PREPARATION FOR PURPOSE

“So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority” – Genesis 39:4

Joseph’s story in the Bible teaches profound lessons on PREPARATION for PURPOSE: “So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority” (v.4). There is nothing like being thoroughly prepared for your Day of Display. Joseph patiently endured his phases of preparation; hence his Season of Shining was unparalleled (Gen.41:40-44). Sometimes, God uses humiliation and perspiration as preparation for exaltation! Joseph knew the Power of Preparation for the Hour of Manifestation!

Here are four lessons for you, from a phase of Joseph’s Preparation in Destiny:

God brings you to a place of Dependence. On the journey towards the fulfilment of your dream, God will teach you to depend more on Him than on anything else. He could do this by drawing away the things that you tend to lean on: people, positions, possessions or some luxuries you are accustomed to having. God is the only one you can truly rest on (Mt. 7: 24-27). Joseph was taken away from his family and homeland. He lost everything that he could put his hope in – except God. Living in Egypt, Joseph had to learn to depend more on God’s Presence as all that he had (v.2).

God trains and prepares you for your purpose. God will train you for the role that is attached to your dream. In addition to formal training He may lead you to receive, He’ll also enrol you in His informal but very effective School, where you learn a lot that will help you along life’s path: patience, honesty, humility, love, faith and much more. God teaches with both words and circumstances. If for example, He wants you to learn to walk in love, He can connect you with someone who is difficult to get along with. Joseph was trained as a slave in Potiphar’s house (vv.1-2). He worked in the fields and at the house, learning how to plant, harvest, and store grain. Later on, Potiphar gave him charge over all his servants (vv.4-6). Joseph learned to submit to authority, trust God, be patient and remain faithful in tough times. He learned to supervise people and to deal with them on a personal level with fairness having been a servant himself. He would later draw from this experience.

God gives Favour and Grace on the Pathway of Purpose. Joseph connected with Grace and so must we: “So Joseph found favor in his sight, and he served him…” (v.4). He received favour and grace to serve diligently as Potiphar’s slave, even when he was uncertain if he would ever see his family again, let alone fulfil God’s promise for his life. Joseph continued to enjoy Mercy even in prison (v.21-23). Grace, in the form of bits of encouragement that you receive daily in different ways, will carry you beyond what you can do on your own. Just when you feel like giving up on your dream, God speaks to you through His Word or sends someone to show you appreciation, and suddenly you have the strength to go on.

Your integrity and faithfulness to God will be thoroughly tested. Joseph’s key test was Potiphar’s wife trying to seduce him. God allowed Joseph to be in a place where he could be tried ‘day by day’ to make sure there was nothing in him that wanted to give in to the temptation (v.10). Eventually he passed the test and was taken closer to his dream and away from his seducer. We, just like Joseph, will have to be exposed to temptations in many forms, including the offer of a shortcut to compromise on evil. Failing the test will demand having to take it again. The consequence: stagnation in the fulfilment of destiny, leading to frustration, as one keeps going round in circles of disobedience and delay in achieving God’s Perfect Will. God will test you continually so that your character can be strengthened in preparation for your role in destiny!