AM I REALLY HEARING GOD’S VOICE?

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. Genesis 41:25

         God gave Pharaoh two dreams that meant the same thing. Why did He do that? I suspect so that Pharaoh wouldn’t miss the message.

         Has God been trying to speak to you about something? You’re stuck in inertia because you fear you’re reading into things. Perhaps it was a dream and it was so allegorical that you lack the confidence to act upon it. Perhaps it was a word in prayer but you wonder now it if was just your own inner voice. Maybe it was a set of ‘coincidences’ that seemed too incredible not to be divine. All of these scenarios lead us to ask, “Did I really hear God’s voice?” Until we know for sure, we dare not embrace the message as truth and we certainly dare not endeavor on something risky.

         What I’ve come to realize is that God is for me, not against me. He wants me to get it even more than I do. If I suspect He is speaking to me (and in a way that is outside my box), I ask Him for confirmation. I confess again that I am small and blind, unable to perceive spiritual things well. I ask Him to have mercy on my spiritual condition. I ask Him to treat me as He treated Moses. He made it His will so plain ~ When the cloud moves, move. When the cloud stops, stop.

         I must say that I experience a Father who confirms and confirms. More than just twice; sometimes three and four times. And each in a different way. Just as God gave Pharaoh two dreams, each dream different but bearing the same message, how much more will God lead a child whose heart is bent to covet His voice and respond with obedience!

I pray for each one this morning who is discounting what You’ve spoken to them. They are afraid. Repeat Your message, Lord, and confirm it in a way that is unmistakable to their tentative faith. Amen

HOW TO HANDLE A COMPLIMENT

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Genesis 41:15-16

         False modesty plagues the church. So does insecurity. These appear God-honoring when, in fact, they rob God of opportunities to showcase His glory.

         When Pharaoh told Joseph that he had heard of his ability to interpret dreams, Joseph didn’t say that he wasn’t worthy of such attention. He stepped up to the plate and put God at the center of his answer. He made it clear that it would be God, working through him, to interpret the dreams.

         One of the biggest pitfalls of any platform person is succumbing to pride. Standing ovations, fan letters, and whispers of your name as you pass a group, all swell your sense of worth. I am sure that God gives major thorns in the flesh to visible leaders to counteract this. He makes sure that ministries are not ruined by inflated egos.

         Compliments are very hard to know how to handle.

“You’re such a great teacher.”

“You are one gifted manager.”

“No one can organize an event quite like you!”

         To simply say, ‘thank you’ can appear to mean, “I agree with you. I am this great.” Shouldn’t any child of God shun any kind of praise? But here’s another question, shouldn’t any child of God realize that what people often praise are the anointed giftings that are straight from God’s own hand? If I keep telling people that their observations about me are inflated or untrue, I’m missing the opportunity to tell them how great God is. When I say, “It’s not me, it’s God,” that’s not true either. I am part of the equation. I have embraced the gift, developed it by His grace, and dedicated it to the glory of God. It is God – in and through me.

         So what is a good alternative? Let’s say that you teach a small group. It is being blessed and people are growing. One night after the meeting ends, someone comes to you and says, “You are such an anointed facilitator. I’ve never understood this much about Jesus before.” You answer by saying this. “I’m so encouraged to hear this. Thank you for telling me. Please pray for me that I would always depend on Jesus in my teaching. He is so gracious to give me this opportunity.”

         No matter where we excel, people should know that ‘we know’ the gift came from God. The grace to do it well is because of His faithfulness.

         One final thing. You and I should know and acknowledge where we are gifted. If we fail to know, how can we be effective? Is it possible to name 3 things you can do well and still be humble when giving God the glory for it? Absolutely.

I am confident today because of Your anointing. I’ve lived without it and there was no spiritual power. You are at the center of all I am and I am nothing without you. Amen

WHAT WORKS ITSELF OUT

“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  Romans 3:13

Paul spends much of Romans describing how men turn away from God, how they reject God’s presence in the revelation of nature.  He’s plentiful with his own descriptive language but in this particular scripture, he uses this opportunity to reach back into the Psalms to quote three difference passages.  He does not explain what causes men to go astray, he uses Old Testament quotes to paint a picture of how men act when they go astray.

Any man or woman who rejects God creates an inward reality that eventually works its way out.  Heart breeds behavior.  Thoughts breed speech.  If anyone spurns Christ, how will anything they do or say resemble the Christ they have spurned?  How will an unbeliever talk like Christ, bless others as Christ would bless them?  It won’t happen. Continue reading “What Works Itself Out” →

WHEN GOD IS BLAMED?

After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. So in the morning his spirit was troubled. Genesis 41:1,8

         What are you waiting on God for today? Part of the human spiritual experience is to pray for heaven to come down and wonder why things don’t happen sooner. When we’re in distress, our relationship with God can get battered by questions of His goodness and love.

         My soul, wait thou only upon God. Psalm 62:6 Calvin translates this verse, “My soul, be silent before God.” Rest calm and undisturbed. Your enemies are round about thee, but rest, my soul, in God. Your enemies are mighty, but HE IS Almighty; your troubles are grievous, but he is greater than your troubles, and he shall deliver you from them. Let not your soul be agitated. The wicked are like the troubled sea that cannot rest: don’t be like them. Be calm: let not a wave ruffle your untroubled spirit. Cast thy burden on the Lord, and then sleep on his bosom.”

            Joseph sat in his prison cell and waited another two years after the cupbearer and baker both broke their promise to bring his case before Pharaoh. I wonder if Joseph felt that God was cruel for not overriding their forgetfulness and just commanding them to speak. (Like God used Balaam’s donkey to speak.) After all, God can cause men to do whatever He tells them to do.

            After long periods of waiting, I have come to understand that much about my waiting room had little to do with me. It was about God preparing people and situations for what was next, lining up the dominoes to fall in succession.  In Joseph’s case, it didn’t appear that the two year waiting period was about Joseph as much as it was about the ripening of times and seasons in Egypt. It was about Pharaoh entering a time of distress over his dreams.

            I’m waiting in prayer today over some big things. So are you. What if I could peel back the invisible curtain between heavenly realms and me? What if I could see God working in the lives of the people I love? I am convinced that I would see a very active Father, not a passive one. The ones I am praying for, God is wooing, He is speaking, and He’s arranging divine encounters. He’s preparing the ground for their deliverance. And He’s doing it eagerly – anticipating my joy when the miracle is unveiled.

            There’s nothing more painful as a parent than to be blamed for doing nothing when, in fact, you’ve been very active. You’ve sought advice, you’ve suffered sleepless nights, you’ve problem solved and rehearsed the obstacles until your head hurts. The one who blames you just doesn’t know.

            When I blame God, I am a blind, ignorant child. He is all-seeing, wise, and ever pro-active.

Passivity is not in your nature. I’ve been lied to. You are incessant in working all things for my good. Amen

WOULD I SPEAK IT?

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree.” Genesis 40:16-19

         I am one from whom others often seek advice. Questions like, “Why am I like this?” “What do you think the problem is?” “Why am I stuck and not progressing?” “Have I done something wrong?” “Is God punishing me?” I love to take someone’s life puzzle and make divine sense of the pieces.

         But having said that, the hardest thing for anyone with a gift of mercy is to give bad news. If a mercy gift is accompanied by a prophetic gift, obedience becomes difficult. God gives insight that can be difficult to speak. Mercy wants to minimize the damage and cushion the blow.

         Joseph’s obedience was put to the test so many times on his rise to blessing. Two cellmates, both former servants to the royal court, share two different dreams. Joseph happily told the first that he would be blessed and reinstated to his former position. Upon that good news, the other man shared his dream. Joseph was instantly in a dilemma. There was no good news about the 2^nd dream. He would not be restored to honor; he would be hung. At that point, Joseph could have claimed ignorance but he didn’t fail to give the fateful interpretation.

         Can God count on me to speak the truth when truth is unwelcome? Can He depend on me to paint an accurate picture of what’s ahead for a person, or an organization, if being honest threatens relationships? I will admit that this is a struggle for me. I’d rather stay silent and pray than speak up to inflict life-saving wounds. I’m faced with a number of these dilemmas right now. It seems that no matter where I turn in ministry at the moment, I need an infusion of holy boldness.

        For any like me, know that I am praying for you.

Make me Your prophet. Trembling but obedient. Amen

YOUR PLACE OF HONOR

Then Joseph said to the cupbearer, “This is its interpretation; the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. Genesis 40:12-13

         Have you been shamed? No matter what the context, the experience is gut wrenching. Every part of your being feels it. Your emotions plummet. Your mind runs tapes of the accusations. Your body language turns inward.

         Joseph told the cupbearer, who was falsely accused, that Pharaoh would lift up his head in three days. The Hebrew idiom paints a beautiful picture. It is when the one shrunken in shame is restored to his position of power. It’s used other places in scripture that expand its beauty.

         God speaks to His people and joyfully commands them to lift their heads. He has gone out to battle on their behalf and has come back victorious. Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Psalm 24:7

         King David, betrayed by his son Absalom, on the run with just the clothes on his back, turns to God for vindication. He climbed the Mount of Olives, covered up his head, wept, and said, “You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” Psalm 3:3 As king, he could have formed an army, or at least a posse, to get back his throne. He abandoned all ideas of conniving, of battling, and of manipulating. He recognized that God was his rescuer.

         Who has stripped you of your honor? How long have you been brought low? Have you accepted your fate and given up all hope of restoration? Perhaps you even abandoned prayer.

         Or if you’re a fighter, you’ve vowed to take revenge and battle it out. You intend to get back what you’ve lost no matter who has to pay. Turning aside from God as your Redeemer, you’ve taken up your own cause.

         David left the battle to God. So did Joseph. They did the thing that is the hardest for any of us when betrayed ~ they waited on God to move. He always will. We just don’t know when. In the meantime, the waiting is never wasted. God draws near, comforts, teaches us what He suffered under the same circumstances, and pours out treasure upon treasure that is only found in the darkness. He is, and will be, the lifter of our heads.

Satan offered you a way out of waiting when he offered you the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. Thank you for not caving. Everything would have been lost. So teach me to wait! Amen

 

LET’S TALK ABOUT DREAMS

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Genesis 40:9-10

         I know one thing for sure – God communicates far more than I hear. I was told growing up that God only speaks through scripture. Any other claim was heresy. And yet, the same people who policed what constituted a genuine word from God were the first to say that God had spoken to them in the night and called them to Peru as missionaries. That was confusing. I knew that they didn’t get that specific calling with their name and destination from a verse of scripture.

         I grew up Baptist and I attend a Southern Baptist Church. However, I am much more progressive in my quest for experiencing God. Over a decade ago, I asked God to open my ears to hear Him in ways I had previously been closed. That began a new chapter for me. While I am a conservative person, careful to sift everything through the grid of scripture, I have now had many dreams. I share them when God nudges.

         The cupbearer dreamed about vines, branches, blossoms, and clusters of grapes. Had he been hallucinating? Joseph never suggested that. Dreams are sometimes literal, sometimes allegorical, and when they are from God, they are powerful and life shaping.

         Are all dreams from God? No. Satan also gives dreams. Dreams can also be quirky and full of silliness, quickly forgotten in the morning. Not all people dream, either. God speaks differently to each child, according to how He wired them. But for each of you who do dream, I share some thoughts.

• I keep a journal by my bed. When I wake up with details that are fresh, I get them down on paper.
• If the dream fades by the time I have the pen in my hand, I know it wasn’t important.
• If the dream was from the enemy, I know it because it was tormenting. At that point, I ask God to wipe the effects of it from my heart and mind and protect the rest of my night from Satan’s interference.
• If the dream was from God, it was vivid, unforgettable, instructive, intriguing, and came with an urgency to pray and seek clarification.

         Many years ago, there was a period of time when I was in counseling. I was in denial about some of the people in my life and their true nature. God used dreams to show me their character. Night after night they acted out and I began to see that their behavior in my dream was quite consistent (though exaggerated) with how they behaved in real life.

         The bottom line is this ~ none of us want to miss God’s voice in our ear. He speaks far more than we know. He will help us discover the hidden meanings behind many of our dreams by guiding our search for wisdom. And most importantly, if a dream is from God, it will be completely consistent with the character and behavior of God from scripture. As soon as a dream deviates, I am quick to let it go or I will be led into deception. The Word of God is always my plumb line for truth.

For each person who has been afraid of Your voice, give them courage. Instruct, comfort, and enlarge their experience of You. Amen

EXPECTATION AND DISAPPOINTMENT

In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste.  He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye.  Deuteronomy 32:10

            So much of life involves dealing with expectations.  I envision an event, anticipate the fruit of a relationship, and look forward to what I perceive will happen.  Oftentimes what I hope for does not come to pass.  Even more painful are those moments when I discover that I have been the object of another’s expectation and have fallen short to disappoint them.  I can try feverishly hard to fix that but rarely will I succeed.

            Perhaps your parents wanted a boy and you are a girl.  Maybe they didn’t want children and called you a mistake.  Perhaps they wanted you to take over a family practice and you became an artist instead.  It may be that you were once engaged and your lover broke off the engagement.  He said he didn’t love you anymore, Continue reading “Expectation and Disappointment” →

THEIR NEED? YOUR OPPORTUNITY

When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” Genesis 40:6-8

         Many royal courts employed dream interpreters since, in the near East, dreams were a way of foretelling the future. The royal cupbearer and the baker, because they were in prison, had no access to him when they had troubling dreams. But Joseph was intuitive and read their body language the next morning. He asked them why they were downcast and they admitted their need of an interpreter. This was a divine appointment and Joseph instantly recognized it. He ascribed the power of interpretation to God only and made himself available for discerning the mind of God on their behalf.

         How many divine appointments do I miss? Would I have lived in my own world if I had been Joseph? Would I have interacted with my two cellmates? Would I have seen their need as an opportunity for God’s power to be on full display? God knows who will be in proximity to me on a certain day and He will put someone in distress at the very moment our worlds intersect. My part is to live prayerfully so that I recognize a divine appointment when it’s staring me in the face.

         Who is downcast nearby? Who is sick? Who lives in chronic pain? Who was up all night churning because they lack wisdom about a decision? Who has been crying alone? Who is afraid of the future and wants to rehearse the latest headlines about Ebola? Continue reading “Their Need? Your Opportunity.” →