Showing posts with label God's timing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's timing. Show all posts

Saturday, June 2, 2018

What Joseph's Prophetic Journey Can Teach Us About God's Timing - BEN GODWIN CHARISMA NEWS

(Unsplash/Ali Hegazy)

What Joseph's Prophetic Journey Can Teach Us About God's Timing

BEN GODWIN  CHARISMA NEWS
Life is full of peaks and valleys, pits and pinnacles. Sometimes it feels like you're on a non-stop roller coaster ride. Whether it's your job, school, marriage, church, family or just life in general, everything is a mixture of bitter and sweet. Emotions fluctuate like the stock market—up one minute, down the next. Of all the Bible characters who experienced life's ups and downs, Joseph comes to mind. Paul Evans wrote, "Adversity is God's university." If that is true, then Joseph had a Ph.D.
Joseph was Jacob's favorite son by his favorite wife (Rachel) whom he sired in his old age. The age disparity made him more like a grandson to Jacob, who showed his favoritism by making him a multi-colored tunic. His 10 older brothers were not amused by Joseph's fancy clothes or his absurd dreams. If Joseph had a fault, it was being a blabbermouth—he couldn't keep his dreams to himself.
God gave Joseph two prophetic dreams that provided glimpses into his future and propelled him to his destiny. In the first dream, the brothers were bundling wheat in the field when all his brother's sheaves (bundles of wheat) bowed down to his sheaf. In the second dream, the sun, moon and 11 stars bowed down to him. Even Jacob rebuked him for such an outlandish idea.
Joseph's jealous brothers resented him for his bright clothes, his big dreams and his big mouth. "'So you want to be our king, do you?' his brothers derided. And they hated him both for the dream and for his cocky attitude" (Gen. 37:8, TLB). Then they conspired to kill him to ensure that none of his fantasies ever materialized.
The opportunity came when Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were grazing their flocks. Reuben, the oldest brother, intervened and spared his life. Instead, they stripped Joseph's coat off, threw him in a pit, brought their father his torn tunic covered with goat's blood and let him assume the worst. Meanwhile, they secretly sold Joseph to a band of Midianite merchants bound for Egypt.
When Joseph arrived in Egypt as a slave in shackles, perhaps he wondered if he had misinterpreted his dreams. He was purchased at auction by Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh's guard. Joseph worked hard, proved himself trustworthy and quickly rose through the ranks to become his top manager. God's favor on his life was obvious.
When Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Him, Joseph fled the scene, leaving another coat behind. With scant evidence and no witnesses, she claimed he tried to rape her and had him thrown into prison. There, God gave him favor with the warden and soon Joseph, an inmate, was running the joint as the jailer's assistant. As time passed, word spread that he had a keen ability to decipher the meaning of dreams.
Before long, he interpreted the chief butler and baker's dreams, which had fallen out of favor with Pharaoh. Just as Joseph predicted, the butler was restored to his post, serving the king's court while the baker was executed. Two years later, Pharaoh had a nightmare about seven healthy cows that were eaten by seven sick cows. Awakened, he dozed off and dreamed again about seven plump ears of corn being devoured by seven scrawny ears of corn. When Pharaoh's magicians couldn't interpret the dreams, the butler suddenly remembered Joseph and had him summoned from prison.
God gave Joseph the meaning of Pharaoh's dreams. He predicted seven years of plenty would be followed by severe famine and proposed a plan to stockpile 20 percent of every harvest to sustain them through the drought. Pharaoh appointed Joseph over all of Egypt as his right-hand man to implement the plan. Ironically, Pharaoh placed a royal robe (another new coat) on Joseph, gave him his regal signet ring and a golden necklace, and paraded him through Egypt in a chariot. Imagine that—a prisoner promoted to prime minister!
Pharaoh renamed Joseph "Zaphnath-paaneah" (quite a mouthful), meaning "giver of the nourishment of life, or savior of the world." God used him to literally save the ancient world from starvation. Joseph was 30 years old when he was promoted. He was 17 when he had his dreams, a 13-year interval. Then there were seven years of bounty plus two years of famine before his brothers showed up in Egypt looking for food. So a total of 22 years went by after Joseph dreamed his brothers would bow down to him, and it finally came to pass. Don't give up on your God-given dreams.
Joseph is a fitting type of Jesus. Notice the striking similarities:
  • Both were favored by their fathers.
  • Both were rejected by their brothers.
  • Both were betrayed and sold for silver.
  • Both were tempted to extreme measures.
  • Both were falsely accused of crimes they didn't commit.
  • Both forgave their enemies.
  • Both became leaders at age 30.
  • Both were exalted to positions of honor.
  • Both saved the world.
When Joseph revealed his identity to his guilt-ridden brothers, they expected him to kill them. Instead, Joseph forgave them, was reunited with his grief-stricken father and moved their clan to Egypt to take care of them. Here's how he summarized his difficult journey: " But as for you, you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good ... to save many lives" (Gen. 50:20).
That is the essence of redemption—how God brings good out of bad. God can take the bad things that happen in our lives and turn them around in our favor. He can lift us out of our pit and put us on the pinnacle. So, when life gets you down, remember how God used a slave to save the world. Then imagine what He can do through you. 
Ben Godwin is the author of four books and pastors the Goodsprings Full Gospel Church. To read more articles, visit his website at bengodwin.org and take advantage of his four-book bundle for $25.
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Why God's Timing for Your Ministry Is Always Perfect - CAROL MCLEOD CHARISMA MAGAZINE


How do you know when it is time to fully enter into a new ministry project? (Flickr )

How do you know when it is time to pull that infamous plug?
How do you know when it is time to fully enter in to a new project?
How do you know when it is time take a rest?
How do you know when it is time to declare a resounding and enthusiastic, "Yes!" to a new opportunity?
How do you know when it is time to press the pause button on well-laid plans and hoped-for dreams?
How do you know when it is time?
So often, as leaders in the body of Christ, we anxiously search for the will of God and strongly desire to walk in His specific destiny for our individual lives. What a magnificent search that is ... to discover the will of God! 
What a profoundly fulfilling and divine treasure it is to make the discovery of God's eternal purpose for a mere human life!
However, I have learned that just as important as the "what" question is the "when" challenge.
It's not only important to ask of the Father, "What should I do?" but it is vitally necessary to ask a follow-up question, "When should I do it?"
How do you know when it's time?
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (Eccl. 3:1).
Just because God has always worked through one venue in your life does not mean He is limited to working only on that single and well-traveled route. Although God never changes, I know Him to be a God who loves to stir up change!
It is in moments of change and transition that we must lean not unto our own understanding and we must determine to move ahead not in our own strength. I believe the reason the Father loves to change things for His children is simply because He loves His children so much.
He loves to bring His children to a crossroad where they must listen for His voice in the deepest canyons of their heart.
He loves to present situations and circumstances to His children that are unable to be conquered with human strength alone.
He loves to allow mysteries and unanswered questions to linger in the hearts and minds of His dearly loved sons and daughters simply to give them the opportunity to cry out for His wisdom and for His perspective.
"It is He who changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who know understanding" (Dan. 2:21).
How do you know when it is time? I have an answer for that question: You humbly come to the Father and ask Him what time it is.
"Father, what time is it?"
"Is it time to move? Is it time to close the door? Is it time to walk through the open door? Is it time to wait? Is it time to turn around? Is it time to walk away?"
"Father, what time is it?"
And the Father, who is generous in the giving of eternal and unquestionable wisdom, will answer your question in His time. He is not in a hurry nor is He limited by your earthly schedule.
He knows exactly what time it is!  He knows how old you are ... how many years you have left to serve Him ... and how many hours you have in a given day.
Perhaps you know precisely what God has called you to do but are anxious and impatient concerning the timing of His plan. 
Maybe you are weary and discern that it is time to take a break from the busyness of life and it is actually past time for you to rest a while.
Come to the Father, who is never anxious and who is never weary. Ask Him to give you His perspective on the timing of your life. Request the God of eternity to enter into the man-made calendar of your days and to bring order into the confusion of your jumbled hours.
And perhaps you should remind yourself from time to time that God is not constrained by your human calendar. What a vibrant truth it is that there are some things about time this side of heaven that you and I will not understand until the joy of eternity! There are also items on the eternal calendar of heaven that make absolutely no sense to our limited, human thinking.
The next time you ask the Father, "What time is it?" perhaps this is the answer that you will receive:
"He has made everything beautiful in its appropriate time. He has also put obscurity in their hearts, so that no one comes to know the work that God has done from the beginning to the end." (Eccl. 3:11). 
Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written five books, including No More Ordinary, Holy Estrogen!, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart and Defiant Joy! Her most recent book, Refined: Finding Joy in the Midst of the Fire, was released last August. Her teaching DVD, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart, won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming. You can also listen to Carol's "A Jolt of Joy" program daily on the Charisma Podcast Network. Connect with Carol or inquire about her speaking to your group at justjoyministries.com.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

NOW Is The Time - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

NOW Is The Time
- Now Think On This
by Steve Martin


 “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” Ecclesiates 3:1 NAS



When the Word of the Lord comes to you and speaks softly in your inner spirit, saying, “NOW is the time,” you know that you know it is time. Something in your spirit then responds “Yes!” He doesn’t have to spell it out for you. That “it” – that something you have been waiting for, is now going to happen. You just know that it is the time. He has spoken.

Each of us are waiting on something. Some of you for a decent job, to replace the one or two part-time ones that you have had for awhile. Or the current job that you now have causes you to drag yourself out of bed each weekday morning, hoping that soon another will soon come along.

Others are anticipating the day when they will meet “the one”, trying not to lose hope in the process.

One of you reading this just wants the Lord to heal that nagging, hurting nerve. It has been painful for over a year now, causing loss of sleep and all that comes with a chronic issue. Enough already with the Aleve twice a day.

And yet several of you have been waiting for that release into your God-given dream; to touch the nations, to help the helpless, to have your life count for something, for all eternity. After all, the prophetic word came when you were 24. Now you are almost 40. What is up with that?

Waiting on the Lord and His timing can do one of two things. One, it can make you resentful that it hasn’t happened already, eventually turning your heart into bitterness for the Lord and His people, which then ultimately has you believing nothing that the Lord has spoken to you will ever come to pass.

Or two, you are maintaining that trust in His faithfulness, knowing deep down that though you can’t see the promise fulfilled, which may yet be far off, you keep pressing on. Because He has proven Himself to you in your past, you know that somehow, someway, someday He will be there to do it again. You are believing the Scripture for what it exactly says, and which has been speaking directly to you

You really believe the Scripture, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1. NASB)

I especially like these following verses that talk about Abraham’s and Sarah’s faith. Being in my “latter” years, or better yet, my “fine wine prime time golden ways of gray hair days” years, they are especially meaningful to me.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. (Hebrews 11:8-12 NASB)

The Lord understands our weaknesses. He knows where we are at. After all, He created us.

Today I heard the Lord say, “NOW is the time.” I have been waiting. Let it now be done according to your word, my Lord.

He is speaking to you too. The waiting is over. NOW is the time.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People. Inc.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.
  

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Now Think On This #184 “Now Is The Time” by Steve Martin 
Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (10.05.15) Monday at 6:00 pm in Charlotte, NC

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This