“But The Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him His faithful love.  And The Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.  Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in that prison.  The warden worried no more, because Joseph took care of them.  The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” ~Genesis 39:21-23.

Today’s blog was inspired by God first, then through this daily devotional called, “Faithful in Captivity”, from “Our Daily Bread.”  It’s about Joseph being sent to prison because he was being falsely accused by someone for his strong faith in God.  Someone asked him to do something that he refused to do because of his faith and his relationship with God.  Taking part in this act, would have him fall into sin and ruin the loyalty and faithfulness that he has with God.  I guess what I’m trying to say here is this: when we are faced with struggles and fears, it drives away from The Lord and The Lord does not want any of that from us.  During these difficult times we really need to learn how to be faithful to not only God, but to ourselves as well.  It is at times like this when we need to let go of all of our worries and fears and to just have faith, that all things will work out according to God’s plans.

This is certainly not an easy task for any of us, especially me.  I struggle with these things on a daily basis, it is horrible, that’s for sure.  I have become a prisoner to these things for my whole life and I can’t do any of this anymore, it’s making my life and my relationship with God and others, suffer.  I need to prevent these things from happening and becoming worse before it’s too late.  These negative things do not come from God, they come from the evil one.  This has a big hold on my life and I can’t seem to figure out a way to get out of this “funk” that I’m in.  At this moment, I find myself getting tired of this hold that’s on me.  I need and want to get out of this situation as soon as I possibly can, because it’s honestly ruining my life and I hate it.  I’m just stuck and not sure where to go from here.

God is with me through it all, this I know for the Bible tells me so.  He is always with us through it all, even though it can be a big challenge sometimes, especially lately.  I’m pretty sure that I am not the only one who is struggling with this, it is hard sometimes.  Do you understand what I mean? I think that I have a lot to think about and praying to do.  That is for certain.  When The Lord is with us through it all, He will have favor upon us and He will help us to succeed.  But we first have to have faith, trust, and a good relationship with The Lord, so that these things can succeed, and of course it all has to be in The Lord’s will for us before anything else can happen.  I know that without The Lord being in my life, these things would be a lot more difficult to face and deal with when it comes to not being able to talk to Him and to have a good relationship with Him either.  He is the ultimate healer and only He can help you with and through it all.  He is the only one that can change you, so please let Him come into your life and change you for the better before it’s too late.

He is my strength and my redeemer and I’d be completely lost without Him.  We will always have Jesus, but we will not always have our family, friends, and loved ones with us and supporting us through it all.  Our lives are only temporary, but The Lord is eternal and never changes and when you pray and have a relationship with The Lord, that is when He will lead you to your destiny of eternal life spent with Him as well as all of our loved ones that have gone before us and will also come after us.  I yearn for that day to come, but we need to save the lost first, before The Lord calls us home.  That is our mission and purpose for this world while we are still here.

Here are five guidelines that Joseph is teaching us through Genesis 39:21; 1.) We need to receive all of God’s promises with childlike faith; 2.) Make the best out of bad situations; 3.) Stand with integrity in trials and temptations; 4.) Walk in humility before God and man; 5.) See everything in your life from God’s perspective.

Has God given you a vision for your life? If He has then here is what you need to do to fulfill His vision and purpose for your life: 1.) Ponder God’s vision for a while.  Do not share it right away, but ask God for His timing to share it and fulfill it with others.  2.) Expect God’s favor in the sight of others.  God is always able to make a way even when it seems impossible and there’s no way.

3.) Remain faithful to God in all that you say and do.  Do not compromise, especially when His vision is slow in coming.  4.) Believe that God is sufficient.  He has given you the certain gift that you need to realize what His actual purpose is through you.  5.) Trust in God’s sovereign providence.  He causes all things to work for your good as you remain faithful to His calling and purpose for you.  Amen? Let me conclude this blog entry by telling you this: When you throw aside all of your struggles and holds down at Jesus’ feet, leave them there, and let Him take care of it all, then you’ll truly be living such a blessed life.  It may not always be an easy journey, but in the end, it will be worth it.  Just trust me on that.  When you step out in faith, you never know where it might lead you, but don’t worry, because whatever it is that He is leading you to, it will be great and worth it.  Just obey and trust in Him and He will honor you and reward you for all that you have done for Him according to His will at the end of your life.  I don’t know about you, but I do know that when I go home to be with The Lord, I want Him to say to me, “Well- done my good and faithful servant, I love you, and welcome home.” Amen? Amen and always praise The Lord!  God Bless!

~In Christ,

Emily