And the Lord was with Joseph: What God ’s hand can still do for you in times of affliction

Joseph is one of my favourite characters in the Bible.  Each time I read his story I discover a new truth about life with God.  Today I am going to share with you some of the truths that I came to discover as I read about Joseph's stay in Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon.  These truths show us how God can bring help to us in out times of affliction.

Joseph's stay in Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon was a time of affliction that he was forced to endure during his lifetime.  For Joseph to ensure the pain of enslavement and imprisonment for so long, he must have had a supernatural source of strength. I believe that this supernatural source of strength was the Lord's hand that rested upon his life.  But the Lord's hand did not just rest upon Joseph's life; the Lord's rested upon Joseph life and also brought to him some of the benefits that are associated with the Lord's hand.

So what are some of these benefits that are associated with the Lord's hand?  What are these benefits that can still accrue to us even in times of affliction?
 
FAVOR AND BLESSING

God does not stop blessing Joseph during his times of affliction.  If anything, I would reckon He added more blessings to his life. The blessing that was be upon Joseph's life attracted for him the favour of men and the favour of God.  Like in Joseph's case, God's hand can bring comfort to you in times of affliction by bringing favour and blessing upon your life.

PROMOTION
It is interesting to note that Joseph was promoted to a place of leadership both in Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon.  This teaches us that God can still bring promotion to you even in times of affliction.
 
FLOW
The last thing I would like you to take note of today is that because God's hand was upon Joseph's life things ran smoothly for him both in Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon.  Apart from the fact that he smoothly ran the affairs Potiphar's house and in the royal dungeon, he was at liberty while he was doing it – we can safely say that his life ran smoothly when we compare it with that of an ordinary person who may have found himself faced with the same predicament.  You too can expect to have a things running smoothly for you in times of affliction.

God's hand is at work in our lives all the time. Not only when things are good, but also when they get bad. So, do not despair. God is for you all the days of your life, even in your times of affliction.

Going through what Mama went through …

… is what it is going to take to make your life count.


Really, I mean it…


Going through what Mama went through is what it is going to take to make your life count: her life models the path to greatness that many of us dream of.


To justify my point, let's have a look at what Mama went through.


She was wooed by a man
A man saw her and became interested in her.  He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her so he set about wooing her to himself.  Likewise, God is interested in spending eternity with you so He is constantly wooing you to Himself.


She had an intimate relationship with her man
When the man had wooed her to himself and she had fallen for him they began to get to know each other in a much deeper and intimate way.  Likewise, God woos you to himself so that you enter into an intimate relationship with Him.  Through this, He creates an opportunity for you to get to know Him; He knows you already.


She became pregnant for her man and gave birth to a baby
As she pursued an intimate relationship with her man, she became pregnant for him and gave birth to a baby. Likewise, as you pursue an intimate relationship with God, He is going to impregnate you with and cause you to give birth to His vision.


She natured her baby until it grew up
When the baby was born, she rearranged her entire life so that she could nature baby until it grew up to maturity. Likewise, you are to nature the vision that God gives you and see to it that it does not die but live to impact this generation and the generations to come.


This coming Sunday is Mothers' Day.  As we celebrate our mothers, let us take the time to reflect upon these thoughts.


Be Inspired.        

Go for what you WANT without reservation

I first tried goal setting in 2003.  Up till 2006, I kept everything simple, dwelling more on pressing needs and 'obligations' (expectations imposed on me by other people).  This model of goal setting somehow worked quite well for me: I knew exactly what I was supposed to do, how to get it done and how to measure my success at my goals. But, it had one setback; it did not give me what I really wanted in my life.

Sometime towards the end of 2006, I sat down to draw up my goal achievement plan for 2007.  Unlike in the preceding four years, I chose to ignore the pressing needs and obligations but instead wrote down all the things that I had always wanted to do but had been sidelining in favour of pressing needs and obligations. To doing this, I asked myself the question: If I had all the time and money in the world what would I like to do this year?

The list of goals that I came up with saw me creating opportunity to visit four different countries for the first time, including Israel and Jordan; started work on my next book; get myself a car; spend over US$10 000.00 cash in one year; and started work on my website.

Some of the things that I have stated above may seem minor to you but if the truth be told there are some among us that have not created the opportunity to do some of these things.  Our lives circle around pressing needs and obligations.  We never get to do what we really want. We live a life of quiet desperation, so to say.

Goal setting can be a drudge.  It can also be a fun-filled exhilarating experience.  The difference comes from whether you do it to super impose pressing needs and 'obligations' or whether you make it your opportunity to chart your way closer to your hopes and dreams.  I'd suggest you make it the latter.   Go for what you WANT without reservation. Sometimes it just begins by asking yourself the question: If I had all the time and money in the world what would I like to do this year?

Be Inspired.