By Pastor and Mrs Chifamba

Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

Man can shape circumstances, but circumstances should not be allowed to shape the man. We should seize upon circumstances as instruments by which to work. We are to master them, but should not permit them to master us. – {Ministry of Healing p. 500.2}

WHILE NOTHING SHOULD DETER US FROM BEING CHEERFUL IN ANY OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES WE SHOULD GO BEYOND THAT AND CHEER OTHERS IN SIMILAR OR WORSE AFFLICTIONS.

Genesis 40:6-8

And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. 7And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? 8And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

JOSEPH WAS A SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT LIKE BARNABAS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭36‬-‭37‬

“And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SON’S AND DAUGHTERS OF ENCOURAGEMENT IS DESCRIBED IN THE LIFE OF BARNABAS AS BEING A GOOD MAN, FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FAITH.

Acts 11:22-26

Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. 23Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. 24For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. 25Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: 26And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

SPIRITUAL CHEERLEADERS DO NOT ALLOW THE DEVIL TO STEAL THEIR SONGS OF JOY AND THEY USE THEIR TONGUES GRACEFULLY TO CHEER OTHERS.

Job 35:9-11

By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty. 10But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night; 11Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?

Acts 16:22-25

And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25¶And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE ANY MONEY TO CHEER YOURSELF OR OTHERS JOSEPH WHILE IN PRISON DID NOT HAVE ANY MONEY BUT HE HAD PLEASANT WORDS TO GIVE.

Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

By Pastor and Mrs Chifamba

Isaiah 43:2

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

IN JOSEPH’S DARKEST CHAPTER OF LIFE, WE ARE CONSTANTLY REMINDED THAT GOD WAS WITH HIM IN THE HOT 🥵 CRUCIBLE.

Genesis 39:2

And, THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH* and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

Genesis 39:3

And his master saw that THE LORD WAS WITH HIM,* and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Genesis 39:20-21

And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. 21¶THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH,* and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

Genesis 39:23

The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because THE LORD WAS WITH HIM,* and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

Genesis 49:22-24

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 24But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

Acts 7:9-10

And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: BUT GOD WAS WITH HIM,* 10And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

DON’T MISS THE INCOMBUSTIBLE INGREDIENT IN YOUR LIFE’S CRUCIBLES. NO FIRE CAN CONSUME WHERE GOD IS‼️ AS CONFIRMED BY THE THREE HEBREW BOYS

Romans 8:31

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Hebrews 13:5-6

Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for God has said, “I will never leave you or abandon you.” 6Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”

Daniel 3:24-27

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26¶Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

(Please note *CAPITAL LETTERS WERE SUPPLIED)

SONG O God, Our Help

O God, our help in ages past,

our hope for years to come,

our shelter from the stormy blast,

and our eternal home!

2

Under the shadow of thy throne,

still may we dwell secure;

sufficient is thine arm alone,

and our defense is sure.

3

Before the hills in order stood,

or earth received her frame,

from everlasting, thou art God,

to endless years the same.

4

A thousand ages, in thy sight,

are like an evening gone;

short as the watch that ends the night,

before the rising sun.

5

O God, our help in ages past,

our hope for years to come;

be thou our guide while life shall last,

and our eternal home!

By Pastor and Mrs Chifamba

Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭2‬

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

Genesis 37:3-8

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. 4And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 5¶And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

Genesis 37:15-25

And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? 16And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. 17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. 18And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 19And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. 21And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. 22And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. 23¶And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; 24And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 25And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

JOSEPH’S CRUEL AND HEARTLESS BROTHERS CAST HIM IN A PIT AND SAT DOWN TO EAT THE BREAD 🍞 HE HAD BROUGHT THEM, UNTOUCHED BY THE CRIES AND TEARS OF THEIR YOUNG BROTHER 🥲

Psalm 109:3-5

They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. 4For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. 5And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

Genesis 37:28

Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

GOD INTERVENED AND JOSEPH WAS BOUGHT BY POTIPHAR WHO TREATED HIM WELL AMIDST HIS MISFORTUNES

Genesis 39:1-4

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. 2And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD…

Psalm 34:17-19

The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

By Pastor and Mrs Chifamba

TO BE IN A POSITION OF POWER IS A GIFT FROM GOD, STAY HUMBLE.

Psalm 75:5-6

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

1 Corinthians 4:7

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

1 Samuel 2:7-8

The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. 8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

‭ In the valley of humiliation, where men depend on God to teach them and to guide their every step, there is comparative safety. But the men who stand, as it were, on a lofty pinnacle, and who, because of their position, are supposed to possess great wisdom—these are in gravest peril. Unless such men make God their dependence, they will surely fall. – {Prophets and Kings p. 60.1}

Daniel 4:37

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

JOSEPH STILL RESPECTED HIS FATHER AND BROTHERS EVEN WHEN HE HAD A HIGH POST IN GOVERNMENT

Exodus 20:12

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Genesis 46:29

And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

Genesis 47:28-29

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. 29And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt

Ephesians 6:1-3

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Genesis 50:18-21

And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Psalm 10:4

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

EVEN IN DEATH JOSEPH REMEMBERED GOD

Genesis 50:24-25

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

Job 19:25-27

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

WHEN GOD GIVES YOU BLESSINGS AND POWER CONSTANTLY ACKNOWLEDGE GOD

Psalm 115:1

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.

In the midst of prosperity lurks danger. Throughout the ages, riches and honor have ever been attended with peril to humility and spirituality. It is not the empty cup that we have difficulty in carrying; it is the cup full to the brim that must be carefully balanced. Affliction and adversity may cause sorrow, but it is prosperity that is most dangerous to spiritual life. Unless the human subject is in constant submission to the will of God, unless he is sanctified by the truth, prosperity will surely arouse the natural inclination to presumption. – {Prophets and Kings p. 59.3}

Genesis 39:7-9

And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Genesis 40:7-8

And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? 8And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Genesis 41:15-16, 25, 32, 38-39

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. 16And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

25¶And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

32And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

38And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:

Genesis 41:51-52

And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. 52And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Genesis 45:5-9

Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not.

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.