Reviving Faith: The Resurrection of Hope
Gen. 45:27-28 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.
It took some convincing for Joseph’s brothers to convince their father Jacob that Joseph was still alive; after all, Jacob remembered the day that his spirit died within him many years before, as the fabricated evidence of Joseph’s death was presented to him. Isn’t it amazing the extreme efforts the enemy will go through to get you to believe a lie? I mean, the devil will even present you with seemingly legitimate, visible, tangible evidence in order to cause you to doubt the truth of God’s Word. Someone reading this right now is struggling between what you know in your spirit is true, and what the devil is trying to convince you of. You read, for example, that by His stripes you are healed, and yet the tangible evidence of illness in your body is begging you to doubt God at His word. You read that God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus, and yet you’re wondering where your next meal is going to come from, as your empty stomach begs you to doubt God at His word. And yet, just like Jacob, there is a deeper voice inside of you that is stronger and louder than the so-called evidence the enemy has planted to try and convince you that it is over. All you need is for someone to speak life back into you in order for your spirit to revive, and for your faith to overcome your doubt. Friend, let this be that word of life to you today! God is calling back up from inside of you that life you once had! If you will notice, verse 27 called Joseph’s father Jacob, which represented who he was before his encounter with God one night that changed his life, and then verse 28 refers to him as Israel, which is who he was after God changed him and gave him a new name! Israel’s loss of Joseph caused him to slip back into his old identity where he lived without really living, but it was time for God to revive his spirit and bring him back into his new identity again! So, He did! Likewise, God wants to tell you tonight that your 'Joseph' is not dead, and in doing so, He wants to bring YOU back to life! Will you believe?
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
It took some convincing for Joseph’s brothers to convince their father Jacob that Joseph was still alive; after all, Jacob remembered the day that his spirit died within him many years before, as the fabricated evidence of Joseph’s death was presented to him. Isn’t it amazing the extreme efforts the enemy will go through to get you to believe a lie? I mean, the devil will even present you with seemingly legitimate, visible, tangible evidence in order to cause you to doubt the truth of God’s Word. Someone reading this right now is struggling between what you know in your spirit is true, and what the devil is trying to convince you of. You read, for example, that by His stripes you are healed, and yet the tangible evidence of illness in your body is begging you to doubt God at His word. You read that God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus, and yet you’re wondering where your next meal is going to come from, as your empty stomach begs you to doubt God at His word. And yet, just like Jacob, there is a deeper voice inside of you that is stronger and louder than the so-called evidence the enemy has planted to try and convince you that it is over. All you need is for someone to speak life back into you in order for your spirit to revive, and for your faith to overcome your doubt. Friend, let this be that word of life to you today! God is calling back up from inside of you that life you once had! If you will notice, verse 27 called Joseph’s father Jacob, which represented who he was before his encounter with God one night that changed his life, and then verse 28 refers to him as Israel, which is who he was after God changed him and gave him a new name! Israel’s loss of Joseph caused him to slip back into his old identity where he lived without really living, but it was time for God to revive his spirit and bring him back into his new identity again! So, He did! Likewise, God wants to tell you tonight that your 'Joseph' is not dead, and in doing so, He wants to bring YOU back to life! Will you believe?
~ Pastor Gary Caudill