“Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent, no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:44 REFERENCE: GENESIS 41:44-49 Joseph was thirty years old when he became a Prince in Egypt, after being given the stamp of approval by Pharoah. Pharoah chose Joseph over his counselors because authority gravitates toward those who solve problems and have the ‘Spirit of God’ in them. If they could not interpret the dream, they could not have resolved the famine. Although a young man, Joseph's age did not matter as...
“You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” – Genesis 41:40 REFERENCE: GENESIS 41:37-45 It was 2 years after the Butler's reinstatement that Joseph was released from the PIT and brought before Pharoah to interpret his dream. In the fulness of time, after 13 years of slavery in Egypt, God created a problem that needed a solution that only Joseph could provide. Though he was quickly taken out of the pit, Joseph took time to shave and...
And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.” – Genesis 39:22 REFERENCE: GENESIS 39:20 - 40:14 Joseph's journey seemed to take a nosedive; one day he was a Principal, and the next, a Prisoner in a Pit. However, in the Pit, Joseph was consistently doing right, and God was with him. As it was in Potiphar's house, he got promoted and put in charge of the prisoners. Sometime later, Pharaoh had his Butler and Baker put in the same Pit...
‘So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer {principal} of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake...’ – Genesis 39:5a REFERENCE: GENESIS 39:1-6 Potiphar, Chief Executioner and Captain of Pharoah’s bodyguards purchased Joseph from the Ishmaelites and God greatly blessed Joseph, so that he succeeded in everything he did. As a result, Potiphar made Joseph Principal, giving him complete administrative responsibility for everything he owned. The Lord also began blessing Potiphar because of Joseph; his household affairs began to run smoothly, his crops flourished, and his...
“Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit…” – Genesis 37:19-20a REFERENCE: GENESIS 37:18-34 We are familiar with the story of Joseph and how he became a Prince in Egypt. His journey to becoming a prince came at a huge price and it was no mean feat as he had to suffer great losses and shed the ‘weights’ that held him back from becoming who God destined him to be so that he could run to obtain the prize. Firstly, he had the coat...
“…And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” – Esther 4:16b REFERENCE: ESTHER 4:12-16 When we become comfortable with a good job, money, a good spouse and children, we begin to lose focus and our zeal wanes. It is at such times that we need fire starters like Mordecai to help us refocus, restore our passion, give perspective to our privileges and to stir us to fulfil God’s purpose. “Perhaps, God has placed you in your church, family, office and your community for such a time as this.” This may...
“Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” – John 2:17 REFERENCE: JOHN 2:14-17 We saw yesterday that zeal is fervency; a burning fire; and true zeal is embodied by Jesus Christ. His zeal would not let Him stomach people ‘buying and selling’ in His Father’s house; zeal for the house had eaten Him up. In John 4:34 He said, “My meat (what gives Me satisfaction) is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work.” He later said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it...
“Then he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord...” – 2 Kings 10:16a REFERENCE: 2 KINGS 10:15-17 People rarely talk about zeal today, and zealous people are often erroneously considered as ‘misguided’ people. But the Bible shows us that it is a good thing to be zealous for God! Without zeal, our Christianity will be ‘empty form’ and will eventually fade away. Dictionary defines zeal as, ‘An eagerness and enthusiastic interest in the pursuit of something. It is passion and fervency.’ Zeal demonstrates a total sell-out to everything God says with intense excitement. Jehu...
“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” ~ II Corinthians 11:14 REFERENCE: II Corinthians 11:12-15 We conclude our study on the three ways satan tempts Christians today. We have seen him as both a subtle serpent and a devouring lion, now, we will be looking at him as an angel of light. From our text, this strategy of the devil is close to his being a serpent, in the sense that it is built around subtlety and deception. The marked difference between them is that this strategy puts on a spiritual garb; it...
“And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” ~ Job 1:12 REFERENCE: JOB 1:6-20 Yesterday, we saw that the devil comes in a crafty and unsuspecting way to lead us away from God; today, we will discover another strategy or modus operandi of the devil. Interestingly, it is the one that people are more familiar with because it is aggressive, direct and conspicuous. Job’s troubles in this account show the devil as a devouring lion. I Peter 5:8 says he walks about like a roaring lion seeking...