Today, we continue our series entitled “Laser Focus,” with the point being that we should live with a Laser Focus on the Fixed Purpose God established for us before the world began.
This is the main scripture we will be looking at this year:
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
We are also looking at these scriptures as we consider the life of Joseph.
(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.
(Gen 37:25-28 ERV)
25 While Joseph was in the well, the brothers sat down to eat. They looked up and saw a group of traders traveling from Gilead to Egypt. Their camels were carrying many different spices and riches.
26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we get if we kill our brother and hide his death?
27 We will profit more if we sell him to these traders. Then we will not be guilty of killing our own brother.” The other brothers agreed.
28 When the Midianite traders came by, the brothers took Joseph out of the well and sold him to the traders for 20 pieces of silver. The traders took him to Egypt.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. You have not disqualified yourself.
(Romans 11:29 KJV)
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
(Romans 11:29 NIV)
For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
— As soon as something terrible happens to you, satan will tell you that it’s your fault. While Joseph was not completely innocent (he was young, brash, arrogant, and foolish), he certainly did not do anything to justify being kidnapped by your own brothers and then sold into slavery. What happened to Joseph was horrible, and whenever something awful happens, satan will do all he can to mess with your mind.
— As soon as you feel like you have done something wrong, satan will tell you that you have disqualified yourself from whatever God said. You have to be aware of this because I will be teaching you all year about staying the course, believing in God for the long haul, setting your gaze, and remaining focused. If you allow satan to sow seeds of disqualification in your heart, it may lead you to give up on what God promised! But if you listen to the Holy Spirit in me, we won’t let that happen!
— I am sure that while Joseph was in the pit and later, while he was being hauled off as a slave, satan was telling him that the dream would now NOT come to pass. This is what satan does. He will tell you that you have disqualified yourself from God’s best.
— How can you disqualify yourself from something you never qualified for in the first place? God called you by grace, not because of merit. God knew everything you would ever do, good and bad, and He called you anyway. He called you into your purpose while being fully aware of your faults, flaws, and failures (past and future). This is why the text says God’s giftings and calling are irrevocable!
— Joseph did not do anything to earn the favor of God that was on his life. Nor did he do anything to earn or deserve the dream. He was selected by God for his purpose, and what was true of Joseph is true of you!
— Part of developing patience and believing God for the long haul is getting to the point where you know that NOTHING you do will cause God to change His mind about you. Without this revelation, you will give up on your faith before the manifestation of the promise because, inevitably, you will do something wrong.
— You are not perfect. Therefore, you will mess up. When you do, satan will tell you that you no longer qualify. But at the same time, the Holy Spirit will remind you that Jesus qualified for you! Understanding this is part of developing faith and Godly patience and is part of your maturity in Christ.
2. Meditate on #TheGraceLife.
— Even when you feel most distant from God’s promise, remember that His call on your life is anchored in His grace, not your performance.
— Revisit the promises God has spoken over you, allowing them to reignite your faith and dispel doubts and thoughts of disqualification.
— Surround yourself with faith-filled reminders of God’s unwavering commitment to you, perhaps through scriptures, prophetic words, or personal testimonies. Go over what God has promised you, and keep His promises before your eyes, ears, heart, and mind.
— Actively reject the lies of the enemy that aim to convince you of your unworthiness.
— Meditate on the fact that your identity and calling in Christ are secure and steadfast in Christ.
— Engage in regular self-reflection and repentance, understanding that God’s forgiveness is immediate and complete, reinstating you fully to your divine purpose.
— If you want to believe God for the long haul, you must believe that you cannot disqualify yourself from your assignment. If you mess up, you must repent, receive forgiveness from God, forgive yourself, and keep going!
3. You must believe it will all work together for your good and God’s glory.
(Romans 8:28 KJV)
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
— Another key aspect of developing Godly patience is knowing that when things happen that you did not expect to happen, God will somehow cause them to work together for your good. It may not have been a good thing, but God can still make it turn out for your good.
— Joseph would later learn things at Potiphar’s house that he would have never learned at home. The same can be said for the prison phase of his life. To be clear, these were not good things. Being sold as a slave is not good. Being locked up in prison is not good. But we serve a God who can take things that are clearly NOT good and make them work together for our good. This is a critical understanding to have when you are waiting on God. If you truly believe this, it will help you to be patient while you are waiting on God to do what He said He would do in your life. You may not like what happened to you, but in the end, you believe God’s plan is still in operation, His promise is still valid, and your expectations are still high!
— Embrace a mindset of victory, knowing that every challenge you face is setting the stage for a greater revelation of God’s power and purpose in your life.
— Celebrate the resilience being produced in you through trials, recognizing that your strength in God is being fortified.
— Look for God’s hand in every situation, especially in unexpected and unwanted circumstances, trusting that He is weaving everything together for your benefit.
— Document your journey, keeping a record of where you’ve seen God turn situations meant for harm into opportunities for growth and blessing.
— Lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him, for He is skillfully orchestrating your life’s events for a glorious outcome.
4. Embrace every phase of your life as a foundation for the next phase (i.e., your future).
— As we trace Joseph’s journey from the pit to the palace, each phase of his life was not just a trial but a training ground for his ultimate purpose. Every phase of your life is instrumental in building you up, shaping your character, and equipping you for the destiny God has for you.
— While God may not cause adversity, He can certainly help you grow as a result of it, but your mindset has to be open to it. Learn to grow through what you go through. Joseph’s time in Potiphar’s house and prison were not wasted years; they were years of learning, character building, and spiritual development that were crucial for his role in saving nations.
— You must learn to be faithful in every season. Be faithful where you are, using what you have. Joseph served with excellence whether he was in Potiphar’s house or prison. Your current location is not your final destination. But if you have to experience progress, you must serve faithfully where God has you now, and He will elevate you in His timing.
— Embrace preparation before elevation. Joseph was prepared for his role in Egypt through his experiences. God is preparing you right now, through your current experiences, for the future He has for you.
— God has a plan, and you must learn to trust both His plan and His timing. Joseph couldn’t rush his elevation to the palace; it came in God’s perfect timing. Trust that God knows when you’re ready for the next phase of your purpose.
— The key to maintaining your faith for the long haul is keeping God’s dream alive in your heart! Joseph never gave up on the dream. So, even when it seems impossible, remember God’s promises to you. Your faith in His Word will sustain you through every phase until you see His promise fulfilled.
— Believe that God will eventually reveal a divine purpose in the pain. Every hardship Joseph endured was part of God’s greater plan to save many lives. Your pain is not in vain; God will use it for a greater purpose.
— Understand that from God’s perspective, His purpose for your life is more important than your comfort. God sent you to this planet to make an impact that is beyond you. If you believe that and want to make that impact, then you must realize that God’s purpose has to be more important than your convenience and pleasure.
This is what God told Joseph’s great-grandfather Abraham, “You should know this: Your descendants will live in a country that is not their own. They will be strangers there. The people there will make them slaves and be cruel to them for 400 years. But then I will punish the nation that made them slaves. Your people will leave that land, and they will take many good things with them.” (Gen 15:13-14). I need to highlight a few quick things from this:
— God was not concerned with the “comfort” of His people, the Israelites when He said they would spend 400 years as slaves. He was more focused on His purpose.
— God was using Joseph to get Abraham’s descendants into Egypt. So, the path Joseph had to take, while painful, was more important than his own personal pleasure.
— Many Christians are so caught up in what they want from God (asking God for this and that, all because they want to be comfortable), that they have no concept of God’s greater purpose.
— People who focus on God’s greater purpose are people who embrace the grace to become the men/women they are called to be. These people make a great impact, and most of these people wind up enduring and overcoming significant challenges, but they do so by the grace of God. In the end, people see their glory (like when Joseph was the Prime Minister of Egypt), but people don’t know their story (like what Joseph had to go through to get there).
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I accept my journey, trusting in Your purpose over my comfort.
I believe You’ve chosen me, flaws and all, for a divine destiny.
I declare Your grace as the foundation of my calling.
I see every setback as a setup for Your glory in my life.
I commit to faithfulness, knowing my current season is preparing me for future elevation.
I trust Your timing, believing You are orchestrating my every step.
I keep my heart free of bitterness, focusing on Your promise over my pain.
I embrace growth through adversity, seeing challenges as opportunities to deepen my trust in You.
I look forward to Your fulfillment, assured that You’re working all things for my good.
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME, as I walk in faith and obedience to Your will.
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
