Today we continue our series entitled, “Faith and Patience Volume IV — The Wonder Twins.” I am using Joseph as an excellent example of our need for patience. We are seeking to learn from the different phases of Joseph’s life. Let’s get into it.
(James 1:2-4 TPT)
2 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!
3 For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things.
4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1 ERV)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.
Today I will cover Genesis 47:7-12
Setting the Stage:
After introducing his brothers to the king, Joseph thought it right to bring in his father. Picture this for a moment for a second. Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. Your relationship with the king started 9 years ago. When you met him, you were living as a prisoner and a former slave. You had an amazing encounter with this man, and God used him to change your life. You were promoted from prisoner to Prime Minister with a single decision from the king. God gave you favor with this man, and God has been using you to be a blessing to him and his nation for the last 9 years. God has given you the wisdom to administrate his national economy in such a way that he and his nation are now exceedingly rich. They are the only nation prepared in the middle of a terrible famine. You are the #2 in the land, but he is the #1. He is a sitting-king. All your dealings with him are “grand.” This king just finished granting your brothers and the rest of your family the right to live in the best land in his kingdom. When your brothers came in to meet him, they humble and reverent. They bowed down before the king and basically begged him to bless them. They acted like they were in the presence of royalty.
It is now time to bring your father in. What do you think the average person would assume? Most of us, if placed in this situation, would assume that our father would come in the same way our brothers did: humble and reverent, especially under these circumstances. Your father has just left his country because of a famine. He is coming to the king with an expectation of support. But regardless of the circumstances, the father in this story is not the average guy. He is Jacob. Jacob is the grandson of Abraham. Although Jacob was coming to the king FOR a blessing (food and land from Egypt), he knew that The Blessing of God was upon his life. So when he walked in, the first thing he did was BLESS the king. He does not approach or address the king as his sons did. He came in with a different attitude. Jacob understands the king’s authority, but he also understands his own. Jacob respects the king, but he also knows his divine identity. He knows that there is something on him that the king does not have.
Jacob walked in, blessed the king, and then had a short conversation. At the end of the conversation, he blessed the king again. The James-Fausett-Brown commentary says of this: “Jacob signalized his entrance by imploring the divine blessing on the royal head, it may easily be imagined what a striking impression the scene would produce.”
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. When you know who you are in Christ Jesus, you live with a certain level of confidence that cannot be shaken.
2. I understand Jacob’s actions well. I served in the U.S. Army for 25 years. I had the opportunity to stand before the highest-ranking leaders in the Army. I had to present to them several times. While I was on the Army Staff, I witnessed otherwise poised men crumble under the pressure of standing before senior General Officers or politically appointed officials. I have seen men literally and figuratively bow before these leaders, because of the position they hold. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I respect authority, and I appreciate the fact that these individuals have worked hard to obtain their positions of power. My point here is that no matter whom I am dealing with – General or private, rich or poor, CEO or low-level worker – I know who I am. My identity is solidified in God. I know that I, like Jacob, walk in the blessing. I know the hand of God is on my life. I know I am BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING everywhere I go. Therefore, I don’t cower in any situation. I don’t shrink in the presence of others. I know who I am. That is what happened with Jacob. He walked into the room like he owned it. He spoke to the king like he was the one with the blessing, and he was! Although he was coming to Egypt to receive a blessing, he also know that God’s blessing was on him. He understood what the Lord said to his grandfather Abraham when God said, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you!” This is why Jacob walked into the room like, “You think you are here to bless me. But I am a walking conduit of God’s blessing. I will bless you for blessing me!” That’s the kind of attitude we live with when we know who we are!
3. Do you know who you are? Do you know what the Bible says about you?
— You are a king’s kid!
— You are a royal priesthood.
— You are a peculiar person.
— You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
— You are the righteousness of God in Christ.
— You are the head and not the tail.
— You are above only and never beneath.
— You are the lender and not the borrower.
— You are the winner and not the loser.
— You are the victor and never the victim.
— You are God’s child. Act like it. The blessing of Abraham (natural blessing) and the blessing of Jesus (spiritual blessing) are on you! God will bless those who bless you and deal with those who curse you. Act like the man/woman you are in Christ!
4. As Jesus is, so are you, in this world (1 John 4:17). Picture Jesus in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father, full of glory. Now think of yourself. As Jesus is, right now, in heaven, so are you in this world. Enter into this day with that mindset.
5. You must know who you are in God. If you are rooted in your identity in God, and you are sure of His blessing upon your life, you are in a position to “be” a blessing to another person, no matter how high or low they may be. Believe God and believe in the blessing that He has upon your life. It will give you unshakable confidence, and you will experience uncommon success.
6. When someone is being a blessing to you like Pharaoh was in the text with Joseph and his family, you can RECEIVE the blessing (from the person), but you can also RELEASE the blessing (from God). However, you will never do so if you don’t know who you are. Your divine identity is the key to walking in your divine purpose!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I know who I am. I embrace my divine identity! I know Your blessing is on my life. I believe everything I put my hands to do will prosper, because You are ON ME, IN ME, WITH ME and FOR ME! My belief in You and in Your blessing on my life helps me develop a level of confidence that is unshakable and unbreakable. I face this day with fearless confidence, because I know I am blessed to “be” a blessing. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
