From Dream to Destiny 1-Pride Test

**Fenny West** Tue 21 Jul 2009, 5:29 pm

^1For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jer29:11

God has a good plan, a Promised Land, a destination, a dream, an assignment for everyone of us but given the fact that He has a plan you does not mean that you are ready for it. A process precedes the fulfilment of the promise. That process may be long, short and/or arduous, tortuous; the road may be rough, depending on the responsibilities/calling required or privileges bestowed by the promise. For Joseph the promise came when he was only 13 years of age and it wasn’t until he was 30 did he begin to enter the Promised Land. God had to take him through various scenarios and put him through various tests before he was ready to wear the mantle of the Glory land- the Land flowing with milk and honey.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. ⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
⁵ Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. ⁶ He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: ⁷ We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."
⁸ His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
⁹ Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
¹⁰ When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" ¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. Gen37:

The Pride Test

On the road to the Promised Land we would meet the likes of Mr Pride who because of immaturity on our part may be ill-equipped to handle prophecy. We may resort to sharing our prophecy with every Tom, Dick and Harry often with hidden pride and lack of discretion. Joseph was in this place as he shared his dreams with glee not caring who is offended by it. He knew his brothers were not happy about the first dream he had yet he had another dream which was not bad it itself but he was naïve to share it again with his brothers which fuelled their jealousy and exposed the pride in his heart. Daddy Jacob even made matters worse with the coat of many colours he gave Joseph as a favourite son, which made him even more pompous.

Pride goeth before a fall and so it must be expunged before Joseph is ready for ‘kingship’ It was pride that brought Lucifer down. The process God ordained included doses of medicine to root-out and cure the pride in Joseph, which may even be unbeknown to him.

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourself under the mighty handle of God that he may lift you up in due time. Jesus gave us a practical example of humility when He washed the disciples’ feet. The way up is the way down. Unless you pass this Pride test, you may be a disaster waiting to happen, a time-bomb waiting to explode. Joseph faced rejection and jealousy and had to comport himself in the midst of these vices surrounding him wanting to derail his dream before it took off.

I know of man who had a glimpse of the Promised Land soon after he was saved. God gave him song after song in the night and so he thought he had arrived. And not long after his calling was further confirmed in a prophecy in Church.

‘I have given you the tongue of the learned. I will awaken you morning by morning to speak to you and you will not be rebellious. ...’

‘Do you deal with music?...’

‘When king Saul was tormented by the evil spirit, David ministered to him and he was refreshed, healed and delivered. Before you minister in song kneel down and pray, Lord as I minister in songs, I thank you that people will be healed, refreshed and delivered. So use your faith and receive this three fold-ministry of the Psalmist. Ok?’

Bolstered by the prophecy, he became a loose canon, albeit a babe in Christ. He printed business cards and letterhead and compliment slips and bank account expected of those who have been launched into ministry, with the name of the ministry he thought he had received.

However a wind of adversity blew and the immigration authorities told him to leave the country. He initially thought God would intervene but it did not happen and so he was forced to seek sanctuary in a neighbouring country, still believing his calling.

Before leaving he received a word from the Lord that he would be protected and provided for in the strange land he was going and that he would be brought back. He had just failed his pride test.

Has God given you a Rhema word? If so treasure it. However know that you’re not necessarily ready for it. You need to submit to the process require to enter that Promised Land. No short-cut would do. Also don’t expect everyone you tell to rejoice with you. In fact you need to be discretional who you share your dreams with. Through indiscretion you can trigger jealousy and cause your self much avoidable sorrows and heartache.

When you hit the bumpy road regarding your dream it is time to take the word to God and pray it back to Him: Lord, it was you who said:----- my eyes are on you. Imitate Jehosephat in 2Chro20

However even if you ‘re discretional your dream will leak out eventually to some people who may not like it and they will fight against you. Nehemiah had a dream to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem, his enemies found out and resorted to put stumbling blocks on his pathway. But God was on Nehemiah’s side and he prevailed eventually. So when those whom you have not shared your dreams with find out and oppose you, relax and know that if God is for you no one can be against you. They will fight against you but they will not prevail. Those who come against you on one way will flee in seven ways. God will have a final say.