What works God has called you to do are impossible to do in your own strength. God is preparing you for ministry. He is still fulfilling His promise to you. He has to make you strong and mature to withstand the pressures of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just like in the life of Joseph, after he dreamed of his family bowing down to him, what happened immediately after? God began training Joseph’s character to fulfill this great call. He was thrown down in the pit by his brothers, sold to Egypt, and eventually thrown in prison because of the false accusation of Pharaoh\u2019s wife. Instead of giving up, he continued to minister while in prison. He interpreted the baker\u2019s and butler\u2019s dreams which proved accurate. When a new Pharaoh came into power who didn\u2019t know Joseph and had a dream that needed interpreting, the baker finally remembered him and told the Pharaoh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what was God accomplishing in Joseph? Humble obedience, leadership in managing the prison, faith to continue believing God\u2019s promise, keeping the right motive and forgiveness in his heart to eventually help his own family in famine who had betrayed him. Then after all this, he became second in charge of all of Egypt! He had been very misunderstood\u2026God brought compassion and love for his family despite their treatment of him. He passed all his tests to not have pride or revenge when his family actually did bow to him, not recognizing him initially when they appeared in Egypt asking for help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you felt misunderstood by family or friends? Have you been tested in these areas? Can you continue to believe in God’s promises for you and believe you are being trained to fulfill them in God’s strength? May I pray for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lord, I believe there is a Joseph in every family. They may feel misunderstood, thrown in some type of confinement, and undergoing testing in their character. Help us to be strong in You and in Your mighty power. Help us remember our suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because You have poured out Your love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:3-5) Amen<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What works God has called you to do are impossible to do in your own strength. God is preparing you for ministry. He is still fulfilling His promise to you. He has to make you strong and mature to withstand the pressures of the world. Just like in the life of Joseph, after he dreamed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/images.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1655,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1655","url_meta":{"origin":2809,"position":0},"title":"Upside Down Kingdom-Eternal Perspective","author":"hollysmith","date":"September 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"God is entitled to our praise and honor; man requires humility. Colossians 2:8 says in essence, make sure that you aren\u2019t taken away by tradition, something that has been passed down as a truth or deceived by the culture of the world rather than what Christ says in His word.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"2014_09_27_11_22_05","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/2014_09_27_11_22_05-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":248,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=248","url_meta":{"origin":2809,"position":1},"title":"Iron Sharpens Iron","author":"hollysmith","date":"May 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Colleen and I were discussing the lessons of Joseph in Genesis one day on the way to a meeting. She thought God whispered, \u201cWhat about Reuben?\u201d \u201cWhat about Reuben? Was he of lesser importance?\u201d Colleen pondered aloud. \u201cHe had a conscience and kept Joseph from being killed as well as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Living Your Own Identity"","block_context":{"text":"Living Your Own Identity","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Rueben1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1737,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1737","url_meta":{"origin":2809,"position":2},"title":"Let Go","author":"hollysmith","date":"April 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Did you know you are enriched in every way because of the testimony confirmed in you? (Eph. 3:1) It\u2019s true! God is behind the scenes walking us through trials and turning them for our good. He is orchestrating circumstances in our paths to bring maturity. 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My husband used to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_8154","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_8154-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1060,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1060","url_meta":{"origin":2809,"position":4},"title":"Are you a Broken Pot?","author":"hollysmith","date":"April 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you a broken pot? Here are a few helpful facts to be aware of. The devil wants to make you think you are a failure and shamefully inadequate. God recognizes brokenness as an essential ingredient on your resume' to qualify you for ministry. 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