“…Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren
… Now Joseph had a dream …There we were, binding
sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves
stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” And his brothers said
to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over
us?” …” (Genesis 37: 2, 5-14, 41:37-46).
*
God gave Joseph a
MESSAGE, in a DREAM about the CALL upon his life. “…Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren
… Now Joseph had a dream …” (Genesis 37: 2, 5-14, 41:37-46).
Joseph BELIEVED God’s
prophetic message and he shared it with others, but it didn’t come to pass
right away. “…… Now
Joseph had a dream …There we were, binding sheaves in the field.
Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed
down to my sheaf.”…” (Genesis 37: 2, 5-14, 41:37-46).
His brothers made fun
of him, but Joseph KNEW, without a doubt, it would come to pass as God, the Holy Spirit said it would. “…… Now Joseph had a dream … And his
brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have
dominion over us?” …” (Genesis 37: 2, 5-14, 41:37-46).
Joseph’s hope, in the
prophetic dream, was deferred (delayed), for many years. Hope deferred can
affect the heart, especially if you find yourself INSIDE the STORMS of LIFE. “…Hope deferred (delayed) makes the
heart sick, But
desire fulfilled is a tree of life…” (Proverbs 13:12 NASB). “…Unrelenting
disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break
can turn life around…” (Proverbs 13:12
MSG).
“...Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of
Egypt” (Genesis 37: 2, 5-14, 41:37-46).
Going INSIDE the STORMS of LIFE such as slavery and prison, like
Joseph did, can turn dreams into delay and disappointment.
Delay is the BIGGEST killer
of DREAMS, especially when you’re INSIDE the STORMS of LIFE.
Remember Mary and Martha? “…When he (Jesus) heard,
therefore that he (their brother, Lazarus) was SICK, he abode two…[more]… days in the same place where he was…” (John 11:6 KJV).
Jesus DELAYED his time of arrival to Martha and Mary’s STORMY situation.
Jesus decided to STAY where he was instead of coming immediately to their
rescue as THEY THOUGHT he should have. “…My Lord delayeth his coming…” (Luke 12:45 KJV).
Lazarus’ sickness was an emergency to his sisters. Martha and Mary
may have been desperate for Jesus’ presence, but he chose to delay his coming.
“…he (Lazarus) was SICK, [but Jesus]… abode two…[more]… days in the same place where he was…” (John 11:6 KJV).
We consider something DELAYED or maybe even TOO LATE when someone
doesn’t arrive or something doesn’t happen on OUR time table. INSIDE the STORM,
the atmosphere is disturbed, normalcy is disrupted, and the damage is done. “…My Lord delayeth his
coming…”
(Luke 12:45 KJV).
INSIDE the STORM, delay has
caused disappointment, doubt, and discouragement, on the part, of the person or
people waiting for THE ONE who is DELAYED, especially if it “seemed” to be a
matter of life or death. “…My Lord delayeth his coming…” (Luke 12:45 KJV).
Jesus communicates with Mary and Martha that he was DELAYED on
purpose and he was GLAD about it. He said, “…I am glad for your sakes (Mary,
Martha, & his disciples) that
I was not there (when Lazarus died), to the intent, you may BELIEVE….” (John 11:15 KJV).
Whether, Mary, Martha, or
his disciples agreed or not, Jesus had a DIVINE reason for his DELAY,
DELAY often requires waiting, INSIDE the STORM, beyond a certain
amount of time. Martha and Mary, most likely, waited for Jesus to show up
INSIDE the STORM, before it could do too much damage to their lives. Yet their
lives were SERIOUSLY disrupted, Lazarus
got very sick, he died, they had his funeral, a burial, and a repast, but no
Jesus. “…THOUGH IT TARRY,
WAIT FOR IT….” (Habakkuk 2:3 KJV). “…For the vision [is] yet FOR AN APPOINTED TIME, but at
the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, WAIT FOR IT; because IT WILL SURELY COME,
it will not tarry….” (Habakkuk
2:3 KJV).
“… They that
WAIT UPON the LORD shall
renew [their] strength…” (Isaiah 40:31 KJV). “…WAIT ON the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart: WAIT, I say, on the LORD…” (Psalms 27:14 KJV).
“…The LORD [is] good unto them that WAIT FOR HIM…”
(Lamentations 3:25 KJV).
The HEART CRIES OUT, with disappointment,
or sadness, or heartbreak, INSIDE the STORMS of LIFE and DURING GOD”S periods
of DELAY. “…Hope
deferred (delayed) makes the heart sick,
…”
(Proverbs 13:12 NASB).
“…Unrelenting
disappointment leaves you heartsick…”
(Proverbs 13:12 MSG). “…How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long
will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalms 13:1 NASB.“…Since I am afflicted and needy, Let the Lord
be mindful of me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O
my God… (Psalms 40:17 NASB). “…I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried:
mine eyes fail while I wait for my God…” (Psalms 69:3 KJV).
A DELAY forces you to go through unforeseen events and experiences,
INSIDE the STORM, which disturbs the atmosphere of your life with unexpected sickness,
a death, a funeral, a burial, and a repast. Normal life is totally disrupted. Job
said: “...though he slay
me, yet will I trust in him…”
(Job 13:15 KJV).
A hopeful, prophetic dream,
promised to you by God, becomes seriously challenged. When you DON’T SEE the
witness of God’s glory or the manifestation of his Word when you thought, for
sure, you would, you can began to think it will NEVER come to pass. Lazarus
got sick and died; what else was there to hope, pray, or dream about? “…And in the PROCESS of time IT CAME TO PASS…” (Genesis
4:3 KJV).
JOSEPH’S DREAM was
DELAYED and he went INSIDE a STORM that included slavery and prison. It took 13
years before Joseph SAW God’s promise to make him ruler, fulfilled. “…Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren
… Now Joseph had a dream …There we were, binding
sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves
stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” And his brothers said
to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over
us?” … Joseph was thirty years old when he
stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Genesis 37: 2, 5-14, 41:37-46).
Before God’s PROMISE, to make Joseph a
ruler was fulfilled, Joseph became a slave to Potipher and a prisoner in an ancient dungeon.
“…[But]… in the PROCESS of time … [what God promised]… CAME TO PASS…”
(Genesis 4:3 KJV).
Whatever
you experience INSIDE the STORMS of LIFE, it will NOT STOP the promises of God
upon your life. It doesn’t even matter how long you are INSIDE the STORMS of
LIFE; NOTHING can STOP the PROMISES of God upon your life. “...God has blessed, and
I cannot reverse
it!” (Numbers 23:20 NLT). “…As many as are the
promises of God, in Him they are yes …also … Amen …” (2 Corinthians 1:2 NASB). “…Jesus
said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe (trust in me,
depend upon me, and cooperate with my word), you will see the glory of God (his
presence, his goodness, his power, or all three in your life)?..." (John
11:40 KJV).
Martha and Mary EXPERIENCED, INSIDE the STORM, Lazarus’ sickness
and death. “… [Lazarus] … whom thou
lovest is
sick…” (John 11:3 KJV). “…Lazarus is dead…” (John 11:14 KJV).
Nonetheless, Jesus SAID to them: “…this sickness is
NOT unto death, but for the
glory of God…” (John 11:4 KJV). Yet and still, “…Lazarus is dead…” (John 11:14 KJV).
Remember Job who
experienced, INSIDE his STORM, the loss
of his family, his wealth, and his health. “One day
when Job’s ….donkeys were
grazing nearby …the
Sabeans attacked and made off with them.…another
messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned
up the sheep
and …another messenger came and said, “The
Chaldeans formed three raiding
parties and swept down on your camels and …yet another messenger came and said,
“Your sons and
daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from
the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to
tell you!” (Job 1:13-20 NIV). . “…Satan….smote Job with
boils from
the sole of his feet unto his crown…”
(Job 2:7 KJV).
And
Joseph, INSIDE his STORM, experienced mistreatment from his brothers, being
thrown into an empty, dark pit, being sold as a slave, and eventually going to
prison (dungeon). “…And when they saw him
afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And
they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him,
and cast him into some pit ... And it came to
pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of
his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty,
there was no water in it … Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen;
and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to
the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they
brought Joseph into Egypt…” (Genesis 37).
Many of God’s people
have been or are currently INSIDE a STORM. There was or still “is” a DELAY
BEFORE, they SAW or will SEE the witness of God’s Glory upon their
situations and circumstances. “…After …[those INSIDE a STORM have] … suffered … [or have been
delayed for]… a little while, [God has DIVINE plans to]… restore, support, and strengthen
[them], and … place [them]... on a firm
foundation..” (1 Peter 5:10 NLT).
“…After …. [they] …
have suffered ... [or have been delayed for]… a little while…” (1 Peter 5:10 NLT). There will
be “a little while” or a delay AND
there will be an “after.”
DELAYS, no matter how
severe or LONG, are temporary and the bible says, “…the
suffering …[or delays]… of this present time ARE NOT worthy to be compared with the glory (witnessed of his presence, his
goodness, or his power) which shall be revealed in us…” (Romans
8:18 KJV). “…For our light affliction …[or delays], …which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory…”
(2 Corinthians 4:17 KJV).
BIBLICAL PROOF OF
GOD’S GLORY IN MARY & MARTHA’S STORY: “….Lazarus, come forth.
And he that was dead came forth…” (John 11:42-43 KJV).
BIBLICAL PROOF OF GOD’S GLORY IN JOB’S STORY: “…The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: … So Job died, being
old, and FULL of days...” (Job 42:12-17 KJV).
BIBLICAL PROOF OF
GOD’S GLORY IN THE HEBREW BOYS STORY: “…Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego…. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon”
(Daniel 3 KJV).
BIBLCAL PROOF OF
GOD’S GLORY IN JESUS’ STORY: Jesus is “highly exalted”
with a “name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). In addition,“…at
...the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of things in heaven and things in
earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father...” (Philippians 2:10-11 KJV).
BIBLICAL PROOF OF
GOD’S GLORY IN JOSEPH’S STORY: “Pharaoh sent for Joseph,
and he was quickly brought from the
dungeon. …“ You shall be in charge
of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with
respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”…So Pharaoh said to Joseph,
“I hereby put you in charge of the whole
land of Egypt.” … Thus he
put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt…”
(Genesis 41 NIV).
Job, Joseph, Jesus, the
Hebrew Boys, and Martha and Mary ALL had to actually live through THE STORMS of
LIFE and experience extremely challenging DELAYS. “…After [THEY had]… suffered … [or been
delayed for]… a little while…” (1 Peter 5:10
NLT).
WHY? What should you
know about DELAYS? 1. DELAYS have a divine purpose. 2. DELAYS are about God’s
love for you and NOT some kind of punishment. 3. DELAYS are NOT about God’s
denial, condemnation, or deprivation of you or your DREAMS. 4. DELAYS are
God-approved. 5. DELAYS are meant to strengthen your trust in God, your
dependency upon his power, and your continual cooperation with his
instructions. 6. DELAYS are NEVER about your will, but God’s will. . “…My Lord delayeth his coming…” (Luke 12:45 KJV).
“…Father
…not My
will, but Yours be done…"
(Luke 22:42-43 NIV).
God, the Holy Spirit,
may “seem” to DELAY his manifested arrival, INSIDE your STORM, but
he hasn’t forsaken you. Even when it appears God is “NOT” with you, HE “IS,” and he is STILL being GOOD to you
too. “…I am glad for your sakes that
I was not there, to the intent, you may BELIEVE….” (John 11:15 KJV). “…Thou (God) are GOOD and doest
GOOD…” (Psalm 119:68 KJV). “…Great is his love
toward us...”
(Psalms 117:2 KJV). “… “Never will I leave you; never
will I forsake you…”
(Hebrews 13:5 NIV). “…I am with you always, to the very end…"(Matthew 28:20 NIV).
“…Behold, I
am with … [you] and will keep … [you]
whithersoever [you]… goest…I
will not leave [you] ..." (Genesis 28:15 ASV). “...He careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 KJV). “…God is LOVE…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). “… “I AM WHO I AM
…”
(Exodus 3:14-15 NASB). “…I
change NOT…”
(Malachi 3:6 KJV).
What was the DIVINE REASON for Jesus’ DELAY in
Mary and Martha’s story?“….To the intent, [they]... may BELIEVE….” (John 11:15 KJV). Didn’t Mary and Martha already have a level
of faith?
Many of God’s people think “I BELIEVE” and therefore have arrived
at the level of faith that is necessary to give God glory in their lives. Yet,
raising Lazarus from the dead was intended to propel the sisters into a HIGHER
level of faith by witnessing, first-hand, a MIRACLE (a GREATER witness of God’s
GLORY (presence, goodness, power, etc.). “..This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him…” (John 2:11 KJV).
Jesus CAME to earth so that MAN would believe (trust in & depend
upon God, the Holy Spirit). “…[Jesus]…came for a witness…that ALL men through HIM might BELIEVE…” (John 1:7 KJV).
God wants his people to EXPERIENCE what they believe and not simply TALK about what they believe. Why? “... the devils also believe...” (James 2:19
KJV). “...You say you have faith, for
you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in
terror...” (James 2:19
NLT). A “profession” of belief is not the SAME as EXPERIENCING faith by actual
trusting, depending, and cooperating with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
“...For I say unto you, That except
your righteousness (demonstration of trust, dependency and cooperation with God)
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven...” (Matthew 5:10
KJV).
“...Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law (Holy Word) and you will
only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others,
and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless
you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of
right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom...” (Matthew 5:19-20 MSG).
“Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear
beautiful outward (religious),
but are within (the heart) full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness… ” (Matthew 23:27 KJV).
“…He (Jesus) knew what was in each person’s heart…” (John 2:24-25 NLT).
“...hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside
of the cup (religious behavior) and of the platter, but within (in the heart)
they are full of extortion and excess...”
(Matthew 23:13-33 KJV).
“...hypocrites!... Even so ye
also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. ..”
(Matthew 23:13-33 KJV).
“…This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me…” (Mark 7:6 KJV). “… Many deceivers have gone out into the world…”
(2 John 1:7 NLT).
“…If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s
commandments, that
person IS A LIAR and is not living in the truth…”
(1 John 2:4 NLT). “…If we
“SAY” that we have
fellowship with him, and WALK IN DARKNESS (like demon), WE LIE, and DO NOT THE TRUTH…” (1 John 1:6
KJV). “... the devils also believe...” (James 2:19 KJV).
“... except your righteousness (your
demonstration of trust, dependency, and cooperation with God) shall
exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, ye shall
in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven...” (Matthew 5:10 KJV).
DELAYS can serve the purpose of SPIRITUAL growth that helps God’s
people develop a GREATER and STRONGER experience with FAITH. “….To the intent, you may BELIEVE….” (John 11:15 KJV).
Experience is STILL the BEST teacher.
Jesus KNEW one ACT of God’s
power would build and prepare his people for a GREATER and STRONGER experience with
FAITH. “….and many more BELIEVED “because” of his own
words…we BELIEVE, not because of thy
saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and KNOW that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world…” (John 4:41-42). “…I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand
by I said it, that they may believe that
thou hast sent me…” (John 11:41-42 KJV).
Martha and Mary
believed that their brother would rise again in the resurrection on the last
day, wasn’t that enough? No, Jesus intended to EMPOWER them to exercise a GREATER
and more POWERFUL experience with their FAITH. “….To the intent, you may BELIEVE….” (John 11:15 KJV).
“…These things have I written unto you that BELIEVE on the name of the Son
of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may BELIEVE on the name of the Son of God (JESUS, his WORD)...” (1 John 5:13 KJV).
Remember, INSIDE the STORMS of LIFE, SOME THINGS are truly
“DELAYED,” but it doesn’t mean THE PROMISED DREAM is DENIED! ?” ……. Joseph was thirty
years old (delayed) when he stood before Pharaoh king of
Egypt (not denied)...” (Genesis 37: 2, 5-14, 41:37-46).
“Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. …“ You shall be in charge
of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be
greater than you.”…So Pharaoh said to Joseph,
“I hereby put you
in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”
… Thus
he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt…”
(Genesis 41 NIV).
DELAYED; NOT DENIED!
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