Grow in Christ

God's desire for our lives is Christian Maturity; He does not want us to stay as infants in Christ. He wants us to grow in our faith, grow in our walk, grow into who we are in Him. (1 Corinthians 3:1) So how do we grow?


Bible study is essential to our Christian walk; as we study God's Word, our personal relationship with God grows deeper and deeper. It empowers us to live for the Lord in every aspect of our lives.

God does not leave us hanging, he will equip us for the service that He wants us to do. In order to equip us, we will have to bear some trials which will help us mature in our Christian walk. Look at Joseph's life. It was not an easy road, but through all the trials and adversity that he went through, God was preparing him for a time He wanted to use him in. Joseph had to suffer and wait on the Lord to see the ultimate fulfilling of God's plan in his life. God builds character before He calls to service. He equips us for what our purpose is. If we try to go through trials without a surrendered will, we will end up more like immature children than mature adults.

We need to surrender our lives to God knowing that He has a plan and purpose for us; that He will complete the work that He has started in you. (Philippians 1:6)

Lets grow in our faith, grow in our walk, and grow into who we are in Him.

Stand Firm in your Beliefs

Ever feel as if your family disowned you because of your faith? Not all siblings get along especially when jealousy and resentment raise there ugly head. They may, in their minds, think they have won by acting like you don't exist - but my friend look to Joseph.

Joseph's brothers were jealous and resentful of him! We see in Genesis 37 how they placed him in a pit with such hatred then sat around the campfire eating, scheming and plotting out their next move all the while they are quite pleased thinking they finally took care of their problem. They may have thought they got rid of Joseph, selling him off as a slave and telling their father he was killed by a wild animal, but God had bigger plans for Joseph!

Yes, His brothers did horrific things to him but God used it for good. Just think about how many years had passed acting as if Joseph was dead - they thought they would never hear from Joseph again! Then we see in Genesis 50:20 'But as for you, you thought evil against me (Joseph); but God meant it to good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive'

My friend, as a Christian you will be persecuted for your faith, unfortunately even your own family members will persecute you. Remember Christ himself was not liked in his household : Matthew 13:57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”

Don't take it personal as we see in Ephesians 6:12 'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.'

God has a Master plan for your life and will work through you as He did with Joseph. We just need to keep our faith and stand firm on your beliefs. Joseph is a wonderful example of how to live uprightly and faithful even when things don't seem to be going so well.

We need to trust God to protect us in times of persecution. It is better to suffer for righteous' sake than to compromise our testimony.

1 Peter 4:16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

God Answers Prayers ~ GAP

You ever find yourself going through life day after day wondering when your prayer would be answered. You pray and yet nothing seems to be happening.

A great example of this is in the life of Joseph. We see in Genesis 40 how Joseph was falsely imprisoned and after interpreting a dream for the chief cupbearer, who was also imprisoned with Joseph, showed that the cupbearer would be restored to his position with the Pharaoh. Joseph asked the cupbearer to speak highly of him to help release him from prison. At the end of chapter 40 we see this interpretation come to fruition, then chapter 41 begins with the chief cupbearer speaking highly of Joseph, as he had asked, and he tells Pharaoh how he interpreted his dream.

But notice in Genesis 41:1 the cupbearer did not remember Joseph immediately, it took two full years before he mentioned Joseph to the Pharaoh. What a difference the gap between chapter 40 and chapter 41 makes. Joseph had to wait two full years in prison for his prayer to be answered.

My friends, we all have gaps between our prayers and answered prayers, don’t we? In these times we can get discouraged and bitter or we can trust God to know that He is in control. You see Joseph’s prayer to be delivered from prison took two full years before it was answered because God had a plan that would bolster Joseph to a higher authority as ruler of Egypt where he would be in a position to save the Israelites and his family.

God had a greater plan for Joseph and was working behind the scenes in Joseph’s life to make it come to fruition. So when you get discouraged because of the gaps between your prayers and it seems as if your prayers are not being answered, remember it’s all about God’s timing not ours! God is working in your life just as he did with Joseph. He has a plan and a purpose for your life also. Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.' Trust in the Lord my friend even in the gaps of your life.

Joseph and Life's Challenges

I am excited to share with you our new study on the Life of Joseph!

We can all identify with Joseph, his life is full of wisdom and insight into how to handle life's challenges, relationships, family issues, suffering, and ethics just to name a few. He faced real situations that we too face today and shows us how to prevail even when things don't seem to be going so good.  The favor of God on Joseph's life speaks volumes about what it means to be called by God for a specific purpose. He had such a varied life yet in every situation he shows us how to live uprightly and faithfully for God.

I look forward to doing this study with you over the next several weeks as we explore the Life of Joseph and how we too can become victors through the various challenges of our lives.  Please click here to watch a short video of the intro to our study on the Life of Joseph. God Bless

New Study: Life of Joseph

We make life choices every day, but how we approach those choices is what matters in the end.  Two people can experience the same discouraging circumstances in life; but one will become bitter and resentful while the other person will handle them with grace and resiliency.  

Our new study on the Life of Joseph will help us understand the ups and downs of life and how God sovereignly works behind the scenes directing our paths.  We will see time and time again of how Joseph was dealt a bad hand but prevailed in the end.  I pray this study is a blessing to you!