| Written by Andrew and Jamie Wommack |
There are only three people I can think of in the Bible who weren’t shown to have serious flaws, didn’t make major mistakes, and didn’t get reproved by God. Joseph is one of them.
Joseph was Jacob’s eleventh son, born to Rebekah. Jacob favored Joseph, obvious in the coat of many colors he made for him, and this sparked resentment among his older brothers (Gen. 37:3–4). Some think Joseph’s brothers disliked him because of his dreams, but the Bible says it was because of Jacob’s favoritism. Joseph’s response to the dreams God gave him is what makes his story so powerful.
Imagine being only seventeen years old and getting dreams from God that your brothers will one day bow down to you. The next thing you know, you’re faced with jealousy and betrayal, ultimately ending up in Egypt as a slave. One of the most amazing things about Joseph was that he not only endured hardship like very, very few people ever do, but he also did it with a good attitude. It’s one thing to keep serving God with a good attitude when you don’t have any other option. But do you know when the real test comes? When you have prosperity.
Joseph’s rise to power occurred after he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, prophesying seven years of abundance in Egypt followed by seven years of severe famine. In Genesis 41:46, we learn that Joseph was thirty years old when he finally stood before Pharaoh. Thirteen years had passed since God had given him dreams of his family bowing down to him.
What’s truly amazing is that even though Joseph became the second most powerful man in the land and could’ve manipulated circumstances to force his dreams to come true, he chose to serve Pharaoh faithfully, resisting the temptation to take matters into his own hands.
Do you see how prosperity is actually a greater indication of what’s in a person’s heart? Joseph was smart enough to recognize that God was the one who had promoted him and put him in this position, and he was waiting on God to bring those dreams to pass. I don’t know if you get the significance of this or not, but it speaks volumes to me. I tell you, the restraint and wisdom Joseph exhibited are rare qualities.
This is really, really important and probably one of the most central things that I’ve learned through the life of Joseph. In our lives, the temptation to compromise integrity will arise. Joseph’s story urges us to stay the course, trusting God and refusing to force outcomes on our own. Joseph had no animosity toward his brothers and no anger over what had been done to him. He chose to just wait and be dependent upon God.
Let me share some thoughts on this, and I’ll keep it simple. There are some of you reading this right now, and you’ve been through some things. Even though you’re still standing, you’re doing it in your own strength and power. You aren’t doing it with the right heart. And if you ever had the opportunity, you would go to the person who wronged you and put them in their place. But brothers and sisters, you need to get to the place where there’s no bitterness in you and you’re just waiting on God to bring things to pass.
God loves you, and He doesn’t want to put you in a position where Satan throws everything he’s got at you and you don’t have the maturity to be able to handle it. You need to learn how to just cool your jets and wait on God.
If you enjoyed what I shared here, visit my website, awmi.net, where you’ll find additional free teachings and resources. If you need prayer, I encourage you to call my Helpline at 719-635-1111, where one of my trained prayer ministers would love to pray with you.
We love you,
Andrew and Jamie
