August 4.
The Captive Becomes Commander

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

In order to be spiritually successful, you must be steadfast. Don’t let winds or waves or doctrines move you to the side. Hold your hope, stand your ground, and be determined to go forward. You are who you think you are. If you think you can’t make it, you’re already whipped. But if you think you can make it, you can go through. Joseph moved from a slave to a prince in a palace. That’s moving up, isn’t it? His grief has been replaced with gladness.

Look at the mandate of Joseph’s selections. Genesis 41:40 Thou shall be over my house. Now this is not the first time Joseph was placed over a house. Genesis 37:3 says Israel, that’s Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age and he made him a coat of many colors, meaning he had made Joseph superior over the whole house. Genesis 39:4 says Joseph found grace in the sight of Potiphar, who made Joseph overseer of his house and all that he had. Genesis 39:22 tells us that Joseph was given charge of all the prisoners.

Notice the way God elevates us. First of all, Joseph was moved up in his own house. Then in Potiphar’s house he was elevated to be in charge of the slaves. When he went to jail, he was put over all the prisoners. And now he is in Pharaoh’s house and has been elevated to the top man, but he had to begin by being faithful in his own house. You see too many of us want to be superior in other people’s arenas and want to skip our own houses. If you want to be a great soul winner, start off saving the children at your house. Once you get them saved, then go down and save the ones on your job. You see God doesn’t allow us to skip when it comes to promotions. We will have to do it from ground floor all the way up. Do it right at first.