THE FAMILY PIT

          One of my favorite O.T. bible characters is Joseph. His life seemed to be a continuous downward spiral from bad to worse and he ended up victorious. However, the unique thing about Joseph is he was thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by family members.

Many of us can relate to Joseph, because we are incarcerated by and made slaves to the very people closes to us.  I mean we’ve accepted the limitations others have labeled us with. We naively believe those that say “you will end up just like you’re father”.  Some of us believe if family members died with cancer then our fate is to die with cancer. Others consider themselves to be victims of their neighborhoods, or their racial orientation and label themselves as worthless .

I want you to know you don’t have to be incarcerated by your environment nor do you have to stay in the pit of generational curses. God did not put here simply to keep a negative family trait active. I believe you were put here to change the family trait and pull the next generation of family members out of the pit.

Joseph was thrown in a pit by his brothers because of the favor he had with their father, and the dreams God had shown him. There are family members that will destroy your dream. Some honestly love you and don’t want to see you make a mistake.  Others won’t support you because they’d rather control you.

Maybe you’re the family member that speaks negativity into others.  Perhaps you’ve not taken time to listen to others dreams and plans. Are you going to be poison or fertilizer? Are you gonna be dream-fire that consumes others dreams or will you be dream-fuel that accelerates them?

What seemed to be a downward spiral in Joseph’s life was actually God’s chosen path to purpose. He was able to enjoy the victory because he endured the hardship. He lived a life pleasing to God and not once did he make an excuse.  His final testimony to his brothers was “You meant it for evil but God meant it for good”.

Don’t be discouraged by your surroundings. I know it may not look like what God has promised, but it’s all working for your good. You are not who people, your environment, or even your last name says you are. You are who God says you are.