THE TAKEAWAY:

Difficult times are not a death sentence when God is watching you.

MESSAGE:

Imagine journeying to Ganon, the last boss of Legend of Zelda: BOTW. You saved up all your food and potions, created various weapons, and fortified your armor. Your battle with him is massive, one for the history books. He takes you to the limit. But in the end, after you exhaust your last health power-up, you deliver the striking blow to the behemoth. It’s over, and now you can rest easy. But in the corner of your eye, you see him rising up to kaiju heights and transforming into Calamity Ganon, complete with multiple weapon-wielding arms and monstrous eyes. Why did the game play you like that?

Being a follower of God does not take away difficult and tough times. It might even seem like they are piling on extra thick. Take Joseph, for example, he was chosen by God to be blessed above his brothers, but he still got sold into slavery and then thrown in jail.

But difficult times are not proof that God is absent. Instead, God used the situation to help Joseph gain notoriety and trust. That notoriety would eventually get him before Pharaoh as second-in-command.

When bad things happen to a Christian, the temptation is to tell God that he is slack on his duties. Or we might think we sinned in secret, and this is punishment. But I challenge you to find God’s favor and kindness during difficult times. You have no idea what is coming next.

FIGURE IT OUT:

20 Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody. 21 But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, he was responsible for it. 23 The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.

Genesis 39:20-23

  1. Circle some keywords or phrases that are significant to you. What makes them important?
  2. What conclusions about God could Joseph jump to from being in another horrible situation?
  3. What do you think God was preparing Joseph for?
  4. How does recognizing “God is with you” help in bad situations?

The NEW BOOK IS COMING OUT!

The Checkpoint Year Two is coming out. Click the link to learn more.