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
(Genesis 47:5-7 TPT)
Then Joseph brought his father Jacob before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
Jacob replied, “My earthly journey has been one hundred and thirty years. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of my ancestors.”
Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again and left his presence.
Setting the Stage: (this will cover Genesis 48:1-19).
Joseph lived for years with God’s dream in his heart. He yearned to be reunited with his family. I know he longed to see his father. After 22 long years, the dream came to pass. Not only was Joseph reunited with his father, Jacob, but his father was also able to meet his two boys, Ephraim and Manasseh. Today, we will look at the blessing Jacob conferred on Joseph’s sons.
While Jacob (a.k.a. Israel) and the family were living in Goshen, they prospered. The family became very large. Israel lived in Goshen for 17 years. This made him 147 years old. At this point, he became sick and called for Joseph. Joseph took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him. Israel saw Joseph’s sons and said, “Bring your sons to me. I will bless them.” Israel was old, and his eyesight was not good. So Joseph brought the boys close to his father. Israel kissed and hugged the boys.
Then Israel said to Joseph, “I never thought I would see your face again. But look! God has let me see you and your children.” This is another reminder that when God blesses you, He does so in a way that will exceed your expectations and even your imagination!
Israel was ready to bless the boys, so Joseph took them off Israel’s lap and positioned them under their grandfather. Joseph put Ephraim on Israel’s left side and Manasseh on his right, according to their age. The greater blessing — the blessing of the RIGHT HAND — is supposed to go to the oldest son. But Israel crossed his hands and put his right hand on the head of the younger boy, Ephraim. He then put his left hand on Manasseh, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
Israel proceeded to pronounce The Blessing over the boys. He said, “My ancestors, Abraham and Isaac, worshiped our God, and that God has led me all my life. He was the Angel who saved me from all my troubles. And I pray that he will bless these boys. Now they will have my name and the name of our ancestors, Abraham and Isaac. I pray that they will grow to become great families and nations on earth.”
While this was going on, Joseph realized his father’s right hand was on Ephraim’s head, and he was not happy about it. So Joseph took his father’s hand and attempted to move it from Ephraim’s head onto Manasseh’s head. But his father refused and said, “I know, son. I know. Manasseh is the firstborn. He will be great and will be the father of many people. But his younger brother will be greater than he is. And the younger brother’s family will be much larger.”
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God will make it worth your wait.
Before I get into this point, I will mention that for God’s Word to minister powerfully THROUGH me, it must first minister TO me. This first point (for this morning) is something I needed to hear. This message is blessing me!
All year, I have been teaching you about your God-given purpose, how you must live focused on it, and how you must add patience to your faith in order to fulfill it. While you are waiting on God to do what you believe He promised you, you will get nagging thoughts in your mind (the devil and his imps will make sure of it). One of the thoughts you will have to deal with is whether or not all that you are enduring is worth it. Believe me, there is plenty of Biblical evidence, and I can also attest from personal experience that God will make it well worth the wait.
While Joseph endured 13 years of struggle, once his life shifted, it shifted for the better. He spent 9 years as the Prime Minister of Egypt, living well, before he was reuinted with his family. After that, he spent another 17 years living with them, in Goshen, enjoying God’s blessing, by the time we get to our passage for this morning. So, after his season of testing was over, the rest of his days were the best of his days! You will be able to say the same! Greater is coming for you! God will exceed your expectations (Eph 3:20). Not only did Joseph get to walk in The Blessing, but he was there when his father transferred The Blessing to his children!
How this applies to you:
— Remember that God’s timing is perfect and trust that your waiting period is preparing you for greater blessings. If the wait is long, it is because the blessing is enormous!
— Stay faithful and patient, knowing that the challenges you face are refining and strengthening you.
— Keep your focus on God’s promises, not on the delays or difficulties you encounter. If God said it, it has to come to pass!
— Surround yourself with a supportive community that encourages you during your waiting season.
— Just know that when it finally happens, it will be greater than you asked for, dreamed about, and ever imagined! Because God knows how to bless you real good!
2. Our God will do the unexpected to bless you!
As Ephraim and Manasseh sat under their grandfather, waiting for The Blessing to be conferred upon them, Manasseh knew he was the firstborn and was, therefore, entitled to the greater blessing. I am sure Manasseh was happy about the fact their father, Joseph, had already prepositioned them under the proper hands. The right hand was for the greater blessing, and Joseph cleanly positioned Manasseh under Israel’s right hand. But when the grandfather stretched forth his hands to release the blessing, he crossed his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim. See, sometimes, God will go out of his way to bless you in a way you were not expecting. Completely by grace, unearned, and unmerited.
One of the greatest aspects of walking with God and living by faith is knowing that God will do the unexpected to bless you. When you expect the unexpected from God, you live your life with a level of excitement that cannot be quenched. You wake up every morning knowing that God can do something you never expected Him to. So you live your life with an expectation of the manifestation of God’s best, even when you have no idea what it is! The life of faith is exciting!
How this applies to you:
— Embrace the unexpected and trust that God’s plans are better than yours.
— Maintain an attitude of gratitude and excitement, looking forward to God’s surprises.
— Let go of rigid expectations and be open to God’s unconventional ways of blessing you.
— Cultivate a sense of mystery in your faith walk, believing that each day holds new possibilities.
— When it does happen (because it will), make sure you share your testimony of God’s unexpected blessings to encourage others.
3. God has a track record of bypassing the world’s norms to release His blessing on His children.
The blessing of the firstborn is a well-documented part of history. This is a practice where the father would pronounce his best/greatest blessing over his firstborn son. But God has overruled this practice many times in scripture. Isaac was the second son of Abraham, and Ishmael was the first. However, when it came time to pass down The Blessing, Abraham conferred it to Isaac, not Ishmael. Abraham bypassed the firstborn.
Jacob was the second son of Isaac. We know the story of how he tricked his brother Esau and finagled his way into receiving the blessing of the firstborn son. So, Abraham passed down The Blessing to the secondborn son, and Isaac (although inadvertently) did the same.
Jacob had two wives and two concubines. Of the two wives, he basically had two firstborn sons: Reuben (born first) and Joseph. The blessing of the firstborn should have gone to Reuben, but Reuben disqualified himself by sleeping with one of Jacob’s concubines. This allowed the blessing of the firstborn to pass to Joseph. And, of course, as we covered today, Jacob crossed his hands and went out of his way to release the blessing of the firstborn over Joseph’s second son, Ephraim, bypassing Manasseh as both boys were side-by-side.
I personally believe all of this has to do with the fact that Jesus is considered the “second” or “last” Adam. The Bible says, “The first man, Adam, became a living person. But the last Adam is a life-giving spirit. The spiritual man did not come first. It was the physical man that came first; then came the spiritual. The first man came from the dust of the earth. The second man came from heaven.” (1 Cor 15:45-47). Jesus came second, but He was unquestionably the greatest. My point is that God will bypass the norms of this world to release His best over those he birthed to accomplish His Kingdom’s plans and purposes.
How this applies to you:
— What God has for you is for you, and no one can stop it!
— God will go out of His way to bless you!
— Our God is the only true God, but He is also a loving and caring heavenly Father. He is your Father, and you are His child. As His child, He will greatly exceed your expectations when it comes time to bless you. You will think that you don’t deserve it. And you don’t. But just like you bless your children far beyond what they earned, God blesses you by grace, just because He wants to, just because He is so good!
— Trust that God’s ways are higher than your ways and that He will accomplish His purposes in your life in ways that often exceed your expectations and understanding.
— Be open to God’s unique plan for you, even if it deviates from traditional or societal expectations. God does not have to bless you in a way that aligns with the norms of this world.
— Remember that your value and worth come from God’s perspective, not from worldly standards. So, be at peace with and accept your “lot in life.”
Solomon said, “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NLT).
— Focus on your personal relationship with God, knowing that He will lead and bless you according to His will for you, not anyone else.
— Encourage others to trust in God’s plan for their lives, emphasizing His faithfulness and love.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, Your plans for me were established before the world began, and I trust in Your perfect timing.
I embrace the waiting period, knowing that it is preparing me for greater blessings.
When You do what You planned, I believe that You will exceed my expectations, blessing me beyond what I can imagine.
I live each day with an expectation of the unexpected, knowing that You are a God of surprises.
I trust that You will bypass the world’s norms to release Your best blessings upon me.
I accept Your plans over my own, dying to self and embracing Your will for my life.
I am grateful for the blessings You bestow upon me, unearned and by Your grace alone.
I declare that GREATER IS COMING FOR ME, and I am blessed to be a blessing to others. I declare this by faith.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
