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 39:21-23 ERV)
21 The Lord was with Joseph and continued to show his kindness to him, so the commander of the prison guards began to like Joseph.
22 The commander of the guards put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph was their leader, but he still did the same work they did.
23 The commander of the guards trusted Joseph with everything that was in the prison. This happened because the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. The power of embracing THE PROCESS!
Joseph never went to Bible college. He did not attend seminary. He did not even have a Bible to read. But he had a dream from God, and he held on to the dream no matter what came his way or how long it took. He ultimately laid hold of what God promised, but it took over two decades. This is a clear picture of faith and patience!
One of the many things we can learn from Joseph is that not only did he endure, not only did he wait on God, but he never developed a BITTER attitude. When things took a turn for the worse, instead of getting BITTER, Joseph embraced the process and got BIGGER every step of the way.
At Potiphar’s house, Joseph learned things he was not going to learn at home. In prison, Joseph learned things he was not going to learn in Potiphar’s house. My point here is that every part of your journey is important, even the parts you don’t like. God is always processing you for the next level, step, stage, and season. So when something happens that you don’t like or did not expect, instead of getting BITTER, determine in your heart that you will get BIGGER because you know GREATER IS COMING!
Living with this mindset, you will not just make it to heaven someday. You will maximize your purpose and potential while in the land of the living and ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
Here are some things we can learn from this:
— Every Season Counts: Recognize that every season, including the most challenging ones, is integral to your spiritual development and necessary for your ultimate destiny.
— Learning in Lows: God uses both highs and lows for growth. Like Joseph in prison, understand that your current ‘low’ could be preparing you for your next ‘high’.
— Your Attitude in Adversity Matters: Instead of becoming bitter with setbacks, choose to grow bigger in faith and understanding.
— Process Before Promotion: Accept that God’s promotions often come after significant processing. The journey to elevation is paved with lessons learned in hardship and humility.
— Enjoy the Journey: Embrace the process with joy, knowing that the path to fulfilling God’s purpose is as important as the destination. This mindset will help you enjoy the journey, regardless of the challenges.
*** While God gives you the grace to do what He called you to do, you must GROW into God’s grace.
2. Being Processed For Your Calling Requires Mental Discipline.
The mental discipline required to make the most of your now while you’re waiting on your next is easier said than done. It sounds good to say that you need to grow into your grace. It’s easy to say, “You must embrace the process,” but in real life, what that means is that you have to get up every morning with the discipline to do the things that are required of you in your present while knowing there’s a level of greatness inside of you that does not match the conditions you see with your natural eyes.
Joseph had to develop a mentality that would enable him to get up every morning in the prison (and before that, inside Potiphar’s house) and actually want to do the things that were required of him. Can you imagine getting up every morning as a prisoner, with the duties of running a royal penitentiary, while knowing that you are called to do something greater? That level of mental discipline and laser focus is uncommon, but I want you to know there is a grace on you to operate in it.
Not only does God grace you with favor, power, and wisdom, but God also graces you to develop the mental fortitude that is required to execute the duties of your present circumstances while at the same time never giving up hope for the glory that you know is coming next.
Here are some things we can learn from this:
— See Past Your Now: Cultivate the ability to maintain focus on God’s promises, even when current conditions seem to contradict your destiny.
— Maintain Hope in the Horizon: Never let go of the vision God has placed in your heart, regardless of present barriers or setbacks. Your current ‘prison’ could be preparing you for your ‘palace.’
— You Have Grace for the Moment: Understand that God equips you with grace not just for spiritual endurance but for practical daily victories—favor, power, and wisdom are your tools.
— Fortitude Over Feeling: Develop the mental toughness required to navigate present duties while nurturing the hope of future glory. This fortitude is crucial for staying the course through various trials.
— You Grow Through What You Go Through: Use your current challenges as opportunities for growth, knowing that each phase is preparing you for the next.
— Be Ready for Change: Prepare yourself for “SUDDEN” shifts and promotions from God. Joseph’s transition from prisoner to prime minister was sudden, illustrating that readiness and resilience can swiftly elevate you when God’s timing arrives.
3. You have to GROW into Your life’s assignment.
— God calls you into your life’s assignment. This is something He decided for you before the world began. Once you are born, He pursues you until you accept His Son, Jesus the Christ, as Lord. Once you accept Jesus and you are Born-Again, the Holy Spirit begins to reveal to you, in glimpses, what you are called to do. The clearer the glimpses, the stronger the PULL into your future.
— The grace to walk in this assignment was stored up for you before the world began. Everything you will ever need to become the man/woman you are born to be is allocated to your divine account in heaven, and it is only a matter of time before these things manifest for you on earth.
— When God calls you into your purpose, the assignment is so far beyond your natural abilities that you are forced to rely on God and His grace. God calls you into things you cannot do without Him. He calls you to lead things you are unprepared for, fund projects you don’t have the money for, and operate in realms and areas you clearly don’t have the education or experience for. As soon as you feel like you have mastered one level, God opens the door to the next, and you repeat the process over and over again. This puts you in a continual state of relying on God, which is exactly the way He wants you to live.
— The grace of God on your life is God’s empowerment to do what you could never do without Him. Without Him, you cannot. But without you, God will not. Since God is dedicated to you and the plans He made for you before the world began, He is dedicated to you becoming YOU. God is committed to helping you become the man/woman He saw in His heart before the world began.
— Without God and His grace, there is no way you could ever walk in the fullness of your divine assignment. But with the grace of God, there is nothing you cannot do because God is living in you, and there is nothing He cannot do.
4. Since your development takes time, you must learn to be patient.
— God calls you into your future from your present. When He does, at first, you 1) don’t truly understand the enormity of the call, and you 2) have no earthly idea how much processing you will be required to endure in order to become the person God called you to be.
— In Joseph’s life, we see a good example of what this looks like. He was called by God in a dream while he was still living at home with his parents. During this season, he was enjoying the favor he had with his Dad. This was the paternal phase of his life. When he received the dream, God literally allowed him to see himself in the palace/Prime Minister phase of his life. Joseph believed in the dream, and he opened his heart to it. But what he did not know was that before he could enjoy the palace as the Prime Minister, he would have to endure the PIT, POTIPHAR, and PRISON phases of his life. With each phase, no matter how painful, he was actually getting closer to his destiny.
So, while he had faith, he required patience as well. He had to keep on believing until what God said came to pass.
As I close, I want you to know that God is still working in your life. Yes, the promise has taken longer than you expected. Yes, you have had to endure more things than you wanted. But please know that you are getting closer. Every step, every stage, every level, and every phase is taking you incrementally closer to the manifestation of the promise. Be patient. Greater is coming because you are called to greatness, and YOU ARE GROWING INTO IT!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I acknowledge Your perfect timing; I trust in Your plans and purposes for my life.
I commit to embracing every season, knowing each step prepares me for Your divine calling.
I declare that I will grow through what I go through, using every challenge and victory as a stepping stone to the next level.
Father, I am grateful for Your grace, which equips and enables me to do exceedingly beyond my natural abilities.
I will maintain my focus on Your promises, not swayed by my current circumstances.
I am prepared for SUDDEN divine shifts, ready to step into the opportunities You provide.
I affirm that my journey is aligned with Your purpose for me; every phase is integral to my divine destiny.
Lord, I embrace the discipline required to fulfill Your call, growing daily in grace and wisdom.
You have given me the grace to do what You called me to do. This grace is great because my calling is great. I boldly declare that I GROW INTO THE GRACE that is on my life, and I BECOME the person You birthed me to be!
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME because I am who I am by Your grace, and I live for Your glory!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
