Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Joseph’s 4 Steps to Success: Genesis 39:1-6

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May God Pour Out His Spirit Upon You (Photo Credit: Pursuing Holiness Blogspot)

In our last post on Genesis we saw Judah fall in a disturbing way, when he had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law while she posed as a shrine prostitute. (see previous post: Judah and Tamar) In today’s post, we’ll look at Joseph’s rapid rise to success in Potiphar’s household, and the four steps he took to get there.


Genesis 39:1-6

Here in Genesis 39 we pick up our story with Joseph, just sold into slavery. The Ishmaelites who bought him from his brothers, turn around and sell him to an Egyptian named Potiphar who’s the captain of the guard for Pharoah, the king of Egypt.

Can you even imagine what Joseph went through? Can you imagine having your family turn on you? If my siblings sold me into slavery, and I was taken away to serve a master in a far away foreign country, I don’t know what I’d do. But look what Joseph did.

We see Joseph as a picture of Jesus in that, like Jesus, Joseph takes on the role of a servant. And the Lord is with him so he rocks his new position in Potiphar’s house. When Potiphar sees the Lord is with him in the small things, and how the Lord blesses Joseph with success in everything, Potiphar shows him favor and makes Joseph his attendant. He puts Joseph in charge of his whole household. All Potiphar owns is placed under Joseph’s charge. After Potiphar promotes him to run it all, the Lord blesses his entire estate because of Joseph. Everything thrives: inside, outside, in the house, and in the field. He trusts Joseph so much he leaves every detail in his care. Potiphar doesn’t concern himself with anything except the food he eats.


Joseph’s 4 Steps to Success: Steps You Can Take Too

1) Ask for God’s Spirit

The first five words of verse two say, “The Lord was with Joseph…” It’s a wise man who remains close to God all his days. You never know when you might be separated from every other living soul in your life. Joseph was. He was separated from his family and every single person who was familiar to him.

But he still had his God. And that proved to be his saving grace. The Lord was with Joseph…

And it’s obvious God’s Spirit was upon him. Which brings to mind a favorite saying of one of my favorite fire department Captains, Rick Rohrbough, who would sometimes remark, “You don’t dig with your shovel when the backhoe is comin’.”

That saying comes to mind because living life without God’s Spirit compared to living life with His Spirit is like digging with a shovel compared to digging with a backhoe. Life flows when you’re living in the Spirit. Life’s so much harder when you’re not. It just doesn’t make any sense to live without His Holy Spirit poured out on your life.

And all you have to do is ask for it. Jesus said, If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11-13)

Ask God to pour His Holy Spirit upon you, to be with you in what you put your hand to.

Ask.

Ask every day.


2) The Day of the Small Things

I think it’s important to keep in mind, as a slave, Joseph had to have started with small responsibilities. It’s a great reminder for you and for me not to despise the day of the small things. (Zechariah 4:10) When I started with the fire department my duties included cleaning the toilets. Having lived it, I recommend, if you’re assigned to clean the toilets, clean them well. I remember another time when we needed to find someone to take on the task of managing the laundry service for the fire department. This is not a glamorous task by any stretch of the imagination. A firefighter, who was already passed over four times for Captain, volunteered for the assignment and handled it extremely well. Today he serves as the Deputy Chief of Administration.

God’s word speaks of minding the day of the small things in Zechariah, and we see Jesus operates in the same way in Matthew 25:21.

So don’t despise the day of the small things. It results in great blessings, in the long run. (see previous post, Pat Summit: The Day of Small Things)


3) Work With All Your Heart

Thomas Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” (Phrases.org) After reading the story of Joseph, I’m left with the distinct impression, he was industrious. Running the estate of a high government official, and running it well, had to be demanding of his time and energy. The Holy Spirit is God’s part, and the most important part, but Joseph had an important part too, and that was to give it his best.  Joseph’s response is remarkable given the circumstances. He had to have been tempted to succumb to depression as a result of his brother’s intense hostility and rejection of him, as well as his current circumstances in Egypt. But he didn’t fall into despondency. Instead he worked with all his heart, as working for the Lord, not for his strange new Egyptian master.

However difficult your circumstances, how do they compare to Joseph’s? Have you been sold into slavery lately?

Wherever you find yourself, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… (Colossians 3:23)


4) Live According to God’s Word

In the biblical account of Joseph’s life, no sin is ever mentioned (another reason Joseph of the Old Testament is such a powerful picture of Jesus. See previous post: Joseph and Jesus). It’s obvious from our story, Potiphar trusted Joseph completely. Many of the simple truths in God’s scriptures are extremely valuable to those in authority. At the fire department some of us called certain employees who lived with great integrity and purpose, “fire and forget weapons.” When we gave them an assignment, they took responsibility and worked at it with all their heart. These people didn’t require much in the way of supervision. As Potiphar was with Joseph, once we gave them an assignment, we never gave it another thought.

Reading your Bible daily and living out the scriptures will pay off big in the long run. I have found Psalm 1 to be absolutely true.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

Do you want whatever you do to prosper?

Live like Joseph did — regardless of your circumstances.


References:

Bible Gateway

Blue Letter Bible

Matthew Henry

Jon Courson

Revival

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“… Every new and great movement of God is born of the Spirit. When we examine church history and the various great movements of God, we discover they were all born in the Spirit.” – Chuck Smith

Lord, however weak and contemptible this prayer may seem, and however imperfect it really be, may it nevertheless live before You, and through Your divine power be mighty to produce the rise and progress of drawing people to Jesus and taking people deeper into their relationships with Him.

Lord, there’s a sickness in Your church and in the world today. There are many competing messages contrary to Your words, more than ever before. There’s a weakening in the teaching of who You are and what You say to us in Your word. Sin is whitewashed and large portions of Your word are left untaught and unspoken. These problems are beyond us Lord, so that the only thing for us to do is to pray for Your Holy Spirit to be poured out upon us and upon the church, and upon the world and to pray for revival.

Lord have mercy on us. We know those of us who dare to pray this prayer don’t deserve for You to answer us. Nor does the rest of the church or the world. But You said, if we humbled ourselves and came before You, and called on Your name, You would heal our land.

So we ask for a great outpouring of Your Holy Spirit and for revival.

In Jesus name.

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14


References:

Chuck Smith

The first sentence of the prayer was adapted from Philip Doddridge’s prayer in the preface of “The Valley of Vision.”

Bennett, Arthur, (1975) Valley of Vision

Led by the Spirit into the Wilderness: Luke 4:1

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Led by the Spirit (Photo credit: Josef Stuefer)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…

Luke 4:1



What if He didn’t go? Where would we be today? I don’t even like to think about it.

And what if you don’t go? What if the Holy Spirit speaks to you, today, and you miss out?

Live life looking for the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:13-17 — he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him

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Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:13-17


How Jesus loved people:

In our last post about how Jesus loved people, we saw that He prepared Himself to love others by spending time at His Father’s house, at His place of worship. (see previous post) In today’s post we see that Jesus further prepares Himself to love people by receiving the Holy Spirit. And the way He does it… His humility, it astounds me. Jesus humbled Himself, He submitted Himself to the same practices that were in place for everyone else. Here He was, God incarnate, fully man and also fully God, and yet He submitted to the same conventions as everybody else. Even when John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” He insisted that He be treated the same as anyone else.

So Jesus, the God-man, in order to prepare Himself for the great outpouring of love that was to come over the next three years, submits Himself to John and is baptized. And when He’s baptized, the Holy Spirit descends from heaven and alights on him.


How you can too:

Think this through with me — if Jesus Christ Himself needed the Holy Spirit, to prepare to love on others, Lord knows you and I do too. The only way to love people the way our Heavenly Father desires us to, is to first receive the Holy Spirit. That’s how Jesus did it, that’s what you and I need to do also.

Jesus spoke at length about the Holy Spirit with His disciples when they were upset at the news that He would be leaving them soon. Shortly before His death He told them He wouldn’t leave them as orphans. He said that after He’s gone, His Father would send the Comforter, or Advocate. The original Greek word used there is parakletos, which means “to come along side.” The origin for our English word, paramedic, comes from the same Greek prefix, para-. A paramedic comes along side a patient to help heal him or her. The Holy Spirit comes along side you to help you in every area of your life. This happens the moment you decide to follow Jesus Christ.

But there’s another way in which the Holy Spirit comes to us, and this is the way that empowers us to love people the way God desires us to. In Acts chapter 1 Jesus instructed His disciples: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5) Then in Acts chapter 2, suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (Acts 2:2) The Holy Spirit blew the disciples away. They were filled to the overflowing, and they were empowered to do things and to love people in ways that aren’t humanly possible apart from God. (See Acts chapter 2) This is the way the Holy Spirit comes to people described by Jesus when He said, “…rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38)

Ephesians 5:18-20 tells us to be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When you’re filled with the Spirit your heart is filled with music. But the music isn’t dependent on the circumstances of your life, which are sometimes up and sometimes down. The object of the music of the Holy Spirit is Christ, Who is unchanging. So when you’re filled with the Holy Spirit you’re empowered to love God, and to love people, regardless of your life circumstances. (Keller)

This is spectacular! Because without love no matter what we do, you and I are as a resounding gong. No matter how hard we try, no matter how we may sacrifice, we gain nothing without love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) ”You’ll never know your full potential in Christ, until you yield to the fullness of the Holy Spirit in your life.” (Chuck Smith)

You need love, to please God, and you need the Holy Spirit to be filled with love.

To love people the way Jesus did, you need to first receive the Holy Spirit as Jesus did.

All that’s required is to ask God for Him. Simply asking, from your heart, that God would pour His Holy Spirit out upon you is all you need to do to receive Him. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Jesus said in Luke 11:11-13. So to receive God’s power to love people, like you’ve never loved them before, ask Him for His Holy Spirit.

Just ask!

Ask right now.

Ask every day, for the Holy Spirit, and your Father in heaven will give Him to you.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Romans 8:14


References:

Chuck Smith, Living Water, The Word for Today, 2007

Chuck Smith Audio Teaching on Holy Spirit

Dr. Timothy Keller

BibleStudyTools.com

Jon Courson

Genesis 2:7 — God formed man from the dust

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-the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

Today scientists know that, in fact, all of the elements that make up the human body are found in the dust of the earth — just as the Bible describes. Did you know that if someone were to collect and separate all of those elements found in your body, and sell them, you would be worth only a few dollars?

But, thank God, and thanks to God, we’re more than dust. God breathed into Adam’s nostrils His breath of life. Formed of dust but without God’s breath of life we’re dead. But with God’s breath of life in us we live, move, and have our being. In the original Hebrew the word ruach is used here for the word breathed in this scripture, and it’s the same word that’s used to mean Spirit.

Perhaps you’re already a Christian, you believe in Jesus Christ, that He died for your sins, and rose again. You’ve accepted Him as your Lord. (If you’re not, please go to the Join Christ’s Family tab) But even as we’re but dust without God’s breath of life imparted unto us, we’re also missing out on a more abundant life if we don’t have God’s Holy Spirit upon us. In John 10:10 Jesus said that, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (KJV) Jesus also said in John 7:38 that “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” And in the next verse the Bible says that By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Do you want to enjoy your most abundant life in Christ? Do you want to live a life that’s overflowing with streams of God’s living water? Then ask God for the Holy Spirit to come upon you. You may experience greater wisdom, greater knowledge, greater faith, and greater discernment, (1 Corinthians 12:8-11) as well as greater love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23) Who doesn’t want that? The Holy Spirit can bring these things into your life in greater measure!

The other thing that happens when you have the Holy Spirit upon your life is that you begin to bear fruit for God’s kingdom. I have observed this in a close friend of mine who I’ll call Jim. Jim’s been a Christian for more than 25 years, and while he’s been pleasant enough, and while I’ve observed no gross sin in his life, there didn’t seem to be much that would indicate any bearing of fruit in Jim’s life. In fact, you could say that Jim’s life was somewhat characterized by selfish pursuits and self indulgence. However, about five years ago Jim confided in me that he began to pray in earnest for the Holy Spirit to come upon his life. Since that time I’ve observed that Jim’s countenance has changed, he’s taught small Bible studies for men, he’s lead small home church groups, he’s visited and prayed for sick people in the hospital, and he’s reached out to others to influence them for Christ. Jim’s life was transformed!

Yours can be too.

Ask for the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Luke 11:11-13

References:

Blue Letter Bible

Bible Gateway

J. Vernon McGee

David Guzik

Chuck Smith, Living Water, The Word for Today, 2007

Northern Iowa U Perseveres — Video

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Before Thursday the Northern Iowa University’s mens basketball team hadn’t won a game in the NCAA tournament since 1990.

Their starting center, the first 7 footer to ever play for Northern Iowa, averaged a mere 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds his freshman year. His sophomore year he missed games because of a bulging disc in his lower back. At that point in his career fans had to wonder if he might be a bust.

But that 7 footer, Jordan Eglseder, and the Northern Iowa basketball team persevered.

Today Jordan Eglseder is Northern Iowa’s leading scorer. And today, Northern Iowa’s team pulled off an amazing upset to defeat overall number 1 seed Kansas.

Check out the great highlight video below

For twenty years the University of Northern Iowa’s basketball team has been trying to win a game in the NCAA tournament. Today they won their second NCAA tournament game in three days.

Perseverance is a huge part of the Christian faith. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” According to Bruce Winston in his book, Be a Leader for God’s Sake, the Greek words for ask, seek, and knock “imply a continual state of activity. These words could actually read:

Ask and keep on asking

Seek and keep on seeking

Knock and keep on knocking”

(Winston, p128)

It’s essential for us, as Christians, to persevere in prayer,

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:8

Consider the following excerpt from Traveler and the Chaplain:

“How is asking for the Holy Spirit going to increase my level of enthusiasm?” Traveler asked.
“The Bible says that when the Philistines came against Samson…”
…the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. (Judges 15:14 KJV)
Through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit Samson then went on to defeat 1,000 of the enemy by himself!  When you receive the empowerment of the Holy Spirit your passion increases, among other things.  You said that you wanted more enthusiasm?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting word.  We get our word enthusiasm from the Greek word en-theos which means full of God’s spirit.” (Jon Courson lecture, 3/12/2008)
“Hmm,” Traveler said.  He was beginning to understand.  “So how do I get it, or Him?  The Holy Spirit?”
“You ask God,” the Chaplain replied.
“I just ask God?”
“Jesus said,
‘If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’” (Luke 11:13)
“So, pray,” the Chaplain said.  “Just ask God.  Ask Him for the Holy Spirit, every day.”