PROBLEMS SERVE PURPOSES IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2023.

SUBJECT: PROBLEMS SERVE PURPOSES IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD OF GOD!

Memory verse: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials," (James 1 vs 2.)

READ: Genesis 45 vs 4 - 8; 50 vs 20:

45:4: And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

45:5: But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

45:6: For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

45:7: And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and save your lives by a great deliverance. 

45:8: So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

50:20: But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

INTIMATION:

A problem is a matter or challenge difficult to settle or solve; a source of perplexity; an adversity. Problem is a constant variable in life's equation. They have no boundaries, it can confront anybody. Problems are God's training ground. They sometimes are part of God's plan for believers, therefore, don't allow them to separate you from God's divine destiny for your life. 

Don't run away from your problems, face them squarely, accept God's promise of help, correct your attitudes, and act as you should. Problems come in different magnitudes, some minor, and some big, and they don't make any appointments before coming. They usually show up when you least expect them, and may stay in your life much longer than you want them to.

Problems can be testing of our faith in God. Therefore, it is necessary for God's children to discover the principle for transforming the problems of their lives into the provisions of God. We all detest problems, but they are the reason for every improvement we make. They quicken our wits, and force us to think outside the box, and above all draw us closer to God. A problem is an opportunity to step into a new dimension of accomplishment, usually routed in observance of supernatural principles of God.

There is the wise saying: “I asked for strength, and God gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked for wisdom, and God gave me problems to solve. I asked for courage, and God gave me dangers to overcome. I asked for love, and God gave me troubled people to help. Therefore, my prayers are answered.” If one has faith, all things have meaning because we serve an all-knowing God.

God customizes some of our problems so that we can fulfill the purpose for which we are created. They are stepping stones, and ordained platforms en-route our divine destiny. God knows you and your potentials. The psalmist says in Psalm 139 vs 16, "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the day's fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." The cross you carry is tailor-made by the carpenter's Son.

A case-study of Joseph the son of Jacob, makes the concept very clear. He was the favorite son to his father, and envied by his brothers, the favorite servant in Potiphar's house, the favorite prisoner to the warden and other prisoners, the favorite interpreter of dreams, and the favorite lieutenant to King Pharaoh. 

And after many years, he became the favorite even to his ten brothers who were envious of him. He was pre-ordained by God to be the savior of his people, and He was with him in all his travails. So many problems were lined up en-route his destined purpose; he was betrayed and deserted by his brothers; he was exposed to sexual temptation; suffered false accusation, and punished for doing the right thing; he endured a long imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped. 

Joseph didn't plan to be in the bottom of a pit after he recounted his God-given dream to his loved ones, but he was. He did not foresee his brothers selling him into slavery, but they did. God had destined him for great things, but people and problems got in the way (First Corinthians 16 vs 9), apparently fashioned to get him his promise and provision. 

Joseph was faithful in the problems. He maintained his character and integrity while enduring the problem. He was patient throughout the duration of the problem. He did not complain while facing ridicule, rejection, envy, and jealousy. He held to his dream in the midst of lies, false accusations, and prison. Through it all, God showed favor to Joseph until the provision came.

Joseph had the vision, and interpreted the purpose of his problem. He said, “God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.... But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 45 vs 47 - 48 & 50 vs 20.)

Even though Joseph spent years in the problem, he never stopped listening to the voice of God. He remained faithful to God, and God remained faithful to him, leading him to the divine purpose for which he was created. 

Are you in the middle of a severe problem? Have you gone through your spiritual checklist to make sure that you are not the cause of the problem? Do you find it difficult to find the purpose of the predicament you are in? Look for the promise in God's Word. Hold to that promise. It is given to you by your Father in heaven, who is faithful to fulfill it. All of the provisions God offers in the pantry of heaven are available to the child of God who faithfully stands on His promises.

When God is at work, suffering, setbacks, and hardship may still occur. We are encouraged to face the problems or difficulties with happiness when they do come. Problems have a way of developing patience and character by teaching us to trust God to do what is best for us. Always look for ways to honor God in you present situation of problems, remembering that God will not abandon you. 

Also carefully watch out for His predetermined plan for you. His promise and provision awaits those who tarry to the end. Remember this always, "Blessed is the man that endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1 vs 12).

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You, even though my fruit trees fail to produce, though my labor be in vain and my fields shall yield no food; though my flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me to walk upon my high places in life, even in trouble, suffering, or responsibility, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!