The Pathway Of Promotion : Understanding Trials And Tribulations

THE PATHWAY OF PROMOTION : UNDERSTANDING TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS

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OUTLINE

1. ABRAHAM

2. JOSEPH

3. MOSES

4. DAVID

5. JOB

6. DANIEL

7. JESUS

INTRODUCTION

The Lord wants to lead His children in the pathway of promotion. He has a purpose and destiny for our lives and He wants us to enter into it. Often we may go through the path of trials and tribulations in order to be shaped and refined and prepared to enter into the destiny that God has prepared for us. God leads us through a process of shaking and discipline which can be painful at that time . But later it will prove to be an invaluable and strong foundation for our lives.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

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DEUTERONOMY 32:11-12

" like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.

The LORD alone led him; no foreign god was with him. "

HEBREWS 12:5-11

" And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. "

HEBREWS 5:8

" Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered "

ISAIAH 48:10

" See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. "

THE MESSAGE

THE PATHWAY OF PROMOTION : UNDERSTANDING TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS

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1. ABRAHAM

Abraham was tested before he was promoted. The Lord asked him to sacrifice what he cherished most in his life ,his son Isaac who was born in his old age. When Abraham proved his willingness to obey the Lord , he received great and glorious promises from the Lord. The Lord will often test us in the area that is most precious to our hearts to prove whether we love the Lord more than anything else in our lives. When we pass the test victoriously , great blessings will be waiting for us.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

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GENESIS 22 : 1-2 ,15-18

" Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

GENESIS 22 : 15-18

" The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time

and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,

and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

2. JOSEPH

Joseph was tested before he was promoted. The Lord had a great plan and destiny for Joseph . He was to be used to save a whole nation. But before he could rise to this position , Joseph had to go through a path of trials and tribulations. He was humbled and matured through this painful process and he was prepared for the great task that he was called to fulfill. This should be an encouragement to us when we go through trials and tribulations as we realise that it is truly a pathway to promotion.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

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GENESIS 50:20

" You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. "

GENESIS 45:4-8

" Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!

And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.