"For the vision... will surely come..." - Habakkuk 2:3
Between your dream and its fulfillment you'll be tested. You'll face some of the same things Joseph faced, like:
1) The faith test. He had to maintain his faith in a hostile environment, and believe in a dream nobody else believed in. He had no dreamer's support network cheering him on, he had to stand alone
2) The patience test. His dream wouldn't happen quickly. A boy at its conception, he would be a mature man before its fulfillment. Every frustrating day he'd have to hold onto it or risk losing it. Patience isn't just hoping things work out; it's persevering and believing what God said. 'Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise' (Hebrews 10:36)
3) The strength test. For a while Joseph's circumstances made the critics appear to be right. He was, after all, in a pit, frightened, alone, in a strange land without family or friends, in prison with an unearned criminal record. He must remain strong in his conviction that his dream was really from God
4) The focus test. With enough emotional baggage to derail a freight train; sibling resentment, abandonment, false accusation and compound losses, he must constantly control his focus. Fixating on his problems and obstacles would have produced disillusionment. Maintaining dream-focus would be his salvation
5) The readiness test. When God finally began opening doors he had to be ready for action! Discouragement or negative thinking would blind him to opportunity. So he kept his spirit and his gifts honed, took every occasion to use them, and watched as God turned his vision into a reality.
This was an e-mail was sent to: Dennis Koh
This publication is brought to you by the Rhema Broadcasting Group Incorporated in association with The Vine, New Zealand. "The Word for Today"® is copyright © Bob Gass Ministries, PO Box 769030, Roswell, Georgia 30076, USA. Unless otherwise noted, all Bible verses are from the Authorised King James Version or the New King James Version. Other Bible versions used are: New International Version, The Living Bible, New American Standard Version, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version, Amplified Bible, The Message.
