I have been feeling this urgency to share this message to you, especially to those who are facing a hard time fulfilling God’s callings for them in a time like this.
Words from the Lord:
"Do not be discouraged. Do not be disheartened. Remember My calling for you. What I have said, I will not retract. What I have promised, it will not return to Me void. As long as you do not give up on My calling for you, your calling is always there with you, in you! Know that once you are called, you are forever called, anointed and appointed for Me!"
Further words from the Lord:
"Remember it is by My grace that you are enabled to do what you are called to do. Stop looking at your own ability and capability. Stop being overwhelmed by the voices of opposition and the circumstances around you. Seek Me for the new enabling, new ways and new strategy for this time and season. Seek Me and look to Me, and you will surely be able to fulfil the calling I have for you."
Now, I'm going to use Joseph in the Bible as an example for the message here.
Genesis 37:5-8 (NKJV)
Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf." And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Genesis 37:9-11 (NKJV)
Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me."
So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?" And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
You see, Joseph might be a spoilt brat because his father loved him the most and he loved bringing bad report of his brothers to his father. And that caused his brothers to hate him a lot. But there is one strength that Joseph had as a teenager that we can learn from him. He believed in the dreams and visions God gave to him even though telling them made his family members feel indignant with him.
Are you suffering a hard time dealing with family members and friends who doubt about God's calling for you, and sometimes even you doubted it yourself because of the overwhelming voices of opposition around you, especially in a time like this, a time of financial crisis for many people in the world?
To tell you the truth, this is only the initial stage of training for those who are called. If you are able to stand through this initial stage of training and not be shaken, then you won't be easily swayed by voices of opposition in the future.
No one can understand God's calling for you more than yourself. And no one else can be accountable of God’s calling for you except yourself.
Thus, be firm but yet be gentle to those who doubt God's calling for you. Seek God for your own blueprint and put all your heart into it. When the people who used to deny your calling see you doing well, they will eventually be convinced.
Genesis 39:1-5 (NKJV)
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
I wonder what was in Joseph's mind when he was overpowered and sold by his brothers. What did he feel inside when he was sold as a merchandise at the slave market? Did he curse his brothers? Did he resent his father for not coming to rescue him? Did he blame God? We don't know.
But one thing we know for sure, he chose to survive, to think positive and to live his life well in spite of adverse circumstance. He chose to trust God instead of being miserable. And we know that by seeing the favor of God is in his life. He prospered in everything he did. God even blessed Potiphar's household and his field because of Joseph. No doubt Potiphar could see that and he appointed Joseph to be overseer of his house and all that he had.
Sometimes, unexpected things happen and cause you to feel out of control, just like the pandemic situation now. We can learn from Joseph. He chose to trust God and let God help him do things well even as a slave in a foreign land. I'm sure Joseph had to learn many new things; different language, different culture, ways of dealing with people of different status in Potiphar's social circle (Potiphar was an officer of the Pharaoh), political system, economic and financial system, agriculture system (planting and harvesting in the field could be something very new to Joseph whose family only had herds and livestock), ways of handling the servants and slaves in the household and also in the field, and many other new things. He had to step out of his comfort zone and learn as fast as he could. Being blessed with God's favor and wisdom, he excelled those who were originally raised up in the Egyptian's system.
Let's believe the same for yourself, that no matter how the economic system, political system, social system is going to be, and even if the way of fulfilling God's calling for you has to change, you will still excel with God’s favor and wisdom.
Know this, in the course of fulfilling God's calling, you will be forced to step out of your comfort zone time and again in order to grow in Him. And every time you overcome the fear of moving into the new and take the courage to follow the leading of His Spirit, you will understand God's calling for you better, you will be able to handle things, people and situation better. God's grace and provision will always be with you when you allow Him to lead you in every circumstance.
Genesis 39: 19-23 (NKJV)
So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused. Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
Joseph must be feeling very bad that he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and misunderstood by Potiphar. And no matter how he explained, Potiphar did not believe in him. He was thrown into the prison without trial. But then again, I am amazed by Joseph's positive mindset and his ability to adapt into the new environment so quickly. I believe He wouldn't be able to do so without his faith in God and close relationship with God.
Instead of wailing over the false accusation upon him and being resentful for not having the chance to defend himself, he chose to move on and live well in prison. And he did it again! The keeper of the prison discovered Joseph's ability and entrusted him with all the inmates in the prison. That's how he could approach the Pharaoh's butler and baker personally later on.
Whether you are forced to leave an organization or a location due to misunderstanding or unforeseen circumstances, you have got to move on in life! Do not look back! Do not fear transitioning. If God allows it, He has better things in store for you! There is a time and season for everything. As you allow God to guide you, He will move you to a greener pasture and a greater height in His calling for you. So, do not miss God's timing for the coming phase and season. Move on! God is with you. Amen!
Genesis 40:5-8 (NKJV)
Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation. And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?" And they said to him, "We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please."
Many people would judge that Joseph going to prison is such a misfortune. But God always know how to turn bad things into good. You see, being in prison had become an important experience for Joseph to be ready for the next phase of God's calling for him!
Joseph had learned to manage Potiphar's household and field well. But it was different in the prison. He was given the responsibility to manage all the inmates. It was a different kind of people ministry. He had to deal with criminals from different status who had committed small and big crimes. He probably had to learn to counsel those who were in distress and punish those who were defiant. He would have learned to be a good listener before meeting the butler and baker. So, undeniably, he would have learned the skill of people management by the time he met the Pharaoh and was given the task of managing a nation under the Pharaoh.
If you allow God to intervene, He will take all that you have experienced, good or bad, to be of good use for you for the present time or in the future, just as it is stated in Romans 8:28, 'we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.'
And He has said in Jeremiah 29:11, the thoughts that He thinks toward you are always thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. So, whether it is a regret, disappointment or resentment, just surrender them all to the Lord and let Him take over those negative emotions that have been affecting you for years and holding you back to the past. Shake off the past, move on and look toward a better future instead. Amen.
Genesis 41:37-40 (NKJV)
So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you."
By the time Joseph met the Pharaoh, he was already well trained in practising his prophetic gift (i.e. interpretation of dreams and also having the spirit of wisdom to give sound advice to Pharaoh), he was well-versed with the political and economic system in Egypt, he could handle the people of different status in Egypt, he knew how to make the most of the agricultural system there, and he had mastered the trading knowledge within Egypt and with neighboring nations. From a 17 years old teenager to a 30 years old man, he had experienced so much, and in turn, acquired the knowledge and the ability to be the greatest politician and businessman in Egypt!
So, Joseph was given the authority to rule the whole Egypt under Pharaoh. His dreams came to pass when his family came and bowed before him just to buy grains during the time of famine. As we all know the story well, Joseph forgave all his brothers, and his family members were given the best land to stay.
So, just like Joseph, be strong and be of good courage. It’s not over yet until God says it. Hang on to God’s specific words for you, go where He tells you to go, do what He tells you to do, and you will be protected and safe. No matter how the world turns out to be, as long as God is with you, you will still be blessed wherever you go and you will be prospering in everything you do. Amen!