The 
Phases of Faith
Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God.
Sunday, April 25, 2004
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My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank You for another Lord’s day, when I may gather with brothers and sisters through Your Son, Jesus, to worship and praise Your Holy name! Fill us this day with Your Holy Spirit that all that we think, say and do will be a fragrant offering to You. I pray that as we sing praises, offer prayers, read Your word and listen to the message that You will fill us with a renewed commitment to fulfill the dreams that You have given us. In this day and this coming week, give us Your divine wisdom that we may make decisions that will glorify and honor You, and will lead to the fulfillment of Your dreams for our lives. I ask all these things in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, my risen Savior and Lord, 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
How do you suppose you would have responded if you had been one of Joseph’s brothers when he announced his dreams?
Have you ever had a literal dream in which God showed you something that would happen in the future?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What was the basic content of Joseph’s dreams? (37:5-11)
What did Joseph decide to do about his dreams? (37:5-11)
What was the result of Joseph sharing his dreams with his family? (37:5-11)
Understanding God's Purpose
What do we find out about God’s purpose for Joseph through his dreams?
Why do you suppose his family was unwilling to accept Joseph’s dreams as being a true revelation from God?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
What one application point do you find in today’s Scripture reading?
Thoughts...Dreams and Decisions...
As we continue our study of the six phases of faith: the dream, the decision, the delay, the difficulties, the dead-end, and the deliverance, we come to the second phase: the decision. In today’s Scripture, Joseph has two dreams. The dreams foretell a time when Joseph would become the ruler not only over his family, but over much of the middle east as well. Joseph’s dreams were supernatural, that is they were given by God to show what would take place in the future. What was Joseph to do? If he forgot about the dreams, he would be denying God’s work in his life. Joseph made a decision—he told his brothers. We might say this was a bad decision. Sometimes when we make decisions on the road to growing in faith, the decisions aren’t the best, maybe they’re even bad. Nevertheless, God works them for His good. Joseph intended his decision to tell his brothers to be a way of sharing the great news that he would one day be a great leader, but they weren’t ready for the news. In fact, they hated him more for it. They eventually decided to sell him into slavery, and Joseph ended up as a slave in Egypt. The dream seemed lost, but God had other plans. Their fulfillment began when Joseph DECIDED to act on his dream. So will it be with us!