The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
• Genesis 39:23, NIV •
JOSEPH WAS A MAN WHO WITHOUT QUESTION WENT THROUGH the most impossible of situations. His story includes times of unparalleled and unprecedented victories, along with heart-wrenching, hope-devouring seasons of despair. When you evaluate portions of his life, it would seem that he was anything but favored. But a closer look would reveal a very powerful reality. Joseph found favor even in the most difficult of times. That is one of the essential components in the life of this amazing dreamer. He was able to make the most of even the worst situations. His tenacity eventually catapulted him into the fruition of his dream.
All you have to do is rehearse his story, and you can find favor shining through every dark part of it. Think about it; even though he was hated by his brothers, he was favored by his father. Though he was sold into bondage, he had favor in the eyes of Potiphar. Yes, he was thrown into prison unjustly, but even in prison he had favor. Favor eventually led him to being second in command in all of Egypt, answering only to Pharaoh himself. Make no mistake about it; favor is something that is undeniably powerful.
Sometimes to find favor with those who matter, you will have to sacrifice favor with those who don’t.
Understand that Joseph had favor in every situation with those who mattered. I know this next statement may seem intense and hard to fully get your mind around. But listen closely: there are some people in your life you will never experience favor with. No matter how hard you try or what you do, you will never gain their favor or endorsement. So stop trying.
Favor That Matters
Joseph didn’t need the favor of his brothers; he needed the favor of his father. He didn’t need the favor of the other servants in Potiphar’s house; he needed the favor of Potiphar himself. Joseph didn’t need the favor of the prisoners in the prison; he needed favor with the man in charge!
There is a very powerful truth that you cannot afford to ignore as you hotly pursue your dream: sometimes to find favor with those who matter, you will have to sacrifice favor with those who don’t.
You need to reread that last statement. It is time set yourself free from trying to gain favor from those who are powerless to help you as it relates to your dream and destiny! If Joseph would have sought the favor of his brothers and had been willing to compromise for their favor, he would have never seen his dreams come to pass.
Ask yourself an honest question: “Am I willing to sacrifice the favor of those who don’t matter in order to gain the favor of those who do?” If you are, I want you to doing something. Right now stop and pray this powerful destiny-unlocking, dream-fulfilling prayer.
Heavenly Father, in Jesus’s name don’t just give me favor; give me favor with those who matter! Release favor over my life with the people who can make my dreams come true! I receive it in faith. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen!
Let’s take a closer look at Joseph’s journey and discover more about how and why so much incredible favor rested on Joseph’s life.
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
—GENESIS 39:20–23, NIV
Favor is more than skill, it goes way beyond luck, and it’s often undeserved and almost always unexpected. The Bible says that the Lord granted Joseph favor. Favor is a very powerful word. In the Old Testament the English word favor is translated from the Hebrew word chen. It means “grace, acceptance, and good will.” In all that Joseph faced and went through, it is important to discover the keys that led him to favor in unfavorable circumstances because God can and will provide favor for you no matter how unfavorable your circumstances may be!
The essential thing that led to the favor and success of Joseph is found in Genesis 39:2 (emphasis added):
The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
Now don’t miss that important fact. The Lord was with him. If the Lord is with you, you’re automatically in a position of favor. Joseph may not have been where he wanted to be in the natural sense; however, since God was with him, he was in a blessed place.
I love the fact that the Bible says he was a successful man. He had less than optimum circumstances, yet he still succeeded. Bear in mind, he had been sold into bondage and was a slave. Everything about his life screamed limitation. He was not free to do as he wanted, to come and go as he wanted, or even to live the true life he must have wanted. But in the house of limitations he was successful.
The key to the next level is this level. Succeed where you are.
Successful means that Joseph accomplished his aim and fulfilled his purpose. Even in the hard place, because the Lord was with him, he fulfilled his purpose. Never forget; if God is with you and you are in a hard place, there is always purpose to be found in the hard place. Don’t overreact in the hard place; don’t quit, give up, or throw in the towel. On the contrary, do what Joseph did in the hard place—find your purpose! God will not allow you to be in the hard place without a purpose.
Succeed Where You Are
Something very important to understand is that you must seek to succeed where you are if you ever hope to get to where you’re going. Even if you are not where you want to be, concentrate on succeeding where you are. Success in one place often opens the door of opportunity to the next place.
The key to the next level is this level. Succeed where you are.
Joseph was successful where he was. He never lost sight of the sobering reality of this truth: he needed God. He understood that without the Lord he had absolutely no chance of success, or even survival for that matter.
It’s the same today. You might think that your dreams hinge on where you are. But this is how you are deceived. God dreams don’t manifest by location but by habitation. When the Lord is with you, favor is with you, and when favor is with you, success is not far behind. There is no way to overstate your need for God.
It is impossible to experience the favor of God without the presence of God. God’s presence released favor and blessing over Joseph, and even Potiphar recognized that there was something special about him. The Bible relates the story so incredibly in Genesis 39:3–6.
And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.
Now let’s zero in on some powerful truth concerning favor here in these few short verses.
1. True favor cannot be hidden.
Verse 3 says, “His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper.” When the favor of the Lord is with you, there is no hiding or denying it.
God dreams don’t manifest by location but by habitation.
Our entire story of ministry has been one of God’s favor. Our ministry began over twenty-five years ago in a church that did not have enough of anything. It was in a rough area of town and was relatively unknown. But even in those lean days we were blessed with God’s favor. From a small church we launched a ministry that went all over America and throughout the world.
It’s been about sixteen years since we became pastors in Ormond Beach, Florida. We started in a broken-down, leaky, mold-infested gym. Several renovations and two church buildings later we are still walking in the favor of the Lord. Our last expansion was a massive undertaking that cost beyond twenty-five million dollars. This was accomplished in the worst economy since the Great Depression.
The month after we broke ground on our new facility, the economy crashed. We saw families in our church who, up to that point, had been extremely blessed and prosperous lose everything almost overnight. Giving was definitely affected. We went from lending institutions standing in line to assist us to virtually no options. Ministers and friends called me from across America and counseled me to pull the plug on our endeavor. But the fact was, I felt that a man didn’t tell me to build it, so a man couldn’t tell me to stop, and we pressed forward in faith.
God supernaturally provided two gifts in that season totaling approximately nine million dollars. When we needed resources and with nowhere to borrow, God supplied! Favor! Can you imagine, in a time when commercial building had ground to a halt in the state of Florida, on Interstate 95 a twenty-five-million-dollar project is undertaken? This amazing church building began to rise out of the ground in the deadest economy imaginable. It was being accomplished through the favor of the Lord.
People from everywhere passed by our church and were shocked to see this kind of expansion taking place in a horrific economy. But God’s favor was on this ministry, and true favor cannot be hidden.
This is very important as it relates to your dream. You must believe God for the kind of favor that will cause your dream to come out of hiding. The favor of God was obvious over the life of Joseph, even to an idol worshipper like Potiphar. And in faith I declare that it shall be the same for you! God’s favor over your life will be evident so that your dream cannot and will not stay hidden! Even those in darkness will see and know that you walk in the unexplainable favor of the Lord.
2. The favor of God will involve servanthood.
So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
—GENESIS 39:4
Now this is where things intensify. You almost always think that favor is about getting what you want. But there is a whole lot more to God’s favor than that. You are blessed when the favor of God rests on you, and that is undeniable. But I want you to read this next statement very purposefully and thoughtfully, because this is important: God’s favor does not come to produce what you want but to produce what He wants.
The favor of the Lord always has a divine purpose. It thrust Joseph into a great position, and that position was one of a servant. When you seek favor only for yourself, you become shallow, superficial, and self-absorbed. God’s favor manifests with opportunity, and that opportunity is to serve. And real favor should manifest a willingness to become a blessing to others.
God’s favor does not come to produce what you want but to produce what He wants.
I fear for many Christians in the kingdom of God today. It is now popular and in vogue to claim the favor and blessings of the Lord and think there’s no expectation from God on our part. Many claim blessings without giving, breakthrough without prayer, presence without praise, access without intimacy, heaven without holiness, and favor without faithfulness.
One quick side note, I am not attaching anything to God’s grace to save us. We don’t behave a certain way to get saved; we behave a certain way because we are saved. In transforming our lives though salvation, Jesus transforms our character and our actions.
And it is true concerning the favor of God. God’s favor should have an effect on a person. It certainly did on Joseph. In the very same sentence that declared he found favor, the Bible says he served. The word served here in Genesis 39 is translated from the Hebrew word sharath. It means “to minister to.” The favor of the Lord is greatly revealed through ministry. Joseph served and ministered to Potiphar. This is amazing to me, because Joseph ministered to a man who was totally unworthy of him. This man certainly did not deserve the ministry of Joseph, yet he served him anyway.
At some point in your life, when you walk in the favor of God, you will have an opportunity to serve those who are seemingly unworthy. But here is what you must understand: the favor you walk in is undeserved. Favor is something you don’t have a right to, and favor is not earned.
Think about it. If you get in a situation where you need help and someone can provide it, you request it of them by asking, “Can you do me a favor?” Through that statement you’re admitting that they are not obligated, nor can you require them to do it. It’s a favor, something you don’t deserve. It’s the same way with the Lord: if you deserved favor, it wouldn’t be favor!
This is how you serve people who are unworthy of your service—by realizing every drop of the favor that rests on your life is undeserved. When you do, it becomes easier to serve the undeserving.
The favor of God awakened the servant in Joseph, and it was something that marked his entire life. He served Potiphar, the prison warden, the prisoners, Pharaoh, and finally his own family. Joseph served his way into the fulfillment of his dream.
The favor of God and the fulfillment of your dream will require the servant in you to be awakened. You must be willing to minister to messes (those undeserving) in your life to manifest your dream.
3. People will find favor by finding you!
So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
—GENESIS 39:5
The Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph’s sake. The very presence of Joseph brought favor on Potiphar in all of his unworthiness! That’s the power of the favor of God; those around and connected to you will be blessed because of God’s favor on your life. There are people in your life who will elevate because they associate with you. You bring the favor of God wherever you go! Your home, your job, your class, even your car—wherever you are, God’s favor stays with you.
One of the greatest examples of favor is revealed through the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
—LUKE 1:28–30
The angel appeared to Mary and called her “highly favored one.” He goes on to call her blessed. Now what is amazing is her response. She was troubled and afraid. Isn’t that something? She is not being judged by God; she is being favored by God. And she responds in fear. Never allow yourself to fear God’s favor!
The real key to God’s favor over Mary is this: what was going on inside of her would bless the whole world! Never forget this: favor gets in you before it ever gets on you! Today the favor of God is in you! Mary’s favor was so incredible it blessed untold masses, including you and me! That’s the kind of favor that’s powerful!
Joseph had favor on him that blessed the whole world! You may be wondering how. Well, think about it. In a time of great famine God supernaturally orchestrated the rise of Joseph to second in command in all of Egypt. God used him to interpret the dream of Pharaoh and to understand that a devastating famine was coming. Because of the favor upon Joseph, Egypt was prepared.
When Joseph’s own family was caught in the same famine, it is none other than Joseph who is in charge of distributing the food! Joseph was able to preserve the Jewish race, from whence the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, was born! Now that’s favor! Don’t fear the favor, because your favor is going to bless many others!
Here are five powerful faith-feeding, favor-releasing statements I want you to make.
1. Whatever I need to fulfill my God-given dream and destiny, God’s favor brings to me in Jesus’s name.
2. I will find favor with those who matter and can help me fulfill my dream in Jesus’s name.
3. I will not fear the favor of God on my life. I not only accept it, but I also expect it!
4. The favor of God on my life will help me fulfill my dream and will bless those who are connected to me.
5. I will not try to earn God’s favor; I will receive it by faith. I know if I have to earn it or I deserve it, then it isn’t favor!
You’re about to learn about the times of testing in your life. Now move forward in favor and start by succeeding where you are!