Read From Dream to Destiny: The Ten Tests You Must Go Through to Fulfill God's Purpose for Your Life for Free Online Page A
Authors: Robert Morris
stories from individuals who believe their problems are strictly the result of the attitudes of others. “People are just jealous of me,” they will say. “I’m not the one who has a problem. It’s not the way that I act; it’s not the way that I talk; it’s not the way I present myself. Everyone else has the problem!”
When we find ourselves in a pit, we first need to take a good look at ourselves. We need to consider that we are the problem and that we are the reason we are in the pit. It’s true that Joseph’s brothers had a problem, an envy problem. But Joseph had a problem, too—a pride problem. And that pride was the real reason Joseph ended up in the pit. The source of his problems was within his own heart.
We can learn a lot about the Pit Test by seeing ourselves in Joseph. Joseph was a son who had his father’s favor. In much the same way, we are sons and daughters of the King, and we also have the favor of our heavenly Father. Reflect on Psalm 5:12: “For You, O L ORD , will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.”
Joseph’s father, out of his great love for him, had given him a gift. In much the same way, our heavenly Father gives gifts to us—and He doesn’t take them back.
But Joseph became proud of the gift his father gave him, and he showed it off every chance he got. He started to find his identity in the
gift
that identified him as the favored son, rather than in the
relationship
that made him the favored son. He ended up losing that gift as a result.
In much the same way, we can become caught up in the gifts God has given us. We can start to find our identity or sense of worth in that gift, rather than in the One who gave it. When we do, we become prideful. And we risk losing the gift.
I want to clarify something important. Joseph’s father gave him the gift, but
it was not his father who took it away from him.
Joseph lost his coatof many colors through his own actions. He lost it because he was prideful about it and what it represented.
When God gives us gifts, He doesn’t take them back. The Bible tells us the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable—the
King James Version
says they are “without repentance” (Rom. 11:29). This means God does not take back the gifts He has given us. But we can lose them ourselves if we walk in pride. I wonder how many people have a gift from God, but they are not able to use it because they walk in pride?
What if that happens? What if we lose the gift of God through our own actions? Is there any hope for getting it back?
To answer that, I want you to think about the end of Joseph’s story. Joseph ended up becoming the governor of Egypt, the second most powerful man in the world. As a consequence of that, he also became the second richest man in the world. He probably had hundreds of coats of many colors, as many coats as his heart could desire. So God restored what he had lost a hundredfold.
And Joseph got back something much more important than a coat. He got back his relationship with his father. For years he didn’t have fellowship with his father—he wasn’t even sure if he was alive. But after Joseph had learned to walk in humility, God restored his relationship with his father—as well as everything else he had lost.
When you find yourself in a pit, you may feel that all is lost. But if you cry out to God in humility of heart, He is eager to restore you. The Bible says that if you humble yourself, you will be exalted (see 1 Pet. 5:6).
Whatever you have lost, God can replace it a hundredfold if you repent and walk in humility.
Lies of the Pit
We’ve learned that it is dangerous to walk in pride, because you can end up in a pit. But we need to understand that the pit itself can also be a dangerous place. That is because of what I call the lies of the pit.
Be assured, any time you fall into a pit you will encounter the lies of the enemy—lies of accusation, lies of hopelessness, even
When we find ourselves in a pit, we first need to take a good look at ourselves. We need to consider that we are the problem and that we are the reason we are in the pit. It’s true that Joseph’s brothers had a problem, an envy problem. But Joseph had a problem, too—a pride problem. And that pride was the real reason Joseph ended up in the pit. The source of his problems was within his own heart.
We can learn a lot about the Pit Test by seeing ourselves in Joseph. Joseph was a son who had his father’s favor. In much the same way, we are sons and daughters of the King, and we also have the favor of our heavenly Father. Reflect on Psalm 5:12: “For You, O L ORD , will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.”
Joseph’s father, out of his great love for him, had given him a gift. In much the same way, our heavenly Father gives gifts to us—and He doesn’t take them back.
But Joseph became proud of the gift his father gave him, and he showed it off every chance he got. He started to find his identity in the
gift
that identified him as the favored son, rather than in the
relationship
that made him the favored son. He ended up losing that gift as a result.
In much the same way, we can become caught up in the gifts God has given us. We can start to find our identity or sense of worth in that gift, rather than in the One who gave it. When we do, we become prideful. And we risk losing the gift.
I want to clarify something important. Joseph’s father gave him the gift, but
it was not his father who took it away from him.
Joseph lost his coatof many colors through his own actions. He lost it because he was prideful about it and what it represented.
When God gives us gifts, He doesn’t take them back. The Bible tells us the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable—the
King James Version
says they are “without repentance” (Rom. 11:29). This means God does not take back the gifts He has given us. But we can lose them ourselves if we walk in pride. I wonder how many people have a gift from God, but they are not able to use it because they walk in pride?
What if that happens? What if we lose the gift of God through our own actions? Is there any hope for getting it back?
To answer that, I want you to think about the end of Joseph’s story. Joseph ended up becoming the governor of Egypt, the second most powerful man in the world. As a consequence of that, he also became the second richest man in the world. He probably had hundreds of coats of many colors, as many coats as his heart could desire. So God restored what he had lost a hundredfold.
And Joseph got back something much more important than a coat. He got back his relationship with his father. For years he didn’t have fellowship with his father—he wasn’t even sure if he was alive. But after Joseph had learned to walk in humility, God restored his relationship with his father—as well as everything else he had lost.
When you find yourself in a pit, you may feel that all is lost. But if you cry out to God in humility of heart, He is eager to restore you. The Bible says that if you humble yourself, you will be exalted (see 1 Pet. 5:6).
Whatever you have lost, God can replace it a hundredfold if you repent and walk in humility.
Lies of the Pit
We’ve learned that it is dangerous to walk in pride, because you can end up in a pit. But we need to understand that the pit itself can also be a dangerous place. That is because of what I call the lies of the pit.
Be assured, any time you fall into a pit you will encounter the lies of the enemy—lies of accusation, lies of hopelessness, even
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