Christian blogger

God takes us through seasons of refining that make absolutely no sense to us until time passes. As we’re faced with new challenges, we are able to demonstrate how much God has done in and through our lives. We walk through new trials with the wisdom of previous seasons. When you look back do you see how far God has brought you? Can you see how differently you navigate your current challenges in comparison to 1 year ago? or 5 years ago? or even 10 years ago? That’s growth! That’s maturity! If you honestly cannot see any changes, that’s an opportunity to get in God’s presence to illuminate why your maturity has stagnated because God calls for us to be refined (matured) into His image.

Each time we’re presented with a test is an opportunity. When we walk through tests and stumble, it is our responsibility to learn. God expects us to grow spiritually. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” In order to go from glory to glory, to be transformed into the Lord’s image, we have to mature spiritually. Each test becomes another opportunity to demonstrate how much we’ve advanced. Instead of despising each test, we should look at it as an opportunity to show how much we’ve grown and learned.

The tension that Joseph holds at this moment is a lesson for us. God’s timing is divine. There are seasons when God will give us dreams, visions, or other prophetic insights into what is ahead. This is to comfort, correct, or convict us for what is on the horizon. God is preparing us because there are times when we have to maintain our composure, especially in the waiting seasons. We know that God works all things for the good and we have to lean into that truth even as we wait to see spiritual things birthed into the physical. We have to stay yielded to God’s timing and not our own.

There are seasons when we’re uncomfortable. All we can see are the ways that a situation can go wrong. We hesitate to move because at first glance neither situation looks like a sure thing. We’re torn by feelings of doubt and our faith feels shaky. We know that God is powerful, yet our minds can’t comprehend how the situation will come out for the good. Those are the exact moments to surrender. We have to yield to God’s will. We need to acknowledge that our soul is wavering, but our divided belief does not stop God from being who He is.

It’s only when we sit in the tension of difficult places that we find ourselves desperate for God’s intervention. Instead of rushing to get out, sit with it and ask God to give you context. Ask Him to help you see all the ways you can grow spiritually out of the situation. Don’t despise the tension, it’s providing the right pressure to be made perfect in God’s sight.

The unfair accusations and imprisonment felt all too familiar for the brothers. As they faced punitive measures at the hand of their brother, they couldn’t help but reflect on their own guilt from years before. God used the imprisonment and accusations to evoke feelings of fear and guilt to push the brothers towards repentance.