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 fthe path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
Additional scriptures for today:
(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.
(Ecc 3:1 ERV)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.
(Gen 41:14-16 NIV)
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Your Confidence Must Be in God’s Ability.
Yesterday, we saw how Joseph readied himself when he heard he had to stand before Pharaoh (the king). He shaved, cleaned himself up, and put on a fresh set of clothes. Although he was living as a prisoner, he did not have to look like one when he came before the king. He was expecting a breakthrough, although he did not know the specifics of the situation. All he knew was that he was called to stand before the king, and he believed that God would grace him to handle whatever the need would be. When you walk with God, and you truly believe that He is On you, IN you, WITH you, and FOR you, you face every situation with fearless confidence.
I am sure that Joseph was mentally and spiritually preparing himself for the moment he stood before the king. He must have thought of the dream God gave him and how this might have something to do with it. When he finally got before the king. Pharaoh said, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Now, watch how Joseph responds. Without skipping a beat, without knowing what the dream was, and without knowing the specifics of the assignment, he replied, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Notice the verbiage. He did not say, “God might,” or “God can.” Joseph said, “God will!” That is strong language, and it comes from a man who operated in strong faith.
When the time came for Joseph to get his breakthrough and walk out of the prison, his faith was HIGH! He was ready. Even without hearing the dream, Joseph was like, “Mr. King, it does no matter what the dream is. I am not the one doing the interpretation anyway. God is the one who will give it and there is nothing God can’t do. Go ahead and tell me the dream. No matter what you say, the interpretation is here. Because I am here and God is with me!” That’s the type of faith (or confidence) God requires of us!
Here are some things we can glean from this:
— If you want to have fearless confidence (or faith), your faith must be based on God’s endless power. You must believe that God can and will always provide what’s needed, regardless of the situation. There is nothing God can’t do.
— When your confidence is rooted in God, you can boldly face challenges with the assurance that He will give you the wisdom and grace to conquer them.
— Speak with conviction, knowing that God’s power is limitless, and He will provide the answers and breakthroughs you need when you are doing what He is leading you to do.
2. God Wants Maximum Glory From Your Life.
God makes it clear in His Word that He does not want us to put any other gods before Him. He expects His glory to go to Him and not any other gods. The same applies to people. God can and will bless you to do great things, but He expects the glory. He does not want you to give His glory to any person, and He does not want you to take it yourself, either. God can enable you to do anything in Him. There is nothing He can’t do through you. But just remember that He expects the credit. Joseph was clear. He made it plain. He was like, “Mr. King, to be clear, I can’t do it. But God can, and He will! God will give you the interpretation and He will do it through me!”
This is how we are supposed to live. Our full confidence must be in God, not our human abilities. The good news is that while God gets the glory, we get the earthly benefits. That day, Joseph was promoted from prisoner to Prime Minister in a moment. That is the kind of God we serve. When you live your life committed to giving Him the glory, you will experience the benefits of His divine favor!
Here are some things we can glean from this:
— Ensure that all the glory for your accomplishments goes to God, recognizing His hand in your successes.
— Remain humble and acknowledge that the source of your victories is God’s power working through you.
— Live your life in such a way that God receives all the credit for your victories, and He will reward you abundantly.
3. True Faith puts all your Confidence in God and His Divine Power!
Some people today would have called Joseph cocky or maybe even arrogant. Sometimes confidence is mistaken for arrogance, but God wants you to operate in confidence nonetheless. Joseph carried a holy boldness in him. He was standing before the king, but he knew that the King of Kings was with him!
Face every day and every situation with a fearless confidence, with your confidence in God and God alone, and know that God will bless you for it. When you walk in fearless confidence you are telling God that you trust Him to be bigger than your situation. This pleases God. When you don’t you are making your situation bigger than your God. This disappoints Him.
Here are some things we can glean from this:
— Confidence in God is often mistaken for arrogance by those who don’t understand the relationship between faith and trust.
— Approach every challenge with boldness, trusting that God will work through you to achieve His purpose.
— Make God’s promises bigger than your circumstances, keeping your faith strong and unwavering.
4. Get ready for God to do MORE Than You Imagine!
Joseph did not know what the dream was about; he did not know any of the specifics, but as far as he was concerned, they did not matter. No matter what – Joseph believed that God could handle it.
I will give you a few closing nuggets on this:
— Without God, there are countless things we cannot do because we are human and finite.
— With God, there is nothing we cannot do because God lives in us, and He is infinite and divine.
— You must learn to know God through experiences. You cannot just know God from a book or from a church. You must know God through real-life experiences. Joseph had 13 years of divine experiences behind him when he stood before the king. That’s why his faith was so strong. Paul had countless experiences with God as he sought to blaze trails for the early church. After all those experiences, Paul said, “I learned something along the way. This is what I learned: I can do all things through Christ who enables me to do what I cannot do without Him.” (Rick Pina Version).
— You need faith and patience for life, for the long haul. At first, you need faith to believe what God said. After you believe it, you need the patience to wait on His timing. But when the fullness of time comes, you need faith again. You need faith to RECEIVE what God is RELEASING. And your faith for manifestation must be strong because when God finally does it, it is going to be BIGGER than you imagined. Joseph would have never imagined, in a thousand years, that he woke up that morning a prisoner, but he was going to fall asleep as the Prime Minister of Egypt!
*** When God finally does it for you, He is going to exceed your expectations. So get your hopes up! GREATER IS COMING!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, my confidence is entirely in Your power. I know that You will always provide what I need when Your Spirit is leading me. There is nothing You can’t do.
My faith is unshakable because I trust in Your limitless wisdom and grace.
I will always give You the glory for my victories, acknowledging that Your power is at work in my life.
I live with unwavering confidence in Your divine promises, making You bigger than any challenge I face.
My boldness comes from knowing You are ON me, IN me, WITH me, and FOR me, leading me to experience victory!
I commit to walking humbly, acknowledging that every success is due to Your grace.
My faith is strong, my heart is set, my hope is up, and I expect to see Your promises fulfilled in my life.
I believe You will exceed my expectations because Your plans are better than mine. This is how I know: GREATER IS COMING!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
