Winners Are Courageously Patient

Dr. Michael you sat with a look at Joseph. Joseph was inside the dungeon allow the dog's life inside of him. Joseph was living in the wilderness of despair, but you never despair live in him difficult as well. Don't all of us. No one is immune. But how you respond to the difficulty is going to determine whether you're a winner or whiner welcome to leading the way with pastor and author of the new book their jihad.

Dr. Michael you sent some have what everyone would consider the abundant life they have health and finances that are relatively stable. Their family relationships are strong. All seems good, but others may be wondering we have the abundant life went illness, job loss, tenuous relationships. Other things that seem to be unraveling before them today are leading the way. Dr. you set takes you to Genesis chapter 40 with Joseph. Lessons from the jail cell dungeon, wondering where God is. Let's listen to I am personally convinced them all.

Hartmann's spirit of the fact that God's school of patience is a requirement of all believers, at least in my case I often see the hand of God and waiting every delay, God uses to construct my character in every waiting.

God chisels away at the excesses in my life detour and increases the level of my trust in the level of my commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and every disappointment I have learned to see God's appointment now today on a much larger and more significant scale we don't find God's winner Joseph is being put on hold Joseph in chapter 4, you find him holding the telephone in his ear and is on hold for 11 years 11 years, but through it all, God was working. This purpose is all those who have accomplish great things for God as you read the Scripture that there have been at one stage or another in the life" on hold. Abraham was put on hold for 25 years.

Moses was put on hold for 40 years. David was put on hold for many years from the time he was anointed by Samuel the time he became the king. Paul had the dream of going to Rome and the revelation of God must go to Rome's dream was put on hold for two years while he was in the prison in Caesarea and here Joseph ended up in the Egyptian dungeon for a son committed and with apparently false accusation being put on hold. It is impossible to really know how Joseph must've felt at the time, sitting there in the dark dungeon.

It is impossible to know exactly how he felt it was impossible to know what his thoughts were except the Scripture gives us a little insight. It's in verse 15 of chapter 40 book of Genesis.

You can sense in that verse into agony as he said to the cupbearer after he interpreted his dream he should mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison for I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews and even here. I have done nothing to deserve being in this. It's the first time we hear the inner agony in the great man God's winner Joseph there's nothing could be worse than this kind of testing. It is one thing to be tested untried when you are guilty and it's a whole different ballgame when you are innocent when you're very purity cause you injustice when you're very integrity causes you to suffer when you're very loyalty and honesty throws you in the darkness, but I want to tell you that how you deal with that injustice in your life how you deal with that unfairness that comes your way makes a difference whether you are a winner or loser.

Whether you are a winner or whiner in the kingdom of God really does. Interviewer from the West Coast had not talk show program for about an hour and one of the other questions in the in the conversation she asked Smith she said what is in your opinion, the number one problem in American Christianity without a second's hesitation as it is the expression of the Holy Spirit. I said to her sentimentality and she was such speech is what you mean by this. I said what I mean is this that we have placed everything in the Christian life on the scales of feeling when you feel I feel he feels you feel we are landing on our feelings. We have allowed our feelings to rule supreme in our lives. We have placed our feelings on the throngs of our heart. We have let our feelings replace our conventions. We have made our feelings to be the measure of all things under our home churches today that are functioning and operating based on feelings rather than the authoritative word of God, our relationships and friendships are built upon feelings not devotion our marriages are built on feelings. Not commitment our work is driven by feelings, not honor and duty and a sense of accomplishment and doing something right in our life, even our faith is now measured by feelings I feel spiritual. Therefore, I am spiritual nevermind about conduct nevermind of the purity of my heart, never mind about the moral demands of the Scripture. When I want to tell you in reality feelings have very little to do with the faith. In fact, if I look at it from my perspective it has probably less than 5% in the scheme of things. After all, our moments of great spiritual feelings in the moments of ecstatic joy. They really don't require much faith duly Joseph, our winter here in God's eye wins because he learned the lesson of walking with God regardless of his feelings wanted tell you something please him arriving in all my heart and I don't mean that in any because I'm as guilty as the rest of you. I am convinced that we Christians in America have been ruined by Hollywood. We really are. We have expected to see a hero in every crisis would have expected to have a quick solution to every problem we have expected a quick way out of every predicament, and we have taken that same rock infected attitude and applied it to the charge applied it to the work of God applied it to our own Christian life. Have you had your medical today, not to the medical today. I may be in the Egyptian dungeon today but I'm still God's winner.

Regardless of where I am, regardless of how I feel. I don't get up. I was there. I don't feel like working today. If you want to starve to death. Do it by your feelings because you don't trust your feelings, so we have taken this unreal un-biblical Hollywood attitude and applied it to the Christian faith and we ring the bell and the build a big great bellhop in the sky we call God jumps to his feet and said yes sir. What can I do for you today. That is why we think our attitude and prayer listen God I'm talking instead of speak God. I am your servant in the world of difference between the two world of difference between the two. Joseph was a winner even when his life was put on hold. Far from living on the level of his feelings. Joseph was living by faith, not a misunderstanding on the McGinnis feelings as a part of our God-given gift. What I'm saying is this live by your feelings.

Don't trust your feelings to be the major thing, but live by faith in the God of Abraham and the God of Jacob that he is the God of yesterday today and forever until I got a change simply because we not able to hear him simply as the taken time to answer your prayer.

Joseph was far from living the life of blaming somebody else or blaming God to be sure, he proclaimed his innocence but never once look at the Scripture never once did he blame anybody in his life. He correctly done so there's a lesson I have this miserable brothers of mine, and they the ones are solely they miserable day then the bad ones that Alonzo caused me to be here to tell you about this all tackle Mrs. Potiphar, she is the one who falsely accused me Scripture. Not once did he blame anybody else. Why Listen Carefully Pl., Joseph was in the cell, but he never allowed the cell to enter into this hard. Joseph was inside the dungeon.

The dark dungeon, but he never allowed the darkness of the dungeon to enter his life inside of him. Joseph was living in the wilderness of despair, but he never let despair live in him difficulties, welcome to all of us. No one is immune but how you and I responded to the difficulty is going to determine whether you're a winner or whiner always. It would've been for Joseph to have let himself into that self-pity mode of seeing the resentment anything in those lives how easy it would've been for him will be justified for Joseph to have dwelt upon the incredible injustice that has happened to him how easy for Joseph to have dwelt upon the fact that his family was a dysfunctional family and make no mistake about it.

No more dysfunctional family Jacob from the would've been justified in complaining of and talking about but this I will tell you exactly what would've happened to Joseph.

Had he fallen in the trap because the Scriptures show us other examples to allow the darkness. The dark clouds of the dungeon together inside of him and he would have slowly but surely wasted in despair instead.

Joseph got himself.

According to the Scripture. Busy caring for other inmates. He was concerned for the others. He was so loving he was serving he was doing things he got for about his problems and took got involved in somebody else's problem and you know what happened to officials. Notice that the nurse and Hank want to make you honorary deputy warden of the prison had on the other.

Joseph lived above, explain how don't know the Joseph live above the circumstances. How do I know the Joseph did not focus on his problem focus on himself focused on others.

It is right here in verse six of Genesis 41 morning he notice the two of the inmates who were officials in Pharaoh's palace were dejected. Just think about what all of his problems.

All is going through, but he notices guys dejected on ask a question, do you ever get yourself wrapped up in your problem so tightly like arrived.

That's wrapped up tight. But even failed to notice how the dearest and the nearest feel in your life that wasn't Joseph. She was so sensitive about the condition of these people around him that he sensed even one time they were feeling dejected and ill feeling sad.

We are not told why the chief cook and chief of protocol that's really what the cupbearer is not a waiter in the White House, the sky was really chief of protocol he was in charge of everything.

When I told why they were thrown into prison, probably false accusations most likely would be chief cook might have given Pharaoh medium rare steak instead of well done. Egyptians don't like medium rare. They got from a place next on the involvement of steak and fair just in likeness.

It's rather Roscoe in the present. Be that as it may doesn't really matter. Joseph got involved in other people's lives. That's what the Scripture is trying to communicate to us.

He helped to cheer the inmates verse seven letter part of verse 70 consumer says why are you face is so sad today on your face is so sad today man. The man is God alligators up to his ears and a lot of problems as well as all feelings of injustice. He got own feelings of being there wrongly, but that didn't stop why are you face is so sad today. Joseph never met his own troubles make him lose his compassion toward others while the city. Joseph well, we both had dreams last night dreams.

Joseph knows all about dreams just come to the right man here is all about dreams and tell you how I would've responded to these guys. Okay, not you. Just me is how I responded, dreams, dreams, dreams, dreams, and I would sing it I just say dog up on your dreams. All I had a dream once exactly 11 years ago, but look what my dreams have gotten me."

I wear my dreams now listen, the sooner you get over your dreams and get them out of your head, the better off you going to be beside God. Joseph was not like me giving full credit to God, he proceeds to interpret the dream's notice. Joseph here is wedged between two men. One was destined to salvation, and the other was destined to death just like the Lord Jesus Christ when he hung on the cross he was wedged between two criminals, one called upon him, and was saved and went to paradise any other grumbled and complained and denied him and ended up in eternal judgment everywhere you go. Everywhere I go, you are wedged between two people, those who will listen to the message of Christ, we are witnessing on those who refuse or within three days. Both were released in the Baker behind just a Joseph told in the cupbearer was restored to his position back in Pharaoh's palace first 14 days you can freely feel Joseph's passes as he is telling the cup bearer to remember him when he gets out of prison.

He said I have interpreted this dream for you and I want to ask you one favor please please please don't forget me and after the cupbearer was restored to his position in Pharaoh's palace. Day after day he was with him, yet he did not tell Pharaoh about Joseph. Why the Bible said is verse 23, the cupbearer has forgotten Joseph is forgotten. Is there anything worse than disappointment and others. Make no mistake about it, live long enough and you will be disappointed in people.

You will be disappointed in people. I was discipled the age of 18 by man who was working as a domestic and I hope here's a electric man, but he loved God he had more wisdom the summit of the theologians I got to know later on in life and he said to me I will never forget it. The age of 18 new Christian, he said, don't ever look up to somebody because he's in a position of leadership, respect, and yes, but don't make them your model because sooner or later they will disappoint you sooner or later they will disappoint you, but look to one. His name is Jesus. He will never disappoint you. We often play such high expectations of others who will disappoint us, and the higher the expectation that we place on them. The bigger the disappointment for those of you single when you start meeting someone and you get all excited and and you will get romantically involved.

When you think that this person, he or she is the best thing since sliced bread. And then when the hammer falls you think of the biggest laughs since I.

To husbands and wives who place unrealistic expectations of each other will be disappointed and hurt parents who place unrealistic expectations of their children were lined up being disappointed and hurt Christians who place unrealistic expectations of the church. All the pastor all people in leadership will be disappointed when I wake up one day and discover then on the fourth member of the Trinity.

Thank God for that lead to same into that one. So Joseph's hope for early release from prison gets delayed two more years. Now is been 13 years since the boy left home looking for his brothers 13 years and now he is celebrating his 30th birthday in this Egyptian dungeon where his dreams where is the God who has given him those dreams that all of these dreams where is a remember that God's delays are his detours are not his terminating point. Remember that interrupted dreams are not necessary. Broken dream.

Remember that unrealized dreams are to be waited for, not to be abandoned. Frozen dreams are meant to be defrosted in God's oven in God's time is an early Australian Explorer by the name of Hamilton Hume.

He took a team with him and they set about to find a path between Sydney and Melbourne and they came to a point in their exploration with point of crisis when it came face-to-face with a mountain range which now known as a Hume range when it came to the mountain range. They were all exhausted.

There was some really warm now they could not move one more sister and the team came to Mr. Hume and the visit, please let us give up and go back.

Hume pointed to a high mountain just ahead and he said to them, no, we must climb that one. We must climb that one from the summit of this one. I am sure we will see the ocean and then we can go back home and the tell our friends about our success in a desperate struggle.

They climbed that particular mountain and they reached the top of that mountain and imagine that this pattern disappointment when all they could see for miles and miles and miles. Ridges and valleys and bridges and God is all covered with trees. The goal that they had dreamed was not even in sight. The credit they kept on going and they reached Melbourne in the name that mountain mount disappointment appropriate name. God's winners always win.

Even when there are on hold in the life your dreams may be on hold right now. You marriage might be on hold right now. Your profession might be on hold right now you dream of having children might be on hold right now. You ministry might be on hold right now and you're probably feeling frustrated and disappointed. Remember Joseph, don't be tempted to live by your feeling and not by faith is the first temptation that Satan will bring to life when you are disappointed when you dreams on hold. The first temptation he brings to you is to begin to live by your feelings, not face in the God of heaven's remember Joseph and don't be tempted to place your emotions above you will remember Joseph and don't be tempted to place your emotions above the will of God in your life which is most important of all encouragement for those who may feel their life is on hold. This is leading the way with Dr. Michael you Seth, remember that leading the way is a listener supported ministry. That means that Dr. USF relies on God's provision to God's people blessed by the ministry to pray and again. Call us to learn more. We at 866-626-4356 were also@ltw.org and we all know how it goes when you open your mail. Most of the time you're just spending time selecting those emails that you want to delete right rather than actually reading and consuming them that will not be the case with the daily email from Dr. USF that we call my devotional see each day.

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