If you want God’s best and you want to make your life count, then you can expect to travel the road of adversity. God uses these moments to help overcome our adversities. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to intouch.org/tv.
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in touch the Teaching Ministry of Dr
Charles Stanley reaching the world with
the Gospel of Jesus Christ next on in
touch the dark moments in our life
you want God’s best in your life
and you want to make your life count
then you can expect to travel the road
of adversity it’s always there and it’s
amazing how somehow God uses adversities
in our life
to shape us
to make us fit and to equip us to do the
things that he desires to do in us and
through Us in life
and when you think about what adversity
is adversity is those dark moments in
our life that is the times when we feel
tried and tempted
we feel hurt misused and abused we feel
depressed anxious fearful thoughtless
sinful
depressed you name it all those things
the person goes through sorrow and loss
these are dark moments in our life and
God does not promise that we’ll have
life without dark moments we are going
to have them and what we have to ask is
this how are we going to respond to them
and the way we respond to them is
determined by a number of things one of
which is how long
that moment of darkness lasts somebody
says well for me it hasn’t been a moment
of darkness it’s been hours days weeks
moments years of Darkness
well
let’s ask the question why do you think
God has allowed that in your life for so
long so I want to bring you to one of
the life principles of the life
principle Bible
because it is a principle by which God
operates every one of these principles
is that’s true of it so I want to put
this on the screen so you can write it
down and you’ll not forget it because
this is what we’re going to be talking
about the dark moments of our life last
only as long as is necessary for God to
accomplish his purpose so there is a
limitation on them there’s a purpose for
them is there’s a very specific purpose
they last only as long as is necessary
for God to accomplish his purpose now
since we don’t always know his purpose
in our life
we think well God why you like this to
happen this seems to be so useless so
senseless I don’t see the reason this
I’m just hurting I’m feeling the pain
and you just keep letting it go on well
we don’t see it but God sees it because
he sees her life from beginning to end
and what I’d like for us to do in this
message is to illustrate this very truth
through the life of Joseph because
beginning as a teenager his dark moments
began as a teenager and lasted for 13
very dark years so I want you to turn if
you will to the Book of Genesis and
let’s look if you will in the 37th
chapter and I want to give us a little
background about what’s going on in this
life so that you’ll see how this all
relates together
the 37th chapter beginning in verse 1.
now Jacob lived in the land where his
fathers had sojourned in the land of
Canaan and these are the records of the
generations of Jacob and yet he starts
out with Joseph because there’s an
awesome story here
so he begins Joseph when 17 years of age
was pastoring the flock with his
brothers while he was still a youth
along with the sons of bilha and the
sons of zilpah his father’s wives and
Joseph brought back a bad report about
them to their father
now Israel this is his other name
Jacob’s other name Israel loved Joseph
more than all his sons because he was
the son of his old age and he made him a
bear color tunic and you know we call it
the coat of many colors
his brothers saw that their father loved
him more than all his brothers so they
hated him and could not speak to him on
friendly terms that is he lived in an
atmosphere of pure hatred and remember
this is 11 Brothers
then Joseph had a dream and when he told
it to his brothers they hated him even
more he said to them please listen to
this dream which I’ve had
for behold we were bonding sheaves in
the field and lo mashiv rose up and also
stood erect and behold your sheaves
gathered around and bowed down to my
head now I don’t think I would have told
him that part of the dream I don’t
believe it were there
then his brother said to him are you
actually going to Reign Over Us or are
you really going to rule over us so they
hated him even more for his dream and
for his word
thou he’d still had still another dream
and related it to his brothers and said
Lo I’ve had still another dream and
behold the Sun and the Moon and the 11
stars were bowing down to me he related
this to his father and to his brothers
and his father rebuked him and said to
him
what is this dream that you’ve had shall
I and your mother and your brothers
actually come to Bow ourselves down
before you to the ground his brothers
were jealous of him but his father kept
these things in his mind then his
brothers went to pasture their father’s
flock in shechem Israel said to Joseph
are not your brothers passing the flock
in shechem come and I will send you to
them and he said to them I will go now
that was a very unfortunate trip that he
went on what I want you to see with that
background is this
young man beginning at the age of 17
went through some very very dark moments
in his life
and I want us to think about the kind of
moments he went through as we said
moments can be hours or whatever it
might be first of all he grew up in a
home where he was hated totally hated
they were jealous of him because the
father showed partiality made it his
coat of many colors so he was his
father’s pet
it wasn’t his fault they hated him three
times it says they hated him they were
jealous and they hated him so he had
that atmosphere in which he grew up that
his atmosphere pure rejection
well he goes to see his brothers and
they decide you know what we’re sick and
tired of him we’re going to get rid of
him so they decided to kill him they
said we’ll kill him and then we will
take an animal and shed its blood put it
on his coat of many colors and we’ll
take it back to the father and tell him
that he was killed by a wild beast
so what did they do they threw him in
this pit
and they stayed in there for a little
while not too long and this Caravan came
by and they thought wait a minute why
don’t we just sell him might as well
make a little money off him why don’t we
just sell him to this Caravan so they
sell them this Caravan now he has hated
by his brothers been separated from his
parents and now he’s on his way to
somewhere he doesn’t know exactly where
and getting further and further and
further away from home and feeling more
and more lonely more and more rejected
more and more rejected more and more
fearful no doubt not knowing what in the
world is going to happen to him so when
they get down to uh Egypt they put him
on a block and offer him up as a slave
so it just so happens by the grace of
God that potiphar who is the head of the
bodyguard for Pharaoh bought him took
him home now he’s a Slave
so naturally he starts out with all the
dirty work that has to go on and
thinking about you know this coat of
many colors he had and the house parents
took good care of him and now he’s
scrubbing flaws and doing all the nasty
dirty work
and so but he did it so well that after
a season of time
um
part of it looked at him and watched him
and he thought well he’s very
disciplined what he does he’s not
complaining and what is it about this
guy so next thing you know over a period
of time I’m sure he puts his household
whole household under Joseph’s Authority
he took care of everything every single
thing he put it into his hands and then
he’s doing his best and the Bible says
that he’s a success with potiphar but
he’s too good-looking so Potiphar’s wife
begins to look at him and lust after him
and does everything in her power to get
him to go to bed with her and he
wouldn’t do it he said how can I do that
when your husband has put me in total
charge of his household and he trusts me
the answer is no
and so she frames him and tricks him
and so what happens when she tells her
husband naturally he’s going to believe
her I think
I wouldn’t I I think he must have had
some question because if she were that
way told him more than likely she’d been
looking around maybe somebody else but
that’s neither here nor there anyway he
couldn’t do anything but put him in
prison never think about this you go
into prison
by The Bodyguard head of The Bodyguard
of pharaoh and you’re going to prison as
a criminal for attempting to seduce
the bodyguard’s wife
you’re in prison and you’re going to be
forgotten throw him in prison
how long he was in part of his house we
don’t know how long he’s in prison we
don’t know but one thing for certain it
wasn’t the kind of prison we’re talking
about because another passage of the
Bible talks about him being in Chains in
stocks and so imagine how they treated
him when he first got in prison you
scoundrel you criminal I mean imagine
the kind of turmoil he went through but
in spite of all that after a period of
time the next thing you know
the prison keeper is watching him and
noticing his response and his attitude
and before long he puts Joseph in charge
of the prison
so wherever he goes he’s a successive
whatever he does and you say well that
wouldn’t be too bad wait a minute he’s
in prison we’re talking about dungeons
in prison we’re talking about bad stuff
well
the Baker and the butler get thrown into
prison that is Pharaoh’s bacon but we
get thrown into prison and so they were
talking and they had a dream
so Joseph said well let me see if I can
interpret that dream
so he interprets a dream that one of
them would be restored and one of them
would be beheaded
and so the butler will be restored the
baker would be beheaded and so sure
enough that’s what happened and so
Joseph said
to the ballah when you get back would
you just remind
Pharaoh that I interpreted this dream
and remember me he said I’m sure I will
forgot him how long he went by probably
a couple years or so anyway it was God’s
timing and so uh one day he’s in prison
and he is approached by someone who said
you need to shave and get the get the we
got some we got some new clothes some
clean clothes for you and follow me what
was that what was all that about don’t
usually execute people in clean clothes
but so he didn’t have an idea of what
was happening
and they take him before pharaoh and you
know the story if Pharaoh says have had
these dreams and I hear you can
interpret them and it was the dreams
about seven lean years and seven
fruitful years and he interpreted that
dream in such a powerful way
that Pharaoh now this is a Hebrews a
young Hebrew kid to some degree now he’s
30 years of age and where does he spent
his life spent his life as a slave spend
his life in prison as a Criminal Who
was there for attempting to seduce
Potiphar’s wife
not a ghost of a chance
Pharaoh said
I’ve not found this kind of wisdom
anywhere putting you in charge you’re
second to me whatever you say goes and
so you’re it you’re the Prime Minister
whatever Joseph says in Egypt is what
happens
so for 13 years it was one experience of
Darkness after the other
moments of Darkness trials and adversity
and most any of us would think well now
it looks like God could have sort of
fixed that in a couple of years or so no
this is what’s so very important you
don’t want to miss
it took 13 years
now more than likely some of you are
going through some of those dark moments
in your life
and you’re feeling it and you’ve got the
same questions he has God why are you
letting this happen to me Lord I’m in a
Christian a long time I’ve been trying
to do what’s right I’ve tried to be
obedient to you or it may be that you
would say Lord I know I haven’t been
what ought to be I know I’ve strayed I
know I have been backslidden I know have
wandered from you and in other words
whatever it may be but you’re still
asking the question why is God allowing
this to happen to you
so more than likely if you’re going
through one of those tough moments in
your life listen to me carefully because
there is a Biblical Godly truthful
Eternal answer to that
so we all find ourselves at times in our
life going through dark moments
sometimes I like to think of them as
maybe maybe as as dark maybe as a shadow
and then there’s some moments that are
absolutely midnight black
you don’t say any hope you don’t know
how God I could possibly work you out of
that
well the question that comes is what is
God’s purpose in these times what what
is God’s purpose in allowing us these
dark moments in life these these roads
and Pathways of adversity that we all
travel at some point in our life listen
carefully
God had a purpose
for Joseph now I know that some of you
have a hard time believing this God has
a purpose for you that is just as
important to God as it was for his
purpose for Joseph you say yeah but look
what Joseph did that’s not the issue the
issue is how does God view us he loves
every single one of us and he has a
purpose for your life
he had a purpose for Joseph’s life
and that purpose is very clear to us
thousands of years later but it wasn’t
to him in the beginning of that time he
has the purpose for your life so what we
say well what’s the purpose for my life
well let’s think about it for example
ultimately here’s the here’s the bottom
line his ultimate purpose in your life
in my life the reason he uses these dark
moments is to conform us to the likeness
of Christ he said I don’t quite get
there what I mean by that is
this
only one thing is going to satisfy you
and that’s Jesus living his life in and
through your life that’s it
so
when I think when I think about the
purpose God has in their life then one
of the issues here is the length of time
that God allows these things to happen
in life that is
for example with Joseph when we say 17
he lived among his brothers and they
hated him before he was 17. that’s just
where the scripture starts and so what
about the length of time
only as long as is necessary for God to
accomplish his purpose in our life now
do I have anything to do with that yes I
do and so do you
if I rebel against the dark moments
all I’m doing is lengthening
the time of the dark moments or
positioning myself ultimately that God
just sets you aside and says you you
determine not to be used I won’t use you
so the way we respond is is very very
important you don’t give up because your
God is not going to give up on you he’s
not going to give up on you no matter
what and so when I look at Joseph’s life
and realize what he went through how
long it took and then think about maybe
some times that you and I go through and
we think two weeks is just terrible or a
month is just horrible but here’s the
thing that makes it difficult when
you’re going through one of those dark
moments
and you don’t see any end in sight
and it looks like it’s going to last the
rest of your life
it looks like you’re going to be
penalized the rest of your life it looks
like you’re never going to be able to
reach those goals somehow it’s just it
just seems to be so hopeless it’s never
hopeless as long as you have God because
God loves you and he’s going to work out
his will in your life one way or the
other if you’ll just trust him
Joseph must have felt everything that
you and I would feel may be worse
because he didn’t have the knowledge of
Jesus that you and I have but he did
have a knowledge that Jehovah God the
one true God was his God and he was
aware of God’s presence in his life
so think about where you are I don’t
know what you’re facing it may be a
health issue a relationship issue
whatever it might be but don’t don’t
blame God for that ask yourself the
question Lord what are you trying to do
in my life so remember what we said one
of the primary things is to shape Us in
the character of Christ
that teaches to trust him to be diligent
to be persevering to be courageous to be
bold that is to keep our eyes on him to
keep our awareness of him to be
trustworthy to be faithful Dependable
diligent disciplined in our life
these are God’s purposes and as we yield
to that and allow him to work those
things in our life what happens he uses
us listen he uses Us in proportion to
our willingness to be shaped
so then who determines that we determine
it to some degree
if I’m willing to say God I don’t
understand it but I’m willing if this is
necessary in my life to get me ready for
what you want me to do I’m willing now
listen very carefully
you want to survive no matter what
there’s some things that are very
important number one is this
and that is
that you trust God
if you don’t trust them in the dark
times you won’t it just won’t work you
trust him secondly in order for that to
happen you must read the word of God you
must read the word of God meditating
upon his word for this reason when you
read the scriptures what are you doing
the spirit of God is programming your
mind to think the way God thinks you
think the way God thinks the moral
scripture you put in your mind and heart
prayer and the reading of the word of
God are absolutely essential if we are
to walk through the dark moments and
walk through them successfully
it is truth
that you want
embedded in your thinking how does God
think how does God work how do I fit
into God’s plan
if you want to survive the dark moments
it’s in the word of God talking to him
and listening to him which means it
takes time
you see God’s not on our schedule
we’re on his
you want to walk through the dark
moments
you’re gonna have to walk on your knees
in the word of God listening to him
taking time
to let him sink into your mind and heart
what he’s thinking about your individual
situation will he lead you will he guard
you will he God you will he protect you
yes he will
so what’s the conclusion
you think well
dark moments of bad times not always
listen if God allows you to walk into a
dark time in your life it’s not
something you did watch this carefully
he has something in mind you will never
be able to figure out that he works it
out
you don’t want to take the chance of
missing what God has in mind
that you got to trust him what builds
trust what builds trust is his word and
prayer
and what builds trust is obedience to
what he says and the trust level just
keeps rising and rising and Rising God
will do in your life things that you’ve
never dreamed
if you’re just trusting
through those dark moments and father
how grateful we are
that you know how to turn
a dark moment into radiant light
when your will begins to be fulfilled in
our lives
and I pray the Holy Spirit will take
this message of Hope
and assurance
that every single person who hears and
sees
will be willing
to place their trust in you no matter
what
and watch you work your awesome work in
their life in Jesus name amen
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