Shartel Church

530591

Mankind’s gift at creation was the power to choose. Right or wrong, good or bad, life or death. It was an endowment by God to allow us to rule this world with Him. And one we’ve not always used wisely. This message will examine how powerful this gift is and why God gave it to us.

As the number two ruler in all of Egypt, Joseph’s dream has finally come true. When his brothers come to get food from Egypt, Joseph could have had full revenge for how they treated him. But Joseph realized that his brothers didn’t control his destiny. God does. Resting in that, Joseph gave a gift to his brothers and himself. Forgiveness.

When Joseph was forgotten in prison by the two men he helped, he had to feel overlooked. But he wasn’t, at least not by God. God was waiting for the perfect moment to have Joseph released from prison so that He could put him in the ideal position to carry out His will. God’s timing is PERFECT, even when it’s much slower than ours!

Once again, Joseph finds himself in a pit. This time, the pit is a prison. But Joseph discovered that he wasn’t alone. Even when life works against us, our God is WITH us! Even in the lowest of places, God blessed Joseph and caused him to prosper. God will have His Hand upon us in our dark places, too!

This message will encourage us to reflect deeply on God's love. It’s easy to say, but do we truly believe it—especially when we face difficult situations? This is our faith—the belief that God’s goodness remains constant, even when circumstances don’t make sense.

We welcome Kevin Dugay, Campus Pastor at Mid-America Christian University!

When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, he shunned her advances, even though it could have been personally and financially prosperous for him. Integrity and commitment to God were more important to Joseph than favor with another person or financial gain. Joseph paid the high price of integrity and discovered that it was worth it all to be rewarded by God.

Everywhere Joseph went, he had success. That’s because he gave himself fully to what was at hand, believing God was with him. Achieving our divine destinies doesn’t usually come in huge, single leaps. They are successes built upon successes. To do that, we must commit to being the best we can be, WHEREVER we are. Treating every opportunity as a gift from God allows Him to open door after door for us.

When Joseph got thrown into the pit and then sold into slavery, I doubt that he had any idea that God was using these things to get him to where he needed to be. The way WE think our path should be and the path God takes us on is often very different. This message will look at trusting God, not just with the dream, but with the PROCESS of achieving that dream.