Navigating your Journey

1. Navigating your Journey

5. Reactivity – vicious cycle of intense reactions – Joseph and his brothers. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Genesis 37.4 Herding – less mature conspiring together to limit growth. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” Genesis 37.39-40

6. A quick-fix mentality – low threshold for pain, seeks symptom relief rather than fundamental change He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?” Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. Genesis 37.30-31 Blame displacement – focus on forces that have victimized rather than taking responsibility. They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” Genesis 37.32

7. Increased grief and anxiety – lies, hiddenness and other forms of brokenness escalate anxiety within the family. Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. Genesis 37.34-35

8. “Injustice-collectors” – victim mentality Idolize leaders until their unrealistic expectations fail, then they are quick to crucify their “gods”. Inability to tolerate differences, safer to live life black-white, with-us-or-against –us attitudes

9. Stuck on the content, procedures, and rituals rather than seeing the surrounding emotional issues. Life is so deadly serious and so they are reactionary. Because they lack self-definition and self-regulation they interfere in the relationships of others through poor communication tools. Group think is safer for them, but also creates a herd mentality. Recycling through previously dealt issues and conflict is common as they are like a virus that must be dealt with by taking the full dose through the prescribed period.

11. Self-defined – not influenced by those around him. • Responsible – doesn’t have a slave mentality, handles God’s favor with grace. • Understood the systems – comprehend the unique dynamics in Potiphar’s household, Prison. • Influences those areas in his control – Potiphar’s household, Prison.

12. “We do not know how priceless freedom is because we have never lost it.” F.B. Meyer

13. Joseph thrust into radical changes • From a favored son to a slave • From Hebrew to Egyptian language • From Israelite culture to Egyptian • From nomadic lifestyle to sedentary one • From rural to urban environment • From an agricultural household to military/political one

14. Every beginning ends something.

15. vss.2-6 Lord was with Joseph • Master saw the Lord was with him • Lord gave him success in everything • Joseph found favor • Put him in charge of the household • Left everything in Joseph’s care • Lord blessed the household • Joseph in charge

16. With irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh. It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity or desire for revenge. At this moment God is quite unreal to us, He loses all reality and only desire of the creature is real; the only reality is the devil. Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but forgetfulness. The power of clear discrimination and decision are taken from us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

17. Joseph’s prison ministry“Remember my chains” Colossians 4.18

19. “In the intoxication of youthful success I had felt myself to be infallible, and was therefore cruel. In my most evil moments I was convinced that I was doing good, and I was well supplied with systematic arguments. And it was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good.

20. Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the lines separating good and evil passes not through states, not between classes, nor between political parties – but right through every human heart . . . so, bless you prison, for having been in my life.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn

21. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.” C.S. Lewis “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man/woman greatly until He has hurt him deeply.” A.W. Tozer

22. Crossing your Equator

24. How did Joseph cross his equator? 1) Joseph’s position didn’t change his perspective When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.  ~Victor Frankl 2) Joseph’s influence wasn’t impacted by his location Growth is the only evidence of life.  ~John Henry Newman

25. 3)Joseph’s spirituality was deepen by his pain And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18.3