LivethruJesus

Simeon is in prison. Jacob won't let Benjamin go to Egypt. Fear and helplessness lead to hope, trust and dependence on God. He is our Almighty, Powerful, Helper.

Joseph's brothers go to Egypt. He tests them. They have a guilty conscience. Don't be too overwhelmed or fearful to make a decision. Be decisive and proactive. How do we free ourselves from a guilty conscience.

Joseph gets out of prison after 13 years of suffering. God was with him the whole time, preparing him for His future plan. Do we look to God in our difficult times? How can we come out stronger and better?

Joseph interprets dreams. Talking about God in our everyday conversation. The prisoner forgets to help Joseph once he's free. When you get to the other side of your struggles, do you forget the people that helped you? Do you try to put it all out of your mind & forget everything you learned when times were hard? Do you forget all God did for you? Do you get prideful and think you alone pulled yourself out?

Joseph is sold. Put in charge of his masters house. His wife wants Joseph. He turns her down. She cries rape. Joseph gets put in prison. He is put in charge of the prisoners. God is with him but allows him to be punished even though he has done nothing wrong. How do we react in times of suffering? Do we trust God? How strong is our faith?

Excuses, procrastination, hypocrisy. Judging others when we are also guilty. Being confronted with our sin & taking responsiblity for it. The geneology of Jesus.

Joseph is Jacob's favoirte. Joseph's dreams say he will rule them all. His brothers hate him. They conspire to kill him. They sell him into slavery instead. Jacob thinks he's dead. They all react badly to their feelings. We can't dwell on our feelings and allow them to grow.

God protects Jacob. He reassures him of His promise. Esau moves away. Rachel has Benjamin and dies in childbirth. We wrap up the lives of Isaac, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, and Esau

Jacob's daughter, Dinah, was defiled by a man of the land. The brothers get are deceitful & get revenge in a very unjust way. Bad reactions. Taking matters into our own hands.

Going to God first, reminding ourselves of who He is, what He says, & what He's already done, being authentic in our prayers, wrestling with God, allowing Him to make us new.