Gen 39:20-23 (NIV) Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Once again, Joseph had more than enough reason to be concerned over his health, feel depressed, feel hopeless, be filled with fear, doubt God’s faithfulness, get mad, be overwhelmed, and feel all kinds of other negative feelings; he was NO DIFFERENT than you!

Those things that Satan is trying to destroy you with will fall off, when you allow Jesus to take you into training in His principles, fill you with His power, and wrap you in His love. And, not only will you be set free from life difficulties, Jesus will train you and empower you to win at life. This issue wasn’t a choice for you, you are being ATTACKED with its challenges. You are being pushed into conditions and emotions that are very powerful and potentially controlling. But, when you yield to Jesus and all He has to offer, that is when you overcome this difficulty and start winning at life. Joseph was just as susceptible to these types of issues as you are. He didn’t have any more power to resist them than you do. He was not a healthier, stronger, more determined, or better person than you are. He just did what you are doing; he turned his issues and emotions over to God; and, God did the rest.

Gen 40:1-3 (NIV) Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. Keep in mind that Joseph was just like you are; he didn’t have a clue as to what his future was going to be. You know that it was GOD Who was heading him into becoming second in command to Pharoah. You know that it was GOD Who allowed him to be hated by his brothers and thrown in a pit. You know that it was GOD Who had some Midianite traders come by so Joseph could be sold into slavery in Egypt. You know that it was GOD Who caused Potiphar to buy him because Potiphar was one of Pharaoh’s officials. You know that it was GOD Who allowed Joseph to be thrown into prison because it was the place where the KING'S prisoners were confined. Since God is giving you a bird’s eye view of Joseph’s life, it helps you see through Joseph’s life how God is working for your good.

Gen 40:4-8 (NIV) The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men--the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison--had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

This is new for Joseph, he has never interpreted a dream before; but, he has been in constant contact with God. He looked to God for getting him out of the pit; he looked to God for controlling his life in slavery; he looked to God for handling his life as a manager in Potiphar’s house; he looked to God for keeping him from sinning with Potiphar’s wife; he looked to God for helping him while in prison; and he was looking to God to help him with these dreams. Your relationship with God is progressive. Just like classes are progressive as you moved from one grade to another in school, so are God’s life-classes. He uses them to teach and train you things in life that get you ready for the next life-class. As you study and pray, you are trained and empowered to move from one life-class to another until you get to your main assignment.

Gen 40:9-14 (NIV) So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.” “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.

You may get tired of going from life-class to life-class; you may start looking for the end of training. If you aren’t careful, you will lose interest in what it is God is trying to teach you. As long as God is keeping you in life-classes, there are still VERY IMPORTANT things He is trying to teach you. You don’t want to move into your main life-assignment and have missing skills, talents, abilities, and experiences. It is okay for you to hope; but, stay the course.

Gen 40:20-21 (NIV) Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. These life-classes trained and empowered Joseph so that his interpretation of the dream came true. And, just like Joseph, there are people who are counting on you allowing Jesus to train, empower, and heal you of life problems. As you yield your life to Jesus and His training, you not only get wonderful victories in your life, you become trained by Jesus in principles that can set anyone free.

Gen 40:23 (NIV) The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. When you start trying to decide what is going to help you win over your difficulties with life, when you think you know what is going to happen next, you set yourself up for disappointment. Just move along one day at a time with Jesus; just keep your eyes on Him. Don’t worry about what is going to happen next; that will hurt your heart. Trust Jesus and allow Him to decide when He is ready for you to get each breakthrough in your life.

Gen 41:1-9 (NIV) When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted--thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.”

You have a deep desire to be set free from life problems; and, that is good. But, there is something even more important than your complete victory over it. Your struggles with it are motivating you to learn, apply, and become very successful in using Biblical principles that will not only set you free, they will be able to set many other people free. It wasn’t the pit, Potiphar’s house, or the prison that was important for Joseph; it was the life-classes he was taking during them that was getting him ready to rule as second in command in Egypt. You need to allow your challenges with life to motivate you to keep studying and praying these things from the Bible. The greatest thing that is going to happen to you isn’t just winning over this issue; it is the person you become as you do this. The growth you gain will make all your past struggles seem like nothing. Your future is dependent on you allowing Jesus to take you through as much time and training as you need.

Gen 41:14-16 (NIV) So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

All of Joseph’s struggles, difficulties, disappointments, and pain brought him to this point. Rather than turning inward and allowing all these things make him mad, depress him, overwhelm him, damage him, and destroy him, he turned to God. God poured faith, love, encouragement, training, and blessing into Joseph. So, when he FINALLY got to the place where God had been taking him all along, Joseph’s faith, trust, reliance, and dependency on God were strong. AND, he was a very trained, experienced, mature, talented, and skilled leader.

Gen 41:25-31 (NIV) Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.

Joseph had come all the way from his home with his parents and brothers to this moment in time. God had exposed him to all kinds of leadership training; but, Joseph only had two little dreams way back in his youth that gave him any indication as to why he was going through all those challenges. It would seem like it would have been so helpful if God would have just allowed him to see this moment to encourage him; but, that isn’t God’s purpose in our lives. Joseph had to learn how to walk with God while trusting Him; and, together they established a wonderful relationship. God and Joseph were going to be working together to lead a nation through crisis; AND, God and Joseph were going to start building the nation of Israel at the same time.

Joseph said in Genesis 41:34-41 (NIV): “Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.” The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”

Now look at Joseph; remember that little kid that was hated by his brothers because he told on them? Remember that little brat that bragged on the two dreams God gave him and made his brothers hate him more? Remember the pit, Joseph being sold to the Ishmaelites, him being a slave in Potiphar’s house, and the wife that lied about him? Remember the prison and the cupbearer that forgot for two years about the wonderful interpretation Joseph gave him? Now look at the wisdom and maturity that God had trained into Joseph through all those life-classes. Challenges with life and all the other difficulties you are facing are tough; but, they are just life-classes getting you ready for an awesome future. Jesus is going to train you in Biblical principles that will get you ready for powerful, dynamic, and wonderful things in your future. Just let Jesus help you through this time in your life. He will empower you to learn how to win over every obstacle you face.