Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
February 10, 2002 - W0206

We all experience turning points, pivotal moments where major decisions are made affecting not only today, but our entire lives. For many, September 11 was just such a turning point. Other obvious turning points include getting married, having kids and saying, ìYes!î to Jesus. Not so obvious turning points might be financial setbacks, a failure somewhere, or a betrayal. Decisions made during these times are critical because they impact the rest of your life.

Question 1: Identify one pivotal turning point in your life. What was it? What major decision did you make during that turning point? How did it impact the rest of your life?

What matters most is not so much what happened to you as what happened in you during that decisive moment. Thatís where defining choices are made. And those defining choices are what determine your destiny.

The Bible is replete with great individuals whose turning points have affected the destinies of not only themselves, but of nations. However, there is no one with such obvious, destiny-impacting turning points as a man named Joseph.

Josephís story is found in the book of Genesis, where he is introduced as one of Jacobís 12 sons and the most favored of them all. Because of this, he was bitterly hated by his 10 brothers (Josephís youngest brother, Benjamin, wasnít born yet). In their jealousy, they sold him into slavery and lied to their father, saying that a wild animal had killed Joseph. Meantime, Joseph endured a long trek through the desert before being sold again to Potiphar, a high-ranking Egyptian official. Joseph excelled to the point of being in charge of all of Potipharís affairs but was falsely accused of raping Potipharís wife and thrown into prison.

After years in jail, Joseph was promoted to prime minister of Egypt, saving the known world from famine and ensuring the survival of Israel. From sand-burned slave to prime minister of a superpower nation, Joseph faced every turning point with confidence. He trusted in Godís promises. And for his world-impacting achievements, Godís Word has this to say about him:

ìJoseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him: they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israelî (Gen. 49:22-24).

Question 2: What godly character qualities do you think God wanted to refine in Joseph through these experiences?

THE TURNING POINTS

There were three key turning points in Josephís life that we can learn from. The first wasÖ

1.      FROM SON TO SLAVE

ìThey lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egyptî (Gen. 37:28).

ìThe Lord was with Joseph and blessed him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian masterî (Gen. 39:2).

Joseph could have been destroyed by bitterness and depression at this critical juncture, but instead he chose to be trained and refined by it. What happened to Joseph was never as important as what happened in him. He had a sense of righteousness about him that gave him favor in Potipharís household.

The life lesson for us is this:

            ìRefusing to stay down when knocked down develops righteousnessî (Pr. 24:16).

ìAll discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, yet those who have been trained by it afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousnessî (Heb. 12:11).

We canít necessarily dodge sorrow and suffering, but if you choose to be trained by the setbacks, you will develop righteousness. Someone once told me, ìLife is made up of 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do with what happens to you. And that 90% determines your destiny.î If thatís true, then I would take it a step further: Choose to spend only 10% of your energy discussing the problem and 90% on fixing the problem in a way that glorifies God and builds Biblical character.

By doing that you will choose to suffer according to the will of God. Did you know that you get to choose how you suffer? Sure you do! For either you will suffer Godís way or you will suffer the worldís wayóitís your choice. If you suffer the worldís way, it brings death. But if you suffer Godís wayóby choosing to glorify God and build characteróit gives life.

ìTherefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful creator in doing what is rightî (1 Pet. 4:19).

ìFor the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces deathî (2 Cor. 7:10).

The encouragement for you and I is to choose how you will suffer before we get into hot water.

Question 3: Identify a not-so-obvious turning point in your life (losing a job, financial setback, a betrayal, or a problem at school/work). Think through this situationówhether real or hypotheticalóby choosing to suffer Godís way. How might the situation turn out differently?

Most of us would agree that going from favored son to being a slave was bad enough. But the next turning point would be even more difficult:

2. FROM SLAVE TO PRISONER

ìThe 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 thereî (Gen. 39:21,22).

Potipharís wife tried to seduce Joseph, testing his integrity as a man of God. Even when he tried to do what was right, he was misunderstood and unjustly thrown into prison. And still he chose to excel, even if within the dingy walls of a prison cell. No matter what the circumstance or where God placed him, Joseph made a choice to excel. And because he did, God rewarded him with favor.

Thereís a beautiful life lesson there for us, if weíll catch it:

ìBlooming where God plants you for this season brings you favor.î

How did Joseph do the impossible and overcome the odds? Hereís the secret: Joseph chose not to seek Godís rewards, rather, he chose to seek Godís pleasure. And that was true whether he stood in the burning sands of the desert or the cool marbled floors of a palace.

Question 4: What if God asks you to live in a lesser place, work a lesser job or drive a humbler car? Are you resentful or dissatisfied, or do you choose to bloom where He places you? Do you choose contentment in any circumstance and every season?

The last turning point, and probably the most shocking one of all wasÖ

3. FROM PRISONER TO PRIME MINISTER

ìAnd Pharaoh said to Joseph, ëI have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.í Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, ëIt is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answeríî (Gen. 41:15,16).

Joseph risked it all when he credited the Lord with the answer to Pharaohís dream. But his character was such that he no longer cared if he was in prison or in the palace. As a result, he came out confident in God and not in circumstance. He didnít care to please anyone except God.

ìWhen a manís ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with himî (Pr. 16:7).

Another thing youíll notice at each turning point, is that God was with Joseph. Reread the scriptures under the first two points and youíll see these words: ìThe Lord was with himÖî They specifically remind us that God was with him at all times but especially in the hard times.

Itís easy to think that when everything is going your way, then youíre blessed. Yes, good times are good times but bad times are often the best times. Some ask me, ìHow can that possibly be? How can the bad times possibly be the best times?î Well, these are the times when we are being made, not unmade; when character is being forged and not necessarily attacked. This is the time where the Lord refines character. And because God is with us, He will lead us through. Our hearts are bound to His and choosing to suffer His way will only lead to life in all of its abundance.

Refuse to stay down when youíre knocked down, develop righteousness instead, and bloom wherever God plants you. Therein lies the key to finding confidence in a shaky world, especially at critical turning points. In everything staying close to the Fatherís heart so that you may conquer the odds and win even in the midst of a shaky world.

Question 5: What was the most impacting point you learned today? Why?

Summarized by Kapono Dowson