The Ways of God

 Scripture:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭50‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

After the death of Israel, his sons were afraid of what Joseph would do to them because of what they had done to him. They came to him asking forgiveness. Joseph told them that they intended harm for him, but God used it to save the lives of their families. He saw God’s hand in the many years of his personal trials and tribulations. He not only told them he wouldn’t harm them, but that he would provide for them and their children. Rather than being angry at what they had done to him, he ended up taking care of them. This is what happens when we forgive others as God forgives us.

Application:

When we walk with God there will be many opportunities to be hurt, offended, and to get bitter. People will say things about us that are untrue. People will intentionally do harm to us, but if we walk in step with the Spirit, we will see God turn our troubles into triumphs, our struggles into strategies, and our hurts into healing. When we walk with God, He will help us bless those who persecuted us and provide for those who took everything from us. These are the ways of God!

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are great and glorious! You are mighty and powerful! You are truly incredible and I love You with all my heart. Help me to walk see Your hand in the good times and the bad. Enable me to demonstrate Your love and grace to those around me. You have truly been good to me and I want to let Your love flow through my life in increasing ways. Teach me to forgive and restore.

Yours,

Jeff

Tell The Story

 Scripture:

“Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭48‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

After they were reunited, Jacob told Joseph that the Lord God Almighty had appeared to him at Luz and there the Lord BLESSED him. Part of that blessing followed in the next verse which says that  he would be fruitful and multiply and increase in numbers. He told his son about the blessing of God on his life. He passed to the next generation the story of his blessing.

Application:

It is an incredible thing to be BLESSED by the Lord! When He blesses something, it will prosper and be productive. Jacob not only received a blessing directly from God, but he told his sons about his blessing. He told the story of how the Lord blessed him. When God blesses our lives, we must pass the story to the next generation. They must know that God is good and that He blesses His people. We, as children of Abraham, inherit that very same blessing. Now we must tell the story.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for blessing my life. Thank You for taking care of me all these years. You are truly faithful! Help me to be a good storyteller to my children and their children. I am good at telling Your stories to the world, but help me be better at telling the stories to my own children and their families.Your faithfulness to me is incredible. Help me to tell the story well to my generations.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

The Best of the Land

 Scripture:

“Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭45‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

When Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, everyone was astonished. Pharaoh, not only decided to bless Joseph’s family, but to give them the best of the land of Egypt to live in until the famine was over. Even during a famine, God supernaturally brought Jacob and his descendants to Egypt and gave them the best land in Egypt to dwell in. 

Application:

God takes good care of His people! He has ways of providing for us that we can’t even think of. God was working years and years on a plan for Israel and his family to be provided for and to have the best of the land of Egypt during a famine in Israel. We must be reminded that nothing goes unnoticed by God. It is no surprise to Him when we lose a job, walk through loss, grief, difficult times, etc. When we feel like things are going bad and we are going into a famine, we must remember that God has been working on our blessing and deliverance for years ahead of that time. If we trust Him, He will bring us into the best of the land.

Prayer:

Father, You are so good to Your children! You are faithful and have been working in my life to align me with Your blessings for longer than I can imagine. Help me to trust You more each day. Teach me to walk in complete obedience and to do Your will at all times, knowing that You have my back Speak to me and show me things to come. Prepare me for what You have for me.

Yours,

Jeff

Standing Out From the Crowd

 Scripture:

“So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”” Genesis‬ ‭41‬:‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Joseph had interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and gave him instructions concerning what to do to prepare for the famine that was coming. Pharaoh looked around at all his wise men and thought about who could implement the plan Joseph gave. The Spirit of God was on Joseph, according to the Pharaoh. He was elevated in his position to be the most powerful man in Egypt because, even an ungodly man could recognize the Spirit of God was on his life.

Application:

When we walk in the Spirit and operate in the gifts of the Spirit, God will cause even our enemies to be amazed and to trust us. When we walk in humility, respect, and honor, people feel they can trust us. There was no selfish motive for Joseph in interpreting the dreams. He was simply doing what he was asked to do. When we walk as Spirit-empowered people, the world will see God’s hand on our lives and will trust us more and more.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, overflow my life. Fill me to capacity and overflowing. Let Your Spirit fall on my life until the ungodly recognize that You are with me. Let me walk in humility, character, respect, and honor like Joseph and then demonstrate Your power, wisdom, and love through my life. I am Yours.

Forever,

Jeff

Dream Again

 Scripture:

“His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬

Observation:

Joseph had a dream where his brothers bowed down to him. His brother’s reaction was total rejection. They didn’t like his dream and sarcastically asked him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” They hated his dream and were determined to stop it from coming to pass. The next verse says, “Then he had another dream.” This time his brothers and his parents were bowing down to him. He didn’t understand the dream, but conveyed the dream to his family. When they ridiculed his dream, Joseph dreamed again.

Application:

Nobody will understand the dreams in your heart. Others will try to kill your dreams. Dream haters will tell you that your dream is impossible. People will tell you that it will never work or that you are not qualified to step into your dream. We can allow this to frustrate us and take the wind out of our sails. Just like Joseph we must dream again. We must allow faith to breath life into our dreams when others have taken the life out of them. When we are young, we tend to have great dreams about our lives, but somewhere through life those dreams get squelched. It’s time to dream again.

Prayer:

Father, I want to dream the dreams of God. I long to see Your desired future for my life, my family, my church, and my future. During this fast, speak to me and let my heart dream again. Don’t let my faith be limited by those who can’t see the dreams of my heart. Let me dream again!

Yours,

Jeff

Value Added

 Scripture:

“But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭30‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Jacob had served Laban for fourteen years, which was payment for his wives. Jacob decided it was time to move on and build his own family. When he approached Laban about leaving, Laban asked him to stay. Laban had realized that God had blessed his life because of Jacob. He told Jacob, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.” When the blessing of God is on your life, even the people around you get blessed in the process. The places we work can be blessed simply because they employ us. God’s people become a “value added” to those above them.

Application:

This thought adds value to the believer. It increases our net worth. I remember a pastor who wanted to rent a building for his congregation and the owner didn’t really want to rent to a church. The pastor said, “If you will rent to me, God will bless your business and fill all your vacancies. Eventually, the owner rented to the church and almost immediately he got leases on all his property. He realized he was blessed because of helping out a church. We must believe that God’s blessing on our lives can cause our companies, our neighborhoods, our families, etc., to be blessed. God will bless our business so He can bless our lives. This makes us valuable assets on anyone’s team.

Prayer:

Father, let Your blessing fall on my life in 2025 in greater measure. You have been good to me all these years, but I know there is more. Help me to trust that You will take care of Your own and that You will put people into our lives to be a blessing to us. Let me see myself as a blessed person and walk in confidence concerning this topic. I see Your blessing on the Patriarchs, now let it fall on my life. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff

The Blessing of the Lord

 Scripture:

“Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.”Genesis‬ ‭26‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

When Abraham died, the blessing of God came on his son Isaac. God actually spoke to Isaac and gave him the same promises that were given to his father. Shortly after God blessed him, it says, “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.” God supernaturally blessed Isaac and caused everything he touched to prosper, from the seed in the ground to the cattle on his land. As a result of this blessing, his non-believing neighbors came to him because they “clearly saw” that God was with him.

Application:

A hundred fold is a massive return on investment. The blessing of the Lord has a way of making people prosper in supernatural ways. We must realize that God can take a little and make much of it. Everyone in Scripture who it says, “and the Lord blessed” that person, they began to prosper in every area of life. We can and should work hard and be diligent people, but when the hand of the Lord is on our lives, His blessing will make things happen that can happen no other way. One of the ways God lets the world know He is with us is through blessing His people.

Prayer:

Father, I ask You to bless my life, my family, my church, and my ministry. Place Your hand of multiplication on everything I do and let my life be blessed. I ask You for one hundredfold return and supernatural provision. Let the people around me see that You have blessed my life as I have followed You with all my heart. Let the world see the blessing of following You completely. 

Your Son,

Jeff