A Dedicated Life - Delays Vs Character (notes)

A Dedicated Life - Delays Vs Character

What Happens when there is a delay? We have obeyed God, walked in integrity, prayed and yet things don’t change or they get worst?

We Trust God’s sovereignty and God’s Justice.

Joseph Experienced

• This while in Egypt as a slave!
• Things went from bad to worst, from a slave to an inmate.

Genesis 40 How Joseph handled the situation.

1. The Lord was with him.
2. God showed him kindness.
3. God granted him favor.
4. The warden put him in-charge of all the other inmates.

Everything Joseph touched was touched by God, even in some very difficult situations.

Two Inmates

• The cupbearer and the baker were put in prison by Pharaoh.
• They both had a dream and it depressed them both.

Dream #1

• The cupbearer: A vine, three budding branches with grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in his hand.
• Interpretation: Three branches are three days, within three days you will be restored to your position.

Dream #2

• The baker: On his head were three baskets of bread. Birds were eating the bread.
• Interpretation: In three days Pharaoh will hang you on a tree.

The Dreams are fulfilled but the cupbearer forgot about Joseph.

Second Set of Dreams:

1. Pharaoh was standing by the Nile. Seven fat cows came up and seven gaunt cows eat the fat cows.
2. Seven healthy heads of grain growing and seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy ones.

No One In Egypt

• Could interpret the dreams of Pharaoh.
• The cupbearer tells Pharaoh what happened while he was in jail.

Joseph is brought before Pharaoh and interprets his dreams.

Principles

1. When bad things happen, we tend to forget about the good things in the past.
2. Everything must be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses.
3. Visionaries impact the world.
4. God gets the job done through obedient servants.

God’s Glory is always displayed through people who have character, through people who rejoice in the midst of suffering, through those who don’t give up when things get worst.

Start today to trust in God in the midst of hard times and God will honor your faith in his time and fulfill his purpose in and through you!

Conclusion we can live a Dedicated Life by asking God for help in being more disciplined to His Word, to thinking about Him and to obeying Him.