What would you do if, under the direction of God, you have uprooted your entire family, sold your home and travelled many, many kilometers to make your home in a new country; only to discover that your very presence is considered “an abomination” to your new countrymen?
This is exactly the situation Jacob and the travellers from Canaan found themselves in. They were shepherds by trade, and “….their occupation has been to feed livestock.” (Genesis 46: 32b NKJV). Imagine how upset they must have been to learn that, “…every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians” (Genesis 46:34b NKJV)!
In their sandals, I might have been tempted to turn around without unpacking the moving carts and head back home. There might have been terrible problems at home, but at least I wouldn’t be “an abomination” to my neighbours!
The devil loves to discourage us in this way. He will take every opportunity to derail us from God’s will for our lives. Why does God allow this? I mean, if we are trying to follow His guidance, if we have left everything to be in accordance with His will, shouldn’t it all be smooth sailing? Isn’t peace of mind one of the things we often look to as confirmation of God’s will?
But the story of Joseph teaches us something very different. The Bible records that it is because their occupation was “an abomination” to the Egyptians that they were allowed to settle in the Land of Goshen, the best land in Egypt:
“Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt I before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the Land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.” (Genesis 47:5-6 NKJV).
What the devil meant to discourage the people, God used to encourage them. What the devil meant as a curse, the Lord turned into a blessing! Not only was the best part of the land theirs to occupy, but Pharaoh was also providing them with outside work!
Last week, someone I love and trust made some very serious accusations. I was reduced to tears, completely convinced that I was unfit to do what God has called me to do. In fact, I was convinced that God hadn’t called me.
With my emotions running so high, with my self-doubt and innate insecurity screaming in my ears, I couldn’t hear God’s voice. And this scared me more than anything. Fortunately, God has given me wonderful and Godly accountability partners, one of which, without knowing what was going on, reached out to me about that time. The one accountability partner shared with the other, and their love and support, and especially their objectivity, helped me to see that it was the devil trying to discourage a new branch of ministry that we were about to launch.
This particular branch of ministry had given us nothing by problems from the beginning, but it wasn’t until this situation arose that I realized the devil was trying to stop it. I sent out a request to all of our prayer warriors to intercede on behalf of the new ministry focus, and before the end of the day, all of its problems had been worked out.
As for me, with my emotions in check, I took the accusations to the Lord for verification. I heard His voice this time. He reassured me that I hadn’t done anything wrong, that He had indeed called me to this position, that He didn’t want me to step down. But then, in His loving and kind way, He helped me to see that there were some things that could be tightened up, things that might have prevented the accusation in the first place…
In the end, just like Jacob and his family, God took what was intended to be a curse and turned it into a blessing.
That’s what God does!
Of course there are times when we are not in the will of God, and I would encourage everyone in ministry to have a Godly accountability partner. I would also encourage us all, in such times, to take the circumstances back to God and see what He says about the “curse” before making any rash decisions. Who knows? God may be using the “curse” to bring about blessing!
Have you been hit up with one problem after another? Maybe you’ve even been personally attacked? Take it back to God to ensure you are inside His will, and then sit back and watch Him turn your curse into a blessing!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
(To access the entire “Teacher Joseph” mini-series, click here!)
