SERIES: RECOVERING STOLEN IDENTITY & RECLAIMING MISPLACED DESTINY: PART 4B: GOD CAN USE DETOURS TO GET YOU TO YOUR DESTINY - (TAKING A TOUR THROUGH MY DETOUR)
1. Genesis 37: 2 …Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornamental robe (coat of many colors) for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 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.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. 18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
2. Exodus 13:17 17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle. 21 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. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
INTRO: “Recovering Stolen Identity & Reclaiming Misplaced Destiny (Part 4) God Can Use Detours To Get You To Your Destiny (Taking A Tour Through Your Detours)” (TEACH)
NOTE: 1) Ma Zomon Davids’ Son Died. 2) Minister George Nimely Bible Reading.
Series: Recovering Stolen Identity & Reclaiming Misplaced Destiny. 1) The Intro: Difference B/W Identity & Destiny. 2) Significance of Destiny Helpers. 3) How To Lose Your Identity (Don’t Sell Your Birthright) 4) The Difference B/W Predestination (Fate) & Free Will – The Cost Of Destiny – The Abraham Story (A, B, C). 5a) God Will Use Detours To Get You To Your Destiny (The Joseph Story). 5b) Taking A Tour Through Your Detours.
IDENTITY THEFT IN THE REAL WORLD.
Illustration: Farmer, Eaglet, Naturalist (Outside Barn, Roof Of House, Mountaintop Sun.
YOUR IMAGE AND PURPOSE ON THE PLANET
1 Peter 2:9-10 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Identity Theft - When information about you is stolen by someone else and used without your permission. They dumpster dive, use pop-ups, skim your credit card number from a machine, steal your change-of-address info, scam you through a phone call, or just rob you. They pretend to be you and take what is yours! Identity theft also occurs with Christians all the time. Satan steals your true identity through defeat, discouragement, delay, denial and deception about your real destiny.
1. Our Privileges: 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. First, A Chosen Race. Second, A Royal Priesthood. Third, A Holy Nation. Fourth, A People For God’s Own Possession.
2. Our Purpose: 1 Peter 2:9b: So that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
3. Your Position: 1 Peter 2:10 For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
ABOUT STOLEN IDENTITY AND MISPLACED DESTINY AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE.
1. Identity: Answers The Question: ‘Who has God called me to be?’
2. Destiny: Answers The Question: ‘What has God called me to do?’
GOD WILL USE DETOURS TO GET ME TO MY DESTINY - ABOUT DETOURS IN LIFE
Detour: An Unplanned, Unexpected Shift or Deviation in the Planned Route a person was taking to get to where he was trying to get. Is it good to plan? Yes. God is a planner & encourages that attribute in us – plan. Pro. 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish". Luke 14:28 Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? Pro. 16:9 A man's heart plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Pro. 19:21 Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Ps. 33:10 The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. Pro. 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. Pro. 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. Pro. 16:9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Detours Come Due To Development, Disasters, Accidents, Protocol, Apprehension (Sifting, Dragnet). God rarely takes us to our destiny in straight lines - He normally has some development that requires detours. Abraham was on a detour for 25 years. Jacob on detour for about 20 years. Moses in detour 40 years. Israel took a 400-year detour in Egypt; and a 40-year detour in the wilderness. Paul on 3-year detour in Arabian Desert. Daniel / Hebrew Boys (Noble but slaves). Enoch & Elijah were detoured from earth to heaven. Philip was detoured from many in Samaria to one in the desert. Joseph on detour for 13 years.
ABOUT JOSEPH AND HIS DETOURS
Joseph Is An Example Of How God Allows Detours In Our Lives To Reach Us To Our Destiny. He was the 11th son of Jacob. When we come across him, he is a teenager living in a very Dysfunctional Family. Dysfunctional Family is a Family with conflict, misbehavior, and often child or Parental abuse occurs continuously & regularly. Children often grow up in such families accepting the lifestyle as normal. Dysfunctional families are often affected by multiple 'Internal' (sibling rivalries, parent-child conflicts, domestic violence, mental illness, single parenthood) or 'External' (alcohol or drug abuse, extramarital affairs, gambling, unemployment) influences.
JOSEPH’S DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY
Joseph’s Father Jacob Was Born Into Sibling Rivalry & Favoritism. Jacob tricked his father into giving him the birthright due to his older brother. Laban’s deception to give Leah away before Rachel. Jacob had 13 children by 4 different women. The fight over Jacob between Leah & Rachel. Women using fruits to bargain who would sleep with Jacob. Joseph should have never been born – his mother was barren for years and angry about it. What was it like for Joseph to see his mother dying in childbirth? The pain he carried and why Jacob loved him more. In the midst of the drama, the boys created their own chaos. Reuben had sex with his father’s concubine Bilhad. Dinah is raped by the Shechemites. In order to avenge their sister’s rape, Simeon and Levi became mass murderers. Jacob tricked one man Esau, but those two boys tricked a whole town and murdered their men making Jacob to flee with his family. God killed the 1st & 2nd born sons of Judah (Er & Onan) because they were wicked. Then Judah had a relationship with his own daughter-in-law thinking she was a prostitute and unknowing demanded she be killed for being pregnant. Boys ready to hate their own brother because the father loved him more. Throwing their brother in a pit after stripping him of his multi-colored coat and then sitting down to eat a meal. Hearing your brother crying from the pit in agony. Selling your flesh and blood to foreign merchants. Killing a sheep, putting blood on the brother’s clothes and telling the father he is dead. Talk about keeping that secret of the family for about 15 years and allowing the father to grieve daily.
What A Dysfunctional Siblings. Such family should have never produced a Joseph. In our society, most people from these backgrounds are killers, jail birds, drunks, addicts, etc. But please note that God’s Destiny on your life can be fulfilled even in the midst of thorns. Just like a beautiful rose that grows in a thorny bush, so a Person of Destiny can come from a rough and stained background. You don’t have to be perfect. Joseph went through far beyond what the average Christian will ever go through - child abuse, lying, cover-up, slavery, lust, fear, power, redemption, forgiveness. But God's Presence is so evident in Joseph that God is everywhere – From a loving Father to jealous brothers, from pit to palace, from rags to riches is grace in action.
ON ROAD OF LIFE – THERE ARE “DETOUR SIGNS, DEADEND SIGNS, “DO NOTS” SIGNS.
1. Detours Will Come - Times of God’s construction in our lives to bring us down new paths and opportunities to accomplish His plans and Destiny for us and others.
2. Dead Ends Are There To Warn Us - This road has no way out! It does not lead to anything but being stuck! If you are on one – it’s time to repent and turn around and get out
3. Do Nots Are Not There To Spoil Your Fun, But Warn You Of Danger: Some things are just not permissible or wise for Christians to do. You can ignore the signs, but you risk defeat!
PURPOSES OF GOD’S DETOUR: (EXODUS 13:17-18)
Exodus 13:17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle. 21 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. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
1. God Was PROTECTING Them From Danger. They traveled in circles because it was God's providential plan.
2. God Was KEEPING Them From Danger. God was getting them ready for WHERE He wanted them to be. God was getting them ready for WHAT He wanted them to do.
3. God Was DEVELOPING Them Even In Danger. Why? Because there will be difficulties where you are destined to be.
4. God Was DIRECTING Them Through The Danger. Because you have not been this way before, trust the leading of God.
CHARACTERISTRICS OF DETOURS.
1 Corinthians 10:11"Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition..." In Exodus 13:17-18 God did not lead the Israel directly to the Promised Land (the place He had destined for them); He took them on a detour.
1. Detours Appear Suddenly And Without Warning. One day you are perfectly well, but the next day you are lying in a hospital.
2. Detours do not mean you have sinned. Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. E.g. Detour, Police, Criminal
3. Seldom Do We Know The Length Of The Detour. When the highway sign points out a detour, you take it without knowing how long it is going to be.
4. On A Detour You Drive More Or Less By Faith. The detour road you have not traveled before. Therefore, you must follow the signs to bring you back on your route (Rom. 8:28).
5. Most Detours Are Rough And Winding. I don't believe I have ever seen a good detour road. They take you out of your way, delay your arrival, and must be traveled slowly & carefully.
6. On A Detour With God Can, Sometimes, Be Perplexing (Exodus 13:17). Principle of Progress: What is easiest may not always be what is best. A "nearer" way but not a better way. Example: I bought an electronic clock online to avoid long trip - short cut. Jumbo clock.
7. A Detour May Have Its Good Points. I have found in my experience as a traveler that sometimes the most beautiful scenery is found on the detour road.
8. A Detour Always Leads To An Appreciation Of The Good Highway. Getting back on the main road always brings comfort and relief.
9. A Detour Is Always Intended By God To Be Temporarily. 1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
10. On A Detour With God's Is Personal (Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 73:24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory).
11. On A Detour With God Is Progressive: What may seem at times like a "backward" step may in fact be "forward" motion. Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered…
CONCLUSION: CHOICES ABOUT DETOURS
1. You Can Turn Around & Go Back: Some weak, cowardly people take this way out of difficulty.
2. You Can Take The Detour & Grumble & Complain About It All The Time: Many do this and never enter just like the Israelites – Moses, Aaron, Miriam, sons of Aaron, all men over 40 - except Joshua & Caleb. They saw God in the problems and trusted Him.
3. You Can Accept The Detours Of Life & Trust God: Example: Nowhere to go and you are put out on the streets. you have done nothing wrong. Rom. 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Paul adopted such an attitude - 2 Cor. 12:9 And he said unto me My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness..." Jesus adopted this attitude – Luke 23:34 Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Stephen adopted this attitude – Acts 7:60: Father, lay not this sin to their charge. Joseph adopted this attitude – Genesis 45: 5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Genesis 50: 15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. But Joseph had long forgiven them – How Do We Know? Genesis 41:45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
4. Which Of The 3 Choices Above Will You Take? I Recommend #3. Some want pastors and prophets who will stop them from growth. From detours God intended for development. I won’t do that. I will pray that God uses the situation to grow you. Accept it. Go through the valley…
Illustration: An elderly woman on a busy street corner was confused and hesitant to cross because of the heavy traffic. Finally a gentleman came up to her and asked if he could cross the street with her. Gratefully she took his arm, but grew progressively more alarmed as he zigzagged randomly across the street, to the blare of horns and screech of brakes. Finally on the opposite curb, she said angrily, "You almost got us killed! You walk like you're blind." "I am," he replied. "That's why I asked if I could cross with you." Jesus said of the Pharisees of His day: "They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" (Matthew 15:14). We need to be very careful not to entrust our souls to the guidance of someone who cannot see the clear teachings of Christ. We don’t share the message of the pastors – we share the message of the prophet and prophetesses.
Psalm 121 1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
DETOURS OF LIFE: FIND BIBLE VERSES
1. Health Problems
2. Marital Problems
3. Financial Problems
4. Enemies & Dream Killers
5. Gossipers
6. Immigration
7. Professional Problems
8. Deception
9. Failures
10. I Am Too Young 11. Disappointments
12. Family Background
13. Fear Of Death
14. I Am Getting Old
15. What Other People Think
16. Difficult People
17. Negativism
18. State Of The World
19. Demons And Satan
20. What Will People Say? 21. Spiritual Stagnation
22. Addiction
23. Messed Up Home
24. Bad Dreams
25. Ancestral Oppression
26. Poverty
27. Stressed Out
28. Hate Your Looks.
29. Less Academic
30. Low Self-Esteem
WE MUST TRUST GOD IN THE DETOURS OF OUR LIVES:
1. The Way God Leads Us May Not Make Sense, But He Has Reasons For Every Detour. The Bible records God’s thoughts about the detour He provided for Israel: Exodus 13:17: When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." They did not perceive His reasons just as we do when going through detours.
2. Detours Will Showcase God’s Glory To Our Enemies & For The Sake Of Our Own Faith. God reveals His great power and glory through detours. At the end of the day, we will proclaim that every detour was worth it and glorify God eternally.
3. When A Detour Feels Threatening Or Confusing, Trust That God Is Safeguarding Us. Exodus 14 mentions twice that God erected walls of water around the Jews thru the Red Sea.
4. Detours Cause Us To See God’s Character More Clearly. How would we know that God is our Eternal Comfort, unless he places us in uncomfortable positions? How would we praise that Christ is our Tender Shepherd unless he exposes us to threatening dangers & suffering?
5. God Uses Detours Strengthen Our Hope & Plant Us In The Heavenly Places With Christ. The bright orange signs that lead through detours are not in vain. They help us know the way through the construction site. Through your present detour, God is doing the same.
6. Detour May Last For Many Years Before We See The Benefits. Joseph was enjoying his favored status until his brothers threw him intervened. But after decades and more detours, Joseph's position in a foreign was established at just the right time. It may take years.
7. Detours Leading To Your Destiny Will Attract Enemies & Friends. God may send you through detours to connect with the enemies and friends that will help shape the destiny – Thank God for the brothers, thank God for the Potiphar’s wife.
8. Detour Will Have Big Kingdom Impact No Matter How Small To Us. Saul, from hunting down and wanting to kill followers of Jesus, he became the greatest missionary ever, planting churches all over the known world. This was certainly not his original life's ambition.
9. Detours May Be For The Blessing Of Others. Abraham was a herder of livestock and God told him to leave and set out for a place He would show him. Through Abraham "all the peoples on earth will be blessed ". Abram's detour resulted in all nations on earth being blessed.
10. Detours Are Often A Regular Part Of God’s Plan In Guiding Us To Our Destiny. God will often give us a glimpse of our destiny long before we reach it. E.g. He told Abraham there would be 400-year detour in Egypt before the Promised Land. God never gives a total blue-print of the future. It is shrouded in mystery. He shows Joseph the end, not the in-between. Brothers, father, mother will bow to him – impossible in Jewish customs. How will it happen? God does not tell him. Why? Because when we know the blue print, we try to manipulate the outcome. Example: Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Three witches predict that Macbeth will be promoted as Thane of Glamis. Then Thane of Cawdor! And finally be king hereafter. This goes to his head. Murders begin. When he goes back for more surety of his position, the witches tell him he should be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm him. They add that he will never be defeated until the entire forest of the Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill uproots and moves against him in battle. Macbeth takes solace in these witches and states: “Then I am invincible for no one can impress the vast forests to move in battle.” But that was all a seeming lie. We don’t like to read the Word but go seeking after prophets & prophetesses. Be careful. Pastors are now dabbling in witchcraft for miracles. Ask Jannes and Jambres when they stood before Moses. Their rods also turned into snakes but not by the power of God. Moses’ serpent swallowed theirs.
11. Detours Come Because Of Development & Development Takes Time, Tests, Failure, & Overcoming. God knows each one of us individually. He knows what we each need in order to develop and strengthen our spiritual muscles and sharpen our spiritual insight and wisdom.
12. Detours Come To Slow Us Down Enough - So That We Can Hear God’s Voice & Spend Time Talking With Him.
13. Detours Come To Show Us The Beauty Of What God Has Done In Us – To Be Grateful.
14. Detours Come To Open Our Eyes To New Possibilities – Things We Never Might Have Seen Or Considered.
15. Detours Come To Make Us Pick Up People - And Distinguish Enemies From Friends.
16. Detours Come To Amplify Your Problems For Others To See - So They Can Testify To Our Victory (Is 41:18-20).
17. Detours Come To Make Others Want To Become Like You & Serve Your God – People Becoming Jews.
18. Detours (Mysterious) Come To Bring You Back To Where You Started But As A Person Of Depth. You pick up some people that you can deliver (Genesis 13:3 – He picked up Hagar).
CONCLUSION: MANY VITAL LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF JOSEPH
1. Sometimes God Reveals Things To Us That Are Meant For Our Ears Only. Joseph was a dreamer, but part of what made his brothers envious was that Joseph shared these dreams. Jesus reminded us not to cast our pearls before swine.
2. Doing The Right Thing Does Not Always Lead To Physical Relief. In Egypt and in the house of Potiphar, he refused to compromise with his wife which landed him in jail.
3. Life Is Unfair. But God Is Always Fair. Doing the right thing will not always lead to better outcome. Jesus is perfect and did not commit sin, yet He suffered the most excruciating death.
4. God Will Make All Things Work Together For Good: Hated and sold by his brothers, lied on by Potiphar’s wife, thrown in jail and forgotten. “…But the Lord was always with Joseph”…
5. There’s No Excuse That’s Good Enough To Break God’s Commandments: Losing everything at a young age, betrayed, sold, lied on, Joseph had all reasons to do his own thing. Joseph could have excuses and compromised principles but he did not.
6. WE Must Learn The Art Of Delayed Gratification: We live in a world of instant gratification. Modernity makes us entitled for all the good things in this life now. For God’s sake, wait.
7. A Moment Of Pain Due To Following God’s Commandments Is Worth An Eternity Of Glory In God’s Eternal Kingdom. Joseph could have succumbed to the seduction of Potiphar’s wife and enjoy the pleasure of sin. But he said: Genesis 39:9 “How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.” Instead of giving in, he “left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside”. This is the hatred every Christian should have against sin.
8. Obedience To God’s Commandment Brings Lasting Blessings. Living God’s way of life is tough. But obedience to God is a proof of your faith. Disobedience is a proof of disbelief.
9. Trust God, Not Circumstances: When you find yourself in the pits, the tendency is to turn your back on God and think He’s forgotten you. “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered.”
10. It Pays To Have Integrity: Joseph’s life is a powerful testimony of the long-term effects of walking in integrity. Temptation will come, but Grace protects protect from the enemy’s traps.
11. Dependent On God – Give Him the Glory: Joseph knew that his gift to interpret dreams came from God. He never took credit & always focused on giving God the glory for all that he did.
12. Learn To Manage Success: When God honors us with success, do not forget to 1st honor Him & those who helped us. Joseph honored Potiphar, Pharaoh & even his deceptive family.
13. Fully Forgive: Forgiveness not only will heal your relationship, but it will also keep your heart free from bitterness and deep-rooted resentment from the past.
14. Pursue True Prosperity: True prosperity is not in gaining material wealth, but in glorifying God.
15. Even If You Find Yourself In “Prison,” Don’t Lose Hope In God’s Promises. Joseph’s dreams probably felt like a distant memory while he was in prison… but God remained with Joseph in that prison. He gave him favor with the chief jailer and Joseph was promoted in jail.
WHEN GOD DETOURS YOU…
1. His Provision Is With Them (Exo. 13:21: By day a cloud, by night a fire so they could travel).
2. His Presence Is With Them (Exo. 13:22 The cloud and fire did not leave the front of them).
3. His Promise Is With You Through The Desert. It was a guidance for them day and night.
WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER DEAD-ENDS ON DETOURS, WHAT DO YOU DO?
Dead Ends are those places of bondage, addiction and entrapment. It is when we turned off the road we were traveling thinking we found something fun to discover, or something we could try exploring just to find out it got us stuck! There is nowhere to turn or no way to go through - we must turn around to get out! Galatians 1:6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Wrong choices lead to DEAD ENDS! Summary of dead-ends: If you don’t repent and get out, you will be stuck there and prevented from reaching the Eternal Destiny God has planned for you!
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER DEAD ENDS IN DETOURS (EXODUS 14: 8-10)
1. Refuse Fear: a. Fear makes us skeptical (v. 11a). b. Fear makes us selfish – we focus on ourselves (v. 11b). c. Fear makes us stubborn (v. 12a). d. Fear makes us short-sighted (v. 12b). Fear causes us to want to live in the past, go back to Egypt, etc.
2. Renew Your Faith - Three Steps: a. Let go - "Do not be afraid..." (v. 13a). Recognize God is in control. b. Look up - "stand still and see" (v. 13-14). Fear causes us to want to run - faith stands and looks to God. c. Launch out -" tell the people to move on" (v. 15). There's time to pray and a time to act. A time to wait and a time to go.
3. When You Face A "Dead End" - Three Options: a. Surrender b. Fight c. Trust God.
Note: Don't stop and murmur, but march on. Your disappointment might be God's "appointment" to prove that the blessing can follow bitterness. Romans 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS: DETOURS WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH…
1. The Test of Adversity: Joseph learnt to submit to God while in the pit. Lesson: Don’t give in.
2. The Test of Allurement: Joseph learned to submit to God while in prison. Lesson: Don’t Lose Your Focus When Temptations And Distractions Come.
3. The Test of Advancement: Joseph learnt to submit to God while in Power. Lesson: Don’t Forsake God Even When Your Dreams Begin To Come True.
