Today, we continue our series entitled “Laser Focus,” emphasizing living with a Laser Focus on the Fixed Purpose God established for us before the world began.
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
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 41:49 ERV)
Joseph stored so much grain that it was like the sands of the sea. He stored so much grain that it could not be measured.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God’s Blessing is not just Reserved for Church Services.
While Joseph was leading Egypt, God’s wisdom operated on him. As a result, Egypt was more prepared than every other nation for the impending famine. They had so much grain in their reserves that it could not be measured.
One thing I want to highlight this morning is that the Blessing of the Lord was on Joseph to do what he was called to do, and it pertained to national leadership, not spiritual leadership. This is a significant point. I will elaborate.
Many believers today think of God, His blessing, and His favor as being for things like church, Bible study, Missions work, charitable projects, etc. They think God’s wisdom is only released for preachers or teachers who need to interpret Bible scriptures for sermons or classes. Or they think of God’s favor upon them for things like being an usher, singing in the choir, or helping out in the church. God is much bigger than that.
Unfortunately, many believers limit their faith to Sunday mornings. The church building may be where you go to worship, but what you learn there must be applied in your daily life, in the world outside the church.
God blessed Abraham with material wealth and a child when he and his wife were passed the childbearing stage. God blessed Isaac to reap a hundredfold harvest on his seed sown (in one year) during a famine. God blessed Jacob to make more money in one year (once he started operating by faith) than he had made in the previous 20 years working for Laban.
God blessed Joseph to prosper as a slave and as a prisoner. He lived better as a slave and later as a prisoner than many who lived as free men. God then gave Joseph favor with Pharaoh so that he was elevated to second in command in all of Egypt. With God’s favor upon his life, Joseph made Pharaoh and Egypt exceedingly wealthy.
None of the aforementioned has anything to do with signing praise and worship songs, church services, choir robes, or potluck gatherings. This was God dealing with real people, in the real world, with real issues, and releasing a real blessing. This is the blessing of Abraham, and it is now ours through Christ Jesus (Gal 3:29). Paul said, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
How this applies to you:
— Recognize that God’s Blessing extends beyond spiritual activities to influence all areas of life, including work and leadership.
— God wants us to apply Biblical wisdom and faith in all settings, not just during church-related activities.
— The church is where you go to learn about God’s Kingdom. But the world is where you apply what you learned.
2. To Fully Embrace God As Your Source, You Must Switch Systems!
Pharaoh switched systems.
Pharaoh, as a king, had a system he usually relied on. His system included sorcerers, soothsayers, and magicians to provide him counsel. Whenever he needed wisdom and guidance, he sought them out. However, when they could not interpret his dreams, their failure opened a door for Joseph [and God] to step in.
Joseph came in the name of his God, Jehovah, and interpreted the dreams. This is when Pharaoh had a choice to make. He could have ignored Joseph’s God and sent him back to prison, or he could have accepted what God had said through Joseph. Accepting Joseph meant he would have to accept Joseph’s God and switch systems. He would no longer rely on his former advisors, those who used witchcraft, to get answers. He would have to rely on Joseph and Joseph’s God. Pharaoh made his decision, and he switched systems. As a result, his nation became the richest nation in the world (at the time).
How this applies to you:
— Acknowledge the need to shift from worldly wisdom to divine guidance in all things.
— God’s ways are above our ways. So, for God’s ways to benefit you, you must be open to changing your foundational beliefs and practices to align with His.
— Trust in God’s provision and wisdom, especially when conventional methods fail.
3. Joseph’s Great-grandfather, Abraham, switched systems.
Abram was 75 yrs. old when God called him. He was accustomed to living a certain way. He lived amongst idol worshippers. But an invisible God called him to go to a place he did not know. This invisible God promised to bless him in ways he could see. Abram had a choice to make. He could continue living with his family amid the worship of many/false gods, or he could leave everything he knew to go to a place he had never been and to serve a single and invisible God. Abram made his choice; he switched systems, and the rest is history.
Abraham took his leap of faith in Genesis 12:4. By Genesis 13:2, the Bible says, “Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.” God made Abraham rich, and he made his name great. Abraham also went down in the record books as the father of faith. All of this happened because he was willing to switch systems.
How this applies to you:
— To live by faith, you must be willing to go against traditional thinking, and God will require you to leave your comfort zone.
— Walking in God’s best often requires a fundamental change in how you view and interact with the world. In other words, once you are Born-Again, you will have to change the way you live in order to walk in the newness of the life Jesus provided for you.
— Please don’t tell me that you moved if I keep finding you at your old address!
4. Joseph’s Grandfather, Isaac, switched systems.
Abraham’s son, Isaac, had to deal with a famine. He knew the Lord blessed his father (Abraham) during the famine. He was learning to trust God for himself and to develop his own relationship with God. God told him to stay in Gerar during the famine and not to go to Egypt as his father had done. Isaac operated in faith and stayed put. He believed the Lord would keep him through the famine, although I am sure he did not know how God would do it.
Everyone was facing a famine. The land was not producing. It was not raining. No one was receiving a harvest on planted crops. It was a time of barrenness. So, what did Isaac do? Did he give up hope because the economy was down? Did he wait in his tent and expect God to drop blessings out of the sky? No. Isaac was led by God to plant a crop in the middle of a famine. He planted a crop when NO FIELDS WERE PRODUCING. He was not relying on the ground. He was relying on His God, the God of his father, Abraham.
Isaac switched systems. As a result, God caused Isaac to receive a hundredfold harvest on the seed sown, even though his region was in the middle of a famine. The next verses say that Isaac continued to be successful in that land and became very rich. He owned so many flocks, herds, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him. This happened because he switched systems. This happened because he knew God was His source!
How this applies to you:
— Understand the importance of obedience to God’s specific instructions, even in unfavorable conditions.
— Realize the potential of faith (God’s system) to produce extraordinary results in seemingly impossible situations.
— You must have faith in God as your source for everything, especially during challenging times.
5. Joseph’s father, Jacob, switched systems.
Jacob worked for his father-in-law, Laban, for 20 years. Laban took advantage of Jacob and changed his wages ten times over that period. Jacob received a dream from God about spotted and speckled animals. He had a choice to make. He could continue working for a paycheck under Laban, or he could take the leap of faith God was leading him to take and put all his wealth into strange and rare animals. Jacob made his decision. He switched systems. He believed God was leading him to put all his money into the animals, and he no longer relied on a paycheck from his father-in-law. Guess what happened? Jacob made more money in the 21st year than in the previous 20 combined. All this happened because he switched systems and made God his source.
How this applies to you:
— While you are pursuing your professional or business career, you must recognize opportunities where God is leading you to rely totally on HIM!
— Be prepared to make significant changes in response to divine revelations.
— Trust in God’s unique plans for prosperity, which may differ radically from conventional expectations.
6. Have you switched systems?
— When you switch systems, your total reliance is on God and His grace.
— When you switch systems, you move from relying on Your ability to God’s ability.
— When you switch systems, you no longer see limits because God’s ability is limitless.
— When you switch systems, you go from relying on the system of this world (buying and selling) to relying on God’s system (sowing and reaping).
The main point I am making today is that none of what I discussed in the message (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph) had to do with the church. None of them laid hands on the sick. None of them sang in the choir. None of them performed miracles. They were blessed to do WORK in this world, and God blessed the WORK of their hands. Guess what? The Blessing of Abraham (natural blessing) and The Blessing of Jesus (spiritual blessing) are on you. Open up your heart to God and believe Him to bless the WORK of your hands today and every day!
How this applies to you:
— Check your heart this morning. Are you relying on God or the world? If your confidence is in “your good government job” and the paycheck it provides or your business and the profit it produces, you may have to switch systems. God can bless you at work and in your business, but He does not want your confidence to be in either.
— For you to become the man/woman you are truly called to be, you must switch systems and rely on God, because His system has no limitations on your growth or possibilities.
— Embrace a life of faith that actively relies on God’s principles of sowing and reaping rather than mere human effort.
That is enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You are my source and my supply. You teach me to profit and lead me in the way I should go.
You protect me from events that cripple others, and as You do, I declare that I will use my strength to be a blessing and not a burden.
As the world gets darker, Your light IN me gets brighter, and people who used to laugh at me now come to ask me for help.
When the world is struggling I am winning, because Your grace empowers me to prosper in a way that is not reliant on the systems of this world.
I AM successful in the midst of failure!
I AM light in the midst of darkness!
I AM hope in the midst of despair!
Not because I am so good, but only because of Your grace, only because I was willing to SWITCH SYSTEMS!
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
