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 4333,:34 NLT)
33 Joseph told each of his brothers where to sit, and to their amazement, he seated them according to age, from oldest to youngest. 34 And Joseph filled their plates with food from his own table, giving Benjamin five times as much as he gave the others. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
Setting the stage.
In our last message, we left Joseph sitting at a table by himself. Joseph’s brothers sat at another table, and to their amazement, they were arranged in order of their ages. This was weird to them. Somehow, Joseph’s steward knew exactly how to seat them, but they shrugged it off as some sort of coincidence. The way they were seated meant that Benjamin, the youngest, was sitting at the end of the table.
What do we know about Benjamin? We know that he had an eventful entrance into the world. His mother, Rachel, died while giving birth to him. Because of her pain, in her dying breath, Rachel asked Jacob to name the boy Ben-oni, which means “Son of sorrow” or “Son of my pain.” She wanted Jacob always to remember her and the pain of losing her every time he looked at the boy. Thankfully, Jacob knew better than to name the boy after a painful experience. He did not comply with his dying wife’s request. Instead, he named the boy Ben-jamin, which means “Son of my right hand” or “Son of good fortune.” Although Benjamin entered the world through pain and suffering, at least his father would speak favor and blessing over him every time he called his name.
Once Benjamin got past his eventful entrance into the world, he had to deal with his family. His only full-blood brother, from his late mother, Joseph, was taken from him at an early age, and he was thought to be dead. After losing Joseph, Jacob held on dearly to Benjamin. The Bible does not document much of Jacob’s treatment of Benjamin, but it is safe to say that he treated him well. The two closest people to Benjamin were taken from him at an early age. He lost his mother in labor and he lost his brother at the hands of his conniving older brothers, but somehow it all worked out for Benjamin. He was treated well at home, and he benefited from the love and favor of his father. When his brothers came and got him to take him away to a foreign land, the favor of God was still upon him.
So there Benjamin was, the youngest of the entire clan, sitting at the end of the table. He was in a foreign land. A strange Sultan was sitting alone during an extravagant feast, and all the meals were prepared at the Sultan’s table. One by one, the meals left from his table went to his brothers. One by one, Benjamin looked at the sumptuous plates. Every plate, ten in all, seemed the same; they were all seemingly loaded with delicious food. This was a good break for the family. After all, they were two years into the famine by this point.
Then, the time came for little Benjamin to receive his plate. The plate came from the same table, from the same man, but it did not have the same portion. Benjamin looked at his plate, and to his surprise, the plate had five times as much as the previous ten that went to his brothers. Oh oh! Would they get mad? Would they be jealous again? No. The tides had turned in Benjamin’s life. Not only did he receive favor from his father, and not only was he receiving favor from a strange Sultan in a foreign land, but his brothers also treated him well. Instead of becoming jealous, they celebrated with him.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God can turn your life around in a moment.
— The tides in your life can turn at any moment. Have you been experiencing challenges? Benjamin had his share of challenges early on in life, but the blessing was on him. The blessing was permanent, and the challenges were temporary. After the challenges subsided, the blessing was still there, and the blessing caused Benjamin to experience favor.
— One Word from God can turn any seemingly hopeless situation around. Joseph’s family was struggling, like everyone else, in the middle of the famine. They came to Egypt to purchase food, like everyone else. But as the story unfolds, you will see that they receive food, land, and special treatment, all because of Joseph. While others were struggling to survive the famine, they would thrive and prosper. That’s how it is with God. Things can turn in your favor quickly, and favor can do more in a minute than labor can do in a lifetime!
— Think of your life as a chessboard. You are making moves, and God is also influencing the game. With one move, God can cause things to SHIFT in your life to the point where you are overwhelmed by His goodness. In one moment, Jacobs’ boys were starving at home in the middle of a famine, not knowing what they were going to do, with one of the brothers being held hostage. In the next moment, all the brothers are reunited and they are enjoying a feast in the middle of a famine. Hold on! Greater is coming for you! It can happen at any time!
How This Applies to You:
— Recognize that God can change your situation suddenly, transforming your challenges into blessings.
— Trust that the difficulties you face are temporary and God’s favor is permanent.
— Believe that God’s Word has the power to turn hopeless situations around in an instant.
— Understand that God is actively working behind the scenes to bring about your breakthrough.
— Have faith that no matter how dire things seem, God’s goodness will ultimately prevail in your life.
— You must enter every day with living hope and an expectation of good!
2. Favor is not fair.
— Grace and favor fly in the face of merit. When God favors you, it has nothing to do with your performance or fairness with others. It has everything to do with God’s goodness.
— God’s promotions are not always about fairness or equity. David, for example, was placed over the Army of Israel without ever having served in uniform one day. Later, he became the King of Judah and, ultimately, the King of Israel. Not because he was born into royalty (because he was not). This happened simply because of the favor of God. Why? Because it was part of God’s plan for David’s life. What happened for David will happen for you time and time again as you pursue your purpose. When it does, don’t question God’s goodness, and don’t focus on fairness. God’s favor is not fair.
— The way I characterize favor is when God raises up people to use their power, their ability, their influence, and their money to help you in ways you cannot help yourself. That’s what happened to Benjamin in today’s text. It has happened to me many times, and as you walk with God, it will happen to you!
— It was unfair for Benjamin to receive five times as much as his brothers. But it happened because Benjamin had favor with Joseph. Listen, don’t fight against God when He is giving you what you clearly do not deserve. You may feel unworthy. You may feel like it is not fair. You may feel a lot of things. But don’t let your feelings get in the way of God’s goodness.
How This Applies to You:
— Accept that God’s favor in your life is based on His goodness, not your performance.
— Embrace the fact that God’s blessings may seem unfair but are part of His divine plan for you.
— Recognize that God can and will raise up people to assist you in fulfilling His purpose.
— Rejoice in the favor God grants you, even when it surpasses your expectations or understanding.
— Favor is not about fairness. The concept of fairness is based on merit; it is performance-based. While the grace of God is not performance-based. So, if you are performance-minded, it will be difficult for you to walk in God’s grace and favor.
— Living #TheGraceLife is not about earning everything. Grace is not about gains! God’s favor is a gift, not a reward. So, 1) stop trying to earn it and 2) stop fighting against it when God favors you, just because you don’t feel like you earned it.
3. God does not have a scarcity mindset.
I know you know people who would read today’s passage and say, “Wait a minute! They were in the middle of a famine. They should not be wasting food. They should have rationed the food. Do you know how many people they could have fed with that food?”
— Just like God is not fair when He releases His favor, the Blessing of the Lord often seems irrational. God is abundant. He is extravagant. He is a God of overflow. He is not afraid of running out of anything. So, while it is okay to be prudent and pragmatic, you must also realize that when God’s favor is flowing, He can give you a FEAST in the middle of a FAMINE!
— Never live your life with the fear of running out. Live your life with faith in running over!
How This Applies to You:
— Understand that God’s blessings are abundant and not limited by earthly constraints.
— Trust that God can provide for you extravagantly, even in the midst of scarcity.
— Recognize that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His provision often exceeds our expectations.
— Have faith that God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory, not your limited resources.
— Live with a mindset of abundance, knowing that God’s provision is more than enough.
— Keep your heart OPEN to ALL God wants to do in, with, and through your life, so you don’t limit Him with small thinking.
— Limiting beliefs can hinder God’s best from manifesting in your life! So, EXPAND your capacity to believe God!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I believe Your blessing is on my life!
Your favor and grace are based on Your goodness, not my performance, and I embrace them wholeheartedly.
I know You can turn any seemingly hopeless situation around in a moment. Therefore, I am never hopeless because I am never helpless!
I walk in Your favor and grace, even when it surpasses my expectations or understanding, knowing it is part of Your divine plan.
I live with a mindset of abundance, trusting You as my source, and You never run out!
I release every limiting thought, and I OPEN my heart to Your best!
I let go of concerns about fairness and focus on Your grace, favor, kindness, and goodness!
I live each day with the confidence that You will supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory, and I walk in faith and overflow.
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
