Don’t Live Someone Else’s Dream (Part 3 -Joseph’s Coat)

Your destiny“There is No Greater Discovery Than Seeing God As The Author of Your Destiny” – (Ravi Zacharias)

“Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” (Genesis 41:42 NKJV)

Our Clothing Can Define Us

 From the last two blogs, I hope you are beginning to see how the Bible describes salvation and righteousness as garments: “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness(Isaiah 61:10 NKJV). It is important to have the “right clothing,” which are given freely as eternal gifts when we accept Jesus into our hearts.

The Coat of Purpose & Destiny

This week, let’s look at the third coat that Joseph wore. I call this “the coat of purpose and destiny.” Why? Because even though Joseph didn’t know how his life was going to look and work out, he was given a dream of his destiny. He may not have had a clue as to how this was going to happen, but he had a purpose birthed in his heart: to know God, to trust Him in all areas (no matter how bad things seem to be) and to know that his future was going to be OK. God not only gave him the big picture (the dreams/vision), He also gave him his purpose—that he was going to be a great leader someday.

What Do You Do in Times of Difficulty?

This is laid out in scripture as you read the story of Joseph in Genesis chapters 37-50 because Joseph loved and honored God in the most difficult of situations and circumstances, he ended up on the throne of Egypt, wearing the coat of rulership and fulfilling his purpose.

Prophetic Words Can Bring A Time of Testing

The psalmist said, “God ‘sent a man before them – Joseph – who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions” (Psalm 105:17-21 NKJV).

There is a biblical principle that can be observed here: Sometimes when a prophetic word is spoken over us and our future, those words can usher in a time of challenges or testing.  How we respond in those times often determines what happens next in our lives.

Ripping Up Seeds of Promises

For example,, sometimes when a word is given, it seems like all hell is then let loose against the promise we have been given. This can happen for a number of reasons, but sometimes it can simply be the devil trying to rip up those seeds of destiny from our lives. We need to be aware of that and not surrender the promises we’ve been given.

Preparation Time

Other times, it is not that the enemy is attacking the word we’ve received. Instead, it is just a matter of us growing into the word we have received. It may seem like a time of “testing” but as we learn and grow, we discover truths about ourselves during times of pressure. However, when we come out on the other side of this time of development, we will come out with increased wisdom and character. Character and integrity, once formed, cannot be taken from you. These tests are in preparation for our destiny!

Trials Can Create Strength or Disappointment

Every circumstance in life can be used by God as a training ground for an upcoming season or assignment. And sometimes, the greater the assignment, the greater the attack that comes against you. In Genesis chapter 39, five times the Bible says, ‘The Lord was with Joseph.’ But that did not stop him having some major tests and trials in his life. Look at it this way, he was betrayed by his family, given numerous temptations at the hands of his boss’s wife, was gossiped about, slandered, and then falsely imprisoned. There were even major disappointments during his time in prison, at the hands of the butler that was supposed to be his friend!

Are You Training for Reigning?

Looking back, however, Joseph realized that all of these experiences were training for reigningDid you know that when there are big storms and palm trees are being heavily bent and twisted over, they never snap or break? Why? Because they produce an enzyme after the storm that makes them stronger and their roots to go wider and deeper. So, keep going. Persevere. Continue to trust God, and one day, you’ll sing a song of victory to fulfill your purpose and destiny. Just go ahead and read (Hebrews 10:35-36, AMP)

 

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