Good morning DP readers, how did the weekend go? Mine was fabulous, service was great, my team won, and then something really beautiful happened… Hmmmn. So we continue today on the subject of Patience, and consider the topic; While I Wait. We established in our last post that Patience is not Time Dependent, it is Promise Dependent. You wait till you see the promise, not until a particular time or season. It therefore begs the question; What do I do while I wait for my promise? That’s a very valid question. A lot of believers really want to believe God and wait for His promise, however they don’t know how to connect the dots between the time of promise to the time of fulfilment. To perfectly illustrate this process, we would be considering a patriarch whom I consider to be a type and shadow of Jesus Christ in the Old Covenant; Joseph. Joseph was about the only patriarch in scriptures who was almost blameless. His life epitomizes the concept of receiving a promise from God, going through contradictions and then eventually getting to the perfect spot of destiny at the end. Joseph had a dream when he was only a teenager, that he would be great, but after then, every thing that began to happen to him seemed like a total contradiction to his dreams and promises. Does that describe the situation you’re in? Why does it look like when God gives one a word or promise, the devil begins to attack and wage war against that word?
Mark 4:17(KJV)… And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the WORD’S SAKE, immediately they are offended.
Just after the promise was made, the devil began to orchestrate events I refer to as contradictions in Joseph’s life, just to get him offended and cut short the process God was working out in him. But thank God, Joseph had a bigger perspective to the whole situation. Joseph did not see the hand of the enemy, else he would have been offended, but he saw the hand of God. How you interpret your life situations are more important than the situations themselves. Joseph could have gotten offended in God when he was sold into slavery just after getting a word/promise/dream from God, but he didn’t. He didn’t interpret the event from the enemy’s perspective, he did from God’s perspective. Others would have started asking skeptical questions like “Lord why me?, why have you forsaken me?, Lord I thought you said you love me?, Lord after all I’ve done for you? Lord, so this is how you are? Is this how you will repay me?, and many more ludicrous questions to pose to God. Let me say this here and now; God owes no man any explanation!!! Even when it looked like Job’s affliction was “caused or permitted” by God, and then Job began asking skeptical questions, God didn’t come down and apologise to Job saying “I’m sorry son, I told the devil to afflict you, it’s all my fault, just relax ok… I’ll make it up to you. You’re a good guy and you don’t deserve this, I’ll do something about it asap”… NO! Instead God also began asking Job questions that will put his face flat in the ground in total awe of God. You do yourself no good when you ask God skeptical questions. So we must learn to perceive the situation correctly… How did Joseph perceive his?
Psalms 105: 17 He sent a man before them, even JOSEPH, who was sold for a servant: 18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: 19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD TRIED him.
Until the time that Joseph’s time came to be called into the palace, he interpreted everything he went through as a season when the Word of God was trying him to know his heart. Read this and read this well… Your destiny belongs to you, but to fulfill it, you will have to pay in CHARACTER. Joseph’s destiny was so big, God needed a man that wouldn’t compromise if offered money, sex or power to be at the hem of affair in Egypt so as to preserve the influx of the Israelites during famine. While you wait, you must be THOUGHTFUL and process the happenings in your life from God’s perspective. Another vital thing you must do is to remain FAITHFUL. God ALWAYS rewards faithfulness, because it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful, 1 Cor 4:2. Joseph didn’t compromise in slavery, he didn’t compromise in the prison, and therefore he was trusted by God not to compromise in the palace. God will test you with little things while you wait for your big promise to come to pass. He that is faithful in little, bible did not say will be faithful in much, it says that same person IS already faithful in much. Joseph’s faithfulness in Portiphar’s house was counted as faithfulness in the palace. God won’t wait till you enter the next level, he will judge you based on your present level of faithfulness.
Luke 16:10(KJV) He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Stop waiting for the big bang before you begin to be faithful, stay faithful from now on. Salvation is ALWAYS by Faith though Grace, but the fulfilment of our purpose in God on earth and the LEADERSHIP required in executing God’s plan on the earth ALWAYS require Character. Notice how the apostles marshalled out requirements necessary for leadership in the house of God? In Acts 6, they needed Deacons, of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom to preside over administrative matters. Paul listed the things to look out for in Bishops and Leaders in Church to Timothy before they are appointed. Only faith is required to be saved and remain forever saved in Christ, but to serve, lead and execute the purpose of God on earth, Character will be demanded of you. Joseph would have messed the eternal plan of God up if he was given to compromise, he needed to preserve Israel from where Jesus would emerge, thank God he learnt to be faithful. There’s so much to glean from Joseph, there are still 3 major lessons we’re yet to explore in Joseph. So we’d continue with “While I Wait” on Friday. I hope this has blessed you? Do well to share this post across your various social media platforms. God bless your heart, have a very productive week ahead.
Isaiah 64:4(KJV) For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that WAITETH for him.