Pastor Emmanuel Oladimeji

Date: Sunday, 7th October 2018.

Venue: MFM HQ Youth Church

Text: Gen. 41:37 -44

With your right hand raised towards heaven, declare this:

“Arise O God and announce me (my potential, calling, and gift) globally in the name of Jesus.”

This morning by God’s grace, we would be taking our lessons from the life of the man called Joseph as our topic has hinted. Scripture explicitly details how Joseph was elevated and favoured in the house of Potiphar, who placed him in charge of all he represented, save his throne. Now, the question is this: ‘What was the secret? Why was it? And what were the things present in the life of Joseph that made the King to single him out for honour.’

Listen Beloved, in the tenth month, Esther went to the palace and was shown preferential treatment. I pray for you that in this tenth month, people will treat you preferentially. You shall be treated like royalty in the name of Jesus!

Now, with a comprehensive approach to learning from Joseph’s life, let us consider the points listed below:

1. Like Joseph, always take a stand against evil even if it means that you would stand alone. It is evidently clear that the wicked do not prosper, it does not bode well for them. So take a bold stand against any form of evil.
   • Never follow the multitude to do evil. The fact that a lot of people are doing evil doesn’t mean that it is right.
   • Until you stand for something, you will fall for everything.
   • It is better for you to be alone than to be in the midst of evildoers.

2. Ensure that you please God in all things. Henceforth, make it a priority to please God.
   • Never respect anyone to the point of displeasing God and yourself. Remember Joseph’s rebuff to Potiphar’s wife’s advances? Listen carefully, friend, flee from those that would make you offend God.
   • Life is a product of adventure.

3. Endeavour to secure fatherly (be it biological or spiritual) or parental blessings over your life. Take optimum advantage of their tremendous life-changing utterances.
   • Never take the blessings of a spiritual father/mother for granted (as taking their word for granted could make you grounded). Irrespective of age differences (truth is that you could even be older than them), or familiarity, you should never take their word for granted. I can’t stress this enough.
   • The unction behind you determines the actions of your life. I would like to illustrate this with a story. Sometime ago, the G.O informed me that I would be his emissary at a function. I have to be honest; fear gripped me as he ran me through the profile of the meeting as there would be notable dignitaries in attendance. I made it known to him that I was scared and he summoned me to where he was. He spoke encouraging words to me and gave me useful tips. Afterwards, he stamped out the fear with a prophetic move by hitting my head thrice. The fear disappeared instantly or so I thought. Only to arrive at the destination and set my eyes upon the dignitaries, and I was overwhelmed by a fresh bout of anxiety. My host, upon receiving me proceeded to ask in a tone and manner that appeared to me as if he was trying to ascertain whether my prophetic standing could match the occasion I had come to grace. I quote him “What is the message that you want to preach?” Sincerely, I felt the question had intimidating undertones. Thankfully, I wisely answered him by bursting into tongues which left him just where I wanted him to be. He further asked me if I wanted to eat and I continued where I left off in tongues. Truth is, I was so tense that I couldn’t even bring myself to think about eating. All I wanted to do at this point was to discharge (if you know what I mean) and zoom off. Amidst the seeming chaos, something in the core of my being hugely believed that I was going to incredibly do well as I had the prophetic backing of the G.O which he signaled by hitting my head. At a point during my rendering the message my legs were shaking. But I remembered the G.O’s tips, one of which was and I quote him ‘konábò wọn’ which translates to ‘release fire on them’. I swiftly employed it, and called a prayer point that even the most hardened of them would pray. In a twinkle, the place erupted and the manifest power of the Holy Ghost ‘slayed’ quite a number of them. As we couldn’t get to bring them out of this state, I proceeded to my message with multitudes on the floor. I preached on the topic ‘Altar against altar.’ Just as I got home, the G.O in-boxed me with a thumbs-up emoji which confirmed my suspicion that they had informed him of the work God had wrought through me. Don’t take your fathers for granted. Listen beloved, this story evidently reinforces the fact that our actions in life are determined by the unction that backs us up. No more, no less.
   • The mantle behind you determines the kind of mountain that you can move. Let this sink into your being. It takes certain mantles to solve certain problems.
   • Ability plus connectivity determines productivity. This further emphasizes an all-too-known maxim of life that it takes more than just having potentials to scale high in life. You need to be connected. To phrase it better, if you do not have a father, you cannot go far in life because fathers are feathers by which men soar.
   • You cannot be connected to a higher mantle and be restricted by a lower devil. Events in life obey a law of hierarchy and as such, if you are a carrier of a high mantle, lower devils would disappear even only at their sensing of your presence.
   • It isn’t the size of the vehicle that determines the speed rather it is the engine. So regardless of your size, ensure you always have a high-grade capacity engine.
   • Never toy with your spiritual cover. Whosoever pronounces blessings upon you shouldn’t be a target of your ridicule. Doing this can expose you to untimely death.Ensure not to speak against those who bless you directly or indirectly. They don’t even need to be aware of what goes on behind them as the anointing of God is a two-edged sword which depends solely on how you position yourself because it can bless and likewise judge. Please beware.

4. Joseph had immense foresight – He always saw his future before it arrived. Never wait for things to happen. Feel it, and see it before it arrives. Doing this will propel you to work for the future you desire. Listen beloved, what you cannot conceive, you cannot receive.

5. Unlike Joseph, never reveal your dream and vision to anyone who doesn’t respect and value your interest. This rare mistake of Joseph could have totally changed the complexion of his destiny if it wasn’t for God’s divine intervention. In the spirit of brotherliness, he wished to carry his siblings along and so he told them his dreams. It turns out that they had other plans for him as they plotted evil against him. I can’t stress this enough never reveal your dreams to your adversaries. Be discreetly guided in your conversations with people.

I pray for you that whosoever has been programmed by the devil to steal your dream, and to kill your vision, regardless of your affinity, God will separate you in the name of Jesus. You may be wondering, ‘Why the prayer?’ In years gone by, I used to have a very close friend that at a point his presence in my life began to contend with God’s. God instructed me to break the bridge but I was reluctant as it was a tough decision to take. I’m thankful I did today, because the turnaround I’ve experienced cannot be expressed with words.

I pray for you that any information about your life in the hands of the enemy, the Lord will withdraw it now in the name of Jesus.

6. Joseph had a strong and buoyant lifestyle of prayer.
   • The effectiveness of your prayer life determines just how far in life you’ll go.
   • As evidenced by the life of Joseph, those who stand with God in the place of prayer, are residents of special anointing.

7. Joseph lived a lifestyle of uprightness. Never conform to the level of the world.

8. He lived a lifestyle of faithfulness. Be faithful in those little things that seemingly do not count. In life, in the long run, everything counts. The Bible reckons that if one is faithful in little things, bigger things would be committed to his trust.

9. He lived a lifestyle of sacrifice: Like Joseph, be willing to sacrifice anything for God’s sake.

10. He lived a lifestyle of genuine dedication unto God. Passion plus love equals dedication. If you’re totally dedicated to God, your protection and preservation is guaranteed. Isaiah 31:4,5 has more to say on this.

To be continued…