"I Was Born To Be Blessed" Part 1

Dear Blessed of the Lord!

    We have been marked by society from the time we were born.  Society has placed hundreds of labels, titles and restrictions upon us that has caused us to think differently about ourselves.  Some of those labels and titles have done tremendous damage to our motivation and our ability to see ourselves beyond the markings of society.  Most of us were labeled dysfunctional, poor, useless, dumb, ignorant, black sheep, ghetto, short, different, skinny, fat, etc. before we reached the age of 16 years.  Most of us were already damaged goods in our minds because we allowed those marks to determine our identity and destiny.  As we get older and move into our adulthood most of us have accepted the markings of society and no longer recognize who we really are.

     The Lord has never used the outside of man to determine his worth and value.  I Sam. 16:7 says, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  Society judges and labels us based on outward appearance and not what’s in the heart.  The Lord does not determine a man’s value or worth based upon his appearance, size, height, weight, failures, gender or age.  The Lord blesses us because He has chosen to bless us regardless of our past.  Many of us have been trapped and restricted by 3 numbers called your credit score.  We can spend a lifetime trying to build our credit score up and never get it where society says it should be.  In turn many of us have accepted those labels as absolute truth about our worth and value in life.

Joseph was a young man born in a home with many brothers who hated and despised him. They rejected him and made him feel like a misfit, alien or foreigner.  The more he shared his dreams the more vicious they became and hated him all the more.  Even his father who loved him dearly seemed to reject his dreams.  His brothers also envied him because his father showed favoritism towards him.  His dad had a special coat of many colors made for him and his brothers were furious and jealous.  They hated Joseph so much that they attempted to kill him and leave him in an empty pit to die.  Because Joseph was blessed of the Lord, the Lord sent Midianite traders to save him from death.  Gen. 37:28 says, “Then Midianite traders passed by; so his brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver and they took Joseph to Egypt.”

     Joseph’s life was looking terrible and all he had on his side was the Lord.  He did not allow his worth and value to be set by his brothers, father, the Midianites or his circumstances.  He was sold out by his brothers who told his father that a wild animal killed him.  Joseph’s future looked hopeless and cursed.  But God was with Joseph and the Lord watched over him and blessed him and gave  him favor with Pharaoh.  The very thing that made Joseph’s brothers angry with him was now being used to bless his life. Deut. 28:2 says, “And all these blessings shall come upon you and over take you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

Sharing Christ’s Love
Dr. James and Prophetess Sharon Randolph