Strength of Character
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance: Psalm 105:17-21 (KJV)
And he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true. The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free. He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed, Psalm 105:17-21 (New International Version, NIV)
This tells us that God sent Joseph to Egypt for a reason. God will send us places or put us in situations for a reason. Time will usually tell why.
They bruised and hurt his feet with shackles and his neck was put in irons. The Hebrew says that his soul came into iron. What Joseph’s brothers intended to harm him, God used to strengthen him. The same is true for us. The enemy will try to do things to hurt us, but God uses them for our benefit. we ca gain strength of character and moral fiber by what we go through. It makes us ready, so when God’s Word comes to pass, we are prepared to be used by God.
We must have inner strength to handle outside pressures. Whatever doesn’t break us has the potential to make us. We grow through endurance. God helps us to withstand and outlast anything we face or go through. In the process, God is maturing and molding us into vessels fit for the Master’s use.
God has a day of deliverance for us. If we endure and walk with God, He will bring us out and up. He will promote us. We will rule and be free.
We are to be the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. We will possess instead of being possessed by others. God will pay us back for all we’ve endured, as long as we’ve endured with a right heart attitude.
The lesson here is to serve where you are, so you can rule where God is taking you. Through all we endure, we can be sure that God will give us more. And the greatest reward of our endurance is seeing Jesus.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. I Peter 1:7-9 (KJV)
