Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. Hebrews 10:14-15.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
There are times that you will have difficulties with other people. Jesus had them. But I want to tell you how to respond and how to keep your peace and joy. Jesus told the disciples that when He returned to them when I had raised Him from the dead, they would have a joy that no one could take from them. And it was true. The early believers suffered many trials, persecutions, and losses of earthly goods but they could not but be filled with JOY and the Holy Spirit.
So there is something bigger than you going on here. Do you know what it is? Do you not perceive it? Joseph had it. His brothers were difficult, jealous, and lying men but he was never harsh to them and he never let them get him down. Same with Potiphar’s wife and the prison episode. How did he keep his joy?
Simple. He never permitted his mind to dwell on it further. He never talked about what his brothers or Potiphar’s wife had done to him. And you know this means he let it go, because the mouth speaks what is filling your mind and heart. He did not keep rehearsing it in his mind and how he would respond to them. You will see that when he explained why he was in jail, he did not tell the story of his evil brothers or of Potiphar’s lying wife, he merely stated “For I was in fact stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.” Genesis 40:15. He just washed his hands and mind of the whole affair. He looked forward to his dreams being one day fulfilled and I was with him. And how can two walk together unless they agree? And you know how I walk, I walk in love. Remember? Paul told you by My Spirit to, “Imitate God as His dear children and walk in love.” Ephesians 5:1. And later you will find that Pharaoh was pleased that Joseph’s brothers had come, and he gave them the best of the land to settle in and supplied freely for their needs in time of famine and gave them the responsibility of raising and caring for Pharaoh’s herds and flocks. He would not have thought it good the brothers had shown up if he knew the true story of what they had done to his beloved and faithful Joseph.
And remember what Joseph said to his bothers when he revealed himself to them? They were afraid he would get even with them, but they never understood a heart of love that was like My heart. But Joseph reassured them and spoke comfort to them! He said, “Please come near to me.” And they came near, and he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.”’ Genesis 45:4-11. Not only did he forgive, he put them near him and provided for them. Do good to those who hate you. Joseph lived it out.
And even years later when Jacob died full of years and the joy of being again with his beloved Joseph, the prince among his brothers, the brothers still did not understand the goodness of their brother Joseph. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” So they lied again, telling Joseph, “Your father charged before he died, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:15-21. You see, he let Me be the one to judge, he only looked at the good I did and was doing in him and through him. He had a joy in My presence that no one could take from him and he never wanted that taken from him. He did not let his brothers steal it and he did not let Potiphar’s wife steal it, and he did not let the cupbearer steal it by forgetting him for two full years. He left all that to Me and he concentrated only on the one thing necessary, his relationship with Me.
I once told Abraham that I was his shield and his reward was great, Genesis 15:1, but I explained further how that would happen, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” Genesis 17:1-2. Walk before Me. The one whose hands are clean, whose heart is pure, who speaks the truth, the truth in love, who is mindful of Me in all his ways and whose heart is filled with My praise. And that was Joseph. And when you walk with Me, you walk in the Light and the light cleanses and renews you continually.
If you want to have joy and not be bogged down with offense and resentment over relationships then you must never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for My justice and wrath to deal with evil, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the LORD. Romans 12:17-19. Joseph never read the letter to the Romans, but I had written My law on his heart.
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of My grace; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. By keeping himself pure of resentment and anger Joseph kept out that bitter root. He would not compromise his peace and joy. He understood, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7. And he was careful and vigilant in what he let his mind think on and dwell on, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9. Joseph walked this out day by day in slavery, in prison, and finally in the palace filled with good things. But he walked it all with Me and that gave him the joy no one could take from him. He understood that as the mind goes, so goes the man. And he kept his mind on things above and not just the dirt of the earth. His brothers had problems with jealousy, hatred, vengeance, and pride, but Joseph did not and he did not let their filth get on him. He kept himself pure. And you, who are born again and filled with My Spirit, have a great advantage over him. So where are you letting your mind dwell with respect to those with whom you are in relationship? Are you rehearsing over and over in your head the evil that other family members have inflicted on you and “enslaved” you with? Let it go. Think on something better. Praise is becoming to the faithful. And never forget to pray for your persecutors. When you are set on pleasing Me, I even make your enemies be at peace with you. I may have put you there to save them, like I did Joseph.
I love you. Never forget that and the rest will fall in place. I raised Jesus and I raised you with Him, know where you are seated and enjoy the ride, the clouds are My chariot and on the wings of the wind I take flight. Joy. And no one can take it from you.