The 
Phases of Faith
Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God.
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
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My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, When I think of all the dreams and visions You have fulfilled down through the ages, often providing miraculous conclusions to journeys of faith, I stand in awe of Your great love and compassion for us. You are the infinite Creator of all that exists, yet You care so much about us that You know more about each one of us than we know about ourselves. I pray that You will renew in my heart Your dreams for my life, both the individual dreams and the corporate dreams of Your local body of believers known as New Life Christian Ministries. I pray that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I will receive a new boldness for facing the delays that come along the way in the process of faith. These things I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word For Me Today
Genesis 37:5-11
5One night Joseph had a dream and promptly reported the details to his brothers, causing them to hate him even more. 6“Listen to this dream,” he announced. 7“We were out in the field tying up bundles of grain. My bundle stood up, and then your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before it!”
8“So you are going to be our king, are you?” his brothers taunted. And they hated him all the more for his dream and what he had said.
9Then Joseph had another dream and told his brothers about it. “Listen to this dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”
10This time he told his father as well as his brothers, and his father rebuked him. “What do you mean?” his father asked. “Will your mother, your brothers, and I actually come and bow before you?” 11But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father gave it some thought and wondered what it all meant.
Reflecting on God's Word
Have you ever had a literal dream that God used or gave to give you His dream for Your life?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What did Joseph do immediately after receiving each of His dreams from God? (37:5-11)
What was his brothers’ and father’s responses to the dream? (37:5-11)
What evidence, if any is there that Joseph’s dream would be delayed in its fulfillment from reading this Scripture? (37:5-11)
Understanding God's Purpose
What do we learn about God’s purpose for human beings from reading today’s Scripture?
How might Joseph’s response to receiving the dreams have led to the delay in their fulfillment?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
What do you need to do as a result of having read today’s Scripture?
Thoughts...Sources of Delay...
When God gives us a dream and we decide to act on the dream—as Joseph did by telling His brothers and father about his dreams—many sources of delay can arise. Sometimes the delay comes directly from God. When God gave Abram, or Joseph, or David, or John the Baptizer or the Apostle Paul their dreams, He gave them no “timeline” along with them. None of those great men of God had any clue as to when their dreams would be fulfilled, but each chose to trust Him in the process. Delay builds perseverance, character, patience and many traits worth having in human beings. Sometimes, though the delay may come through the intervention of other people. For Joseph, it was his eleven brothers who stepped in and caused a major delay—they sold him into slavery. If we read the story though, we note that Joseph ended up in Egypt as a result of his brothers’ action—the very place he ultimately needed to be. God worked good out of the brothers’ intended harm. Finally, delays may come from Satan. He does not want to see God’s dreams for our lives fulfilled—so he tempts us and puts roadblocks before us. Once again, those who trust in God will find that Satan’s snares and roadblocks have no power to deny God’s dreams—unless we participate with Him. In the end, if we trust God, His dreams WILL be fulfilled—so let’s trust Him!