HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE NOT A JOSEPH? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THE WRONGS ARE NOT DIVINE DETOURS, THE HAND OF GOD LEADING YOU INTO SOMETHING MORE AMAZING THAN YOU’VE EVER IMAGINED?

GOSPEL CORNER

30/07/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.
Genesis 41:14, NIV

STEPPING STONES
When Joseph was a teenager, God put a dream in his heart that one day he would be in leadership, but his brothers became jealous and sold him into slavery in Egypt. He was being his best, but his owner’s wife falsely accused him of a crime, and he was put in prison. For thirteen long years it was one wrong after another. But notice that each of these wrongs was necessary to bring Joseph to where God wanted him to be—the interpreter of Pharaoh’s dream, taking him from the dungeon to being made the prime minister of Egypt.

Maybe you’re having some wrongs in your life—someone betrayed you, a door closed on the dream you worked so hard for. How do you know you’re not a Joseph? How do you know that the wrongs are not divine detours, the hand of God leading you into something more amazing than you’ve ever imagined? You can live out of a place of rest, knowing that the wrongs, the things you don’t understand, are leading you into God’s perfect plan.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that what so often looks like a setback is really Your hand moving me toward Your purpose. Thank You that what’s wrong is going to push open doors and bring opportunities I could never experience without it. Help me to live in peace while You work things out. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO
Apostle Paul’s letters provide a marvelous foundation in understanding the gospel of grace. That’s why, when it comes to reading the Bible, I always encourage new believers to begin with his letters. Many new believers like to start with the book of Revelation or Genesis, but get confused in the process because they lack the proper foundation to rightly divide the old and new covenants.

Have you noticed, for instance, that Paul never once mentioned the unpardonable sin in all his letters to the churches? If Christians could commit the unpardonable sin and lose their salvation, Paul should have mentioned it in every epistle that he wrote. But he didn’t.

In fact, what he emphasized was our forgiveness. In today’s Scripture, for example, Paul declares that Jesus, by His death on the cross, has made us “alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”

I have checked the original Greek word for all in this verse and guess what? “All” means all! Jesus, through His own blood, has forgiven you of all your sins, so there is no sin that is unpardonable!

By one perfect sacrifice, He has cleansed you of the sins of your entire life, and you are now sealed with the promise of eternal life! You need to receive this good news that will establish your heart in His grace and give you the confidence that you are indeed irrevocably saved!

Beloved, God does not leave you wondering whether you are saved or not. He tells you outright that you are His and that nothing can ever separate you from His love—not even sin—because His Son’s blood is greater than your sin!

Knowing that all your sins are forgiven is crucial for your health, peace of mind, wholeness, and wellness. The more you believe that all your sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus, the more you will become whole—body, soul, and spirit!

And should you ever doubt that God has forgiven you of all, all you have to do is open His Word. Read it and remind yourself how the price for “all trespasses” has been fully paid, the judgment executed, and every bit of condemnation against you already meted out on the body of Christ at the cross. Hallelujah!

To establish your heart in the grace of God, meditate on such new covenant truths that exalt Jesus and His finished work. This is how you go from faith to faith and experience breakthrough upon breakthrough in all areas of life.