God's Plan for your Life
Jeremiah 29:11.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
We have a Bent in us a Spiritual DNA that God has placed within us.
I was reminded of this when I saw this statement on social media.
Don't downgrade your dream to match your reality upgrade your faith to match your destiny.
As I was looking to the Lord for ministry for today, I was reminded that earlier in the month Lynn had spoken of a seminar that we went to with Bruce Wilkinson where he mentioned his book the dream giver. I went to bed that night prayerfully considering what topic to speak on and asking that the Lord would lay something on my heart, During the night the Lord reminded me of Josephs dream where his family bowed down to him and how his life took a downward turn and his dream seemed to be a very unlikely reality. He first was placed in a pit and then was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up in Egypt working for Potiphar.
he was subsequently falsely accused of trying to seduce Potiphar's Wife and landed in prison. In Potiphar’s household, he had ended up in charge of everything and in prison he was promoted to supervisor, wherever he was he worked diligently and gave of his best, even though his dream seemed unlikely. God was preparing him for his destiny.
Genesis 37:5-7.
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.
GENESIS 37:13&24 Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe the robe of many colors he was wearing, and they took him and threw him into the pit.
Genesis 37:26.
Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
Genesis 39:2-5
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
Do everything as unto the Lord
Don’t think that anything is beneath you , Jesus came to earth as a servant. If you’re a janitor be a the best one you can be.
Joseph a prisoner
Do everything as unto the Lord
Colossians 3:23-24
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
Hebrews11:32-40.
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who
were tortured, refusing to be released so that they
might gain an even better resurrection.
Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains
and imprisonment.
Hebrews11:32-40.
They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith.
Ephesians 2:10.
For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
IF WE ARE NOT SICK*
*NOT IN THE bible TEXT
John 17:4.
I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.
John 11:3,4. (AMP)
So. the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick. When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death; but [on the contrary it is] for the glory and honor of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.
Are you living your Dream? Or just living your life?
Everyone has a driving passion God has placed in them to do something special a Big Dream. Compellingly addressing the need to leave the familiar and break out of our comfort zones in order to fulfill our Dreams, Bruce Wilkinson shares from the journey of living his Big Dream. As the “Dream Coach,” he also gives encouragement and helpful tools to those seeking to achieve great things for the glory of God. God is waiting for you to value your Big Dream enough to live it. You were made for this. Now it’s time to begin your journey.
Genesis 50:15-20.
His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. We are your slaves, they said. But Joseph said to them, Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
God's Plan for your Life
There is a temptation to give up on your dream when you are going through difficulties, and I reflected recently on how almost 20 years ago, and not too long after the Bruce Wilkinson Conference mentioned I had been elected as the Chairman of the AGF and I was headed for an international AOG Conference in Uganda, and I read the book “The Dream Giver” during the flight and was blessed by it.
I was 44 and I had only been in ministry for 16 years and I was now leading the AGF in South Africa, my dream was on track, God was using me to not only lead a local church ,but to cast vision for a denomination, little did I know that in a few weeks' time I would return to South Africa to find out that my marriage was on the rocks and that my life would be turned upside down. We must be mindful that even though the Lord is our dream giver, we have an enemy who is a dream killer. Joseph didn’t allow the Devil to kill his dream, instead he just made the best of each situation he found himself in and God’s will prevailed.
Suffering is sacred (Joni)
Joni Eareckson Tada was a
talented teenager who enjoyed
hiking, horseback riding, and
swimming. Then, at the age of 17,
she dove into Chesapeake Bay
after misjudging the depth of the
water and broke her cervical vertebrae, becoming a quadriplegic
from the shoulders down. After years of rehabilitation, religious
doubt, and struggle, she told the story of her life in a 1976 autobiography that became an international best-seller. That book
also launched her career as a speaker and activist for the disabled
and the voiceless, including the unborn. I had this conversation with Tada at the most recent conference for the National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville.
Suffering is sacred (Joni)
Joni, you’re probably going to be embarrassed for me to say it this way, but you have become a national treasure. Maybe I’m not seeing the forest for the trees, but I’m so focused on God’s calling on my life, which is to share His love with special needs families and to promote a biblical worldview on disability globally. I forget about all the other things that might be happening and the perceptions people might have. I’m honored, though, that my life might serve as a role model of encouragement to other brothers and sisters in Jesus. All too often, we in the church, we want to erase suffering out of the Christian’s dictionary. After 47 years of living as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, perhaps people look at my smile and they can see that it is hard-won. Maybe that gives me credence when I speak from this wheelchair about the sufficiency of God and His word and His grace. If that makes me a national treasure, I’m absolutely honored.