THE WAYS TO GREATNESS (2) -THE CHALLENGES
GENESIS 39:7-21
God is a master planner. He follows and directs His children till He gets best out of them. His thought is always good no matter the sudden appearance of darkness on their path. The way to greatness or prominence is not an easy one but out of fire comes out a precious gold. God knows the way of the righteous. He can even use an enemy to push them forward. This was the case of Joseph, a man separated from his family but not from God and His dream. His step was a good step in a better direction.
GENESIS 39:7-21
“ And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand: he is not greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 10, And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass about this time, that he went into the house to do his work; and there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, that she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us: he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: and it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled, and got him out. And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home. And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out. And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But Jehovah was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison”
For Joseph which means “abundance” to reach his destined height of greatness in life, he passed many terrible experiences such as –the pit, the Potiphar’s wife and the prison. He stood firm in the Lord and never staggered in faith. The Lord saw him through and finally exalted him. His dream became true.
No greatness without challenges.
A life not known Divine sufferings may not know Divine greatness.
This was the ways of Abraham, Jacob, Job etc
POINTS TO NOTE
a. Before greatness, there are battles to fight.
b. The way to greatness looks motorable but not smooth always
c. It is only in dictionary that success comes before work.
d. Devil is monitoring you. He’s interested how you made it.
e. Gold is produced only through the process of a fire.
f. Life of greatness is good and should be pursued positively.
THE CHALLENGES TO LIFE OF GREATNESS;
1. Cold War (Genesis 37:4)
The problem today in some places is household wickedness.
Many people are in this unknowingly. So, many cold wars are going on in many areas of life. (Genesis 30:8; Genesis 13:7, Matthew 10:36, Micah 7:8)
a. In the area of studies
b. In offices
c. In business areas
d. In families
e. Even the church
2. Early Rejection & Loneliness (Genesis 37: 3-11)
Some people that were great in life felt rejected in one way or the other, self - pity or lonely.
Joseph battled over this (Genesis 37: 3-11)
Nobody gave David a chance ( I Samuel 16:11)
Elijah thought he was the only one left. (1 Kings 19:14)
Paul was forsaken when he needed company (2 Timothy 4:10)
3. Unnecessary hatred (Genesis 37:8)
People will look at you as rivals
Anyone who has a destiny must be hated by some people.
Jacob (Genesis 27:41),David (Psalms 18:17)
The goal is to bring distraction, so that everyone should be on the same level.
Jesus was hated by the people he helped.(John 15:18)
4. Immaturity (Genesis 37:9-11)
This has been the undoing of many people.
The way Joseph were at the beginning was not the way he ended
The Pit, Potiphar’s Wife & Prison were the points of maturity process.
For God to take you to the level of greatness, you need an attitude change. Your heart will be dealt with, to handle the success when it comes. This was seen in Joseph in Genesis chapter 40 verse 8.
He wasn't arrogant anymore. He saw God in everything at this point.
This was the desire of Heaven.He now gives credit to God- less impress with himself. God cannot share His glory with anyone. (Isaiah 42:8)
5. Drive to trust in a man. (Genesis 40:23)
When you put your trust in a man, you lose the help of God.
Divine greatness comes by total dependence on God. (Jeremiah 17:5-8)
Life treated Joseph unfairly and he sought to divert to flesh.
He was rejected by his brethren, lied against, misunderstood by his master, Portiphar, unjustly imprisoned and abandoned by a man he helped inside the prison. Life was unfair to him. At this point, God wants His children to trust in Him only. He is the solid rock where we stand.
6. Temptations (Genesis 39:12)
A man not tempted may not achieve greatness
Jesus is our perfect example-Matthew 4:1-11
It may come as a test - Genesis 22:1
It may come as a lust - Exodus 17:2; psalm 78:18
The three things that may stand on a way of man for his greatness are;
a. Wealth and Riches- 1 Timothy 6:9
b. Women- Proverb 22:14
c. Wine- Proverb 20:1
7. Used and exploited by others (Genesis 37:23-25; 40:21-23)
Many a times, one heading for prominence are used by others.
The enemy has seen the destiny and seek to stop it.
A ruler may be serving others unnecessarily.
This was also the case of Joseph in the house of Potiphar
The case of Jacob in the house of Laban.
When you overcome the life of been taken advantage of, you can be in advantage.
Your attitude when exploited determines your exploit.
THE VICTORY IN THE CHALLENGES FOR GREATNESS
a. Hold on to your dream
b. Trust God only and pursue Him daily
c. Always know what the future holds for you
d. Discard the self- pity syndrome
e. Remember the promise of God always.
f. Avoid the life of complain and bitterness.
g. Hope for a better end. Prison will not take over your dream.
h. Do not seek to take God’s glory
I. Humble yourself and see God exalt you.
There is no pit, so deep that God is not deeper. No need so big, that He cannot meet. At present, the other side may be winning but we know all things are working for your good and one day, you will sing to his praise (Romans 8:28; Revelation 21:4)
