8. 6 Reasons we go through adversity
1. Sonship
⢠Our Heavenly Father sometimes uses
adversity to produce growth and maturity
in His children. âMy son, do not despise
the Lordâs discipline and do not resent his
rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those
he loves, as a father the son he delights inâ
(3:11-12).
⢠In Hebrews we read, âEndure hardship as
discipline; God is treating you as sons. For
what son is not disciplined by his father?â
(12:7).
9. Godâs Recruitment of Leaders
to their Larger Stories
Leader
⢠David
⢠Paul
⢠Joseph
⢠John Bunyan
⢠Martin Luther
⢠Martin Luther King
Event
⢠Goliath
⢠Blindness, imprisoned
⢠13 years of slavery,
prison
⢠12 years in prison â
âPilgrims Progressâ
⢠Crisis of belief
⢠Rosa Parks - Refusal
to give up seat on bus
10. 2. Our Identification with Others
⢠âcomforts us in all our troubles, so that we
can comfort those in any troubleâ (2 Cor.
1:4).
⢠God has placed all of us into a community
âthe Churchâin which we are a part of
one another. As Paul writes, âIf one part
suffers, every part suffers with it; if one
part is honored, every part rejoices with itâ
(1 Cor. 12:26).
11. 3. Our Testing
⢠âThese [trials] have come so that
your faithâof greater worth than
gold, which perishes even though
refined by fireâmay be proved
genuineâ (1 Pet. 1:7).
⢠Josephâs 4 Tests â Forgiveness,
Perseverance, Purity, Stewarship
12. 4. Our Calling and Preparation
⢠Adversity teaches us how to endure
pressure, problems and stress.
âConsider it pure joy, my brothers,
whenever you face trials of many
kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must
finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking
anythingâ (Jas. 1:2-4).
Depth and width of your call
often determined by level of
adversity.
13. 5. Our Ability to Trust Godâs
Faithfulness
⢠Adversity is a school of faith where we
learn to trust God and depend on Him
completely to provide for our needs. As
Paul tells us, âGod is faithful; he will
not let you be tempted beyond what you
can bearâ (1 Cor. 10:13).
14. 6. Sin
⢠Sometimes, we experience adversity because
God is dealing with sin in either our
individual lives or in our corporate lives.
⢠2 Samuel 21, âAfter the famine had continued
for three years, David went before God and
prayed for an answer. The word of the Lord
came to David: âIt is on account of Saul and
his blood-stained house; it is because he put
the Gibeonites to death.ââ
17. A Conversation in Heaven
I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who
will do according to what is in my heart and
mind. I will firmly establish his house, and
he will minister before my anointed one
always (1 Sam 2:35-36) .
18. "So then, it was not you who sent
me here, but God. He made me
father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire
household and ruler of all Egypt.
Gen 45:8-9
"Can we find anyone like this man,
one in whom is the spirit of God?"
Gen 41:38
19. There will always be a crisis of
belief stage when God raises
up leaders
20. Crisis: a circumcision process
to refine your call
Why?Why?
To bring you out ofTo bring you out of slaveryslavery ofof ââEgyptEgyptââ (sweat(sweat
and toiland toil in your work life).
⢠Then say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the
Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my
people go, so that they may worship meworship me in the
desert. - Ex 7:16
21. God has toGod has to disqualifydisqualify
you from thinking youyou from thinking you
areare qualifiedqualified for thefor the
mission He has for you.mission He has for you.
i.e. Moses, Josephi.e. Moses, Joseph
40 and 13 years of preparation40 and 13 years of preparation
22. Moses
⢠ââMoses spent his first 40 yearsMoses spent his first 40 years
thinking he wasthinking he was somebody.somebody.
⢠He spent his next 40 yearsHe spent his next 40 years
learning he was nobodylearning he was nobody
⢠He spent his third 40 yearsHe spent his third 40 years
discovering what Goddiscovering what God can docan do
with a nobody.with a nobody.ââ
⢠D.L. MoodyD.L. Moody
23. âObstaclesâ or âMotivation for
Fulfillmentâ?
⢠300 Surveys of Great Achievers
⢠Franklin Roosevelt, Helen
Keller, Winston Churchill,
George Washington Carver, etc
â Âź had handicapsÂź had handicaps
â ž born into povertyž born into poverty
Key:Key: AttitudeAttitude toward their crisistoward their crisis
24. How Does God Transform an
Esau into a Joseph?
Can an egg fly?Can an egg fly?
25.
26. Who Was Joseph and What
Prepared Him For His Calling?
God Was the Initiator
I form the light and create darkness, I
bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things
(Isaiah 45:7).
27. He called down a famine on the land and destroyed all their
supplies of food; and he sent a man before themâJoseph, sold
as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck
was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the
word of the Lord proved him true (Psalms 105:16-19).
Who Was Joseph and WhatWho Was Joseph and What
Prepared Him For His Calling?Prepared Him For His Calling?
28. ââŚtil the Word of the Lord proved him true.â
(Ps.105:19)
BitternessBitterness
ââPitâPitâ
FamilyFamily
RejectionRejection
Judas TestJudas Test
SexualSexual
TemptationTemptation
DiscouragementDiscouragement
StewardshipStewardship
PurityPurity
PerseverancePerseverance
Political PowerPolitical Power
11
22
33
44
Each of Josephâs 4 Tests Moved Him Toward
Fulfillment of Godâs Ultimate Purpose for His Life
Potipharâs WifePotipharâs Wife
PrisonPrison
FinancialFinancial
BlessingBlessing
2 Yr Delay2 Yr DelayDreamDream
29. 3 Phase3 Phase Obedience CycleObedience Cycle
Kingdom ofKingdom of
GodGod
Manifested!Manifested!
Love-motivationLove-motivation
Outcome-basedOutcome-based
ObedienceObedience
Pain-MotivatedPain-Motivated
ObedienceObedience
Intimacy
With Jesus
ConvenienceConvenience
CrisisCrisis
ConvictionConviction
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor
as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matt 22:37-40
30. God Will Often Use a Workplace
Problem to Initiate a New Calling
The Calling of King Saul
1 Samuel 9,10
âNow the donkeys belonging to
Saulâs father Kish were lost,
and Kish said to his son Saul,
âTake one of the servants with
you and go and look for the
donkeys.ââ
1 Samuel 9:3
31. When God Gives A Vision
⢠âThe word of the Lord came to Abraham in a
vision. Godâs method always seems to be
vision first and then reality, but in between the
vision and the reality there is often a deep
valley of humiliation (âand behold, horror
and great darkness fell upon himâ Gen.
15:12).
32. Treasures of DarknessTreasures of Darkness
ââI will give you the treasures ofI will give you the treasures of
darkness, riches stored in secretdarkness, riches stored in secret
places, so that you may know that I amplaces, so that you may know that I am
the LORD, the God of Israel, whothe LORD, the God of Israel, who
summons you by name.summons you by name.ââ -- Isa 45:3-- Isa 45:3
ââHe reveals the deep things ofHe reveals the deep things of
darkness and brings deep shadowsdarkness and brings deep shadows
into the light.into the light.ââ
- Job 12:22- Job 12:22
33. âI would âkillâ you myself if I could.â
â Mentor.
Both God & Satan want you dead,
each for different reasons.
34. Why Does God
Call Us Out of Egypt?
God called the people out of Egypt in order for them
to worship Him.
Coming out of the Esau (self-life) can often mean a
severe time of withdrawal from the old system.
36. The Black Hole
⢠A place of total nothingness.
⢠God is strangely silent
⢠Inability to do anything successfully
⢠Loss of confidence in abilities
⢠Removal of all that we placed
confidence in
37. The Desert StageThe Desert Stage
After the Black Hole we have a periodAfter the Black Hole we have a period
in the desert.in the desert.
Coming out of Egypt required passingComing out of Egypt required passing
through thethrough the desert.desert.
Hebrew word for desert is midbaar,Hebrew word for desert is midbaar,
from the word dahbaar, meaningfrom the word dahbaar, meaning âtoâto
speakâ.speakâ.
39. The process of circumcision can be dependent
on our level of cooperation with God.
âIf my people would but listen to me, if Israel
would follow my ways, how quickly would I
subdue their enemies and turn my hand against
their foes (Psalm 82:13,14).
41. You must not seek to deliver
yourself. You must simply obey.
Provision and destiny follows
obedience.
42. ⢠Every servant of God who had great
anointing also had great adversity --
Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Paul, David,
Peter. Many business leaders who
made a difference in the Kingdom
also experienced great adversity.
43. J.C. Penney
⢠In 1910 his first wife died.
⢠In 1923 his second wife died
⢠In 1929 the stock market crashed - lost $40 million.
⢠By 1932, he had to sell out to satisfy creditors and was
broke.
⢠Penney wound up in a Battle
Creek, Michigan sanatorium
44. JC Penney
One morning he heard the distant singing of
employees who had gathered to start the day
with God: Be not dismayed, whete'er betide,
God will take care of you...
45. Abraham Lincoln
⢠Failed in business at 31.
⢠Defeated for legislature at
33.
⢠Again failed at business at
33.
⢠Elected to legislature at 34.
⢠Sweetheart died at 35.
Nervous breakdown at 43.
⢠Defeated for Congress at
46.
⢠Defeated for Congress at
48.
Elected President of
the United States at 51.
46. The depth and width of the adversity isThe depth and width of the adversity is
often proportional to the influence.often proportional to the influence.
47. Whatever God sets you freeWhatever God sets you free
from He automatically givesfrom He automatically gives
you an anointing to set otheryou an anointing to set other
people free from the verypeople free from the very
thing you were a victim of.thing you were a victim of.
49. C.S. Lewis
âGod whispers to us in
our pleasures, speaks in
our conscience, but
shouts in our pains; it is
a megaphone to rouse a
deaf world.â
-- C.S. Lewis, The Problem with
Pain
50. ItItââs a lack ofs a lack of maturitymaturity
that forces God to shout.that forces God to shout.
51. Jesusâ Training
âAlthough he was a son, he learned
obedience from what he suffered and,
once made perfect, he became the
source of eternal salvation for all who
obey him.â
Heb 5:9-10
52. âIt is doubtful whether God can bless a
man greatly until he has hurt him
deeply.â
â A.W. Tozer
53. Key Objectives of the
Process
To Be Trustworthy of a Large Vision
âNot every man can carry a full cup.
Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride
and a fall. The most exacting test of all to
survive is prosperity.â â
ââ Oswald Chambers
54. ⢠Joseph was given privilege, power,
and prestige. It takes a special person
not to succumb to such temptation.
1) Geographical Control
2) Financial Authority
3) Social Prestige
4) Royal Privileges
5) Political Power
6) Religious Position
56. ââBeware of any ChristianBeware of any Christian
leader who does not walk withleader who does not walk with
aa limplimp.â.â
ââ Bob Mumford
57. After Death Comes
Resurrection
The Resurrection In Business
Now if we died with Christ, we believe thatNow if we died with Christ, we believe that
we will also live with him -we will also live with him - Romans 6:8Romans 6:8
58. How do you know when you will begin
to come out of your adversity?
⢠Usually when you come to a place when
it doesnât matter any more.
59. The Bottom Line
âI tell you the truth, unless a kernel
of wheat falls to the ground and
dies, it remains only a single
seed. But if it dies, it produces
many seeds. The man who loves
his life will lose it, while the man
who hates his life in this world
will keep it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow
me; and where I am, my servant
also will be. My Father will honor
the one who serves me.â
- John 12:24-26
60. You Are Not Your Own
âYou are not your own; you were bought
at a price. Therefore honor God with
your body.â 1 Cor 6:19-20
61. Action Response to Adversity
1) Take one day at a time and ask God for
grace for that day only
2) Don't project outcomes to the future. In
other words, don't think about all the
ramifications of what "may" happen
resulting from your circumstances
3) Meditate on the Word of God and be
obedient to the small things He shows
you.
62. 4. Spend times alone with God in praising
Him. We overcome the spirit of
heaviness through praise.
5. To appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for
ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of
the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Isa 61:3
6. Reach out to others in the midst of your
pain.
Joseph calling. Depth and width of your call often determined by level of adversity.
We discover manna in this place. The desert place.
Conversation in Heaven and the angels about me and what Was necessary to get me in alignment with Godâs purposes
âIn vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat.â
Ps. 127:2
Esau despised his birthright for porridge. Represents our rewards at expense of calling.
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master (Genesis 39:2)
His âboot campâ took 13 years that required separation from his former life, having his will and ability to control anything taken away, a breaking of his will, a continued confrontation of his own crisis of belief that God was a loving God and that He was still in control of the events in his life.
Our visit to Egypt in 05
âIn vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat.â
Ps. 127:2
âThe men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. â
Josh 9:14
God gave me a vision for men and women in the workplace, but first he had to remove the âEsauâ from my life.
Mondays were my worst days. Illustration of astronaut John Glenn. Heat shield. 5 minutes of blackout.
My black hole last 2 years.
Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.â - Hosea 2:14 Moses was in the desert along time before God actually spoke to him.
Penney followed the music to its source and slipped into a back row. He left a short time later a changed man, his health and spirit renewed, and ready to start the long climb back at age fifty-six. By 1951 there was a J.C. Penney store in every state, and for the first time sales surpassed $1 billion a year.
Few men have been given the kind of power and authority that Joseph had at such an early age. It often leads to arrogance, irresponsible behavior, and a downfall.
Joseph probably didnât care that much when he was elevated.
Omar: Arabic for âfirst sonâ and âdisciple,â Hebrew for âgifted speaker,â German for âfamous.â Rooted in the Middle East. Grandson of ESAU.
Omar, âŚ.
Gen 36:15-16 âŚsons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam
Omar, âŚ.
Gen 36:15-16 âŚsons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam
Death of a vision â Abrahamâs suicidal faith
Ministry example