Feb 28, 2015

The Big Story - Part 4

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Big Story - Act 3 - Scene 2 - the LORD reveals himself

with Roger Kirby

The next major action in the Biblical story is the return from Egypt of all the descendants of Jacob/Israel 400 years after Joseph took them there. What are most interesting are not the details of their history but the way in which God, the LORD, reveals himself to them. He does this in 3 ways:

  1. he tells them his name;
  2. he carries out many overt acts demonstrating the power of his activity on their behalf;
  3. he stations himself in the middle of his people to travel with them. That is knowledge, action and presence.



1. Knowledge. When Moses, seeking authority for what he had just been commanded to do, asks what God’s name is he gets 3 answers. In Exodus 3: 13 – 15 we read: “Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name? ’ Then what shall I tell them?’.

God said to Moses,

  1. “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
  2. ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites,
  3. ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers —the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob —has sent me to you’”.

The third one identifies him as the same God of their ancestors hundreds of years earlier. The first one, perhaps given undue prominence in English Bibles by being printed in capitals is difficult to understand. The important one is the second one; I AM, as this is the one that Jesus used to declare his own status, as we shall see later. Disclosing his name like this was a major step forward in the relationship between the Lord and his people.
2. Actions. The sequence of miraculous events carried out in Egypt through Moses as the human agent, established the uniqueness, the power and the authority of the Lord beyond question. (One example is in Exodus 7: 8 – 13) “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle, ’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said”. These demonstrations of miraculous powers were then followed by the two miraculous events that constituted redemption out of Egypt: the passing over of the first born sons of Israel while those of Egypt died on one terrible night and the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the pursuing Egyptians.

3. Presence. Perhaps easily overlooked is the statement of Exodus 13: 18 – 22. “So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle. After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people”.

This developed into the formal structure of the ‘tent of meeting’. Exodus 40: 34 – 38: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels”.

The Israelites were instructed to camp by their tribes in a square round the tent (Numbers 2: 1 – 2) “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family”. This symbolically indicated the centrality of the Lord amongst his people, Israel.

Thus were established 2 apparently contradictory facts about the Lord: unlike all the gods (=idols) of the surrounding nations. He was invisible and he was the God with whom they could have the closest of relationships – no distant, silent, unknowable God was the Lord.

So we read in Deuteronomy 7:7–11 “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today”.

And above all there is the Shema, Deuteronomy 6: 4, 5, “Hear, O Israel:The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”, words which the faithful Israelites were later taught to say as their declaration of faith every day.

Note that I am not listing the giving of the Law on Sinai as a major part of the Big Story. The people of Israel did not become the Lord’s people by keeping the Law; they kept the Law because they were the Lord’s people.

So what?


The sequence is exactly the same for us though it must be updated in the light of the story of Jesus. First we need some knowledge of God. There is plenty to be heard and read about him on this website though it is better by far to read it for yourself directly from the Bible, if you have one. Second, we need to experience the action of the Lord on our lives. This is when the Holy Spirit comes to us and turns us round to walk in the Lord’s way. The immediate results in our own lives may not be very obvious, but then what was going on in Egypt probably wasn’t very obvious to the ordinary, average Israelite, who had been making bricks without straw, until they actually crossed the Red Sea and saw the Egyptians drowned. Third, we need to recognize that from the moment of our redemption the Lord, Christ, the Spirit, is at the very centre of our lives. From then on ‘your life is hidden with Christ in God’, or as one paraphrase puts it ‘Christ is the secret centre of your life’!

The presence of the Lord in the middle of his people was of fundamental importance for them. Be sure that the presence of the Lord in the middle of your life is of fundamental importance for you!

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Feb 27, 2015

Friday Prayers 27 February 2015

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Partakers Friday Prayers!

27th February 2015

We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray together!


Prayer of Abandonment - Thomas Merton


My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please You
does in fact please You.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this
You will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust You always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear,
for You are ever with me,
and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Amen

From Thoughts In Solitude by Thomas Merton


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Feb 26, 2015

Thursday Testimony - Why I am a Christian

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Why I am a Christian!


The Apostle John, writing in 1 John 5:9-12 - "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Why Is It So?


A testimony is an assertion offering firsthand authentication of a fact. For the Christian Disciple, classically it is generally expressed as how they became a Christian Disciple.

But I think it is more than just how, and should expressly include why you are a Christian Disciple. I wonder what is your testimony about how you became a Christian Disciple? When was the last time you thanked our God for your testimony? Have you even thought about your testimony of how you became a Christian Disciple?

I am sure you have all heard kids in the supermarket yelling out "Why?" to their parents. We all have, I am sure, questions we want to know the answer to. Why? The question I am often asked is "You are a Christian. Why is it so?"

My father, was and remained throughout his life a convinced agnostic and in the few conversations we had about religion and Christianity, he could never understand why it was, that I could not just admit that I would never know if God existed or not, far less a God who was personally interested in me. My reply as ever, was that the very question "Why is it so?" needed to be answered, in order for me to be satisfied.

Why I am a Christian?

Now I could say that at the age of 12, we moved to a town on the coast of Australia, and was invited along to a local youth group and several weeks later, gave my life to Christ and became a Christian. Of course that is partly true. I can't even claim to be a Christian because I was raised in a Christian country. Australia was and is probably the second most secular country on this planet. Sure Australia has its moral base grounded in historic Christianity, but for the latter part of its history, Australia has been thoroughly secular and non-religious. Even if I had been raised in a country such as England, with Christian parents, that would also, only be partly true and I could have rejected Christianity as many people do. The reason that I am a Christian is not because I chased God, but rather He chased me. Unknown to me at the time, God was chasing me and following my every path with the urgency of a lover after the beloved, just as described in the Song of Songs 2:2-14.

God had been pursuing me

This piece of poetic Scripture speaks about the love that God has for his people, and the energy He puts in to calling his people to Himself. He is always reaching out, for all to return to His arms. As for me, it wasn't until I was a 12 year old that I heard that I needed to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Before that I didn't know I had to do anything with this Jesus. Jesus was only a curse word for me at the time. That or was just someone or something that the RE teachers bored me with at school.



We are primarily Christians, not because we come to church services or just happened to have been born in a supposedly Christian country. We are primarily Christians, because God first chased and harried us into His arms. We are Christians, if you are one, because God first loved you. And as a tremendous lover, He beckons and calls people all the time to respond to His call, and back to Him. How does He chase us with His love?

God chases each person differently, just as each Christian testimony is different.

Take for instance the Apostle Paul in Acts 8 & 9. God chased him through Paul's mind and his religious upbringing and education. Paul had known about God from his childhood. Paul was a righteous Pharisee who saw persecuting these ‘Christians' as his religious duty, so that he may somehow find favour with God. As Paul was gloating over the death of the martyr Stephen, God was pursuing Him, probably raising doubts in Paul's mind as to why Stephen would say at the point of death "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and forgive them for what they do" (Acts 7:54-60). Surely doubts must have been raised in Paul's mind as he approved of this death (Acts 8v1).

Paul was also wrestling with his conscience. Externally he was a righteous man, a Pharisee of Pharisees. Yet when he internally examined himself and his heart, he found himself failing regarding covetousness, which is the last of the Ten Commandments. Then finally, Jesus himself makes a sudden and dramatic appearance before Paul and confronts him directly, "Why are you kicking against me? Why are you rejecting my advances?" (Acts 9) Paul's conversion to Christianity is often described as being sudden. But the only thing sudden about his conversion was this climatic appearance of Jesus.



Just as that was true of Paul, it is true of me, just as it is true of all those who profess to call themselves a Christian Disciple. I am a Christian Disciple not because of anything I have done, but rather because He first chased me, and because He first loved me. Jesus himself said "I came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).



If you are a Christian today, it is not because of anything you have done. It is because of the events at Christmas and Easter that you are a Christian, when God entered this world as a human baby and took all the necessary steps so that all people could have the choice to be His people or not. In my more smug moments I used to congratulate myself for being a Christian. How proud I was that I, was a Christian and that God was a jolly lucky God that I had decided to follow Him. It was during one of my less self-deluded moments, that I examined myself and I found God pricking my conscience and correcting me, and I read the New Testament "For the Son of Man came, not to be served but to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark10:45).



For more to think about please do ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.



Q1. What were the events leading up to my choosing to be a Christian disciple which symbolize God running after me?


Q2. How am I, as a Christian Disciple, continuing to listen to God's voice?


Q3. Will I be ready to give my testimony the next time somebody asks me as to why I am a Christian?

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Feb 25, 2015

Way of Wisdom - 25 February 2015

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Way of Wisdom

with Regina Sanders

Perspective and Praise


Welcome to The Way of Wisdom. I am Regina Sanders your host and I am so honored that you have decided to be with me today. Today's Scripture comes from Revelation 5:11, "I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands."


As The New York Times recently concluded, we live in "the age of big data." This reflects the growing capacity and speed of computers and the growing importance of the internet. Data now is exploding, more than doubling every two years. In his recent book on big data, Christopher Surdak explains that the world's yearly data traffic will reach 1.3 zettabytes by the year 2016. ("If a zettabyte of data was burned onto data CDs, the resulting stack of CDs would be 4.1 million kilometers high.")


Today, computers "talk" to each other, exchanging information. This (theoretically) can make life easier and better, but also raises serious concerns about privacy. More about our lives can be known, and possibly misused. When overwhelmed with these statistics, believers should remember that we serve a God who is much bigger than any computer or data. We see His bigness in Revelation where we see a picture of the vastness of Heaven and a great celebration. How many were there? "Myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands." As far as John's eye could see, there were living creatures and angels.


This provides important perspectives for our lives. First, when we praise God, we are adding our voice to this myriad of myriads. We also need to realize that all of these people went through the struggles of life. They clearly realize that God is greater than any person, organization, or computer. He alone is worthy of praise. This vastness reminds us that God already knows everything about our lives. Even better, He loves us, and we can trust Him.


Today, praise and worship God the Father, and give Him thanks. Praise and worship Jesus, for He is worthy. Join the vast throngs of Heaven. Right now!


Please pray with me this Prayer: Father, I praise and worship You. Thank You that You know everything about my life. Help me to be pleasing in Your sight. I trust You! In Jesus name.
Amen.


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Feb 24, 2015

POD - Psalm 107

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Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this-

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3 those he gathered from the lands,

from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,

finding no way to a city where they could settle.

5 They were hungry and thirsty,

and their lives ebbed away.

6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way

to a city where they could settle.

8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men,

9 for he satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,

prisoners suffering in iron chains,

11 for they had rebelled against the words of God

and despised the counsel of the Most High.

12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;

they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom

and broke away their chains.

15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men,

16 for he breaks down gates of bronze

and cuts through bars of iron.

17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways

and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

18 They loathed all food

and drew near the gates of death.

19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

20 He sent forth his word and healed them;

he rescued them from the grave.

21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men.

22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings

and tell of his works with songs of joy.

23 Others went out on the sea in ships;

they were merchants on the mighty waters.

24 They saw the works of the LORD,

his wonderful deeds in the deep.

25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest

that lifted high the waves.

26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;

in their peril their courage melted away.

27 They reeled and staggered like drunken men;

they were at their wits' end.

28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed.

30 They were glad when it grew calm,

and he guided them to their desired haven.

31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men.

32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert,

flowing springs into thirsty ground,

34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,

because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

35 He turned the desert into pools of water

and the parched ground into flowing springs;

36 there he brought the hungry to live,

and they founded a city where they could settle.

37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards

that yielded a fruitful harvest;

38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,

and he did not let their herds diminish.

39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled

by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

40 he who pours contempt on nobles

made them wander in a trackless waste.

41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction

and increased their families like flocks.

42 The upright see and rejoice,

but all the wicked shut their mouths.

43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things

and consider the great love of the LORD.


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Feb 23, 2015

Think Spot 23 February 2015

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Think Spot - 23rd February 2015

Someone watches over me

In 600 BC a tyrant ruled that land we know as Iraq. His name was Nebuchadnezzar. He built a huge golden idol of himself and commanded all the people to bow down to it. Three young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused and were thrown into a fiery furnace. You can read about that in Daniel 3 of the bible!

What we do know from this story is that the three young men survived. The tyrant Nebuchadnezzar didn’t survive as he was sent mad and lived like a donkey and his successor was killed; the writing was on the wall!

We all face trying times but the Good News is that there is always someone who watches out for us no matter what the situation. God is sovereign. That is: He is in control although we may not always see or understand that at the time. For those who put their trust in Him He promises to be with them and protect them. The apostle John puts it this way: “you, dear children have & will overcome because the one who is with you is greater than the one who is in the world” 1 John4:4.

If times are hard for you, or for somebody you love, remember God does care and loves us so much that He died for each of us. That’s what Easter is all about. Go into this week knowing that God loves you. God cares for you. God wants you to be His child.

The REALLY GOOD NEWS is tyrants and their idols come tumbling down but God’s LOVE endures for ever. Have a WOW week!

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Feb 22, 2015

The Practice Of The Presence Of God - Brother Lawrence - 01

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The Practice Of The Presence Of God:

The Best Rule Of A Holy Life

(being Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence)


G’day! Welcome to Partakers! Today we start a Sunday series, where we are reading from a book by Brother Lawrence “The Practice of the Presence of God”… This book is available for you to freely download at various websites!

Brother Lawrence was alive in the 1600s and this book of his details about how a person can benefit from the steady and soothing connection with God and to God. We have much to learn in the 21st century from this 17th century brother in Christ and that is what we hope each of us will gain from these conversations and letters recorded for us.

Brother Lawrence gives open advice and we will see his passion for spiritual concerns as he went about his work in the monastery - in the kitchens and as a cobbler. In these recordings, we see how he rejoices in the mundane duties, his persistent prayer life and was well known for his kindness, sympathy and willingness to help all others. So with that said, let us start with this fascinating book!

Conversations - First Conversation

  • Conversion and precious employment.
  • Satisfaction in God's presence.
  • Faith our duty.
  • Resignation the fruit of watchfulness.

THE first time I saw Brother Lawrence was upon the 3rd of August, 1666. He told me that GOD had done him a singular favor, in his conversion at the age of eighteen. (The audio continues the conversation...)

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Feb 20, 2015

Friday Prayers 20 February 2015

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Partakers Friday Prayers!

20th February 2015

We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray together!


A prayer of St Patrick

Almighty God,
Today we desire to worship You and want to live for you alone.
May Your strength steer us,
Your power uphold us,
Your wisdom guide us,
Your eyes control our vision,
Your ear govern our hearing,
Your word counsel our speech & thought,
Your hand protect us,
Your pathway be before us,
Your shield be our shelter.


May Your angels guard us from ambush of devils,
from vice's allurements and traps of the flesh,
from all who wish ill,
whether distant or close,
alone or in hosts.


Today we put on a terrible strength,
invoking the Trinity,
confessing the Three,
with faith in the One who is our Maker:
Father, Son and Spirit.
Amen

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Feb 19, 2015

Thursday Testimony

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Listen to the testimony of Christine King! Amazing testimony as are all testimonies of God's saving power through Jesus Christ...

Romans 10:1-4 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

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Feb 18, 2015

Way of Wisdom - 18 February 2015

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Way of Wisdom

with Regina Sanders


Four Keys To Recognizing The Problems You Were Created To Solve

Welcome to The Way of Wisdom with Regina Sanders. I am Regina Sanders your host and I am so honored that you have decided to be with me today. I want to jump right in. Today we are going to discuss four keys to recognizing the problem that you were created to solve. Did you realize that you were created to solve a problem for someone? Well, you were! Everything is created to solve a problem. Computers solve a problem for being able to retrieve information. If you are blessed to have one in your home and have internet access then you have the whole world right there at your finger tips. It solves a problem for you. An ink pen solves a problem...you are able to communicate the old fashioned way; write a letter, write down notes, make a list. So I want to discuss with you four keys to recognizing the problem that you are created to solve.

The problem that infuriates you the most is often the problem that God has assigned you to solve. Anger is a passion. Anger is energy requiring an appropriate focus. Anger is always a necessary ingredient for uncommon change. What angers you is a clue to an existing problem God intends for you to solve. It is a signal from God to correct something that grieves Him. People often say, "Oh, we're not supposed to be angry." God created us with that emotion. He just did, and it is how we use it. You don't allow anger to sit there and fester and become a root of bitterness but you use it to promote life in the kingdom of God. Jesus was angry. He said, "Be angry but sin not. He came into the temple, the synagogue, and they had it set up like a marketplace He overturned the moneychangers and He told them to honor His father's house. It is about honor.

What you love the most is a clue to the problem you are gifted to solve. Do you love computers? That is where your wisdom will be. Do you love children? You probably possess an innate, intuitive ability to communicate and aid children. What do you love? What you love is going to be a clue to the problem that you are to solve. I love people and I have experienced such massive grief in my life having lost two children. There is nothing like burying your child. It is a hard thing...part of my passion is for parents who have lost children; but you see grief doesn't just surround us when we lose a loved one; we are encompassed with grief when our pets pass away or get lost, we are encompassed with grief when we lose a job, when our favorite car dies and it seems like there is no money we are encompassed with grief.

So grief is one area that God has called me to. That is a problem I can solve, because we can get stuck in grief. God has called me to help people walk through the journey of grief because King David said in the 23rd Psalm, "I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." He didn't say he stopped, he didn't visit. He didn't linger and he certainly didn't set up residency, but he walked through it; and when he reached the other side his cup overflowed with joy! And that is my calling, to help people move through this process of grief.

What grieves your heart continually is a clue to a problem God wants you to solve. When you see television programs that make you weep for starving children that is a clue that God is linking you to something. I recently listened to Lisa Bevere give an interview and she has a wonderful book and study guide out "Lioness Awakening", and it is through this vision that God gave her that part of her ministry was birthed. She recalls sitting and reading a magazine about the trafficking of young women, selling them into slavery, and imprisoning them, and God placed it on her heart and opened the door, gave her a window of opportunity to be a part of rescuing these young women. He will put you there. What makes you weep? That's a sign, that's a clue to a problem you are to solve.

Your dominate gift is often a clue to the problem you are created to solve. Are you gifted with numbers? Do you work with children, administration and organization, music? Your gift is the bridge to the problem you are created to solve. You were created to solve a specific problem on the earth. You can't solve everybody's problem. You are not called to everybody, everywhere; but you are called to a specific geography; to a specific people, to solve their problems. In your job, you are there because your boss needs you.

There is a problem that he needs you to solve. Do your best, give your all, solve that problem with everything you've got; with minimal supervision. Allow him to see it. If he says, "Boy, I sure would like to have a glass of orange juice but we don't have any in the building..." be the first one to say, 'I'll be right back. I am going to get that orange juice for you. Do you want pulp in it or you want non-pulp?" Solve his problem and he will recognize you. Solve the problems that God has created you to solve and He will recognize and honor you. He qualifies you for the position that He has put you in.

Look at Joseph. Joseph had a dream as a child and he told it to his father and he was so happy. Then he told it to his brothers, and again, Joseph was so happy; but his father and brothers weren't happy! In fact, his brothers plotted to kill him! But one of them had mercy and a little fear of the Lord, and said, "We do not want his blood on our hands! We can't kill him! We will sell him! Let's sell him into slavery. Throw him in this pit until these Ishmaelites come by and we will sell him." And that is what they did. They sold him.

The Ishmaelites then sold him to the Egyptians. He landed in Potiphar's house, where he was over everything. God's favor was upon him. He was waiting for his dream, but he was in preparation. Preparation don't always feel good, but that is where he was. He supervised Potiphar's whole household, and had access to everything except Potiphar's wife. And when he refused her because he would not dishonor God and he would not dishonor Potiphar, then he was thrown in prison. Thrown in prison for choosing the right thing, making the right decision; but God's favor was upon him in that prison; and he was the supervisor over the prison. He solved a problem for the baker and the chief cup bearer. He interpreted their dreams and he asked them to remember him when they got out.

But you know, they forgot him for a long time, but then Pharaoh had a problem. He had a dream and nobody could tell him what it meant...he had a problem...and that is when they remembered, "Hey, you know what? When you threw me in jail...remember that way back when you threw me in jail? Well, I had this dream and I didn't know what it meant but there was one there and he told me what it meant. You should go get him. He is still there!" And what did Joseph do? Joseph prepared to go before the royalty. He bathed, changed his garments, and he shaved off his facial hair because Egyptians didn't like that. He prepared to go before the royalty.

He, with God's help, was able to tell Pharaoh what these dreams meant. He became second in command under Pharaoh. His father and his brothers bowed before him as he gave them grain in the famine. He prepared a place for them. His dream was finally fulfilled. It took 19 years. You know, when you pray for something and it don't happen immediately...don't get discouraged. Don't think, "Well, God said no..."maybe He's not saying no, but, "Wait! Let Me qualify you, and prepare you to walk in what I have called you." That is what He did with Joseph for 19 years! Keep your dream ever before you. That is what Joseph did, and he prepared each step of the way. And each step of the way in his preparation he was solving problems for somebody; whether it was Potiphar, somebody in the prison, or Pharaoh, or his own family; he was that problem solver. And you have that same design in you!

That's right, you, you are the next Joseph! Who are you called to? What problem are you called to solve? If you are not sure, i encourage you to dig deep into God's word. Stay ever present before Holy Spirit and ask! "Lord what problem is it that you want me to solve?" And be a willing vessel and tell him, "I am here. If there is anything I can do, use me." He will!

I thank you for being with me today. I want to close with prayer and I want to encourage you to come back and be with me next week in The Way of Wisdom with Regina Sanders. Father, God, I thank you for the message that you've brought forth today. I pray that it speaks life into everyone that listens to it. Father I thank you for Brother Dave who made this syndication possible, and I ask you to keep your hand upon him,anoint him, place your heavenly anointing upon him. Bless him. Let your favor rest upon him in everything that he does for the furtherance of your kingdom, God for his heart is to let the world know that you love them...that is his heart and I thank you for him. I thank you for each one that took the time to listen to this syndication this morning, and I pray that it spoke abundant life into them and that it was a guiding tool in helping them see what problems you have called for them to solve. I just thank you, Father, I just thank you for your love, for your hand which anoints us, provides for us, protects us and covers us. I thank you, Father. I thank you that you place us in the cleft of the rock, in the arms of Jesus, for our safety and our protection; and that you pour your mercy and your grace upon us. In Jesus name I pray! Amen.

My friend, if you don't know Jesus, if you don't have a personal relationship with him, then I ask you, will you make that decision today? Romans 10:9 teaches us that if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and we believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, then we are saved. So, will you pray this prayer with me today? Dear Jesus, I believe that you died for me and you rose again on the third day. I confess that I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart,forgive my sins, I receive your eternal life. Confirm your love by giving me peace, joy, and a supernatural love for others. Amen. Friend, if you prayed this prayer, you made this decision today, write into us, let us know so that we can celebrate with you; because you are the prodigal son or daughter returning to the loving arms of your father and he is preparing a great celebration for you...a great feast, and I want to rejoice with you, and brother Dave wants to rejoice with you, so let us know. If you don't have a church we will do everything we can to help you get in contact with a church so you can be connected with other believers...and I just thank God for you! God bless you! Have a good day!

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