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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode is: FAVOR

The past few days I have been meditating on walking through darkness and how that elevates us. I want to share a few of those thoughts with you today.

Joseph had the favor of his father on his life. His father Jacob gave him a coat of many colors. This coat was a mantle that his father gave him. Like our heavenly father gives us our callings and purpose. His coat stood out because no one else had a coat like the one he had been given. This represented his identity and favor of his father. It also brought out the worst in his brothers because they were jealous of him. Not everyone is going to be happy for you when they see the mantle that God gives you. Some will be jealous of your gifts and callings.

I saw this happen sometimes when travelling with my grandparents. My grandfather was a walking concordance. God used him to completely turn people’s lives around. He had the gift of prophecy and would give people words of knowledge. God used him to work healing miracles. Other preachers sometimes would become jealous of his gifts. That is something I never understood, because God is no respecter of persons. They could have had the same gifts if they wanted to pay the price. My grandpa spent countless hours on his knees with the Bible asking for revelation. He fasted and prayed over every revival before going that God would show up and deliver people.

He used to say everyone wants to ride the wagon down the hill, but no one wants to help push it to the top. Everyone wants God’s favor. But few want to do the work and fully whole heartedly sell out to the cause of Christ.

Everything we go through in life is to get us to where we are supposed to be when it is time for our divine purpose to be revealed.  God gave Joseph a dream and when he told his family it made his brothers even more angry. They took him out and put him in a pit. This was the first time Joseph knew true darkness.

He felt the sting of betrayal and loss. I am sure he didn’t feel favored at that moment. Unwilling to kill him they eventually sold him into slavery. But first they stripped him of his mantle or coat. He ended up in Egypt and found favor and elevated to working for a man named Potiphar Captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Joseph was an honorable man and would not have an affair with Potiphar’s wife so she lied about him. She told her husband that he attacked her, so he threw him in prison. Once again Joseph was put in a pit of darkness. I am sure he didn’t feel favored. He was there for a long time before another elevation by God. This time he interpreted a dream for the Pharoah and became second in command over all of Egypt.

The boy who had the coat of many colors would never have been made second in command over Egypt. If he had not gone through bad times, he would not have reached his destiny.  It took all the growing that Joseph did during his lifetime to make him that man. The one that was made leader over Egypt. He was in a position to be able to save his family from famine. The boy with a coat of many colors would never have found favor with Pharoah.

All through his life he had God’s favor. Even when he was in prison, he was given a position over the other prisoners. Because of his integrity and the favor of God. We sometimes walk through our own times of darkness. Sometimes, it is because others are jealous of the favor of God in our lives. Other times it is because we choose to not participate in sin and immorality. Not everyone is going to like us or treat us fairly. Joseph remembered his love for his God. He walked in with integrity and had a servant’s heart.

Joseph walked through darkness many times. God always brought him out the other side, wiser and stronger. These things formed him into the man that God could use to save his people from famine.

The stripping process often hurts. Every time he entered a dark period of his life, he was stripped of his mantle. But when he became elevated, the one in authority always gave him a new garment. Sometimes we have to let go of our old identity and who we think we are in order to step into the new identity in Christ.

We go from a sinner, full of sin to being in a safe condition or saved. There are times that we go through fiery trials as we walk out our faith. These trials and times of darkness strip us of the things that we need to let go of in order to grow. Every level of growth is a new opportunity to become who we need to be in life for that moment.

It wasn’t that all that Joseph went through was just for the one day he could save his family. There were many along the way that he was able to help and encourage. We need to have faith that God will take us where we need to go. He will use us at whatever level we are on, even if we haven’t reached our destiny moment.

These trials and what we think of as dark times are never as dark as they could be to children of God. Because of the light of Jesus within us, even in dark times, there is a ray of hope.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

We have the light of life that will shine on our path. There are days when a little of our light can spill over on someone else’s path. That light gives them what they need to take one more step. So go out and let your light shine, even if you feel like you are walking through a time of trial yourself. We never know when our moment may be for God to move us to a new level of His favor.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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