Lessons for Living (Audio)

Everybody wants God to answer their prayers, but many people’s prayers go unanswered. Maybe that person has never given their life to God in the first place, so there’s no actual relationship there. Maybe they have already received an answer but it’s not the answer that they wanted. Pastor Mark will be teaching about another reason it might seem that God isn’t listening to your prayers. He will be teaching about unforgiveness and the damage it does in your life. He’ll be talking about your need to forgive and, using Joseph as an example, show you how God can bless you when you do life His way.

It’s been said that revenge is a dish that’s best served cold. The natural tendency is to get even or do more than was done to oneself. This is completely against what God teaches through the Bible. Pastor Mark will be using the life of Joseph to illustrate how God wants you to respond when bad things are done to you. You’ll hear about Joseph’s trials and the wrong things that were done to him. You will learn how Joseph reacted to the injustices done to him and how God was able to use Joseph. Because of his willingness to react in a godly manner, God was able to save Egypt and Joseph’s family.

One of the most difficult things for people to do is to forgive. When someone does wrong to you or those you love, forgiveness comes hard. And for some reason there’s the idea of forgetting the hurt that’s wrapped up with the idea of forgiveness. As Pastor Mark teaches about forgiveness and forgetting using Joseph’s story, you’ll be introduced to the biblical understanding of forgiveness and forgetting in regards to hurts done against you. You will discover that what God means by those two words may be different than how you might have come to understand their meaning.

Did you ever ask God, “Why, oh why did you put me in this job?” If you’ve worked more than a few jobs this question has probably crossed your mind. But Joseph was in an even worse situation – he was in prison! But Pastor Mark will tell you in his teaching today that there’s another principle at work for those who serve God. You’ll hear about that principle and how it operates in your life. You will find help in understanding this precept and then you can ask God to show you why you’re where you are. That will allow you to be a better servant of God, showing His love to those around you.

Are you happy with the government? Are there times when they frustrate you? Probably. What if you were in a country ruled by an absolute monarch – would you do what they said? The early church was in that situation. You can read in the book of Acts what the church went through because of their faith. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the responsibility of Christ followers in relationship to their governments. He will be reminding you that your primary allegiance is to God, but that you’re also God’s representative on earth. He will talk about balancing those two responsibilities.

As a Christ follower, do you sometimes find it hard to keep remembering that this world is not the end of your existence? That there’s another place being prepared for you by Jesus? Sure, the monotony of this life can certainly grind you down, and bad circumstances only make it worse. Pastor Mark will be teaching about Joseph, the prisoner. As an inmate his daily routine would have been strictly controlled. And yet you will hear about his prospering while in prison and gaining favor with those around him. You’ll get to learn how he did that and how you can apply those traits to your own life.

The normal thing for people to do when they encounter difficulties is to withdraw from others and concentrate on themselves. They’re trying to figure out how and why they got into their mess and more importantly how to get out of their situation. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will tell you that there’s no indication that Joseph was wallowing in self-pity. Instead, he was engaged in doing his job and maintaining a close relationship with God, however difficult that might have been. Pastor Mark will share some tips for cultivating the same attitude towards life and God that Joseph had.

There was a popular song a few years ago that stated, “The waiting is the hardest part”. That is a true statement, especially when you’re going through a rough patch that seems like it’ll never end. You could say that Joseph was in that situation. Falsely accused of a heinous crime and imprisoned for it. But Pastor Mark will be talking about Joseph’s secret weapon that he may not have known he had. Joseph’s devotion to God allowed God to work behind the scenes on Joseph’s behalf. You will hear how you, too, can discover how God can work in your life, despite your difficulties.

One of the hardest things for Christ followers to wrap their minds around is the issue of hardships and difficulties in life and God’s place in those. Losing a job – or a child – is stressful enough; trying to place that in what you think of as God’s plan for your life is tricky. Pastor Mark will be teaching about Joseph’s story. You’ll hear how God, although He didn’t create the negative circumstances in Joseph’s life, used those situations to build Joseph’s character to become godlier. You’ll learn what Joseph did to maintain his integrity, and how you can implement those in your life.

There are so many times in life where you might be tempted to just throw in the towel. Cares and worries pile up, friends and family get hurt or die - all kinds of stuff; you wonder how you can keep going. Surely there were points in Joseph’s life when he might have been tempted to feel the same way, but Pastor Mark will be teaching about what kept Joseph going. You’ll learn the kind of mindset that Joseph had and the hope in God that made it possible for him to endure the trials he experienced. And you’ll discover that the tools he used to overcome his situations can be yours as well.