A Fresh Wind Sermons

When we need encouragement to endure difficult times while trusting in God’s plan, we can find inspiration in the story of Joseph. Joseph illustrates how to endure hardship while maintaining trust and demonstrates how faithful perseverance paves the way for God to work His divine plan through our lives.

We all experience seasons of bitter disappointment or circumstances that seem to go from bad to worse. During these times we may struggle to detect God's work or presence in our lives. Joseph's response to suffering was to keep moving forward in faith. Hope is on the way.

For Joseph, resisting temptation did not bring blessing -- it led to his imprisonment. Yet, God continues to show up in unexpected places and provides for Joseph. God is with Joseph, orchestrating his success so that his masters will entrust him with greater and greater responsibility.

We rarely know what happens in the next chapter of our story. Joseph certainly didn’t know—and probably didn’t dare imagine—that his experiences in Egypt could ever be used for good. In such times, our shortsighted vision of the future blinds us from seeing the faithfulness of God.

The Christian life is not a playground; it's a battleground. We are sons and servants, but we are also soldiers defending the faith of the Gospel. Will you walk worthy of the Gospel?

Jacob’s life had come full circle. He had finally returned to his father’s home, though now as a changed man. As Jacob observed God’s longstanding faithfulness, he finally accepted the God of his forefathers as his own.

God is faithful when we are not. There is the evidence of that all over your life. When tragedy comes, look for it. He is your God. He is with you and will never forsake you even in the midst of tragedy.

It is difficult to trust God to take care of us when we feel helpless. We struggle to regain control, and sometimes we even fight against God. But God is on our side, and He promises to be with us no matter what we face. He has the control that we wrestle to get, and we only hurt ourselves and slow our spiritual growth when we don’t acknowledge that He is our life, strength, and refuge.

Don’t spend your life asking God to feed and clothe you like Jacob. Ask God to reveal His presence with you. So you can know the One who redeems us. You can find His presence in prayer.

Jacob’s flaws are hard to miss—but we’re often eager to overlook them because we see his faults mirrored in ourselves. We understand why Jacob struggled to believe God was for him—because sometimes we do, too. Despite Jacob’s refusal to recognize God’s hand, God was at work, giving Jacob children and thus keeping the promises He made to Abraham. And through it all, God was preparing Jacob for a time when he would fully recognize His presence.