Look at the life of Joseph in Genesis 37-39. Here is this 17 year old daddy’s boy who had a dream that he would one day rule over his family. For Joseph that was his destiny. To his brothers it was obnoxious pride. They didn’t want daddy favorite son to rule over them. So, they did what all good older brothers do. They sold him out - literally. They sold him into slavery.
Principle: Your destiny will sometimes offend those who haven’t realized their own!
As you go after your God given destiny, there will be some who think your proud or self righteous. There will be those who "sell you out". I challenge you to refuse to back down from your destiny.
Do you recognize any of these names of Joseph's his brothers, the ones who sold him out? Dan, Ruben, Judah, Gad, Simeon, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Benjamin, Issachar, Zebulun, and Asher? They were to be the 12 tribes of Israel, but because they didn’t recognize their own destiny, they got jealous and mad at Joseph for wanting to pursue his.
Joseph ran into another snag as he pursued his destiny. When his brothers sold him into slavery, this rich guy bought him, saw his potential, and eventually put him charge of everything he owned. He was like his manager. That doesn't seem so bad does it?
Well, the problem was, this guy had a hot sexy wife that wanted a piece of him. She kept pursuing him to sleep with her. You and I both know the temptation that must have been.
Principle: The enemy will use everything he can to get you distracted from your destiny.
We need to refuse to be distracted from our destiny!
The Bible says that “And though she spoke to Joseph day after day he refused to go to bed with her and even be with her” (Gen. 39:10). He didn’t even want to be in the same room with her. In fact, one time when “she caught him by his cloak and said 'Come to bed with me'”, he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house” (Gen. 39:12).
He refused to be distracted from his destiny. He refused to compromise his standards. He refused to sin.
What did he get for it? He was thrown into prison! How depressing is that? You do the right thing, you refuse to give in to temptation, and get blasted.
He could have sat there in prison and sulked and complained about how God wasn’t fair. He could have doubted his destiny and cursed God. But he didn’t. He refused to give up his pursuit of his God given destiny.
Principle: Doing the right thing doesn't always garuntee immediate success, but it will keep you on the road to your destiny.
At seventeen years old, Joseph realized that God had an incredible destiny for him. It may have been a long road to see it unfold, but he refused to loose. He didn't back down when people sold him out. He didn't get distracted by life's temptations. He give up when things weren't going according to plan. He trusted God, held onto his destiny, and made history!
What will you do with your destiny?
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