Mon.’s Devo - From Prison to Position

Read: Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 4:1-6 Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. Dreams dominated Joseph’s life. His whole story started with dreams. It was through jealousy over his dreams that his brother’s sold him. Now, it would be through two dreams that God would promote him to his destiny. *** In dreams, God uses everyday objects to represent a greater truth just like he did in his parables. Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. Joseph was given eyes to see the symbols and to be able to interpret them. He was able to understand that fat cows and healthy grain represented years of prosperity and thin cows and blighted grain represented years of famine. He not only told the king the interpretation of his dream but also what to do to prepare and prosper in the midst of a famine. God is doing that now. He is giving us ways to prosper during this time to prepare us for the next few years when we go through a great transition in our land. *** The Pharaoh was humble enough to see that he needed help and that Joseph was the one to do it. He exalted Joseph to second-in-command. He gave him new clothes, a new name and new authority. This is another thing God is doing in the Body of Christ right now. He is bringing us out of the bondage and slavery we have been under and making us the heads of his mountains of society. He is clothing us in humility and love and giving us all the provisions we need to accomplish what God wants on the earth. We have got to change our mindset to do God’s new exalted assignments. We are to rule and reign on this earth with love and humility to care for and bless humanity. *** God used Joseph to bless and preserve a very idolatrous nation. We were all once sinners that Christ died for. America has been a very perverse and idolatrous nation, but God wants to change that through us and bless America once again. *** Back to our story, the last seven years of famine hit the whole world and eventually Canaan, where Jacob and his eleven sons lived. Everyone heard that Egypt had grain so Jacob sent all his sons except Benjamin to Egypt to buy grain to preserve their lives. When they reached Egypt they went to Joseph to buy their grain. He recognized them but they did not recognize Joseph. They bowed down before him and Joseph was reminded of his dreams of his childhood. He acted as if they were spies and asked them many questions. They revealed that they were brothers and had another brother at home. Joseph told them that he would keep them all there and send one home for this brother to prove their stories were true. He put them all in jail for 3 days. Because of them, Joseph had spent years in jail. Maybe he wanted them to experience a glimpse of what he had gone through. They were put in the very prison he had lived in for years. *** We will never go through the suffering that Jesus went through, but God does call us to fellowship in his suffering that we might one day know him and be conformed. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:11) *** In Matthew, Jesus continued telling parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. In his first parable we read about yesterday, the good seed represented the message of the Kingdom but in todays parable, it represents that message in people. Just like in Genesis 1:11, seed reproduces plants with the seed inside them over and over again. *** The first three of the parables we read about today have to do with that multiplication. Jesus spoke these parables to the people, but he explained them to his disciples when they asked him what they meant. The Bible is a closed book to those who have hard hearts and are not open to be taught by God’s Spirit. We have been blessed with tender hearts to receive the gift of God. The Holy Spirit teaches us and show us its mysteries. Thank you, Holy Spirit. *** In today’s parables we not only learn about multiplication but also the job of the angels. It is their job to expose and rid the body of the weeds at harvest time. It is harvest time and we are watching the angels do that now as many pastors, politicians, businessmen, etc. are being exposed and given a chance to repent. *** In the fourth parable, God explains that there is treasure hidden in the field - there are people who have chosen to follow Christ no matter what. So God bought the whole world in order to save them. (John 3:16). *** Lord, thank you for your wonderful plan of salvation. May we be part of your harvesting of souls in these last days. May we see your kingdom come to earth.