Gen. 50:20 - "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." 
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• Evil From A Family Member

Can you remember a time in your life when someone lied about you? Or they planned to do some other type of hurtful thing to you? 

It might have been done by a person who you considered your friend, a teammate, a co-worker, or a family member. They deliberately tried to get you into trouble.

In the above text, Joseph is saying these words to his brothers.

What can be worse than having your flesh and blood do something evil to you? 
 
Joseph's brothers had sold him to the Ishmaelites (Gen.37:27) who in turn would sell him to the Egyptians. 

• Family Lies

The brothers would return to Jacob, their father, and purposefully deceive him.  Yes, some people will indeed do some very mean, wicked, and cruel things not only to their siblings but to people they work with or people who are considered friends. 

How can one handle this type of treatment by family members or so-called friends?
 
I think the answer comes right after Joseph tells his brothers "…you meant evil against me, BUT God meant it for good." 

• God Can Change Evil

God used Joseph to be sold into slavery for the good. Whatever evil someone has planned against us we need to keep in mind that God can use this for something good. 
 
That doesn't mean it will be beautiful for us to endure. It most likely will have times of extreme pain and mental anguish, BUT God can take the ugliness that is done to us and turn it into a masterpiece.

All we have to do is stay faithful and keep believing God can bring beauty out of something that is considered hurtful. This is a challenge that God is letting you experience because He has faith in you. He believes you will become a person of greater integrity after this trial.

So the real question here is this: Can you hang in there while God turns the negative into something positive?

When you read the story of Joseph it gets worse for him before it gets better. He is going to be wrongfully accused by his boss' wife. She said he was trying to seduce her. When the truth was he was running away from her advances. He will be thrown in jail because of the lies she told about him.
 
In the passage below read what Joseph endured and how he was in return blessed by God.

Ps.105:17 - He sent a man before them, 
        Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 
              18 They afflicted his feet with fetters, 
       He himself was laid in irons; 
              19 Until the time that his word came to pass, 
       The word of the Lord tested him. 
              20 The king sent and released him, 
       The ruler of peoples, and set him free. 
              21 He made him lord of his house 
       And ruler over all his possessions, 
 
God sees the evil that we are faced with every day. That is why He has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to help us overcome some of the injustices of life we all face at one time or another.

Ps. 25:2-3 says, "O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed."  

The challenge for us today is to become more like Joseph and strengthen our TRUST in the LORD.
 
Think About These:

When things get rough, remember: It is the rubbing that brings out the shine.

The best way out of difficulty is through it.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

Galatians 6:7 - "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." NASU
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• One Of God's Unbreakable Laws           

The first thing we must do is remember God has made us free-will human beings and we are permitted to make mistakes. If we want to do something stupid God will permit it but we are the ones that will have to pay for our choices. 
 
The apostle Paul informs us it is very clear whatever a man sows this he will reap. So the decision is ours. What crop do we want to harvest?  

We all know you can't plant corn seeds and expect radishes to grow. Everyone knows that it is simply a no brainer.

• Be Careful What You Sow 

You would be surprised in life how many people believe they can sow their wild oats and not receive a wild oats harvest.
 
I was one of those morons.
 
I tell people I have made a lot of bad decisions or, in other words, I have sowed a lot of wild oats and mostly while under the influence of alcohol. Before I was converted to Christ I thought laws were for everyone except me. MORON!
 
I remember people would say, "Gary, why do you believe we have laws?" My answer was always the same "We have laws so they can be broken."
 
I was a MORON! 

• Sow Destruction And You'll Reap Destruction

How many people have you known to sow destructive tendencies in their lives and when they reaped disaster they were shocked by the outcome?

One person that comes to my mind is Robert Downey, Jr. From the years 1996 - 2004 he thought he could abuse alcohol and drugs and everything would be okay.

He not only was fired from the Ally McBeal show, but he was also arrested numerous times, ordered to rehabs by the courts, and incarcerated in a California state prison.

Finally, he woke up and decided to start sowing a different type of seed and his career and personal life have skyrocketed to new heights. 

How many people do we know not as famous as Robert Downey, Jr. have followed the same lifestyle only to end up wrecking their lives as well? 

• God's Word Is Unbreakable

God's Word tells us that what we sow is what we will reap. Period!

Here is what you want to do before you plant. Ask yourself, "What will be the outcome of this action?" If you are not sure ask for someone else's opinion.
 
Listen to what is written in Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

What you sow will it produce shame and embarrassment? Or will it bring blessings and honor? If you were to die right after your planting produced a crop, how would you be remembered?

How is it that you would like to be remembered?
 
Then always remember to plant the type of seeds that will bring blessings and honor.
 
Think About This:
 
It isn't by a man's wealth, but by his character, that makes him rich or poor.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

Luke 10:40-41 - But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;…" 
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• Covid 19 

What a distraction Covid 19 has caused in our world. What a distraction it has caused in the Lord's church. After the lockdown had been lifted many church's attendance have plummeted. People are distracted by Covid 19. Their focus isn't on the Lord it is on themselves.
 
Here is what Jesus says about your life: Matt.10:39 - "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
 
Don't be afraid of Covid 19 or anything else. If it kills you it actually has set you free from this body and allows you to have a glorified body. 

• The Devil's Old Friends 

Alcohol and drugs two of the devil's tools of distraction are still around and being used like never before. They have distracted all types of people for centuries.
 
Sometimes the love of money or sex two more of the devil's old tools have distracted people from doing their jobs or launching their careers.
 
There are all types of distractions that can come into a person's life. 

• Martha's Distraction 

In Martha's case, she was distracted by her preparations to serve the Lord a meal. She could not believe her sister, Mary, was in there sitting at the feet of Jesus, while she was doing all the work.
 
Mary was listening to Jesus and Martha was preparing the meal. Let me say it another way, Mary was focused on what Jesus was saying and Martha was focused on the fact that her sister was not helping her prepare the meal.
 
There it is friends the keyword: "FOCUS."
 
Mary was focused on what Jesus was teaching. Mary wasn't the least bit interested in eating, leastways not physical food. She was focused on what Jesus was saying. 

• Recognizing When One Is Distracted 

Here are two noticeable signs someone has lost their focus: 

1. Martha was focused on what someone else was not doing.
2. Martha was irritable because her focus was in the wrong place.

If you are working with or coaching someone and you notice these two signs (loss of focus & irritability) in them. You need to speak with them as Jesus did with Martha. He told her she was worried and bothered about too many things.
 
In other words, she was not focused on the right thing. You want to help that person focus on what is important and what they are doing to improve themselves.

• Helping One To Overcome Distractions 

Ask them some questions.

• What are you trying to accomplish today, next week, month, or year?
• How are you planning on accomplishing these goals?
• How successful is your plan right now?

 You want the person to focus on what he/she is doing not on what others are not doing.

Jesus gives Martha the solution to her problem when He tells her she needed to prioritize her life. Jesus says, "but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."(v.42)

Life is about PRIORITIES. If you don't prioritize you will only make your life harder.
 
Martha hadn't chosen the one necessary thing. She chose to be distracted about something that would not really be that beneficial to her. Her priorities were incorrect. 
 
As Steven Covey said, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."
 
That is all we have to do to overcome distractions "Keep the main thing the main thing."

Think About This:

What chance can a man have to control his destiny when he can't control himself?

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word