These are demonic and satanic afflictions suffered by those under his direct control, such as people in the occult or those given to him through idolatry, evil dedication, covenants, and sacrifices. Satan afflicts and bounds such persons at will with afflictions such as mental illness and demonic torments because they are under his power, Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22mark 5:1-14; 9:14-22. This is why we encourage people to run to Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls so as to be set free from such terrible afflictions.

6) ENEMY CAUSED CHALLENGES: John 16:33. These are challenges brought into an individual’s life by Satan the arch-enemy of man using family household enemies and the external forces as seen in Joseph’s case. These household enemies out of hatred and envy of what they know about an individual’s glorious destiny would plan to destroy or kill such an individual by themselves or sell such into slavery unto outsider’s taskmasters.

Although Joseph’s travails/challenges might be seen as a physical one started by his brothers, however, the truth is that Satan the arch-enemy of God and man was behind it all. This he did because Joseph carried a supernatural destiny that would benefit not only himself, immediate family, and his entire generation but the whole human race. God had ordained that through Joseph, Abraham’s descendants through whom Jesus the Savior of the world would come from would be preserved in the land of Egypt from a devastating famine that would ravage the whole earth and that while on sojourn there, they would increase greatly numerically and prosper and develop into a great people that would become the nation of Israel, Genesis 12:1-3;15:13-16;45:5. The devil did not want anything of this and wanted to kill him and the dream to prevent God’s salvation from taking root, so he used his brothers. This was what was responsible for the horrifying attacks and temptations Joseph passed through because the devil had come to kill, destroy, and to steal, John 10:10. He wanted to kill baby Moses and baby Jesus for the same reason.

From Joseph’s challenges and all other Bible characters as Moses and King David, Daniel, Elisha we could see Satan wanted each of them dead at one time or the other because they are God’s light-bearers. If Satan did not succeed to instigate other people to kill a light-bearer at infantry through accidents or other afflictions, he would put suicidal thoughts in one’s mind to kill oneself. For this reason, great care must be taken by individuals to love life and determine to stay alive whenever Satan brings suicidal thoughts into one’s mind when facing challenges. He does this because he could recognize one as a glorious destiny carrier or one about to have a spectacular breakthrough. Remember he has come to steal, kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). Don’t ever entertain suicidal thoughts at all. Don’t allow him to use you to kill yourself and your destiny. SAY NO TO SUICIDE. Once you start having suicidal thoughts rebuke Satan, quickly cast out evil thoughts and imaginations as we are asked to do in 2 Cor. 10:5. Speak out and seek help.

The good news in this regard is that, as long as it concerns God’s ordained purpose for an individual’s life, Satan cannot succeed in killing a child of God so long that child of God does not play into his hands by living carelessly, sinfully, and killing oneself as Samson did because our lives are in His hand. Our lives are hid in Christ with God (Colossians 3:3). Satan can only go as far as God allows him as revealed in Job’s case. God most times turns challenges the enemy intended to destroy those that love Him for their good, Romans 8:28. Joseph testified of this of God in his case, Genesis 45: 5; 50:20.

6) SUFFERING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE: Joseph was sent to jail by Potiphar because of false accusation leveled against him by Potiphar’s wife because he refused to sin against God and his master, Potiphar. Satan and his followers have great delight in suffering true believers for no just cause because they are living a godly and righteous life. These people suffer serious persecutions such as having their properties destroyed and even being killed at times.

DARE TO BE LIKE JOSEPH

For thirteen years, Joseph passed through imaginable and unimaginable hardship and pains. His victory story over all the challenges of the enemies he passed through came to be as a result of how he played his part during the time of his challenges on one part and the wonderful role God played in helping him to reach a victorious end on another part. From his example, we can see that we as humans truly have what it takes to overcome all life’s challenges no matter how hard and impossible their presentations might be with God on our side. Joseph responded positively to all challenges and this contributed in no small way to his victory. These responses are as follows:

1) He was pious and devout: This implied he believed and trusted in God and worshipped him alone. This automatically made him God’s special love and care candidate together with having all of God as his portion. He belongs to God and God is his all in all. He is on the Lord’s side of the camp, therefore all his life’s battles are the Lord’s; his enemies have God to contend with.

2) It is one thing to believe in God and it is another to also know him whom one believes in. It is the truth one knows of God especially His attributes and characters that help one stay strong in the time of life challenges when you are left by humans to face your fate all by yourself. Joseph knew God personally and intimately and this greatly helped him put all his trust in him and be able to stand strong when he was alone (Psalm 112:7).

3) He lived a consecrated life of purity, love, obedience, and fear of God. This positioned him as a candidate of God’s invisible presence, intervention, grace, and mercy. This is why he received God’s providence, mercy, and favor from men (Genesis 39: 2-3, 21, 23). God was with Him everywhere and in all His life’s challenges as He promised, Isaiah 43:1-3.

4) He lived in the consciousness of God’s invisible presence with him always. This helped him go through all challenges with fearlessness, boldness, confidence, and courage, trusting God to see and help him through. Living in the consciousness of the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Infinite, and Immutable God reduces challenges to nothingness. This was why he was never afraid or intimidated by any challenge. Fear is what Satan uses to make challenges look out of proportion and makes it seems insurmountable. Fear brings discouragement and it makes one accept defeat before even attempting.

5) He lived a spirit controlled life – a life devoid of the activities of the flesh. This helped him to exercise self-control, humility, kindness, compassion, determination, discipline, and all which enabled him to stand against the wiles of the devil through Potiphar’s wife.

6) He relied only on God and no one else, not even in his own understanding, Proverbs 5-8. He was in all his troubles all alone but with his God, no father, mother, brother, uncle, wife but himself and his faith in God. At that time, there was no church or pastor, so no pastor prayed with him, laid hands, or prophesied on him. Joseph maintained a fixed heart on the Lord and came out victorious because God helped him. Only God! (Psalm 62:2, 5, 6).

7) He walked through all his challenges with acceptance. This helped him to quickly adapt himself to any challenge and wade through it with confidence and ease. None acceptance of challenges is what makes the heart sad, bitter, sorrowful, heavy, and weak. It is what makes one complain, murmur, bitter, discourage, and blame God and others for one’s woes. All these rob one of inner peace, gladness, and strength needed to endure all challenges. Acceptance makes challenges easy and light to go through. He worked through all his challenges with focus, diligence, patience, perseverance, honesty, and integrity. These are all vital keys to overcoming any life challenge.

GOD PLAYED HIS OWN PART TOO.

Satan used Joseph’s brothers to plan to kill him and his dreams. However, their evil plans failed because he was a loyal believer in God, God was with him as a Mighty Man in Battle and backbone. He gave him the dreams and also protected and delivered him from all those incensed against him and used all their evils plans for Joseph’s good and His glory in the following ways;

1) GOD’S PROVIDENCE: God’s providence was something very prominent in all situations and this greatly helped him. Joseph’s brothers might have known their father would send Joseph to bring food to them that day, so, they deliberately did not pasture where expected of them, so that Joseph would wander in the wilderness and get killed by a wild evil beast. However, in the course of his wandering, a) God allowed him to meet a man who overheard their discussion of going to Shechem. b) The dry well where they put him was not there by accident but by His providence. c) The coming of the Midianites at that point in time was what made Judah persuade his brothers to sell him instead. d) His being bought by Potiphar a senior officer in Egypt and not by another person was by His providence. e) It was God that gave the two prisoners dreams. f) He was also the one that gave Pharaoh dreams that no magician in the land could interpret so that Joseph’s identity could be made known to Pharaoh to be released and elevated.

2) GOD PRESERVED HIS LIFE: a) God used Reuben to persuade his other brothers not to kill him but to put him in a well. b) He used Judah to suggest to the other brothers that he should be sold instead of being killed to prevent Reuben from taking him back home to their father which might eventually get him killed by the evil brothers. c) His being sent to prison instead of being killed as intended by Potiphar’s wife grave allegations. d) He made the chief butler forget about Joseph until the appointed time to also save him.

3) His mercy and grace were with him and gave him favor in men’s sight and every place he was supposed to face hard labor, Genesis, 39: 2-6, 21-23. a) His invisible presence was not only with him as promised but was also made manifest in his life for all to see, Genesis 39:5, 23. It was still what made Pharaoh give him that exalted position, Genesis 41:38 – 45.

4) It was God that made him prosper in all things he laid him hands upon, Genesis 39: 3, 23. Same with the giving of the power to give correct interpretations to dreams.

5) God gave him the grace, power, and strength to endure and overcome all his challenges. It was what enabled him to escape from Potiphar’s wife’s snare of sexual immorality.

6) God was behind his miraculous release from prison.

From what has been written so far, one can see that with God on one’s side it is possible to overcome all life’s challenges as Joseph did.

Even in cases of life’s challenges caused by one’s wrong choices and decisions, God can still help by giving a new lease of life and a new beginning.

He can also deliver those who are Satan’s lawful captives as He said in Isaiah 49:24-26.

Are you facing challenges for righteousness’ sake? Please hold on and don’t compromise your stand.

Are you a child of God passing through any challenge caused by your enemies? Please persevere. God will help you as He promised saying, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea; I will help thee; yea. I will help thee; yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded; they shall be as nothing and they that strive with thee shall perish” (Isaiah 41:10 -11).

If you are reading this and have not yet embraced God’s gracious salvation through Jesus Christ, please, come to Jesus now by taking the steps below;

Admit you are a sinner (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

Repent of all sins (Acts 3:19. 1 John 1:9).

Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you. (Romans 5:8, Acts 10: 40 & 43).

Invite Jesus into your heart (Revelations 3: 20)

Forsake your evil ways (Isaiah 55: 6 – 7)

WITH GOD ON YOUR SIDE, YOU WILL OVERCOME BECAUSE “YOU ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM THAT LOVED US.” (Romans 8:37).

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

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Among the other prisoners in the care of Joseph while in the prison was Pharaoh’s chief of the butlers and chief of the bakers, Genesis 40:1-3. It happened that each of them had a dream the same night and they were troubled. Joseph noticed their sad countenance and out of concern and kindness enquired from them what the issue was. They told him it was about the dreams they had and he encouraged them to tell him about them and each of them narrated his dream to Joseph. Joseph with the help of the Holy Spirit of God interpreted each of the dreams correctly for each of them. The dreams were fulfilled as he had interpreted them – on the third day, the chief butler was set free and restored while the chief of the bakers was sent to the gallows, Genesis 40: 5-20.

Joseph knew that the chief of the butlers was one of the top-ranking officers to Pharaoh and was in the position to talk to Pharaoh to facilitate his release from prison, so he said to him, “think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into this dungeon,” Genesis 40:14-15.

Many things could have made Joseph ask the chief of the butlers to remember him and help bring his case before Pharaoh and facilitate his release such as:

1) He might have known by intuition or revelation that the chief butler would be used one way or the other by God to facilitate his release from the prison.

2) He might have witnessed the release of many of the prisoners and had become restless and troubled of been forgotten or being the only one remaining. As at the time he interpreted the dreams for them, it was almost eleven years he had his own divine dreams which were yet to be fulfilled and no view of the time of fulfillment in sight.

3) Also, he was already in the prisons before the chief butler who was about to be set free and reinstated back to his former position in three days’ time came, meanwhile no time of his being set free from unjust prisons in view. Endless waiting is tiring; truly hope delayed makes the heart faint!

4) He desired being set free from the unjust imprisonment! Although, because of God’s mercy and favor he was made a prison overseer, yet life within the confines of the prison no matter the position held is a miserable one. Nothing compares to being free.

Joseph must have trusted that the chief butler whom he had shown kindness and love while in his care in the prisons would help and facilitate his release from the prisons by remembering and mentioning him to Pharaoh within the first few days of his being released from prison. However, this was not so because after the chief of the butlers had been released from prison and restored to his position at the palace as predicted he did not remember Joseph. He totally forgot all about him and did not mention him to Pharaoh, Genesis 40:23.

MAN WILL FAIL YOU

Joseph must have waited and waited in anticipation for his release from the prisons believing the chief butler would soon come with the good news of his release by Pharaoh, but it never happened. The chief butler had forgotten all about him! The chief butler had let him down, his hope of being released from prison had been crushed! Joseph remained in prison for two more years! Of a truth, vain is helped hope for from man (Psalm 60:11; 108:12).

Being disappointed or let down and forgotten by fellow men at very crucial times when their help is most needed is a common experience most of us have had at one time or the other. Anyone including one’s parents, siblings, best friend, spouse, lover, biological children, employers, employees, the government, and several others can disappoint or let you down at any time most especially when least expected. In life, you are bound to face failed promises and other disappointments.


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Home Encouragement DARE TO BE LIKE JOSEPH SERIES PART 12: STAYING STRONG WHEN DISAPPOINTED AND FORGOTTEN BY MAN.
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DARE TO BE LIKE JOSEPH SERIES PART 12: STAYING STRONG WHEN DISAPPOINTED AND FORGOTTEN BY MAN.
written by Love Lash Blog
October 15, 2020
Among the other prisoners in the care of Joseph while in the prison was Pharaoh’s chief of the butlers and chief of the bakers, Genesis 40:1-3. It happened that each of them had a dream the same night and they were troubled. Joseph noticed their sad countenance and out of concern and kindness enquired from them what the issue was. They told him it was about the dreams they had and he encouraged them to tell him about them and each of them narrated his dream to Joseph. Joseph with the help of the Holy Spirit of God interpreted each of the dreams correctly for each of them. The dreams were fulfilled as he had interpreted them – on the third day, the chief butler was set free and restored while the chief of the bakers was sent to the gallows, Genesis 40: 5-20.

Joseph knew that the chief of the butlers was one of the top-ranking officers to Pharaoh and was in the position to talk to Pharaoh to facilitate his release from prison, so he said to him, “think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into this dungeon,” Genesis 40:14-15.

Many things could have made Joseph ask the chief of the butlers to remember him and help bring his case before Pharaoh and facilitate his release such as:

1) He might have known by intuition or revelation that the chief butler would be used one way or the other by God to facilitate his release from the prison.

2) He might have witnessed the release of many of the prisoners and had become restless and troubled of been forgotten or being the only one remaining. As at the time he interpreted the dreams for them, it was almost eleven years he had his own divine dreams which were yet to be fulfilled and no view of the time of fulfillment in sight.

3) Also, he was already in the prisons before the chief butler who was about to be set free and reinstated back to his former position in three days’ time came, meanwhile no time of his being set free from unjust prisons in view. Endless waiting is tiring; truly hope delayed makes the heart faint!

4) He desired being set free from the unjust imprisonment! Although, because of God’s mercy and favor he was made a prison overseer, yet life within the confines of the prison no matter the position held is a miserable one. Nothing compares to being free.

Joseph must have trusted that the chief butler whom he had shown kindness and love while in his care in the prisons would help and facilitate his release from the prisons by remembering and mentioning him to Pharaoh within the first few days of his being released from prison. However, this was not so because after the chief of the butlers had been released from prison and restored to his position at the palace as predicted he did not remember Joseph. He totally forgot all about him and did not mention him to Pharaoh, Genesis 40:23.

MAN WILL FAIL YOU

Joseph must have waited and waited in anticipation for his release from the prisons believing the chief butler would soon come with the good news of his release by Pharaoh, but it never happened. The chief butler had forgotten all about him! The chief butler had let him down, his hope of being released from prison had been crushed! Joseph remained in prison for two more years! Of a truth, vain is helped hope for from man (Psalm 60:11; 108:12).

Being disappointed or let down and forgotten by fellow men at very crucial times when their help is most needed is a common experience most of us have had at one time or the other. Anyone including one’s parents, siblings, best friend, spouse, lover, biological children, employers, employees, the government, and several others can disappoint or let you down at any time most especially when least expected. In life, you are bound to face failed promises and other disappointments.

Some disappointments/let-downs and being forsaken could be deliberately done to hurt or spite the victim, out of revenge, cruelty, wickedness, and man inhumanity to man such as in the case of Joseph and his ten elder brothers. At times disappointments and being forgotten could be unintentional but due to circumstances beyond the supposed helper’s control and power such as sudden sickness, death, lack or sudden downturn of life, and demonic manipulations. When we consider the fact that it is even possible for an individual to disappoint or letdown oneself in certain circumstances by doing what he/she would later regret doing and the fact that at times we leave many things we ought to have done undone due to forgetfulness, then we would understand that the problems of disappointment, letdown and forsaking others are general with humans. This is simply because we are all fallible, fickle-minded humans with limitations and shortcomings living in a world full of uncertainties under the rule of the devil! Therefore, being disappointed/letdown or forgotten by man is inevitable. It is part of life. Furthermore, disappointment/let down or being forgotten by man could be divinely ordained as the case between the chief butler and Joseph simply because it wasn’t yet God’s appointed time for his release from the prisons. When it was the right time for Joseph to be released two years later, God created the right avenue for him by giving Pharaoh two dreams that none of the dream interpreters in Egypt could interpret and this made the chief butler remember Joseph; the one who had given correct interpretation to his dream and mentioned him to Pharaoh. Joseph was released from prison.

Being disappointed/let down or forgotten by anyone at all and for anything leaves one sad and broken-hearted. However, the level of one’s trust in the supposed helper and level of expectations determines the level of the disappointment experienced. Failed high expectations and betrayal of trust by loved and trusted ones can be very devastating and if not well handled are capable of making one become traumatized, frustrated, withdrawn, shattered, downcast, dejected, depressed, despair, and suicidal. For these reasons, we are charged not to think highly of anything, and not to trust/rely on any man – Psalm 146:3-4; Micah 7:5; Jeremiah 17:5; 2.

DARE TO BE LIKE JOSEPH

Although anyone would have been very sad and discouraged when disappointed in such a situation as it happened to Joseph by the chief butler; however no negativity was recorded about his response or reaction in this instance. This implied he accepted what had happened in good fate as had always been his response to unpalatable situations all along. He got over the incident, put it behind him and continued with his life as if it never happened. This can only be as a result of strong and grounded faith, trust and sound knowledge and understanding of God he had! “… the people who know their God shall be strong, and do exploits, Daniel 32b, Psalm 125: 1; Isaiah 40;31

GOD NEVER FAILS

Many years of waiting for the fulfillment of a divine dream or promise especially when many terrible things one never envisaged in the course of the fulfillment of such dreams/promises are happening in one’s life can be frustrating. They are capable of making it seem as though God has failed or forgotten one thereby making one feel discouraged and disappointed and let down by God. However, far be it from God to fail or forget His children; this is because doing so is not in His nature and character. He is the Omnipotent God therefore no power or situation can alter His divine character or promises (Isaiah 46:9-11, Deuteronomy 7:9). He has the power, capability, and resources to do all things because He is the Almighty God, Creator and Possessor of heaven and the earth. Therefore, He has more than enough to supply for His children, Genesis 14: 19; Psalm 24: He is the God of all flesh, the architect of our life who in His power had known, planned, and timed everything about each individual even before we were created, thus He is in total control of everything concerning each of us (Psalm 139). Nothing is too hard for him to do (Jeremiah 32:17). He is a Faithful God who can never go back on His words. He has never failed in fulfilling any of His promises as Joshua testified in Joshua 21; 45. He is the Omniscient God before whom nothing in heaven and on earth is hidden from so He knows everything about everything He has created, Job 42:2. He is the God of love and compassion who is ever-loving and mindful of all his children. He is ever mindful of His children as He says in Isaiah 49:15-16. He is the only wise God therefore he knows the right thing to do and solution about anything confronting His children. He never forgets His Children as the Scriptures reveal examples of his marvelous interventions in the lives of His children (Genesis 21: 1-2; 30:22; Exodus 2:24;19:29; 21:45). God remembers and takes action according to His promise, purpose and timing.

See complete post here: http://lovelashblog.com/2020/10/15/dare-to-be-like-joseph-series-part-12-staying-strong-when-disappointed-and-forgotten-by-man/

God loves you and so do I.

Potiphar’s wife must have been shocked and taken aback at what Joseph did by leaving his garment in her hand and fleeing from her apartment naked, Genesis 39:12. As she looked at the garment in her hand nostalgically, she probably would have thought within herself something like this, “it is unbelievable that my well-planned ploy to make this Hebrew slave sleep with me failed woefully! But come to think of it; how on earth, did he manage to slip from his garment and escape from my grip? I never envisaged he could be this resolved not to commit sexual immorality with me as to remove his garment and flee naked from here. What can I do now to save myself from the scandal and ridicule his action would bring me among the other servants who might have seen him fleeing naked from here? My husband would hear about this but what would I tell him made Joseph leave his garment in my hand and fled away naked? I must think and act fast and prevent the servants from spreading the news. I must do everything to exonerate myself from this mess by lying against him before he tells others what actually happened between us and turn me to public ridicule and before my husband comes back. Joseph, I bet you, I am going to have my revenge on you for not only rejecting me but humiliating me in this manner. You would pay dearly for this with your life because I am going to frame you up with attempted rape! Let’s see how you would escape, this time around!”

She called the other servants of her house and accused Joseph to them, “…. saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; and he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: and it came to pass when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me and fled, and got him out.”

Why did she call the other servants in her house and accused Joseph falsely? (a) She did it to save her face from the scandal of their seeing Joseph fleeing out of her apartment naked. (b) She did as a means of giving him a bad name and destroying his good reputation before those under him who she knew held him in high esteem. (c) She needed support to establish her lies against Joseph before her husband because a case is established from the mouth of two or more witnesses. (d) She did it as a way to instigate/incense them against Joseph a Hebrew and a total stranger highly favored above them all and made an overseer over them and therefore would support anything done to remove him.

Having succeeded in her first plot of saving her face and giving Joseph a bad name with the other servants, she moved to the second part, which was to accuse him to Potiphar her husband. She laid up his garment by her until Potiphar his master who had the power to punish him came back home. And she said unto him, “the Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. With her statement, she indirectly accused the husband of being a contributor to what happened. When Potiphar heard the allegation she leveled against Joseph, his wrath was kindled against Joseph because he believed what his wife told him had happened. Potiphar did not allow Joseph to tell his side of the story despite knowing he was a very godly man who would never do such as he was falsely alleged. Joseph was not allowed to tell his side of the story because he was a servant and a stranger (Hebrew)! Joseph was far from home, alone in a strange land with no friends or family members to mediate for him. Potiphar took him and put him into the king’s prison (maximum prison), Genesis 39:17-20. Joseph was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit by the very person whose interest he tried to protect. He suffered for his righteousness sake.

Joseph at once accepted his fate in the prison and did not allow the pains, hurts, trauma and other emotional challenges associated with false accusations and injustice affect him. He remained strong and courageous in his God and God was with him. While there, he did the prison’s hard labor so faithfully and with all diligence, and God had mercy on him and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison who made him the overseer of the other prisoners, Genesis 39:20-23. He was in prison for more than two years.

THE EVIL OF FALSE ACCUSATION AND INJUSTICE

Among the challenges that one can face in life is false accusation and injustice. False accusations and injustice are two evils that go hand in hand and are among the commonest and most terrible ills of the society. False accusation and injustice are parts of the result of the fall of man and an indication that this fallen world is really under the rule of Satan – the accuser of brethren, a liar, and the father of all liars (John 8:44; Revelations 12:10). False accusations have to do with an innocent victim being accused falsely of doing something he/she has not done. Injustice has to do with human unfairness to fellow humans in judgment. False accusation and injustice thrive in every home, churches, schools, offices, and everywhere in human society. Most people are victims of this at one time or the other. The many faces of injustice include 1) not given a fair hearing. 2) condemning one in one’s absence. 3) judging based on hearsay without establishing the facts. 4) unequal treatment – favoritism, prejudice.

Injustice leads to undeserved punishment, imprisonment which implies being punished for what one did not do or when the punishment given does not tally with the offense committed.

Nothing pains one as being accused of doing what one did not do. Being falsely accused and being punished unjustly of any sort, especially by loved and trusted ones, pains more than when a dagger pierced one’s heart. These situations if not well handled are capable of making one very weak, sad, angry and bitter, traumatized, frustrated, withdrawn, ashamed, shattered, downcast, rejected and dejected, depressed, despair, and suicidal. Stigmatization is one of the terrible consequences innocent victims of false accusations suffer and it can last for years even after the truth has been duly established. The stigmatization coupled with finger-pointing, gossip, and the trauma of destroyed reputation suffered by the innocent victims is responsible for the depression and suicidal thoughts by victims who are not emotionally strong.

SUICIDE IS NOT AN OPTION.

False accusations and injustice are evil and are acts of wickedness. It causes so much pain and heartaches to the victims and it should not be encouraged. God hates anything of such. Therefore He commanded we should never do it, Leviticus 19:16; Exodus 20:16; Luke 3:14.

The case of false accusation and injustice of Joseph by his master and his wife was a perfect example of how false accusation and injustice happens. There is the victim, oftentimes helpless, poor, downtrodden, and truthful, easy-going, honest, and innocent. There is the accuser, who in order to conceal his or her crime or out of revenge, hatred, envy, jealousy, and other reasons best known against their innocent victim would come up with a false story/accusation against their victim. Most times to establish their evil atrocities, they would involve other base and wicked souls like themselves and would accuse the innocent before them to incense and instigate them against the victim so that they would bear false witness to something they never witnessed happen. For Jezebel to establish false accusation against Naboth for his refusal to part with his heritance, she got some vain people to lie against him, 1 Kings 21:1-16. For the priests to finally have Jesus penalized, they falsely accused him of many things, Matthew 27:12; Mark 15:3. Then, there is the accusation itself which is untrue made up stories and the exhibits. In Joseph’s case, it was his garment. Finally, there is always a higher authority in position power to hear, judge, and punish who the aggrieved would report to

The case between Potiphar’s wife and Joseph is a perfect example of what is obtainable in the fallen world system from the time immemorial between the poor and the rich; a system where the poor and the downtrodden are declared guilty without been heard. A system where employers could take laws into their hands and mete out severe punishments upon their innocent employees over false allegations simply because they know they are poor and have no one to defend them against the evil acts of wickedness and cruelty. A system where the poor are jailed and left to rot away in the prisons for years for crimes they did not commit without been taken to court for trial simply because they are voiceless. A system where one is criminalized based on one’s color or race or for just being different. A system where innocent poor persons are picked up from the streets and taken to prisons as replacements for convicted rich criminals. A system where the poor that commit trivial offenses are given severe punishment while the rich who commit serious offenses are given light punishment or been set off the hook. A system where judges take bribes to pervert judgment in favor of the rich and where the poor accuser would become the accused (Psalm 10: 2, 9-10; Isaiah 3:14-15; Jeremiah 2:34; Amos 2; 6-7; 5: 12; James 2:6).

Unfortunately, many of the innocent victims are languishing in different prisons littered on the planet earth for years for offenses they did not commit. Many have been maimed, lynched, and executed for sins they knew nothing about.

DARE TO BE LIKE JOSEPH

False accusations and injustice is something one cannot avoid as long as one lives in this fallen world among humans who are envious, hateful, jealous, cruel, selfish, and people who derive joy from hurting others, especially when one tries to live a godly and righteous life as in the case of Joseph. Therefore, to dare to be like Joseph staying strong and courageous in the face of false accusations and injustice is to do all that he did. Joseph had a personal intimate faith relationship with God and knew experientially. I have always reiterated in this write-up so far that Joseph’s strong faith in God, obedience, love, a life of consecration, and God’s grace upon his life contributed greatly to the victories over his life challenges, same are applicable here. God’s mercy and favor was very much at work in his life even in Potiphar’s putting him in jail. Potiphar could have decided to kill Joseph instantly instead of sending him to the prison because the false accusation of attempted rape leveled against him by Potiphar’s wife was a very grave one, one that attracts the death penalty.

Furthermore, the simple fact that justice is handled by fallen men who see things in part and not wholly, who are liars and are respecters of persons means that injustice cannot be avoided or overcome when it happens. It is therefore important to give one’s life in prayers for deliverance from all evil and studying God’s words continually for his grace and strength to go through it in case it happens.

Joseph’s ability to remain strong and emotionally stable tells much about the condition of his heart. He was a man whose heart was in right standing with God – pure and devoid of any form of evil, fears and obeys God, dwells in the awareness of God’s presence with him always, whose actions and words are motivated by love. Such a man has a fixed heart and very strong confidence in God and his power to protect and save him from all evil. Such a man is fearless, courageous, optimistic, and steadfast (Psalm 16:8; 112: 1-8; Isaiah 26:3; Jeremiah 17: 7-. Such a man has clear conscience and fears no accusations and imprisonment.

To dare to be like Joseph is to also know that anything that happens to one even when done by our haters is for a reason. Joseph’s false accusations and imprisonment brought him to the divine helper of his destiny and closer to the place of the fulfillment of his destiny. It is also to know that as a child of God, one is not alone in anything one is passing through in life because God is in it with us and because in God’s presence anointing breaks the yoke, going through it becomes easy and gainful for one.

Are you battling with false accusations and injustice? Please cheer up because respite is here! Give the burdens to Jesus Christ, the burden-bearer to bare for you, and receive rest for your soul, Matthew 11: 28-30.

Don’t allow Satan or anyone make you believe it happened because God does not care or love you. God does love you and care so much about you. You are not alone in it for God is with you and He has promised He will help you (Isaiah 41:10). Be strong and courageous, because you will not be put to shame, the Lord will vindicate you. Know that it will soon pass away as Joseph’s own did and it will end in praise.

Jesus Christ remains the only option the falsely accused and those who suffer injustice can run to for help. He passed through the harrowing experience of being falsely accused and crucified by those He loved and did good for, therefore, he understands your feelings, pains, and sorrows. Jesus came to set the prisoners free and He is the defender of the defenseless and our advocate. He is the one no prison gates, chains, or bars of iron can shut out His presence from reaching you wherever you are. He is the Father of the fatherless and the help of the helpless (Psalm 40:17; 70:5) and deliverer (Psalm 12:5; 34:6; 35:10:147:7 Luke 2:52-53).

Come to Jesus today without delay by confessing your sins and believing in Him.

PLEASE DON’T KILL YOURSELF BECAUSE OF FALSE ACCUSATION OR INJUSTICE. DOING SO IS A GREAT SIN AGAINST GOD AND HUMANITY. YOU CAN ONLY TELL YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY WHEN YOU ARE ALIVE. KNOW THAT NO MATTER THE NUMBER OF YEARS LIES HAVE MOVED, TRUTH WILL CATCH UP WITH IT ONE DAY. HOLD ON TO GOD, YOU WILL BE VINDICATED ONE DAY.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

HE PLAYED HIS PART

I believe the situation report in Genesis 39:11 of the house of Potiphar on the day his wife attempted to use force on Joseph to sleep with her that, “and it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within”, was written for us to know the grave situation he found himself and yet was able to refrain from committing sexual immorality. Joseph should be commended for outsmarting and escaping from the grip of a daring and adulterous woman, who happened to be her boss, in her well-planned ploy and snare. Joseph’s actions speak great volumes of the person, wisdom, doggedness, and a high level of moral integrity. He was courageous and decisive. He acted fast and timely. He played his part of watching and pray; resisting and fleeing from sexual immorality as expected of believers and by so doing he overcame. He did not take the grace of God upon him as a license to live a life of ease and carelessness.

There is always God’s role and the human role in all situations of life especially in overcoming temptations. God will always play His part because He is a faithful God. He expects that as He does His part in protecting and providing us with His sufficient grace to do all things and overcome all temptation, we also should make considerable efforts to ensure we watch and pray, resist and flee.

The reason many believers fall into the snares set for them by their predators has to do with many not taking into cognizance signs and warning alerts of danger lurking around them and also insensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture advises we should watch and pray so that we would not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41).

SEXUAL IMMORALITY TEMPTATIONS

God created mankind as moral sexual beings (males and females) He created our bodies and the sexual organs and hormones responsible for our sexual urges. The sex hormone in the male is called testosterone while that of a female is known as oestrogen and progesterone. He also ordained marriage whereby a man and a woman would come together as husband and wife and enjoy sexual intimacy in purity, holiness, and love without guilt and shame.

However, when man sinned by disobedience to God’s commandment in the Garden of Eden, man became depraved/carnal. Among the things seriously corrupted in man due to his depravity was his sexuality and love; everything about sex has been perverted and the marriage bed defiled and dishonored. Fleshly desires and passions have overtaken spiritual/godly desires and passion; sensuality and lust have overtaken spirituality and true love from the heart. The sexual urge has become uncontrollable in both men and women to the point of having no shame or public decency. Sex is the greatest weapon of the enemy against mankind and is the in-thing.

Among the challenges anyone (both believers and unbelievers, young and old, females and males) would face in life are temptations. No one is exempted from this as our Lord Himself was tempted by Satan, but He never fell or sinned (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Hebrew 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22). Temptations are unavoidable in our earthly life. Temptations are not of God but the devil. There is no one living that will not be tempted to do evil. Being tempted in itself is not sinful, however, falling into temptation is. The aim of temptation is to ensure that a believer’s relationship with God is destroyed and the destiny is truncated.

Among the temptations one can face is sexual immorality temptations. Sexual immorality has to do with involvement in sexual activities outside what God designed it to be between husband and wife only and in purity and holiness, Hebrews 13:4. Therefore, being involved in it is a contradiction to God’s law and is a grave and heinous sin against God, others, and one’s body. Sexual immorality includes premarital sex (fornication) or extramarital sex (adultery), masturbation, anal sex, MouthAction, pornography, rape, sex texting, homosexuality, bestiality, incest, masturbation, lesbianism, sensuality, impure and degrading passions. Sexual immorality thrives in homes, churches, schools, everywhere and cuts across people of all races, religions, social statuses, age and class. The effect of sexual sin on one’s body can take several forms. It makes one feel guilty, pollutes/defiles one’s body, soul and spirit, it reduces one’s worth, sex is one of the sins that damages your soul and defiles your body. No sin eats deep into a man’s body as sex. it infects one with very serious sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV, aids, and several others.

Sexual immorality temptation is the commonest challenge most people especially youths are facing in our time because sex has been hyped and overrated. Satan has made immorality to be the accepted thing in modern days where everything from music, adverts, social media, video games, fashion, publications revolve around sex. It is even worse now with the new sexual provocative fashion trends of butt and breast enhancement, braless, body-revealing, body clinging, short dresses with long slits and low-necked dresses, seductive body movements, and facial make-up as well as social media, porn sites, sexual pollution of the internet. Those who are determined to live righteously are mocked and counted as old fashion.

All the actions of Potiphar’s wife in this sexual immorality saga perfectly described notable characters of those given to sexual immorality and the ways by which they tempt their victims to make them commit such sin with them. The sex predators could be anyone, male or female, young or aged, married or unmarried, rich or poor, literate or illiterate, black or white, and of any belief. Among the things they have in common are:

a) They act under the control and influence of their sinful sexual passions and desires like demonic-possessed people. Therefore they would do anything to satisfy their corrupt sexual desires and cravings.

b) They all have wanton/lustful eyes. They entice and seduce with their eyes, they are like ravenous lions always on the lookout for whom to devour. Once they set their eyes on their innocent prey, they don’t let go. they would go to any length to lay with them; they would cajole, pamper with gifts, entice, seduce, sweet-tongue, pretend, and could result in the use of deceit, violence or force.

c) They are shameless and daring. They do dumb and foolish things, they care less about decency or their reputation. They don’t care about the age, position, social status of their prey. Threats, insults, abuse, crying by their victims don’t work on them, because they have no conscience.

For complete post, see here http://lovelashblog.com/2020/09/19/dare-to-be-like-joseph-series-part-10-overcoming-temptations-of-sexual-immorality-continuation/

God loves you and so do I.

Joseph was sold into slavery into the land of Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. After Joseph had worked in Potiphar’s service for some time, Potiphar’s wife set her eyes on him and wanted him to be involved in sexual immorality with her. She told him, “Lie with me.” He refused and said unto her. “Behold my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he has to my hand, there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.” Genesis 39: 8-9.

She persisted and continued pestering him day after day to lie by her or to be with her but he refused vehemently. Being consumed with her sinful passion of lust, and probably after attempting all other means of seduction and enticement to lure him to lie with her had failed, she plotted what could be regarded as her final deadly assault which was to use force on him to do her evil wish. So, one day when Joseph went into the master’s house to do his duty, and there was no one else around (probably part of her evil plot), she caught him by his garment, saying, “lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand and fled, and got him out. Genesis 39: 10-13. This implied he fled and left the scene half-naked. What an escape!

Joseph, a young man in his twenties was not only able to resist her seductive talks and actions but was able to free himself from her adulterous grip and snare of the lonely scene and also flee from her. What a great victory over one of the greatest and deadliest temptations and challenges plaguing humanity of all ages from time immemorial. The temptation of sexual immorality is a satanic snare that most youths have fallen headlong into and are destroyed for life. Sexual immorality was what cut short the life of Samson the strongest man that ever lived, Judges 16:1 – 31. It was what ruined the peaceful family of King David the killer of Goliath, a man known as one after God’s heart, 2 Samuel 11:1-27. Sexual immorality was what robbed Rueben, Joseph’s eldest brother of his blessings and heritage as Jacob’s first son, Genesis 49: 3-4. Sexual immorality was the cause of the destruction of two great cities of Sodom and Gomorrah of old, Genesis 19:1-29. It was what cost Amnon, a young and promising son of David his life, 2 Samuel 13:1-33. It was what had cost the downfall of many great men, mighty men of war, noblemen, powerful men of God, kings, and princes. Acts of sexual immorality such as fornication, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, incest, masturbation, lesbianism, sensuality, impure and degrading passions have been the subtle but powerful weapon satan has been using from the time immemorial to carry out his three cardinal agenda to kill, steal and destroy humanity and their destiny, John 10:10. How did Joseph manage to escape and did not get involved in it?

HOW JOSEPH OVERCAME

[b]HE HAD THE FEAR OF GOD: [/b]Among the things we have pointed out concerning Joseph so far was his great faith in God and his living in the awareness of the invisible presence of God with him. His statement of refusal to Potiphar’s wife’s sinful demand that “…how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” further confirmed all these and also revealed him as a young man that had the fear of God. To have the fear of God implies among others to know and understand fully who God is, especially His holiness, righteousness, and justice, as a counterpart of His love and mercy, to obey Him, trust him alone, and to regard him with holy awe and reverence. His knowledge and understanding of these truths greatly helped him to acknowledge God in everything, helped him to make the right choices and determination not to sin, and adhere to his decision, Psalm 34, Proverbs 16:6.

No one who believes in God knows and understands these truths of His divine Attributes and lives in the consciousness of His Invisible presence everywhere and every time will not run away from sin as Joseph did. Anyone comfortable in living a life of sin and wickedness does not know God and has no fear of God, Psalm 36: 1-4.

HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT SEXUAL IMMORALITY IS AND THE REPERCUSSIONS OF COMMITTING IT:

Joseph’s response that “…how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” revealed he had an in-depth understanding of what sexual immorality is and its implications. He had the knowledge and understanding that sexual immorality of any type with anyone that one is not legally married to as husband or wife are transgressions of God’s law and are therefore sins. He knew also that committing sexual immorality with any married person’s spouse at all, especially those close to you such as your employer, colleagues, employees, friends, neighbors, those who trusted you, under any circumstance at all is a grave and heinous sin against God, and the innocent partner who has been defrauded, 2 Sam 12:9 – 10, Exodus 20:4, Romans 1:24-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Psalm 51:4. Finally, he must also have known and understood that sexual immorality defiles and pollutes one’s body, soul, and spirit Proverbs 6:32-33; 1 Corinthians 6:18. King David learned his lessons on the evil of committing sexual immorality in a hard way, He suffered the repercussion of his adultery with Bathsheba, the wife Uriah the Hittite for life, 2 Samuel 11: 1 – 4; 12: 9-14.

HE OPERATED UNDER THE GRACE OF GOD:

Joseph believed in God, loved, and feared God greatly. This helped him to live a life of total trust, obedience, and consecration unto God. Among the things enjoyed by true believers whose lives are surrendered and who are committed to doing things in total obedience is the grace of God. One noticeable thing about Joseph’s life was the physical and spiritual manifestations of the grace of God upon his life. The physical manifestations were the uncommon favor of God on him anywhere he got to, which singled him out and made him enjoy the presence of God and made him gain favor in the sight of men and to prosper in whatever he did. The spiritual manifestations were the uncommon grace to achieve and overcome great life’s challenges that had crushed several others. God’s grace upon his life contributed to his victory over the grave sexual immorality temptations Potiphar’s wife subjected him to. He is a perfect example of the extent the grace of God could manifest in the lives of a true believer, one whose total trust is in God and lives a consecrated life unto Him.

HE DWELLED IN THE LOVE OF GOD:
Joseph told Potiphar’s wife, “behold my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he has to my hand, there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.” Genesis 39: 8-9. This statement portrayed Joseph as a very faithful, grateful, honest, loyal servant as well as one of high integrity. Faithfulness, loyalty, gratitude, honesty, and integrity are among the characters of true believers having a genuine love of God in their hearts and are led by the spirit of God. Love of God in one’s heart makes one love others like one’s self and constraints one from doing anything evil to them.

Anyone who genuinely believes in God and dwells in the love of God will develop Christ-like characters which are the characters of love and fruits of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8; Galatians 5:22-25. God’s love in Joseph’s heart enabled him to be able to love and be grateful to Potiphar his master for entrusting his household unto his hand. This love and gratitude developed into faithfulness, respect, loyalty, and devotion. Love is truly the fulfillment of all laws.

HE WAS PRINCIPLED:

Joseph out rightly rejected Potiphar’s wife’s demand to commit sexual immorality with her the very first day she made mention of it to him, Genesis 39: 8. However, Potiphar’s wife did not relent but continuously talked to him about it (verse 10). This she did with the intension of breaking his resistance because she knew that hearing certain enticing and seductive words repeatedly have the power to break one’s will. However, Joseph would not bulge, he had made his decision not to sin against God and there was no going back on that. Therefore nothing anyone said or did could change that decision. When she eventually came up with her ploy to use force to achieve her evil aim, Joseph did not fall for it either. She held his cloth but he freed himself from her grip and he left his garment in her hands instead and fled (verses 12-13). What a principled and disciplined soul! This is integrity at its peak; remaining true to one’s words and maintaining one’s stand to the end without changing no matter what happens. He has set his face like flint to do only God’s will as Jesus did, Isaiah 50:7.

HE WAS NOT LUSTFUL:

Potiphar’s wife shamelessly lusted after Joseph a slave in her household and tried everything possible including violence to make him succumb to committing adultery with her, however, all her evil ploys failed because Joseph was not lustful among others so he did not fall into that temptation. Lust could be defined as a very strong inappropriate desire for someone or anything. According to the Scripture, all temptations that a man falls into are birthed by his lust, James 1:14-15. Lust is part of the activities of the flesh and is of various types. They include, youthful lusts, 2 Timothy 2:22; lust after evil things, 1 Corinthians 10:6; the lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes, 1 John 2:16; lust of concupiscence, 1 Thessalonians 4:5.

Joseph had no trait of lust such as wanton eyes, lustful thoughts, images or imaginations, immoral talks in him because he lived a lifestyle of a spirit-filled believer. This implies he allowed the spirit of God to direct and influence his life that he destroyed the power of sin and the works of the flesh and walk in his fellowship with God. The great love, long-suffering, meekness, faith, and self-control he exhibited are all part of the fruits of the Spirit that helped him to overcome the grave temptation of sexual immorality he faced considering the fact that so many things that have caused many to give in to sexual immorality happened to him such as:

(1) He was a hot-blooded, single, good looking, successful, and well-favored young man and he was different and outstanding from all others around him. These are topmost qualities that lead many youths to think highly of themselves and lead them to commit sexual immoralities. However, Joseph did not!

(2) He was a slave, owned wholly by the Potiphar’s and was by law bound to obey all instructions while disobedience could be grave; yet he disobeyed the evil demand and did not allow the fear of what could happen to him for disobedience to his master’s wife make him disobey God’s Law.

(3) He lived on the same compound with his tempter. This implied he saw and attended to his seducer everyday yet he did not lust after her. Nearness or closeness of environment is one of the things that bond people to each other. But this was not so with Joseph, he was near physically but was not familiarly, no single attachment to her. He maintained his Hebrew identity. He did not mix pleasure with duty.

(4) He saw her every day and she spoke to him day by day to be with her or lie with her but he refused. What one sees and what one hears are two in-gates to the human heart. Therefore, Potiphar’s wife intentionally spoke to him day by day to get to his heart and break his will power but he kept his heart with all diligence by not taking any of her talks to heart, and neither did he set his gazes on her. Like Job, he had made covenants with his eyes not to lust after other women. King David saw the unclothedness of Bathsheba, wife of Uriah once, and fell into the sin of adultery with her, 2 Samuel 11:2-4.

(5) Potiphar’s wife created a lonely/secluded environment whereby only herself and Joseph were at home on the day she held him by his garment to force him to lie with her. This she did because she knew a secluded/lonely environment gives false secrecy and helplessness to the victim. Joseph did not fall for this Joseph knew that nothing done is hidden before God because He is everywhere present. He put up a struggle and fled from the scene.

(6) She held him by the cloth; this implied she held him from a very close range having contact with him in order to weaken his defense mechanism. He could not be weakened by touching, he refused to be subdued, he wrangled himself out of his garment, freed himself from her grip, left his garment with her and fled. What an example for us to follow.

To be continued…

God loves you and so do I.
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The morning of the day Joseph set out to check on his brothers was like any other day, bright and clear. As he set out adorning himself with the coat of many colors given to him by his father, he bid his father goodbye and most likely told him he would be back soon. He finally got to where his brothers were after searching for them till he was directed to where they were by a man who found him wandering in the field. Then, the unexpected started happening to him; he was maltreated, humiliated, stripped of his coat of many colors, cast into a dry pit, brought out from the pit and sold to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, Gen. 37:28. The Ishmaelites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard. Joseph became a slave in the land of Egypt, Gen. 37:36.

If anyone had told Joseph he would become a slave before nightfall of that day, he wouldn’t have believed. But that was what happened; in the morning of one fateful day, he woke up in his father’s house as a beloved son of a wealthy polygamous father; one who had all the freedom to do what he liked, ate what he liked, go where he liked to go; one who was served by servants and who was adorned with a special coat of many colors that was an indication of the special position and honor he occupied in the family. Yet by nightfall of that same day he had been stripped of his princely coat and became a slave in chains in Egypt. He was taken to the slave market and sold to the highest bidder who happened to be Potiphar all within a day! What a sudden downturn or downward change of life which could be referred to as a life of ‘from grace to grass’!

As if that sad experience wasn’t enough, as a slave in Potiphar’s house for close to ten years serving and doing all things expected of him with all diligence, he faced a further downturn of life when he was sent to the dungeon as a result of false allegations by Potiphar’s wife. The dungeon was a place of confinement with restricted movements, rationed food, and a place where prisoners are subjected to all manners of hard hardship and hard labor.

SUCH IS LIFE!

That is life for you! Life is full of uncertainties. It is full of sudden changes because everything in life has its season and time, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Life has a way of surprising us with sudden changes that throws one off balance. Life changes unpredictably, one moment it is bright and sunny and at another moment it is dark and gloomy; one moment one is at the mountain top and another moment one is down in the valley; one moment one is at the zenith point the next moment one is down to zero point; one moment one is rejoicing, next moment one is mourning; one moment one has a house full of everything and at another moment one has lost everything as seen in the case of Job in Job 1: 1-19. Life is like a spinning wheel such that when it spins, those at the top go down/under while those beneath go up one moment, and the next moment those under go up and it keeps spinning like that. What is most intriguing about life’s changes is that unlike the spinning wheel that is controlled by man, no man has control over life’s sudden changes; no man can predict when it would happen, no man can prevent it from happening and no man knows for how long one remains before another change happens.

“For men also knoweth not his time, as the fishes that are caught in the even net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of man snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them” Ecclesiastes 9:11-12.

Man by technology can predict to a certain extent the times and duration of the natural seasons of summer, winter, autumn, and spring but not so with the seasons of life as it occurs to a man. This implies that no man has the power to have prior knowledge of change occurrences of life.

The time/duration one spends on one change differs from one man to another depending on the divine purpose it is meant to serve. Joseph’s own lasted for thirteen years.

See complete post here: http://lovelashblog.com/2020/08/18/dare-to-be-like-joseph-series-part-9-coping-with-sudden-downturn-downward-changes-of-life/

God bless you.

Joseph accepted to go and check on his brothers when asked to do so in obedience to their father on one part and because of the love he had for them as his beloved brothers on the other hand, Gen. 37v14. He must have set out on his onward long-distance journey to them with great love, joy, and enthusiasm of seeing them again after days of their being away from home. However, his brothers were of a contrary mind, because of their envy, hatred, and anger towards him most especially because of his dreams, Genesis 37: 19-20. Instead of being happy on sighting him from afar, they maliciously informed themselves of his coming, called themselves together, conspired to kill him, dump his corpse in a pit and lie to their father that he had been devoured by an evil beast, Genesis 37:18-20. Is this not the height of conspiracy against an innocent soul? Truly, the heart of man is desperately wicked and full of evil imagination continually, Genesis 6:5.

However, Reuben the eldest son of their father dissuaded them and suggested they cast him alive into the dry pit nearby with the intention of rescuing him later, Genesis 37: 21-22.
Joseph got to where they were, unaware of their evil plots against him yet he must have sensed that all was not well on seeing them. They probably welcomed him with mockery, abuses, insults, and name-calling, beating him with each of them laying their hands on him. All his joy and enthusiasm of seeing them would immediately have turned to bewilderment as his brothers rough handled and maltreated him, snatched from his hands whatever he brought for them and stripped him off his coat of many colors. They took him and cast him into the pit. He must have become perplexed and dumbfounded. That they cast him implied they carried him and threw him into the pit not minding if he got fatally wounded in the process or not. Having succeeded in carrying out their evil and wicked plot against their innocent younger brother that loved them, they joyfully sat down to feast on the food he brought for them while the one who brought it was languishing in the pit without food! Is this not the height of callousness and betrayal of trust and love? Truly a man's enemies are members of his family. In his case, struggling or doing anything to free himself would not be of any help amid 10 hefty men. It was such a helpless situation.

Can anyone imagine the pains and agony of betrayal and abandonment this poor lad must have felt as they held him, rough handled him, removed his coat, carried, and casted him into the dry pit? They all confessed later that Joseph in the anguish of soul pleaded with them for his life, it fell on deaf ears. They refused to be merciful unto him. They saw his soul was in anguish as he wept bitterly, but were not pacified with his tears and showed no compassion to one of the same blood with them. Genesis 42:21.Their hearts were hardened against him and they pitied him not. They paid him evil for the good of trekking a long distance all alone in the wilderness to check on their well-being and to bring them food. While he was agonizing in the pit, his brothers sat down unconcerned and feasted on the food he had brought for them in love believing that they had successfully gotten rid of the dreamer and his dreams of ruling over them once and for all.

A thousand and one thoughts must have flashed through his mind as he sat quietly in the bottom of the pit bemoaning his ordeal with a very heavy heart pondering on why his older brothers treated him the way they did. They wanted him dead. There wasn't anything he could have done to save himself than to beg and surrender because he was outnumbered and they were older and stronger than him. He must have cried to God for help pleading his cause and probably saying. 'My God, you are all I have and in you alone I trust. I have dreams given to me by you that I am yet to fulfill, the reason why my brothers hated me and did this to me. I know you will not allow them to triumph in victory over me because you are with me. I trust you will get me out of this pit soonest.'

Then, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their goods on their way to Egypt and Judah, one of Joseph's brothers suggested they sold him instead of killing him and they accepted, Genesis 37: 25-27. The brothers drew and lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They sold their brother into slavery for just 20 pieces of silver! Is there any other form of betrayal and abandonment worse than been sold into slavery by one's older brothers that are supposed to love, protect and defend one against outsiders? What a betrayal! What a painful and harrowing experience!

CONSPIRACY, BETRAYAL AND ABANDONMENT
Conspiracy, betrayal and abandonment by loved ones often happen out of envy, jealousy, rivalry, malice and hatred or due to demonic manipulations. It can happen to anyone and can be carried out by any of our loved ones, friends, family members that we love and trust. Nothing hurts more than being conspired against, betrayed and abandoned by persons who one thinks would never hurt you. Conspiracy and betrayals by trusted friends, family, spouse, neighbors, colleagues, and so on are part of the man's inhumanity to man and can happen to anyone and at any time. "They will surely gather"...this is an unavoidable truth from the Holy Bible in the book of Isaiah.54:15a. People would conspire, betray and abandon you as long as you are succeeding, ahead of them, different and you have a glorious destiny, therefore watch your back and be prayerful that God will deliver you. These terrible acts cannot be prevented, however, one can save oneself the heartache, pains, disappointments and other traumatic feelings and agonies of these experiences by heeding God's warning that says: "take ye heed every one of his neighbors, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders”, Jeremiah 9:4.

"Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom," [/i]Micah 7: 5.
The truth is humans can't be trusted, they can betray you at any time. Don't disclose your plans and dreams to anyone, so that they will not conspire to kill you, your plans and your dreams!

PUT YOUR TRUST ONLY IN GOD
Joseph trusted so much in God and lived in the consciousness of His continual presence with Him, which was of great help to him in all his challenges. Therefore, put all your trust in God because He can never betray nor abandon you, Isaiah 26:4. God is ever true, ever-loving, ever faithful and ever-dependable. Let those who want to plan, plot and betray you continue, they can never kill you because your life is hidden with Christ in God, Colossians 3: 3.

Happy is he whose trust is in God as Joseph's because in the face of conspiracy and betrayal God would save him, raise help and deliver him, [i]"But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them because they trust in Him.” Psalm 37:39-40.

It was God that used Reuben to dissuade the other brothers from carrying out their plot to kill him and suggested they threw him in the pit. For him not to be fatally wounded when casted into the deep pit he had to be drawn out from, God must have sent His angels to carry him and give him soft landing so that he was not wounded, Psalm 91:11-12. It was also God who brought the Ishmaelites along at that point in time. It was God who also used Judah to convince the brothers to sell him to the Ishmaelites instead of killing him.

From these sad incidents in Joseph's life, we learned that as long as God has not given anyone up to die no amount of conspiracy and other evil plans will succeed. Every true child of God's life is secured in His love, Isaiah 43:4; Jeremiah 31: 3. He alone can save one from snares secretly set for us.
Child of God, child of destiny, be rest assured that no amount of conspiracy and betrayal can thwart God's plans for your life. It is a fact that conspiracies, betrayals and abandonment will come from people you never expected it, but always be conscious of this truth that God is always for you, with you and in you, so you will overcome, Isaiah 43:1-3. Romans 8:37.

When you trust God He can save and deliver you from all the evil plans of your haters and use them for the advancement of your life and destiny. God is trustworthy, therefore put all your trust in Him.

IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR IN LIFE, AND NOT GET DEPRESSED; ACCEPT DISAPPOINTMENTS/ BETRAYALS AND ABANDONMENTS IN GOOD FAITH, EVEN WHEN IT COMES FROM THOSE YOU LOVED AND TRUSTED SO MUCH.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.

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folak48:
Good day brethren,
I need the help of prayer warriors or intercessors, I have fasted 21 days, 7 days ,9 days etc gone to several mountains but it seems I can't fight this battle alone.
Please anyone with the knowledge of prayer warriors that can join their Faith with mine for prayers please help.
Thanks.

Fasting is more effective when you live in love, holiness, doing good and helping the poor and needy, Psalm 41:1-3; Isaiah 54:1-12. Try all night 7 days of just thanksgiving and praises to God. You can reach unto me if you like.

BE PATIENT
God gave Joseph two dreams when he was seventeen years of age; however, He did not give him the time of fulfillment and destination. Joseph accepted and believed the dream and held on to it for He knew the giver cannot lie and that no matter what happens God would surely bring the dream to come to pass. So, he waited patiently on God for the fulfillment of the dreams. He had no anxiety, no worries, no complaints and murmuring, and no bitterness against God. He became a prime minister in Egypt in fulfillment of the dreams when he was thirty years of age, Genesis 41:46. This implies it took thirteen years interval for the dream to become a reality, and it even happened in a strange land that no one could have ever thought possible.

Just as God had given Joseph dreams about his great future, so also had He given many of us dreams about our life and the future that we are so sure and certain would come to pass. However, we were not informed of the time and location of fulfillment. Unfortunately, many of us have taken it upon ourselves to assume or figure out the time and place we believe the dreams ought to be fulfilled and everything had ended in frustrations, regrets, depression, and hopelessness.

The Eternal and Sovereign God of creation is a God of law and order. He operates in His own ways and time which are very different from our own time and ways for everything, 2 Peters 3:8. Psalm 90:4. He works out things according to His purpose and time, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. God is always exact concerning His timing; His timing is never late and never early. He does and makes everything beautiful in His appointed time, Ecclesiastes 3:11.

Not knowing for sure the time certain things would happen in our lives is one major challenge responsible for restiveness, desperation, anxieties, depression, worries, and lack of inner peace that has resulted in anxiety-related sicknesses and deaths. We humans are always in a hurry; we want things to happen in our ways and time. Ironically, things ordained by God don’t work out that way. All of nature points to the fact that everything has its allotted times and seasons which they comply with. God has His good reasons why He did not put us in the know of the time some things would happen in our lives.

To dare to be like Joseph is to be able to wait patiently on God to perform and perfect all that pertains to us in His own time. Just know that when He gives a dream, it is a certainty. Yours is to accept and believe. Good things take time. There is a need for everyone who wants to do the will of God to trust Him and wait for His perfect time. The impatience of many to wait for God’s time for the realization of their dreams has made many loose out of their purpose in life and had even lead to the early death of many. Some become so impatient to wait that in anger they abandon their dreams and God who gave them the dreams thinking God cannot do what he had revealed he would do for them. Some like Sarah courted trouble for themselves by fashioning out other ways to make their dreams come to reality because of impatience, it ended in regrets. Some due to many years of waiting for the fulfillment of their dreams became so frustrated and committed suicide when at the edge of their breakthrough. Suicide is not an option at all. Just be a little more patient, all things will be perfectly well in due season and you would have every reason to REJOICE AND PRAISE GOD.

Don’t because of seeming delays cut corners; there is no short cut to the fulfillment of God’s given dreams and promises.

God gave the dream and He alone knows how He would bring it to pass. But be sure that He will make everything beautiful in His own time – God’s time is the best. There is no time that is too late for you to achieve your dream. Just keep on thanking God for His faithfulness and remain abiding in His love and also obey His Words. Be patient, “For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise,” Hebrews 10:36.

ONE’S TALENTS COUNTS

Although, we have pointed out the fact that the giving and fulfillment of any God-given dream depends largely on God which is the simple truth, yet there is an important part/role each individual has to play towards the fulfillment of his or her dreams. This has to do with utilizing whatever talents God has gifted you with as the case of Joseph reveals. Joseph was given two great dreams. He was also given the talent of dream interpretation. He acknowledged and believed in his dream as well as in his God-given talent of dream interpretations. He did not despise this talent as something unimportant or trivial in comparison to the two big dreams. He put his talent to effective use while waiting for the fulfillment of his dreams. He interpreted correctly the dreams by two of his co prisoners. It was the disclosure of him as a dream interpreter by the Chief Butler that made him to be brought from the prison to Pharaoh’s palace and interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams that brought him to the place of the fulfillment of his dreams Genesis 41: 1-57.

To dare to be like Joseph is to know that while the fulfillment of the divine dreams rested on God, the utilization of the God-given talents meant to help us realize our dreams depends on us using the talent we have and not hiding it. The truth we should know is that when God gives one a dream, He also gives one a talent or more to bring one’s dreams to pass. Had it being that Joseph buried his talent of dream interpretation the fulfillment of his dreams would have been hampered. The reason why some dreams are not fulfilled is the simple fact that the dreamers ignore or belittle the accompanied talents meant to catapult the dreamer to the place of fulfillment of destiny while resting on the oars of the big dream. Many times the small, possible things we can do with our talents are left undone because we think they are trivial or unimportant and the result is that we miss out on the dream. Do you know that most of the renowned world footballers were discovered while playing street football in their neighborhood; same with most of the famous musicians who started singing or playing musical instruments in their local churches. Most of those who have lofty dreams of becoming well-known footballers or musicians who while dreaming of big opportunities and refused to use their talents in places considered unimportant have failed to become the renowned persons they had dreamt of being. Zechariah advised we should not despise the day of small beginnings, Zechariah 4:10. Start with what you have. Showcase your talent anywhere you are as Joseph showcased his own in prison. Don’t neglect your talents if you want to fulfill your dreams.

If you have a talent, don’t hide it. Use it for the benefit of others because you can’t tell what God would use to announce you. As opportunities present themselves, use them to showcase your talent, don’t wait for a perfect time, and showcase your talent at every given opportunity.

BE KIND TO PEOPLE THAT COME ACROSS YOUR WAY

The Scripture tells us that while Joseph was put into prison unjustly God was with him and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. The keeper put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners including the Chief Butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, Genesis 39:20-23; 40 1-4. Joseph was caring and concerned enough about the other prisoners to observe a change in their countenance in one of the days he came to check on them. He asked what the matter was and they told him it was about dreams they had. He willingly interpreted the dreams for them which came true as he had interpreted, Genesis 40:5-21.

It turned out that the butler whose dream he interpreted and told would be set free was indeed set free and he was the one God used to bring Joseph to the notice of Pharaoh who was looking for someone to interpret his dreams. Pharaoh ordered Joseph to be released from the prison and be brought to the palace. He interpreted the dreams perfectly and this led to the fulfillment of his dreams, Genesis 41:37-46. Of a truth “a man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men “, Proverbs 18:16.

Many people are of the erroneous belief that once one is chasing a big dream, one should not show concern or care about other people especially the poor and the needy one comes across. As a result of their lack of concern or empathy and compassion, they missed the key that is meant to open the door for them to actualize their dreams in possession of those people.

The importance of helping others cannot be overemphasized. Helping others open unsolicited great doors and opportunities. Whoever God brings across your path is for a reason. Be concerned about them and help in whichever way you can. Don’t look down on anyone.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I

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