Path to Prosper Week 4

Genesis 37:1–2 NLT

So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner. This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.

The Nomad saga

My brother was excited because he knew the purpose behind the gift.

I pretended to be excited but didn’t really know what to do...

You will mislabel somethings value if you don’t understand somethings purpose.

Joseph used his problems

Even from the beginning of Joseph story we are given access to the perspective he takes when it comes to problems.

Joseph was facing a problem of his brothers doing a poor job of tending the flocks of his father.

Their poor work was reflecting on his ability as a shepherd.

Joseph could have reflected the poor work ethic of his brothers based on the fact that he wasn’t the boss…

but this would have been letting his problem provide a prescription

MY PROBLEMS DON’T GET TO TELL ME HOW TO RESPOND...

Instead of letting his problems prescribe his response…He let his problems refine him for his purpose.

______________ Over the first couple of weeks of this series we have talked about pursuing success and seeking to become valuable…but today I want to help shift your perspective when it comes to your problems.

HOW DO WE APPROACH OUR PROBLEMS?

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How is your accounting?

James 1:2–4 NLT

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

The first thing this scripture lets us know is that when our problems show up…we all have some book keeping to do.

In accounting…there are two primary columns of merit.

Assets

Liabilities

An asset adds to my worth.

A liability takes away from my worth.

When James is speaking about the moment that problems show up in the lives of believers he tells them their first job is to “count it.”{ASSET OR LIABILITY}

When your problem makes you a jerk

When your problem makes you worry

When your problem makes you doubt

When you try to avoid your problem

…that’s an accounting error.

James tells us to count our problems as an opportunity for joy because of this one reason.

Problems are meant to be productive!

There are a lot of things that our problems could produce…but I want to hone in on something that I think we should aspire for our problems to produce.

The production of our problems should be change.

I want to submit to you quickly today that there are three things our problems are meant to produce change in.

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1. Our Problems Produce A Change in Our Dependence.

Often when I go through a hard season…it brings me to the realization that I cannot rectify the situation on my own.

God loves us too much to let us go through life thinking that we are able to make a way for ourselves.

I’ve told you about my experience in Metropolis where God told me this is the best it will be.

These are the seasons in which we pray for God to remove the storm and he does…because the purpose of the storm was to remind us that He is still in control.

But not every problem is meant to change my dependence...

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What if my dependence is in the right place?

Sometimes I am dependent on God and bad things still happen…the storm still comes.

I’m going to church

I’m paying my tithes

I’m serving on a team

I’m reading my bible

But problems still show up.

Because sometimes problems are meant to produce a change in our dependence…but other times problems are meant to produce a change in our direction.

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2. Our Problems Produce a Change in Our Direction

Opportunity =

Ob = In the direction

Portus = The harbor

The origin of the word opportunity is when the wind would shift in the direction of the harbor

It was an opportune time to be sailing when the wind was driving you towards your intended destination.

Opposition =

Opponere = set against

If a sailor was sailing into opposition it would mean that they were sailing in a direction that the wind was set against.

The only variable that separates opportunity from opposition is the direction I am going.

Why should I count it joy when problems show up?

Because God in his grace might be allowing the wind of the storm to set against me so that I know I’m heading in the wrong direction.

_____________ My problem changed my direction

I tried to quit ministry when we were pastoring the church in Illinois

I did interview after interview

I never felt a peace about it.

Then I got an interview at New Life in Canton.

GEORGIA WASN’T ON MY MIND...

But everything our life is now was only discovered because of the problem that I faced in Illinois.

When God doesn’t get us out of the problem…it’s because he want us to get something out of the problem.

so our prayer shouldn’t be I need you to get me out of this..but rather I need you to help me get out of this what I need.

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3. Our Problems Produce a Change in Determination

James 1:3–4 NLT

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

The primary purpose of our problems according to James is to develop endurance.

You don’t need endurance to do easy things.

Endurance is only necessary for those who do difficult task.

Being exceptional is only accessible to those with endurance.

When you survive a season of problems…you teach yourself that it can be done.

You’re not ready to give up nearly as early in the next season of problems.

______________

Conditioning developed endurance

Basketball season started with conditioning…every day the laps got easier.

Wind sprints got easier

And at the end of the day we won a championship because when the fourth quarter came we were ready...

BECAUSE THE PROBLEM OF OUR CONDITIONING CREATED IN US ENDURANCE.

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Wealth requires problems

We went over this verse as a family the other night

I asked them what would you call a person who is living the reality of the end of this passage.

“perfect, complete, needing nothing.”

Perfect = Mature

Complete = Whole

Needing Nothing = the absense of lack

This is a mature and holistically wealthy person.

James tells us that the pathway to maturity, wholeness, and wealth…is going through troubles.

So next time you have a problem arrive…make sure you do your accounting right.

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Joseph didn’t let working for someone he disagreed with cause him to shut down…he used it as a tool to get even closer to His Father.

Joseph shows us this truth…

Our problems can serve as propulsions into our purpose.