In their own way

Luis Palau
“God's way to the summit”
Content
Preface
1) The opportunist
2) The king of the advantagers
3) The incorrigible schemer
4) The best therapy
5) The climax of liberation
Preface to the second part
6) Ready to run away
7) Prepared for the test
8) willing to forget
9) Called to be the figure of Christ
Epilogue
God revealed himself to Jacob and Joseph when they were both very
young. They both had great opportunities in life. They both dreamed big
dreams and planned big plans but one of them decided to succeed
implicitly trusting in God's direction however the other preferred to do it
his own way.
They both succeeded in life but at what cost?
This book will help you carefully evaluate the past, reconsider the present,
and successfully move toward the future with your eyes firmly on the Lord
and doing everything His way, which is the best alternative for us.
 Preface
A large number of the biblical characters who had resounding success in
their lives were chosen directly by God when they were very young.
Let's take the very particular case of the prophet Samuel. God spoke
audibly in his ears, called him and began to work supernaturally in his
tender life, when he was only 5 or 6 years old (1 Samuel 3). Moses
was set apart by God to perform a very special task when he was a
baby. David was king when he was just a teenager. Daniel was a
young boy, probably about 12 years old, when God allowed him to
be taken into slavery. In the gospel according to Saint John 15:16
we read the immortal words of the Lord Jesus Christ and in Psalm
139 we see that God himself planned each day of our lives long
before we were born.
In His Way I would like to show you two other men whom God
touched in their youth: Jacob and Joseph from an early age the lives
of Jacob and Joseph, father and son evidence or demonstrate
several similarities. Both were favorites of their parents, who feared
God but were weak and immature in many ways. Both had rivalry
problems between their own brothers. God
God revealed Himself to Jacob and Joseph when they were young
and gave them ample opportunities to have a full and productive life,
a life that will dignify or glorify the name of God.
They both had dreams and visions but that's where the similarities
end, one responded effectively to God and the other did not. One
decided to follow the divine guidelines or directives, this means
continuing to trust faithfully in the promises of God, however the
other preferred to follow his own designs or follow the dictates of his
mind, trying to carry out what he believed was the will of God. God
for his life but doing it his way, not God's way and the results or
effects were disastrous.
Maybe in the lives of these men you will find aspects with which you
identify. Have you been tempted to do things your own way,
following your own strategies? Have you struggled spiritually with
God on any issue?
And in these pages you will also discover something of the character
of God. Are you looking for answers and divine guidance on a
particular matter? Do you question the way God does things?
Maybe you need to know more about God's eternal plan.
Our God reveals himself. His delight is in speaking to his people. It
is not enough for him to sit on his throne while we go crazy doing
things our way. He has revealed himself in the scriptures. He has
revealed himself in his son Jesus Christ. He reveals himself in
nature and is revealed in our being through the presence of the Holy
Spirit who lives within us.
My prayer is that these pages will help you find God and that He will
show you His character in contrast to yours even though it may hurt
a little. And I ask Him to reveal to you how His character can
become your character if you allow Him to work widely in your life.
 Chapter One
The opportunist
He did it with Jacob. It took him about 100 years, but he did it. And also
with everyone who belongs to Christ. God has started a very special work
in your life and he is going to finish it. Are you as excited about the idea as
I am? When God works in a person's life, He does not do so partially or in
an unfinished way. God acts with determination and finishes everything he
starts. There is no two ways about it, it is an undeniable and concrete fact.
The apostle Paul stated (Philippians 1:6).
God's incessant desire is to make me and you like Christ. He desires to
mold in us the character of his Son. That is its legitimate purpose in our
life. We read in the Bible (Galatians 4:16).
What God did with Jacob, he also tries to do with us. The Lord was trying
to mold Jacob into the man He wanted. He wanted to imprint or stamp his
character on Jacob and make him a complete and submissive person.
Extraordinary task! And Jacob turned out to be one of the most stubborn
and rebellious men who ever lived.
The Old Testament was written to teach us, so that we take an example (1
Corinthians 10:11) and therefore, we see ourselves reflected in its pages.
When we notice what the Lord did in the lives of Old Testament characters,
we begin to have a more complete or complete idea of what God is
constantly seeking to do in our lives and in the lives of our families.
It doesn't matter how hard your wife tried to change you while you resisted,
because you are stubborn and very self-confident. It doesn't matter how
tenaciously God tried to speak to you through an individual or through his
word, while you refused to listen. God will fulfill his divine purpose in
your life. Aside from our own stubbornness, (1 Thessalonians 5:24). The
Lord has enough to do in our lives, right? The Lord is Lord and is also
King. God works in nations and in individuals. It is fascinating to know
that He must always, at least in general terms, reveal to us what He wants
to do. This is what happened, precisely even before the birth of Jacob
(Genesis 25:20-26).
We will discover that Jacob is a lot like us. It's like those who climb the
ladder of success. There are other climbers ahead of him and he was rightly
called “Jacob” which literally means “he will take the ankle”. Both those
who were after him and those who followed him had to be very careful
since he was an opportunist.
But Jacob's life is not in the Bible to make us say that funny “Jacob, what
did you do man?” And it is not simply there to demonstrate that a person
reaps what he sows in life. We also see the character of God progressively
revealing itself in the life of this peculiar man. Do you want to know God
as he is? You can discover it by reading a theology book that talks about
divine attributes, or you can read the Bible and see it at work in the lives of
men like Jacob and Joseph. This is the way He prefers to reveal Himself to
us. Are you willing to see God as He reveals Himself? It is a crucial
question. Do you want to discover the Lord as He is? He says (Hosea 11:9).
If you truly want to know God as He is, allow Him to speak to you through
the lives of Jacob and Joseph. It is up to you to decide if you want to listen
to him and make him Lord of your life.
Maybe you say, “It's okay for us to study the character of God, but I happen
to be almost bankrupt and having problems with my wife.” Or maybe it's
“My husband is leaving me, so what does my situation have to do with
character?” of God? Why don't you talk about family problems instead of
being so theoretical? I believe that as we consider the life of Jacob and his
people and the way God caused so many family tensions, we will learn a
lot about our own families. God can work in people at all levels. It can
work in a single nation or in several at the same time. It can work in the life
of the president of a country, in each of its individuals or in all of them at
the same time. God is God.
Our world is currently going through very difficult times, I don't know
exactly what God is trying to tell us, but when reading the newspapers and
newspapers we realize that God is trying to communicate something
important to us. Although we continually ask ourselves: What does all this
mean? We can be assured that the situation is not beyond their control. In
reality, God is in control. In the Old Testament we see that the Lord
revealed himself and his purposes and we understand that God is sovereign
over the kingdoms of this world. It's exciting to know exactly all this.
The Lord said to Rebekah (Genesis 25:23). The two sons were not yet born,
and God emphatically declares what would happen in their lives. It is the
omniscience of God in action. He knows both the beginning and the end of
things. He saw the two children of Isaac and Rebekah when they were
conceived and determined what would happen to them. Going against all
rules and traditions, the younger would dominate the older. God knows us
even before our birth (Jeremiah 1:5) To think that before I was born back in
1934, God knew me. To Luis Palau! Out of so many millions and millions
he knew me. How magnificent! And he planned that I would preach the
gospel. From the beginning God knew me. And the Lord also says “Before
you were born, I sanctified you, I separated you.” While we were still in
our mother's womb, God forged an extraordinary plan for our lives. And
that was exactly what God was doing as we read in Genesis. He had plans
for Jacob and Esau. Before they were born, I knew perfectly well what
would happen. And year after year he carried out his plans in these two
lives, just as he does in yours.

God delights in us being part of his plan.

We see that God wanted to fulfill his purposes in Jacob, and he wanted to
do it in his divine way. Jacob also longed for purposes to be fulfilled in his
life, but he wanted to do everything in his human way. This was their
problem for almost 100 years. When his life had almost come to an end, his
son Joseph took him before the Pharaoh of Egypt who asked the patriarch
“How old are you?” and Jacob's answer was (Genesis 47:7-9). What a sad
way to end life! A man reaches 130 years of age and when asked his age,
he has to say “The days of the years of my life have been few and bad.”
They seemed few because I had wasted and wasted them. There was very
little that I could remember with joy; The memories of victories were few,
that's why I say what I say.
The Lord is pleased to reveal his purposes. They are not a secret. If
someone claims “I have searched for God and I cannot find Him” it is
because that someone has searched wrongly. God has revealed himself; His
desire is to know us and for us to know him. God had known the two
children while they were still inside their mother Rebekah's womb. God
warned that the brothers would be enemies. So when Rebekah despaired
over the two children fighting inside her womb; and asked God what was
happening, God revealed their future to him. God would love to reveal his
purposes to the entire world; If the world would only listen to him. All
Christians have the privilege of talking to God; to spend time with Him;
and hear His voice---perhaps not audibly (although God could) but through
the Bible and the Holy Spirit who lives in us. God loves to guide his
people.
In Psalm 32:8-9 God tells us—Listen to me, I want to advise you. I want to
guide you. I want to take care of you, your family and your entire life. Do
not be like the horse or the mule, who only obey if they are directed by
force, if you want to listen to me and obey me, I will teach you and guide
you always. If you feel like God will never speak to you, take time and
allow Him to speak to your heart through the Bible. He has a purpose for
your life, and for every person on earth---men, women, children and
especially young people. In almost all the cases we see in the Bible, God
began to work evidently or palpably in men and women during their
youth---and in the case of Samuel who was only 6 or 7 years old (1 Samuel
2: 19—4:1). Everything seems to indicate that God takes tremendous joy
when he chooses a person at an early age and then guides them throughout
their lives. Are you a candidate for that to be your experience?
And what about free will?
However, along with the sovereignty of God—who always carries out his
purposes—man is directly responsible. We see that Esau had free will
(Genesis 25:27-34) when Esau despised his birthright, he only confirmed
what God had predicted. He initialed or sealed the prophecy, but he acted
fully exercising his free will. God had announced in advance that this
would happen, but without giving additional details. And in a moment of
unbalanced passion Esau ruined his great opportunity simply because he
preferred to fill his stomach. What a momentous and wrong decision! Be
careful with those desperate impulses in your life as they could negatively
affect the rest of your days.
Now, when we talk about the sovereignty of God and the free will of man,
there is always the question “Where does the sovereignty of God begin and
the freedom of man end?” Which is the answer? God's sovereignty never
ends. He must always be sovereign. And man's free will begins where God
decides it can begin and ends where God wants it to end. God is God. He
sets limits. Of course he does it with his perfect wisdom, so you have no
reason to fear, God is always good, and is always God (Psalm 34:8-9).
Suppose there are ants in the yard of my house, the ants go everywhere,
they eat the plants that my wife has cared for with so much dedication and
care, they build their anthill and save food for the winter. They believe they
are the owners of the world because they are free. However, they are free in
the yard of my house, meanwhile I let them be free. They have freedom of
action, while I allow them to eat my wife's plants, store their food and do as
they please.
However, the moment I say “Well, it's over” and decide to get rid of them,
it will be the end of the ants. I am sovereign in my house. I bought it, not
them. I give them freedom for as long as I want. This is a small comparison
of the work that God does in our lives. He never stops being sovereign. He
tells us “Listen, within these limits, you are free to choose.” Our
responsibility begins where He says it begins. And it ends with him saying,
“Well, that's enough.” God allowed Jacob to deceive his brother in a
business transaction. Of course he wasn't in favor of it, he just allowed it.
Then He would make things right with Jacob and the deception he
committed.
Another example, God deeply hates divorce, in the Bible he could not have
said it more clearly and yet he allows it, it is his permissive will. He hates
divorce with holy anger, but allows it because of the sinfulness of the
human race (Matthew 19:8-9). Such was the case of Jacob's deception.
Furthermore, the consequences of having broken the revealed will of God
will always haunt us. The apostle Paul admonishes us: (Galatians 6:7-8).
Isaac and Rebeca---What examples!
Esau's parents set a very bad example for their children. Neither Isaac nor
Rebekah were worthy of admiration. Perhaps the marriage got off to a bad
start given the way Rebekah was chosen to be Isaac's wife. After all,
sending a servant to find a woman for Isaac may not have been the best
idea. Isaac and Rebekah were forced into marriage without even meeting
once. And not even Abraham knew the girl before the marriage, Laban's
home surely had its effect on Rebekah, as later in life both she and her
brother cheated. It is evident that there was great tension in this home, and
we can safely say that this marriage was far from ideal. Isaac loved his son
Esau very much, especially because he cooked tasty meals that he liked
(Genesis 25:28).
This shows the degree of Isaac's maturity...And Rebekah preferred Jacob,
probably because her husband had Esau as a favorite, no specific reasons
are given, but it was obvious that they did not agree with each other. We
must help each other, so as not to fall into favoritism. It is a dangerous trait
in the family. In the case of Isaac and Rebekah it had disastrous
consequences. Isaac was faint-hearted, weak of character, and he was also a
lover of good food, to the point of taking extreme attitudes. He loved his
son for his athletic abilities and his culinary skills—insufficient reasons to
love a son. And Esau
The preferred one, who considered his hunger to be above his birthright,
followed the painful example of his father Isaac. The result was that,
humanly speaking, the favoritism shown by Isaac and Rebekah resulted in
great problems and conflicts with the children.
Parents are not entirely to blame
Despite everything, the greatest weight of responsibility falls on Esau's
shoulders, not his parents.
Even if you have a weak father, a fan of “gourmet” cuisine or perhaps
given to drinking or a mother with a bad character, God will not allow you
to blame him for your own mistakes. The Bible puts responsibility on Esau.
Each individual is responsible before God and men. Today many seek
unbiblical advice, they transfer to parents a large part of the responsibility
for the bad actions committed, when in reality the culprit is the one who
committed this or that action "The son will not bear the sin of the father,
nor will the father bear the sin of the son” (Ezekiel 18:20).
I have made many mistakes, but I wouldn't dare blame my parents. It's not
their fault. It's sad when someone wants to blame their parents for their
own weaknesses or sins. Such a person will not fix your problems or find
solutions. A Christian psychologist affirms that there is a tendency to
affirm that homosexuality is the result of a weak-willed mother and a
strong father. There are hundreds of excuses to justify homosexuality and
other aberrations in human behavior. There are those who claim that they
are homosexual because the father had a very strong and dominant
character or perhaps too weak and fluctuating. Others say that the mother
was too dominant, or too weak. There are always excuses. But the Bible
places direct responsibility on the sinner, not his parents. The biblical
emphasis always lies on individual responsibility (Ezekiel 18:14).
Esau had big dreams, but he ruined them in a moment of uncontrollable
passion, he was hungry, he smelled good food, and he despised everything
that God offered him, and would have given him. And as for Jacob, God
would have found a way to carry out his purposes. There are countless
young people and not so young people who in a moment of uncontrollable
passion ruined everything that God had in store or prepared for them. It
could be gluttony, an unsatisfied sexual passion, an opportunity to get a lot
of money without sacrificing much of anything.
How many there are who, having been raised in model homes, in a fit of
debauchery ruin their lives! That is precisely what happened to Esau, an
unsatisfied whim drastically changed his destiny.

The first sin leaves marks

Jacob had also begun his long and sad path downhill. His first evil marked
him for life. If you could remember the first sin you committed when you
were still a child, you would realize that it is probably the sin you have had
a problem with your entire life. Right now you should solve it radically.
Jacob didn't do it, he didn't look for solutions. But he did try to continue
furthering God's purposes in his own way, (Commercial and opportunistic).
He began to show the characteristics that we show so much in business and
in daily life, fraud and deception. He was a scheming, manipulative,
cunning, cunning and deceitful man. He was the “impersonator,” a very
appropriate name indeed for him.
Jacob longed for resounding success in life, he had not set out to sin and
yet he failed in a terrible way. Because? Jacob was not a hardened sinner
but a good and pleasant person. Apparently he never committed
immorality. Because? He never thought about abandoning his wife. He
loved her intensely. But nevertheless it was a failure. Because? Because he
tried to carry out God's plans in his (Human) way and not God's way. This
is the problem of his entire life. How much better it would have been for
Jacob to pray to God with Jeremiah (Jeremiah 10:23-24).
A very good deal
Jacob's descent began when he saw that his brother was hungry and said to
himself, “Business is business. This is my opportunity". The opportunist
had found the opportunity of a lifetime. And because he was a “mama's
boy” he may have come back saying—Mom, I did it. It was a moment of
weakness. But it was fair treatment. Esau willingly sold his offspring to me.
No one can accuse me of shady dealings. Everything was very clear. It was
a fair deal.
But he really wasn't honest. It was not the way God wanted to give him the
authority and prosperity he so desired. When young, the lives of many
promised wonders, but 20 years later we are still nothing to God. Because?
Because we have lived using human tactics. Our self by nature tries to do
things its own way. And in the Scriptures we read
(Romans 8:8) Extorting, taking advantage by deceit and deceiving people,
that is the human way to carry out divine plans. It's not worth it, don't try to
do it as you will waste your life and you have no right to it.
That's what poor Jacob tried to do. His son Joseph must have watched him
closely as he grew up. He must have learned lessons from his father's
mistakes, for never in his life did he attempt to further God's purposes with
tactics of the flesh. And become great. Not so his father.
Don't try to force God
God is very patient (Romans 15:5). When Jacob committed that illegally
dishonest business transaction, God did not send lightning from heaven to
exterminate him. Nor did he send a car or a camel to run him over. God has
a lot of time at his disposal. It existed before we were born and it will exist
when we are no longer on earth. Those of us who are not in a position to
waste time are you and me. But God has all the time in the world and
declares emphatically in (Jeremiah 31:3).
When we believe that God has shown us the way to follow, we run the risk
of trying to implement it with carnal methods. Through the inner witness of
the Holy Spirit and through the affirmations of respectable and trustworthy
members of the body of Christ, from my youth I knew that God had called
me to mass evangelism through radio, television, films, literature, and
united evangelistic campaigns.
By the grace of God, much has been accomplished, millions of people have
heard the gospel and hundreds of thousands have come to the feet of Christ.
We started in Latin America and for several years we have been expanding
throughout Europe, Oceania, Asia and all over the world and I am always
in a hurry. When it seems to me that God is going slower than I would like,
something that happens often since I am quite aggressive and impatient, I
run the risk of trying to twist God's arm, so that things move faster and I
run the risk. risk of taking people over and hurting them. And all to try to
speed up the Lord's plan in my life. It is a very subtle temptation. But God
save me from it! God's way is the gentle way described by the wise man in
the book of Proverb 3:5-7.
How different it would have been if Jacob had learned this truth! We are
falling into our own networks. For Jacob it was a little lentil stew. And for
you, what could it be? We don't have to go to that extreme. You have to
trust in the Lord with all your heart and not rely on yourself. We must
recognize Him throughout our lives and He will straighten our paths. We
don't have to try to force his will. Goodness can carry out its purposes
without our “help” (Psalm 34:8) God can do in a single day what will take
you hundreds of years! How foolish we are, then when we believe we can
hasten God's purposes with our skillful intelligence! It is not up to us to do
it. At this moment the poet's words become an unobjectionable reality:
It's Lord, it's Lord
He died and rose again
And today is Lord...
Every tongue will bend
And every tongue will confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord...
Is Jesus Christ the Lord of my personal dreams and ambitions? If Jacob had
asked himself this question before acting….!

Chapter Two
 The king of the advantagers
One sin usually leads to another. We all know. First was Jacob's dark
transaction to obtain the birthright. Mother and son then proceeded to
deceive the patriarch Isaac. Although the evidence itself could not have
convicted Jacob of the “deal” with Esau, the incident precipitated matters
in such a way that Jacob and his mother were forced to do something
worse. And that second downward step is, without a doubt, condemnable.
The dangerous reality is that one unresolved sin leads to the next.
Rebekah overhears the conversation in which Isaac makes arrangements to
give his blessing to Esau and says to herself, “I cannot allow this to
happen.” So she hastily goes in search of Jacob (Genesis 27:5-13). And so
they did and they got what they wanted. With goat skins and stew they
deceived Isaac, who fell into the trap and gave Jacob, the youngest son, the
blessing that was reserved for Esau, the eldest.
They instigated me to do it
Jacob is no less guilty because his mother gave him instructions for
deception. On the day of judgment he will not be able to say to the Lord “It
wasn't me, my Mom, she instigated me, I wasn't to blame.” Ultimately, he
was totally responsible for his actions. There is a point at which we cannot
obey parents, that point is the moment when they ask us to lie, cheat or do
something wrong. According to the word of God on such an occasion (Acts
5:29).
However, Jacob apparently agreed with Rebekah---Mom is right. If we
don't hurry up on this matter, Esau will return with the venison and cook it
the way my father likes it. Then Dad will eat, drink and give Esau his
blessing. If that happens, God's plans for me will be ruined. We must give
God a hand. Given his actions, that's exactly what he said.
Perhaps it has even been said---If I do not obtain that blessing, God's plans
cannot be carried out. Perhaps even the name of the Lord will be
dishonored and that would be terrible. So we must do what is in our power
to prevent that from happening. In this case the end justifies the means.
Many of us have found ourselves at the crossroads or in the dilemma of
deciding to what extent it is correct to obey others. I remember when I was
a boy and I worked in a bank in the city of Córdoba, in Argentina. I was in
the foreign exchange department, where we had to carry out transactions
with foreign currency. That department is ideal for making money
fraudulently and although it is sad to admit, both managers and employees
cheated clients on a daily basis. Suppose that state administration officials
had made purchases abroad for a total value of three million dollars. They
had to pay in national currency. Suppose that the official exchange rate that
day was 42 pesos per dollar, the bank would tell the officials “Today the
dollar is 45.” That would mean that for every dollar, the bank earned three
pesos dishonestly, adding this to 1%. commission for the transaction. If that
is multiplied by 3 million dollars, the profit was millionaires in the half
hour that the business took. When I started working I always asked my
manager---What is the exchange rate today? He would think for a moment
and answer, for example—Say 45.
I didn't ask questions, but over time I began to realize that things were not
done honestly. The government officials could not do anything since they
trusted the bank. The fact was that every month we cheated and were left
with millions of pesos. When I finally had complete trust, the manager
explained the entire system and strategy they used to me. I remember one
Sunday afternoon I was preaching the gospel at an open-air meeting. If you
come to Christ, He will fill your heart—I said—If you come to Christ he
will give you power. You will be clean. You will be able to overcome
temptation. You will be clean. You can live a wonderful life, with nothing
to hide...
Suddenly a sweet little voice inside my heart told me: Luis, it sounds nice.
You are truly preaching the gospel. But do you remember that last week
that man went to the bank to buy dollars? You told him that the exchange
rate was 47.50. When in reality it was 45. How can you reconcile that
incident with the beautiful message of this meeting?
I continued preaching and made the invitation. But when I returned home,
the memory of what happened haunted me. Finally one day I gathered
courage and spoke to the manager. Will we always have to deceive this
way? Will it be dishonestly? Asked. What do you mean by deceiving? He
asked me exasperated, his face red with indignation. "What we do with
people is not right," I answered. "We are deceiving them."
I tried to be humble, but despite how nervous I was, I started to feel good
inside.
Listen, Palau—He warned me—I do what I do because I get orders from
“above.” You do it because I tell you to. You are only here to obey my
orders. "I really can't continue doing it, sir," I replied. I can't lie to people
even if those orders come from "above." And there the discussion began.
The bank had been training me to fill a good position. See Palau, we have
been training him. We have great plans for you. And now you tell me that
we are liars? Are you accusing me of misleading people?
No sir, I'm telling you that I can't do it. Well, if you can't do it, this is over.
Things don't have to be changed because you want them to. You do not
belong to the Board of Directors, you are simply an employee. I don't think
clients need to know who makes the decisions. I realized I had to quit the
bank. It seemed like a tragedy since he had to support a widowed mother
and five siblings. But I quit anyway. However, the Lord had opened a door
for me. The ministry of evangelization. So what was apparently a tragedy
and there was also the temptation to continue in the compromised situation
in the bank for a while longer due to the economic difficulties. The Lord
used it to get me away from the bank and to get me to work on His work
that He had in mind for me. And when I praise him because he did it that
way—his way.
Fear follows the cheater
Jacob has probably had the same temptation, however there are never
positive results when we use incorrect means to achieve correct ends. You
will notice that immediately after the deception, fear appeared. When you
deceive or when you lie, the soul begins to be afraid—a feeling that does
not disappear unless you settle the pending accounts that you have.
Someone said that nothing is fixed until it is well fixed. If a person uses
deception and cheating, whether it happens between spouses, in business
life or wherever such a person is, even if he denies it, he must have fear and
a feeling of guilt for the rest of his life or until he fixes it. their accounts
with God and men. Rebeca was the first to feel terrible panic. As soon as he
learned that Esau was planning to kill or annihilate or execute his beloved
son, he called Jacob. And then both had a third shady attitude. One sin
leads to the next. They had lied to Isaac. So using the excuse that Jacob
would never find a decent wife there, Rebekah prepared the way for Jacob
to leave in search of a wife. But in reality he was running away.
Many have serious nervous problems, in fact they are trying to escape from
something hidden, something that they try to hide instead of solve.
Professionals I know have often cited example after example of people who
remain housed in mental institutions because they do not want to face the
undeniable reality around their lives.
Don't worry! God is God
Take note of how God's sovereign work works.
1) Isaac, the father, got what he deserved. He was weak-willed who
seemed to love his son for his cooking skills. In a sense, he deserved
to be fooled. It was the logical consequence of his immature
favoritism.
2) Esau “asked for it” and got what he deserved for having rejected the
privileges that rightfully belonged to him.
3) Jacob paid a high price for his deception—the result was that he
wasted the best 20 years of his life. It wasn't worth it, right?
4) And finally Rebeca, the mother, never saw her favorite son again.
She died before the cheater she set up returned with his ill-gotten
gains.
This is how God's sovereignty works.
It often seems as if the situation is
Out of control in your family, in the church or in the world in
general. But it is not like that, God is in control of everything and
everyone. He reigns over the universe in such a way that everyone
gets what they deserve, whether good or bad. God is God, so don't
worry. He knows how to handle different situations. At first glance it
seemed as if Jacob had gotten away with his brazen cheating. But
things were not like that. He was never able to enjoy the benefits of
his dark work. It was a complete waste of time, a young life sadly
wasted.
Don't go, Pablo
Why do we try to carry out God's plans in our own way? It is a
widespread error, which was also the case of the apostle Paul, who
had to pay a very high price for his behavior. Sometimes we don't
want to mention the negative aspects of this exceptional man's life,
but he also made crucial mistakes. He was human after all.
In Acts 21:4 we read and the story continues (verses 10-14). In
reality they should have said “The will of Saul of Tarsus be done.”
God by prophecy had told him “Paul, do not go” And then he had
sent another prophet who in a very dramatic way gave him an object
lesson through visual aids. The man took Paul's belt and tied it,
saying that this would happen to Paul if he went to Jerusalem.
However, at a time when he overestimated the confidence he had in
himself.
Paul exclaimed—You lack courage. Disappoint me. I am willing to
go to Jerusalem and I am also willing to die for the Lord.
Now, God used Paul's error and will always fulfill his divine
purposes despite our own mistakes, sins, or persistent disobedience.
When God says he will do something, he always does it. But on the
other hand, we will reap the mistakes we make. Paul paid for his
mistakes, although on the other hand God used everything for good
since this is his way of acting. We read in Romans 8:28, which does
not mean that such errors were God's ideal for our lives.
Face to face with God
We have seen the third downward step in the sad life of Jacob. He
and his mother schemed and plotted, not trusting God's plan for their
lives. And that is when the Almighty God leads Jacob to the place
where for the first time he meets the Lord face to face. Because
despite everything, God loved this young man. This he declared
when he said “I loved Jacob” (Malachi 1:3).
Now let's read in (Genesis 28:10-15) Isn't that a magnificent
statement from God? It reveals the faithfulness of the divine
character (John 15:14-15, Ephesians 2:10, Hebrews 13:5-6). I am
convinced that God wants to do the same with each of us. If we are
single, if we are married, it speaks to us as family. At that time Jacob
was not married, but God speaks to him about his descendants—His
family. If you trust Him as a single person, when you are ready to get
married He will bring someone into your life to whom He will have
already shown the same direction that He has shown you. What I
would have done with Jacob if he had rested in Jehovah instead of
relying on his own strategy.
Scripture Speaks
The Holy Spirit uses Scripture to speak directly to the heart. The
Spirit tells us clearly “I want to do this, that and that in your life.”
And I'll do it. So I have promised. If you allow me to work, there
will be no limits to what I can do throughout your life.”
What has God promised you? Have you spent enough time in his
presence? Alone or as a couple, are you allowing the Lord to speak
to you? Let it be through the Holy Spirit and the Bible, through
certain circumstances or through some other member of the body of
Christ. God show you his plan for you. Says the psalmist (Psalms
27:14) and make Psalm 62 your own experience. God had an
encounter with Jacob, he revealed himself to him—the Bible tells us
—and he also made similar promises to others, before and after
Jacob, but this was Jacob's time. Jacob alone with God. Have you
had such an encounter with God?
It is never too late
Some time ago the Lord spoke to me through a verse in Isaiah 48:18.
Isn't this what everyone wants in their daily lives? Inner peace, peace
like a refreshing river that flows calmly. There is something special
about the peace of a river. Oh, if you had only heeded my
commandments... says the Lord with an expression of profound
divine sadness! To think that I gave these people a Book full of
instructions, promises and tremendous divine truths. Some time ago I
had a conversation with a young man, who decided to be very
sincere with me. He began to tell me his story, which literally broke
my heart. The same thing could well have happened with one of my
children. It was a very sad one. His dreams had been shattered. It is
unfortunate to see a young man suffering, especially when he has
wasted years that cannot be recovered. We cried and prayed together.
However, he had lost years that would never return. The most painful
words you can say are “What could have been.” I remember a song
from several years ago, whose theme was the unfulfilled dreams of a
group of teenagers. When after several years the young people met at
a meeting, they were all human waste. The dreams and hopes they
had had when they finished high school, for the most part, had not
been fulfilled. How sad! But the same doesn't have to happen with
you. There is hope. That is the wonderful thing about the gospel.
There is hope even when your parents divorced, even if your friends
betray you, even if your dreams of success do not come true.
The Lord said Oh, if only you had heeded my commandments. Your
peace would be like a river! Actually what he's saying is--Why are
you so blind? I have shown you the way to follow and you have not
listened, thinking that you have to get your way. How can you be so
stubborn? There are millions and millions who grew up reading the
Bible and attending Sunday school every week and today they are
paying dearly for the years they wasted and those years can never be
recovered despite the tears, the confessions and the advice. We all
have family members or friends who, after years and years of
alcoholism, immorality, or some other sinful habit, realize that they
have wasted the best years of their lives. Maybe they will end up
coming to Christ, broken and truly repentant. Spiritually speaking,
they are new creatures, but physically, mentally and psychologically,
both they and their families have scars that are very difficult to erase.
I will never forget being at the bedside of a boy who had suffered a
fatal accident. As far as we know, he had never received Christ as his
Savior. His father, who had wasted many years in sinful and selfish
practices, was next to me, and humbly repeated over and over again
—Luis, it is impossible to go back. You can't go back, lost time is
lost. However, for those of us who are still alive, it is never too late
to return to the Lord, it is never too late to begin. The Lord says in
Romans 2:4.
The Lord can let you walk, a long way. It may seem like he is giving
you complete freedom of action, but he wants you to recognize your
mistake yourself. He loves you very much and wants you to repent.
So come to the Lord if you have been away from Him. Do not let
another day pass without returning to your Father who is in heaven.
He is calling you.
Jacob tries to take advantage of God
Genesis 28:18-22 What a promise! But who had asked him to make
such a vow? “If God is with me and if he keeps me on the path and if
he gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear and if I can return in
peace to my parents' house , then the Lord will be my God! And to
prove that he was an excellent person, our friend Jacob would build a
house on the site where he had spilled oil. And he also promised to
tithe all his earnings.
What audacity! Jacob had the audacity to say to God: Lord, let's
make a deal. It is a marvel of contract between You and Me. There
are only five basic points. It is very clear and simple. It's not
hundreds of pages. There are simply five conditions, Lord, and then
you cannot imagine what a faithful servant you will have in your
hands. You will be very proud of me. Many people play with God
this way. If the Lord prospers me, if I get good grades in my studies,
if this business goes well for me, if things go the way I want, one of
these days I will return to church. As if that will make the Lord
happy. Didn't Jacob seem to be “super spiritual”? Didn't he make a
fantastic promise? The point is that no one asked him for such a
promise. We must be very clear about who God is. All Jacob had in
mind in his dealings with God (a dealing that turned out to be a
waste of time) was food, clothing, protection, and a place to live. He
doesn't even mention God's purpose for his life. Not even in his
mind. Jacob only thought of himself when he tried to make this deal
with God.
Years later, when God was speaking with Saul—another advantager
—on a similar occasion the Lord declared 1 Samuel 15:22-23. When
you cover a sin, confusion begins. Jacob didn't have things clear in
his mind. He forgot who he was talking to. Unresolved sin always
makes us blind to the things of God. What are you covering up?” Are
you trying to reach an “arrangement” with God? You are wasting
your time. Without realizing it, you may find yourself dazed and
confused, and it may even have become habitual. What a tremendous
contrast to the Son of God, who affirmed Hebrews 10:7 and of Jesus
himself we read in the Scriptures (Philippians 2:7-9).
Jacob and Rebekah tried to cover up their sins with a series of
excellent plans and absurd ideas. “Jacob, go to your uncle's house
and marry a good girl.” Why would he marry a good girl? After all,
he was a real scoundrel. What young maiden would be interested in
him? Well, Jacob was a gangster who tried to hide his dark past by
“marrying” a good girl. We cannot make deals with God. He is the
one who initiates them. His plans are better, much better than ours.
Your plans are perfect. But we are obstinate to a fault. Don't waste
the best years of your life. If God has his hand on you, he will not
abandon you (Philippians 1:6). Certainly it will. Now, what happens
if you are stubborn and do not follow God's desires? It happens that
he will still fulfill his plans, but you will have to pay a very high
price for your stubbornness. You don't play with God. He cannot be
mocked. However there is a wonderful opportunity (1 John 1:9).
This is a sign of God's patience and His divine provision for the sins
of His children, after all, as He indicates time after time, He is "God
of Jacob."
Don't try to make agreements with God
Many have read this scriptural truth (Colossians 2:9-10) And even
though these words are familiar to them, many are still searching
eagerly for something they already have. Instead of saying “Thank
you, Father, that in Jesus Christ is the fullness of the deity of God,
and because Christ is one hundred percent God, and because Christ
lives within me, I am complete in Him” we see thousands and
thousands go for everywhere in search of some “special blessing.”
That is insulting God. In Christ we have everything that God has
planned for our lives. So if we try to find a different experience, an
experience whose general outlines we indicate to God, that is
actually a blasphemous insult to God. It is behaving like Jacob to
show yourself without any reverence. It is showing a covenant,
saying, "Lord, if you give me this and that, or if you allow this and
that, and if I feel this way or that way and if I speak this way or that
way, then I will testify of my faith in you and I will serve you and
you." I will be faithful. We will form an ideal team, do it Lord,
now.” That is doing business with God. Scripture states “In Christ,
we find the fullness of God, and having Christ, we have everything
and are full of Him.” Everything we need, we have immediately in
Christ. If you go around looking for new experiences, it's like saying
to God—I don't really care what your covenant is. I want my own.
Thousands of Christians live empty and unfulfilled lives because
they have rejected what the Lord offers them, even though it is
wonderful, perfect and complete. And those thousands are still trying
to formulate a contract on their own terms. Is this your case? Yes it
is, confess it to the Lord, and say “Forgive me, Lord. I have behaved
like a child. I have acted in the flesh, like Jacob. But I want to
change. And I want to thank you that your Son lives in me. In Him I
have everything I could ever want in this life. Thank you. Have you
discovered that Christ lives in you? I am not referring to doctrinal
truth but to practical reality. Have you thanked Him for living in
you? Have you thanked Him because everything He is belongs to
you? And even more so, let me take a step back and ask you: Have
you received Him into your heart as your personal savior? You can
know a lot about doctrine, and yet not have received it in your life. If
you haven't, that's why there is emptiness and confusion in your life.
Open your heart to him. Trust Him by making a simple prayer of
faith. But if you have received Christ, end your desperate search for
something you actually already possess. Thank Him for what He has
done.
Chapter Three
The incorrigible schemer
The God of Jacob—the God we know, the one revealed to us by
Christ—is not only a sovereign God, faithful, patient, and in control
of all things, but also a God who will pass judgment. God is a judge,
a very strict and upright judge. You can't bribe him. He is a judge
who will do justice in all circumstances. He is a God of love, but also
a God of judgment. This fact is evident now as it begins to act with a
strong hand on Jacob. It seems that God gave Jacob the freedom to
live as he wanted, we even wondered where God was all that time.
Well now, it is the turn of God, who decided to transform “Jacob”
and to use the words of the New Testament (Romans 8:29). Jacob
quickened his pace and soon arrived at his uncle Laban's house, who
welcomed him with open arms and treated him like one of his
family. Once Jacob had been there about a month, clever Uncle
Laban, who knew when someone or something was worth
something, offered him a good deal that apparently allowed Jacob to
impose his conditions (Genesis 29:15-30).
The same old Jacob
Jacob's self-sufficiency seemed to have no limits. He believed that
with his mouth and his skill he could achieve anything. On the other
hand, Jacob was sinking deeper and deeper into the spiritual realm,
although he did not realize it because his dangerous self-sufficiency
blinded him. Blindness and self-sufficiency were directly
proportional. Jacob would have been a great object of study for
followers of positivism. Many of us act in the same way. When I left
Argentina, the Lord had to correct me with a strong hand and used a
great man of God to do so. It was not the last blow he would receive,
but it was a great step forward. In my past there was an issue that
required immediate solution. We sat in this man's office, who told
me that I should fix the matter immediately. However, I responded
with tenacity and self-sufficiency----Don't worry. I will write a letter.
Then, when I return to Argentina, I will talk to everyone. It won't be
any problem. I'll fix it. In the meantime I can continue my life here.
My friend put his hand on my shoulder and said softly, "Luis, you
think you can get out of any trouble, right?" With that big mouth of
yours one of these days you will dig yourself a hole, you will fall
into it, it will bury you and no one will be able to get you out, not
even God. Was it that big of a deal? This man continued, still putting
his arm around me. Do you know something, Luis? You are
conceited and proud. You don't realize it, but it comes out through
your pores. The first time I saw you here you were wearing a black
suit and matching tie—to prove your spirituality. You think you are
superior to others, don't you?
One of God's favorites
Jacob was a favorite, a favorite blinded by his self-confidence and
natural abilities. But regardless of your confidence in yourself, God's
judgment must take its course. You can't play with God, maybe you
think you can---it happens to all of us, until God touches us and
breaks us. We believe we are favorite children who can get our way,
and we think we enjoy privileges that others do not have. It is the
devil who moves us to think this, whispering in our ear: It's okay,
after all you are God's favorite. There's no need to worry too much.
He will allow you to continue with your negligence, your little sins
or things like that. For years you have done it, and nothing has
happened. No car hit you, you still have money, so you can continue
living the same way. Everything's fine.
The consequences were slow to come to Jacob, which is why he
forgot that God is a God of judgment. Maybe you are playing God in
a certain area of your life and God seems unfazed. I'm going to get
my way—you keep telling yourself—I always have. Be careful,
sooner or later you will have to deal with God (Galatians 6:7-8).
Jesus loves you, it's true, but he also judges you. And not only will
he be a judge at the judgment seat of Christ, he is also a judge now.
He is at work in our lives, judging us in discipline and correcting us
so that we may grow and be molded “in the image of his Son.” When
I was a boy I had a very dear friend. When we were 17 years old we
began serving the Lord together and were baptized around the same
time. He was the one who taught me how to preach in the streets,
how to gain the attention of people at open-air meetings. I was a
terrible speaker back then, and if people listen to me now, I owe it in
large part to my friend. He had a charming personality. He animated
all social gatherings. He could sell the Bible better than anyone I
know, he taught me many things. But one day when he turned 21, he
went to live in another city. He had a physical problem and consulted
a doctor, who told him that his problem was due in part to the fact
that he had practiced chastity. The doctor assured my friend that the
best remedy was a sexual experience. My friend, even though he
knew perfectly well what Scripture says regarding such acts,
followed the doctor's advice and committed immorality. I was not
aware of what had happened. One day I met him on the street and
noticed a different expression on his face. When a person commits
immorality, something happens, something is lost and that something
cannot be recovered. The shine of purity is no longer in the gaze and
incurable wounds remain. I realized that right away. What happened?
You're different... I commented. He told me the whole story and
concluded, saying: Don't worry, I will recover. It's going to pass me
by. I'm going to get up early to study the Bible and pray like we used
to do in the old days, remember? And everything is going to change,
you'll see that it does, don't worry about me, Luis. That happened
many years ago, and his Christian life is still not what it was in the
beginning. What a waste! I also remember the case of a man, whom I
have known for many years, a pastor, graduated from one of the best
universities and one of the best and most renowned seminaries. He
had even attended important improvement courses and had pastored
thriving churches, however, this pastor recently obtained a divorce.
Divorce is not something that happens overnight. A person does not
go to the judge, saying: I get along wonderfully with my wife
Cristina, but I am going to divorce her tomorrow. Divorce is a
process that takes time. Most of the time it is accompanied by
immorality or infidelity. I am convinced of this, because I have been
a counselor to hundreds of people around the world. I really don't
know when or how the problem with that pastor began. Maybe he
thought he could get away with it, precisely because he was a pastor.
I also don't know if he has resigned from his job at the church but it
is evident that he or his wife thought they would not have to pay the
consequences. But sin is not something that God overlooks or tries to
ignore. We cannot mock God. A new superficial language is
flooding our lives and churches: We only want to talk about the
positive and sin is a negative thing. As a result, we close our eyes to
the tragedy that surrounds us. And when we see it, we wonder why.
Why so much chaos? Because someone is covering up the sin, that's
why. Furthermore, trying to be “positive” we do not even call sin by
its name.
Jacob meets his match
That's exactly what Jacob was doing. I tried to start as if nothing had
happened. But God allowed Jacob to meet his match, the match for
him, someone who was a trickster like him—His uncle Laban. God
raises them and they come together. And you would have to cast lots
to decide which was the trickier of the two. They went round and
round about basic matters. One was marriage. Laban wanted to
ensure that the two daughters were well cared for and saw that this
wise and enterprising young man was an excellent candidate. So he
found a way to deliver the two girls to them. They also tried to gain
advantage in important businesses (Genesis 30:25-439). Each one
tried to be more than the other. It's even funny to read it. I
recommend that you read the entire story (chapters 29 and 30 of
Genesis). And the sad thing about the story is that Jacob made that
trip not only fleeing from Esau, but also thinking that he would
marry a good girl. But since he had distanced himself from God, he
married a pretty young woman, although to tell the truth she was not
a good girl. The girl's father was practicing spiritualism and said to
Jacob: Genesis 30:27.
That father was either a spiritualist or a liar. And furthermore, the
father and the daughters—including the beloved Rachel—were
idolaters (Genesis 31:19-20). And the story continues (Genesis
31:34-35) Rachel is clearly guilty of deceiving her father, who was
looking for his favorite god, they had fought over the idols and
Rachel managed to steal them. Jacob did not marry a good girl but a
devout spiritualist who worshiped idols. In this story we find good
teachings that sometimes we should emphasize more. The book of
Proverbs says (Proverbs 13:15,4:19) Isn't that true?
I remember two university professors who came looking for advice
during one of our crusades. On different occasions, professionals,
businessmen and important people have also come. They continually
stumbled and often did not realize what. The path of transgressors is
hard and difficult to travel. Poor Jacob was let down from all sides.
He was deceived in marriage, in business and in every possible way.
He wasted 20 years of his life because he refused to submit to God.
So many machinations--for what?
Jacob accepted Laban's rules. He still believed that he must fulfill
God's purposes with his own efforts. In addition to the plots and
tricks of a marriage, Jacob began the plots, tricks and speculations of
big business. They tried to take advantage of each other. Who would
keep the lambs? Who would keep the cows? And the sheep? All.
They fought and argued and both ended up getting rich. In reality the
Lord handled things in such a way that both had equal amounts. It's a
shame that Jacob committed so many deceptions and used shady
methods in business transactions with his uncle, because soon
afterward he lost everything. There was a famine in the land, and
everything Jacob owned was lost. Desiring comforts, possessions
and wealth, we can unconsciously slide towards businesses that are
not entirely clean and transparent. It doesn't have to be something
big. How much better if we desired more intimate communion with
the Lord
(Psalm 34:8). Jacob would have been a happier man if he had taken
refuge in God, saying, “Lord, Laban can keep all the sheep, goats,
cows and horses.” I return to my home. Lord, you provide. God in
the end must judge Jacob, who ends up reaping what he sowed. He
had deceived his brother Esau, and now his uncle Laban was
deceiving him. And to make matters worse, he had to return home
and meet Esau again.
Chapter four
The best therapy
Here it comes! Jacob must prepare to face who had been his first
“enemy.” He is forced to settle the score once and for all (Genesis
32: 1-6). This is what we could call “reality therapy” and it was
certainly effective. Our friend Jacob had to face reality and was
afraid (Genesis 32:7-8). We still see deceptive strategies. We still see
the same Jacob as always. And to make matters worse he is now
about to commit an act of treason. To save his own skin, he is willing
to sacrifice not only his servants but also part of his own family. To
what lengths can man go to hide his sin? For Jacob was exposing the
lives of innocent people to cover up his old deception. Do not be too
surprised, since this is what happens when a man distances himself
from God. He can go to the extreme of his evil to endanger his own
family and do so without any remorse. Jacob desperately tries to
hide. And to achieve that purpose he does not hesitate that, if
necessary, his own children, his wives Leah and Rachel and many
others in the group will be attacked and when he will be saved
(Genesis 32:9-14).
That's more than enough, Jacob.
Jacob is at the lowest point in his alienation from God. From now on
the ascent will begin. There will be small dips here and there. But
from this point on the Lord will work visibly in Jacob's life. It seems
that the Lord says: Well, Jacob, that is more than enough. I gave you
freedom of action, and you sank deeper and deeper. It's time for me
to start acting in your life. The first step, God continues, is to change
back to walking in the light. To do this, you must first solve that sin
that began to keep you from my path years ago, you will have to deal
with Esau.
Have you been walking away from God? How long? One year? Ten?
Thirty? You remember it perfectly, since it is something that is never
forgotten. You have distanced yourself from the will of God, and
from that moment on you only found trouble. You turned away from
the Lord, you became cold spiritually, and yet you ask yourself and
others: Why does the Lord allow this or that? When in reality you
know why he allows it. The Holy Spirit will not let you forget it. The
Lord tells you: Look, if you want to walk in the light again, you must
first face that first sin you committed. You must bring it to light and
resolve it, to the church of Ephesus said the Lord Jesus (Revelation
2:5). We must remember that God judges and leads us to repent, for
valid reasons---first, to vindicate his name, second, for our well-
being. In Hebrews 12:11, on the other hand in Scripture we also read
in 1 John 1:7. Face that sin, confess it. Then the blood of Christ can
cleanse you so that you continue walking in the light. That is when
God will begin to fulfill his purposes in your life. And for God to
carry out the purposes that he had declared years before in and
through Jacob, he would have to resolve his sin.
Your plans will come true
Isaiah 46:9-11 When God decides to do something through your life,
he will undoubtedly carry out his plan and remember that his
purpose is to do something through the life of every Christian. The
more we resist, the longer the path will be to go back until we reach
the place where we deviate from His will.

I'm with you

In his grace God says to Jacob—Look, Jacob, you have to face your
sin, you have to clear things up with your brother. He knows that you
have done him wrong. You have to get his forgiveness. But listen to
me, I have a whole army at your side. Do not be afraid. I am with
you, even in this moment of repentance, I am surrounding you with
an army of angels.
The Lord, so to speak, opened Jacob's spiritual eyes, in the same way
that years later he would do with another prophet. He tells Jacob. I
know you have walked away from me, but I want you to come back,
so I have a whole army at your side to protect you, protect you and
help you. Don't worry.
God longed for that day of repentance and cleansing. After all, that
moment marks a new beginning for this man whom the Lord loved
so much. Jacob marvels and with fear exclaims—This army is God's.
God lives here. Maybe God is pointing out something to you that
you must fix, something that makes you tremble every time you
remember it, --I can't do it, ----you say scared--; I can't face that.
Remember that God is your Father. He is on your side. Look how he
encourages Jacob:-- It is certainly dangerous to confront your
brother. It is natural that you are afraid. You cheated on him. But my
entire army is going with you, so go ahead with confidence. Keep in
mind the beautiful promise we find in Psalms 34:7. And keep in
mind what the apostle says (Hebrews 34:7). What is that big step you
need to take? Is it something that just remembering it gives you
chills? Doesn't it let you sleep? Listen, everything God has is at your
disposal because God loves you with a father's love (Jeremiah 31:3).
His entire army is with you to help you, strengthen you and protect
you. Return to the place where the descent began and face that first
enemy. The Lord is with you. He wants to help you solve the
problem and bring you back to the light. However, you must confess
in public only what concerns the public. Confess to your “Esau”
what has hurt him. When no one knows your sin but only you, but
your body, your life and your future are affected, confess it only to
God. Unnecessary confession can sometimes hurt the sin itself more
(Isaiah 41:10. Poor Jacob! Twenty years earlier he had fled because
Esau had made a terrible and severe threat “I am going to find my
brother and I am going to kill him” and those words still echoed in
Jacob's ears, so that he was terrified at the thought of facing Esau.
We too are afraid when we must face responsibilities for sins we
have committed. It happens with any normal person. I was afraid too.
Years ago there were several pretty big things I had to figure out, but
it was a terrifying experience. However, I know that if I had not
fixed the situation, my life today would be worthless and God would
never have been able to use me again. Thanks to Him who gave me
the strength and I did what was appropriate. Now then I can live
freely without guilt and fears.

Yes, Lord, I see your army – But I have this plan

It is strange that although God revealed to Jacob that his armies were
with him, the old trickster still continued with his plans (Genesis
32:7). In verse 2 we saw that Jacob called that place “Manahaim”
which actually means “two camps”, Jacob realized that indeed there
were two armies, two camps—his own, small, and on the other side
that of God, it was important. What is the important lesson here?
Self-sufficiency makes us blind to God's provision, Jacob could trust
the Lord, so he divided his own army in two. Although the old
trickster had a divine revelation that he would be protected, he
cannot trust God—and he does not want to.
Haven't you and I also done the same thing at a certain point in our
lives? The problem we have is real and we bring it to the feet of the
Lord. We pray and yet after praying we begin to plan strategies to do
everything our way. We began to argue and try to find ways to solve
the problem in the flesh, with our natural man. Finally then, and for
the first time, Jacob humbly prays. In the entire passage this is the
first time he prays, and it is a prayer full of humility. But until that
moment he begins to exaggerate, and begins a series of excuses to
try to reach an agreement with the Lord. Verse 11 says—He is trying
to convince the Lord to protect him: Lord, he is coming to kill us all.
He is a criminal. You know it and you know it very well, Lord. And
it not only persecutes me but also my wives and my children. Of
course he exaggerates greatly. Because? Because he feels so guilty
that he protects himself by exaggerating his condition. It's what
usually happens. And Jacob is used to exaggeration and extreme
arguments to prove his point. Let's see what happens and what the
Lord does with Jacob (Genesis 33:1-3). As a precaution, Jacob
placed the women and children (including Rachel and Joseph his
favorites) at the front of his entire army. The Scripture says that he
passed before them and bowed to the ground seven times, but that he
made sure to keep his wives and children close to him, a repellent
attitude. He is next to them, yes, but he assigns them the first place in
the caravan knowing that such a position would benefit him in case
his brother Esau attempted retaliation. In his prayer there was a plea
“Lord, Esau is coming to take the women and children” and despite
this, when the time for action arrives he is shielded behind these
same women and children for whom he professed so much concern
and affection. He's still cheating. He has prayed, he has met God, but
he is an incorrigible schemer. The habit is so much a part of himself
that when the crisis comes he resorts to his old habit. I love the irony
of the Lord, at this point. After so many days and nights Jacob spent
in anguish—the worry, the scheming, the planning, the organizing—
what a waste of time (Genesis 33:4-10). There are two things that we
can highlight. First, Jacob was feeding Esau's ego. Secondly, it tells a
terrible truth “I was as afraid as if I were drawing near to God”
(Genesis 33:10). The people we have done wrong always seem to us
to be God, unless and until we settle our outstanding issues. Seeing
the face of the person to whom he had wronged produced so much
fear in Jacob that it was as if he were facing the judgment of God
himself. However, it is funny to think of all the lost time, the energy,
the sleepless nights, the the plans and his desperation to find a way to
appease an Esau who did not need to be appeased. When they met,
Esau ran to meet him, hugged him and kissed him. How many days
have you wasted with foolish machinations, and plans in the flesh?
How many years have you wasted? Go back to the Lord and simply
say—Lord, what a fool I have been—like Jacob. And it wasn't worth
it. I want to stop once and for all all human manipulations,
machinations and strategies. Please cleanse me with the blood of my
Lord Jesus Christ, and allow me to walk in the light again. (At this
point I recommend that you read and meditate on 1 John 1, in the
New Testament). God here reveals himself as Father. Something
wonderful. He transformed Esau's heart so that when he met Jacob,
instead of wanting revenge and killing him, he would simply give
him a hug. Why don't you allow God to be a Father in your life and
act like one? The Lord declared: “Your heavenly Father knows”
(Matthew 6:32). The Lord will prepare the way for you as he did for
Jacob. He does it with me constantly, and longs to do it with each of
his children. If today we asked Jacob if all his machinations and
strategies were worth it. Do you know what I would answer? I would
respond, as we have already mentioned before (Genesis 47:9). What
a sad ending! It doesn't have to be your case too, since God is a
loving heavenly Father. He judges you and disciplines you so that
you can walk in the light again. He wants to love you and care for
you like a legitimate Father. Stop playing with the blood of Christ,
and start walking in the light. If you do, you will be a free person;
free for God to use you in his purposes here on earth.

Chapter Five
The climax of liberation

What is your reason for living? If you feel like life is just going to
work in the morning and being bored at home at night, you're wrong.
We live to be instruments that fulfill God's purposes. This gives life
a superlatively great meaning. Consider your work—whether it is a
Christian task, a secular activity, or household chores—as part of
God's purpose in your life, in your family, and even in the world.
That way you will be able to see what your part is, your grain of
sand, in God's entire plan. Before Jacob had been formed in his
mother's womb, God already had his hand on him. Then he spoke to
him and revealed himself to him when Jacob was a young man. But
Jacob, like many of us, was a rebellious boy. And later he was a
rebellious adult. At 50 years old he had been stubborn and had
tenaciously resisted the sovereign will of God, who was leading
Jacob towards a climax or a final outcome that would end that
behavior, Jacob would begin a new life, this time under the absolute
control of God.
The moment of the truth
Unfortunately, for Jacob, life had been an endless struggle marked
by pain and disappointment up to that point. In reality, it had been a
struggle of which he himself was the architect or architect. He had
provoked her and had been left between a rock and a hard place. He
remembers what condition he was in when he left his uncle after
stealing his sheep and goods. I ran; He got away from everything.
And suddenly one night, before meeting Esau, he realizes that the
next morning would be the moment of truth. Reality therapy is about
to explode right under your nose. He is terribly scared, convinced
that his end has come. Jacob--you are finished!--it is said--You are a
dead man. All your strategies and machinations have come to
nothing. Tomorrow you face Esau. Night comes, and Jacob is alone
in the darkness of the desert (Genesis 32:22-32).
You may ask what all this business with my thigh and tendons has to
do with the well-being of your soul. The following four points must
declare it.
First of all, Jacob lost all his hope and his self-confidence . This
happens the night before the meeting with Esau.
He is sure that his brother is going to kill him, so alone, lying in the
dark, he says to himself: “I am a dead man.” At this moment he has
the overwhelming feeling that his hours are numbered. We have all
reached this point at a certain point in our Christian lives. If it
happened to Saint Paul himself, how much more to you and me. If
we want to know the power of God in our lives, if we want to
experience the power of Jesus Christ who lives within us by the Holy
Spirit, there must come a time when we go through a critical
circumstance. The time must come when we are no longer just given
to fixing some isolated issues, but rather we completely leave the old
way of living and dedicate ourselves to the new. This is what the
apostle Paul expressed (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).
My wife confessed to me that this moment of decision in her life
came one summer when she was working as a counselor at a
Christian camp. One of the reasons for this was to find a boy to
marry. Well, being a counselor was something additional, a good
excuse. Patricia had a great fight inside. On the way to the camp he
visited a young man, believing he would be a good candidate but
things didn't work out. All summer, while working as a counselor, I
had my antennae up, searching incessantly. It didn't work. And in her
heart Patricia knew that she had to finish all her plans and strategies.
He decided to abandon that childish attitude, stopping forcing God's
hand since everything could end in a fatal mistake that could
potentially destroy the rest of his life. So she decided to study at a
Bible college because she wanted to be a missionary and wanted to
leave the whole matter in God's hands. That month of November we
met. God had a plan for both of us. And I am so grateful to the Lord
for that. It is a very difficult decision. How many men and women
have forced God's hand and married the wrong person, only to see
the consequences a few years later: a broken heart! We are so stupid!
radical brokenness
Galatians 2:20 has been one of the key verses in my life. I
am crucified with Christ. Have you decided to accept the
unobjectionable fact that you are crucified with Christ? Or
are you still trying to live the Christian life in your own
efforts? Are you still trying to enjoy life in your own way
and by your own means? Are you trying to resolve your
marital difficulties on your own? God wants to do
something new and magnificent in your life. There are those
who believe that a happy marriage is a marriage without
problems. Totally unreal. All marriages have their moments
of turbulence. The secret is this; If Christ is in control and
we live by obeying the Scriptures in the power of the Holy
Spirit, we can overcome, love each other, and solve
problems with his power (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
Fighting with God
Secondly, God comes to fight with Jacob until he surrenders.
Note that Jacob was alone that night. Each one must settle accounts
with God, alone, in a personal way. If you are rebellious, you also
have to deal with God... alone. The place where Jacob surrendered is
called Peniel, which means “the face of God.” Jacob comes face to
face with God that night. Also you and all of us, the sooner the
better. The problem is yours, and you must solve it. Alone with
God”—Oh, Lord, I cannot continue this way. As Jacob said: Unless
you bless me, I will not let you go.” Maybe you feel like you are
fighting with God inside. Maybe you feel devastated. And that is
good, it is necessary. We must all get to the point where we feel
exactly how Jacob felt that night. I can not anymore. I feel like I'm
dying. I have reached the end of my strength. Either I commit
suicide… or I get divorced… I will take some drastic action. I can
not hold it anymore. That is the end of self-effort. There are those
who experience neurasthenia or major depression. From time to
time, when the situation is particularly tense, I jokingly say to one of
my Teammates, “I'm going to take a plane and during the trip I'm
going to indulge in a nervous breakdown.” Sometimes the tension is
acute and it is common for us to make that joke. But for many
people, it's no joke. They go to psychiatrists when in reality the
answer is….give up, surrender. The way I see things, the purpose of
fighting is to knock the opponent down, holding him down until he
flatly says, “I surrender.” Some time ago one of the members of our
Team was a heavyweight who had been a wrestling champion at his
university. This aspect of him didn't excite me too much by the way.
During the crusades, when we tried to rest at siesta time, he would
come running and shouting and throw himself with all his weight on
one of us. I thought he was still in the ring, fighting. He was trying to
get us out of bed to fight. And as if that were not enough, he weighed
50 kilos more than me. So I didn't like sharing my room with him.
Now, regardless of my tastes, the goal of a fighter is to forcibly take
his opponent to the ground with the appropriate technique and hold
him until he can't move and says: "I surrender" and surrenders. In a
word the fight ends. The notable thing here is that God Himself came
to wrestle with Jacob! What a sight on that lonely night in the desert!
Another interesting aspect is that Jacob was a persistent rebel. He
wrestled with God all night. An amazing fight. Finally, as the sun
began to rise on the horizon, God said to Jacob---Well Jacob, let's
finish. The sun is already rising.
God versus ego
But what does this have to do with the life of a victorious Christian?
Jacob shows us the extremes of his rebellion against God. If you met
God tonight and he wanted to fight with you until he dominated you
and knocked you down, would you say to him, “Lord, do with me
whatever you want”? It was not what Jacob did, nor what many of us
would do. There are those who fight with God all their lives. There
are those who believe that “fighting with God” is a sign of sensitivity
of the spirit and deep spirituality, but in truth, it is a true sign of
rebellion and obstinacy towards God. Surely you have heard it said,
“I am having a dispute with God about such an issue in my life.”
And whoever says it is convinced that this is being truly spiritual. A
battle with God! That's a sign of a tremendous ego. I once asked a
preacher and spiritual advisor friend of mine how he managed to see
beyond the smoke screens, the masks that people put on even when
they are going through great turmoil.--How do you get to the heart of
the matter? and discover the problem? Luis—he answered—In life
there is only one real problem. All the others are a consequence of
the first, a smoke screen. The number one problem is ego. Try to find
what or who is in control of the ego, and you will know the cause of
everything else. That is precisely what I do in my television
programs. Some critics say—Palau does not listen, he begins to
provide solutions to problems before people have finished giving
him important details of the matter. It's true, but I happen to follow
that principle. All the problems that a person may have are the result
of an ego not controlled by Jesus Christ. By looking through the
smoke screens, the masks, and using your discernment to notice the
tricks that people use to try to impress you, you will discover that
their problem originates from a selfish ego. It is my case, and the
case of all human beings.

You must start limping

Jacob doesn't give up. He wrestled with God all night. And suddenly
“when the man saw that he could not win the fight, he touched Jacob
on the hip and dislocated it” (Genesis 32:25). A single touch from
God put him out of action. God knew this was the remedy, and He
had to teach the rebel an important lesson. He touched Jacob on the
hip and dislocated it. The fight was over. The hip muscle is probably
the strongest in our body. And thirdly, then, we see here a figure of
the point of greatest physical strength in Jacob, what he always
believed to be his support and confidence in times of difficulty. After
all, what did Jacob do when he was in trouble? He ran and escaped.
That was the solution to all his problems, running immediately. He
must have had tremendous strength in his legs. If he lived in this
time he would certainly have been a great Olympic runner. So the
Lord surely said, “Jacob, think that when he meets Esau, perhaps in a
moment of incredible human strength he will be able to run and
escape. But I'm going to touch him so that he can't run anymore." We
all have some aspect in which we believe we are very strong.
However Paul said: (2 Corinthians 12:10). We don't like that truth.
God has to allow us to reach a dead end. And in that moment, when
we can't run or flee, it's our turn. From that moment on Jacob begins
to limp, and would limp for the rest of his life. I would never be able
to walk properly again. He could not escape pressing situations by
fleeing without delay. And that brought him closer to the Lord. He
had to look up and trust in God. What is the aspect in which you
naturally feel strong? Surrender it to God, right now. Come to Him,
saying, “Lord, this is something I always boast about”—whether
secretly or before others. What is your particular case? For some it is
their ingenuity and quick thinking. They are better than all the other
brothers in the church. For others it may be a skillful tongue. If there
are problems, they can solve them. Are you the kind of person who
can convince others by talking to them? Maybe you say: Don't
worry, I'll take care of it... I'll convince my wife... It should be
simple. Maybe you know how to handle commissions "Let me
organize a commission and the matter is resolved." And you talk to
each one individually, you prepare the way, and things are done in
their own way. When it is time for the commission to meet, you have
convinced them individually, and the vote is done the way you had
determined. So you return home, muttering under your breath, “I can
always do it. Always” Is that your strong point? There are others
who glory in their emotions. They have a wonderful time worshiping
God, and they glory. But I have seen countless cases of those who
fell into immorality even though they once boasted of something
superlative they called “worship.” It happens that these same people
are convinced that hubbub, excitement and enthusiasm are
synonymous with worship. They focus on that, and when they are
tempted, that same emotion sets a trap for them that sends them
rolling downhill. What is the strong point you lean on whenever you
have a problem? There are also great thinkers. Consecrated
Christians “I write poetry and good music, and I spend time
meditating. I don't talk too much but I think"
However, when difficulties arrive, they close like oysters. They want
to solve their problems by not talking about them, thinking that there
lies the strength that leads them to victory. Whatever your strong
point is. God must touch him (as he did with Jacob's hip). It must do
so because you are not resting on its power, but on your natural
abilities. And God can't use you that way. The Lord tells us: (2
Corinthians 12:9). Are you reaching the limit of your strength?
Maybe you say to yourself: “I have to free myself from this weight.
"I won't be able to last another week, not even another day." Maybe
it's a family problem, and you're saying, “I want to start all over
again.” Is it a sexual temptation that pursues you? Do you think
you're about to fall? It's not enough to confess it, you have to start a
new lifestyle. You must begin to “limp” in your spiritual life. You
need to realize that you do not put in what is required to live the
Christian life. Only Jesus Christ has what is necessary, what you
need. Each of us must come to the point of crucifying the self and
praying to God, “Lord, I do not want to follow the ways of the flesh.
“I want to be a man or woman of God.” I want to live in holiness and
purity. There must be a radical and complete breakdown.
The bad smell indicates that there is garbage
It is not enough to fix the marital issue, the sexual temptation, or the
particular problem. Your entire life must change the premise “It is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). That's the
key. It is not a matter of surrendering to the Lord the sexual
temptation, then the problem of lying, then the struggles, and so on.
No, you must surrender to Christ saying: Lord, touch me in the area
of my life where I need it so that it is no longer me trying to live the
Christian life, no longer me trying to overcome temptation, but You,
Lord Jesus. You living in me, fulfilling Your will in my life, my
home, my ministry and my work. We live in particularly difficult
times, especially regarding the situation at home and sexual
temptations. If you are used to reading books and magazines that
stimulate you sexually, you need to completely change that habit.
This habit can ruin a person's life, even their home. I don't think I'm
self-righteous; neither a fool nor a blind man, but almost every
magazine these days has at least one article with clear sexual
suggestions---sometimes more than just suggestions, dangerous
garbage! You don't have to get on a garbage truck and wallow in the
filth to know that it is full of garbage, the smell clearly indicates it.
However, there are Christians convinced that with this type of
reading they keep up to date with what is happening in the world,
and become familiar with the dirt. A very risky game. Be careful. It
is a satanic lie. I have spoken with many couples who are going
through difficulties that began when the husband or wife began to fill
their minds with that kind of spiritual, sexual and moral corruption.
Their minds were infiltrated and intoxicated with cheap and
suggestive literature. At one time or another, most of us have read
the exaggerations that paint sex as 20 times bigger than it is or could
ever be. You read about those super males who can do in one night
what would take a husband a month. The result is that the men who
read this believe that something is not right in their marriage; They
think they are missing something. And in reality, everything is
nothing more than a satanic ploy. Those who publish these articles
want your money and it is the means that Satan uses to destroy your
home. Someone may argue that this is a topic of bad taste among
decent Christians, but I assure you that it can tear your home to
pieces. Perhaps you come from a home that has experienced
separation. It could even be the case that your father left your
mother, and it all started when he started reading bad literature. I
must travel by plane constantly, and I have come to the conclusion
that there is no bigger trash can in the world than the magazine and
paperback kiosks in airports. I have seen grown men, executives of
all kinds, perusing the shelves. They buy one, take it with them on
the plane, and while they read it they don't let others see the cover
because it is a dirty and cheap book. When they reach their
destination, they throw it in the trash, since they do not want anyone
to discover them reading such nonsense, but their minds are already
impregnated with impurities. On the other hand, there is the very
fashionable philosophy that in single life one enjoys wonderful
freedom. And things look like a great picnic, a great party without
limits. If you could see the depths of the hearts of those who hold
such a philosophy, you would realize that people are miserable,
lonely, empty and selfish of the world. However, the others swallow
the story, believe the lies and are about to destroy their home. Do
you refuse to submit to God and Jesus Christ? Do you seriously think
you will find freedom once you leave your wife? You will never be
free. Don't forget that God tolerates divorce only when adultery is
involved. And then also another danger. They are people's little
games, as they say these days. I'm talking about flirting, even in so-
called Christian circles. Men who make amorous advances to other
people's wives. Women who allow it. This ends up destroying the
spirit.
You should not allow it in yourself or the other person. If a man flirts
with your wife, do not welcome him back into your house. He is not
your friend but your enemy. In certain circles it has become
fashionable—they say it is allowed. It is not like this. God exhorts us
(1 Peter 1:16), (Matthew 5:8) and (Hebrews 12:14). Without holiness
we cannot see the Lord. This has two meanings 1) Without our
mantle of holiness indicating that we are in Christ Jesus, no one can
enter the presence of the God of Justice, 2) Without holiness in our
lives, we lose daily and intimate communion with our loving Lord.
We make him sad. We lose the joy of salvation and its presence in
our lives. We stop enjoying their constant company. Our relationship
with Him changes. When we accept Him as savior, as believers we
are eternally in Him. But yet if we do not live holy lives, we will lose
the real joy of our salvation. On the other hand, women's clothing
must be mentioned. I think there are Christian women who need to
be careful with the way they dress. Do they call me old-fashioned?
Well, I'm not. I remember that a long time ago we were with my wife
and my children in a supermarket. In newspapers and newspapers we
continually read news about rape. I'm not surprised that many men
with twisted minds rape women, considering how some of them
dress, particularly in the summer. It seems like they are asking men
to take advantage of them. There are women who with their way of
dressing make a deliberate invitation to the sinner. Do you think that
perhaps that doesn't tempt men? I wonder where that woman's
husband is. When a man walks with his wife who has half of her
body exposed, it is most likely that he himself is hiding something. I
believe that said husband exposes his wife to the greedy gaze of
other men to silence his own conscience. Don't get me wrong.
Women can be beautiful, attractive, and a delight to the eyes, but
without provoking other men. A few years ago I was talking to a
young man who told me: Luis, women drive me crazy. I don't know
how to overcome temptation. Some time later this same boy came to
tell me
“Do you know something?” In the last two years I have had
complete victory over this problem, and I want to thank you for
telling me how to do it.”
The first step towards victory (and not simply for sexual problems
but also for countless other aspects) is to decide deep in your heart
that you will change your habits “God, I want to be holy. “I know I
won’t be perfect, but I can be holy and I will be.” And I want Lord
Jesus, the Son of God who lives in me, to transform me into the holy
person that you want me to be. “Lord, with your control I will be
able to overcome temptation and thus leave behind my old way of
life. Lord Jesus, I am going to live on a completely different level
because you will have control of my life.” So God touched Jacob
where Jacob thought he was strong and left him in a vulnerable
condition for the rest of his life. But from that moment Jacob became
a very valuable instrument in the hands of God. God changed his
name and was no longer called Jacob—the usurper—but Israel—the
one who prevails with God (Genesis 35:9-10). The night he wrestled
with the Lord was the beginning of a new life for Jacob. So it was in
my life too, although I did not wrestle with the Lord as Jacob did.
God had an encounter with me at the Bible school where I was
studying, and I understood that the key was not me but Christ living
in me. We must all reach that moment of total surrender, just as it
happened with Jacob.
Fourth, after this incident, Jacob had ups and downs, but his was
a totally new life. It was a blessing to his children. It was a blessing
to Pharaoh. It bore fruit, and multiplied; and through Joseph the
whole world was greatly blessed. Jacob underwent a total
transformation. It was not a mere change of doctrine but a change of
life. From that moment on he no longer trusted his usual cunning or
his strength, but instead put his trust in God. His life and his entire
future were changed (Genesis 35:11-15).
There is a beautiful image of Jacob when he was old. Joseph comes
to him with his two children, Jacob's grandchildren. Joseph bows
with his face to the ground before his father, and he asks him to bless
his children. And old Jacob, already at the end of his life, places his
hands on the heads of these two grandchildren and gives them a
magnificent blessing from God. Let us think of Joseph, prostrate on
his face (despite being the head of the Egyptian empire and the entire
world), because he deeply respected his father, because his father
was a powerful man of God. But Jacob would never have been that
kind of person in his old age if God had not touched him, broken
him, and become Lord of his life. If in your soul you have been
struggling with God, wrestling with the Lord, I pray that you will
stop and say, “Oh, God, I can't take it anymore. I want to die to my
old way of living. Truly I am crucified with Christ. And it is not I
who live but Christ who lives in me. From now on, O Lord, the life I
live in the flesh I will live trusting in the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me.”

Preface to the second part

Well, such was Jacob's life—130 years and most of the time his own
plans. It's sad when we think about how different it could have been.
However, as we study the life of his son Joseph, we will see that it
was perhaps Jacob's mistakes and experiences that made Joseph a
man sensitive to the divine voice. And it began to work in this boy's
life at an early age. The result? Joseph immediately responded, What
a difference from his father Jacob, who resisted the will of the Lord
every step of the way! God began to reveal himself to Joseph
through schematic but vivid images of what his future would be like.
Through dreams and visions, Joseph began his ministry that God had
for him. I believe God loves to speak to us through the Scriptures,
through a pastor, or through a friend whom we greatly respect. Its
purpose is to give us certain guidelines of the plans he has for you
and me. That we have accepted the Lord Jesus as savior, we are now
children of God and we have the power of the living Christ in our
lives. God chose Joseph, and Joseph knew it, so he did nothing but
respond to God. And when he answered him, his life was crowned
with resounding success to the glory of God. Have you responded to
the Lord? He chose you and called you. José had to face major crises
that affected his life. The first, and perhaps the most dramatic, was
being thrown into a cistern by his brothers, and then sold into slavery
for only 20 pieces of silver. And despite this, this admirable man at
the end of his days was able to look back and refer precisely to that
perverse act and tell his brothers (Genesis 50:20). Yes, God had
chosen Joseph. Joseph knew this, and he lived in victory because he
trusted in the living God, in the God who is God, to use the words of
Deuteronomy 7:9. Joseph's life was a life of constant triumph
because he did not live his way, according to his own will, but God's
way. When God calls a man or woman, it is because He has a
specific plan. When He called you, chose you, saved you, He had
laid out a plan that He would carry out. It is exciting. The Lord
himself called you and received you as a son, he wishes to speak to
you and remind you of an ancient promise, or perhaps he has a
personal message for you. Consider then the life of Joseph, and ask
God to help you hear his voice speaking directly to your heart,
revealing more of his wonderful person to you, and showing you
right now part of the plan for your life.
 Chapter Six
Ready to run away
Downhill
Joseph's story begins with a downhill slope. Because of Jacob's
favoritism, which essentially gave Joseph birthright rights, Rachel's
son is envied and hated by his brothers. When the first opportunity
presents itself, they plan revenge. The Bible recounts the beginning
of the drama in this way (Genesis 37:23-28). However, this desperate
plot takes a strange turn when Joseph arrives in Egypt (Genesis 39:2-
6). We see that God's purposes were carried out even though there
were very intricate details in Joseph's life. God in his eternal
sovereignty took control of the young man's life—Joseph—God said
—I have great plans for you. You're just a boy, but listen to me.
You'll find it hard to believe when I tell you the way I'm going to use
you. Joseph—God continued—for generations people will talk about
you and learn from your example. If you walk with me like your
parents, Abraham, Isaac and even Jacob (because despite his
mistakes, your dad walks with me), you can't imagine everything I
will do in your life. Others may see you as a simple teenager; Your
brothers may laugh and call you a “dreamer” but I am going to use
you. God had allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery for 20 pieces of
silver, which was actually an absurd price because the legitimate
price of a slave was 30 pieces of silver, they practically gave him
away. But the hand of God was on him. In the New Testament the
apostle Paul repeats this idea in an extraordinary way (1 Corinthians
2:9). It is wonderful to see God acting so actively in the life of this
young man.

God at all levels

There were many things that God had to take care of, for example
the Egyptian empire and its chosen people; and yet his heart was in
this boy José in a very special way. One of the many values of
the Old Testament is that in simple stories we see how God
moves and acts on several levels at the same time in the most
natural and convenient way. He may be working with Pharaoh
at the highest political level, with old Jacob at another level,
with Jacob's sons on the one hand, and with Joseph on the
other. There are no restrictions for God. He is omniscient,
omnipotent and omnipresent. These divine attributes
constitute what theologians call “the government of God”
behind the curtain. He clearly governs the threads of human
history. In our days their way of acting is the same. He does
his work with the different presidents and with the world
powers, at the same time he works individually with you and
me. It is exciting to read the Old Testament and begin to
understand why and how God can operate on these different
levels simultaneously and still accomplish his goal. Despite
crooked human behavior and even using such behavior
whether the person is a teenager or Pharaoh himself—God
fulfills his purpose using all circumstances for his glory. When
a person is rebellious in his heart, rebellious against God and
rebellious against the authority of the Bible as the Word of
God, he will make excuses such as: I cannot understand how
in the Old Testament God could have ordered the Israelites to
massacre so many men, women and children… It is
frightening and terrifying. How could God have done such a
thing? I can not accept it. When someone speaks this way it
shows spiritual immaturity. Whoever resists God does not
want to consider revelation as a whole to see that God is God.
The answer is that God allowed all those people to be killed.
He knows why he did it. Among other reasons, those people
probably had venereal diseases. Furthermore, they were
incorrigible idolaters and criminals. God knows what is done.
When God acts and operates on different levels, we can put all
our trust in Him. We should never question in disbelief what
God does or allows to happen in history or in our lives. Try to
investigate, in order to understand their ways. That's ok. But
disbelief that devalues the wisdom of God is already
dangerous ground. We need to examine our attitude toward
divine purposes. We must say “I believe and trust in You, Lord.
Help me understand your ways.” But never say “I can't believe
or understand, so tell me why you did this.”

The Lord was with him

Joseph was a prosperous slave (Genesis 39:2). Most biblical
scholars agree that Joseph's master was probably Pharaoh's
right-hand man, perhaps the head of his personal guard—
always a high-ranking position, especially at that time. So
young Joseph, despite being a slave, held a position of
authority near one of the highest dignitaries of the Egyptian
government and was doing very well. What was the secret?
Very simple: A person who has God at the center of his life is
always a prosperous person. In this chapter the presence of
God in Joseph's life is reaffirmed eight times. Who among us
does not want to be successful and prosperous in all areas of
our lives? I do. And by the grace of God it can also be a reality
in your life because the Lord is with you. And the same is true
of all believers. It is not a privilege limited to a few. You can
succeed and prosper regardless of the difficult circumstances
you are going through. Never forget. At that time Joseph was
just a slave, but a slave who knew success. If you want to
succeed and have prosperity, the secret is in the presence of
the living God acting in your life every day. Is the Lord working
in your life, or are you dominated by the flesh? It is a crucial
question. Joseph prospered because “God was with him.”
Someone might argue—Well, but the Lord is with every
believer. True, but in this passage those words mean more
than the fact that the Lord is with all of us in a general sense.
They mean that God was with Joseph in a very particular way
because Joseph walked with the Lord (John 15:5). Here is a
closely related principle that is fundamental in action. There
must be something reciprocal. The Lord is with you and you
respond to him. It is only then that it will be possible to affirm:
"The Lord is acting in that person's life." God prospered young
Joseph in the highest spheres of Egyptian life. The Lord was
training and preparing him for the great work that would be
entrusted to him more than ten years later. Joseph was a
slave in a foreign land, he did not know the language and
might as well have been treated like a dog. But it was not the
case. He reached the summit with every success imaginable
(Isaiah 41:10). These words had not yet been written in
Joseph's day, but I like to think that the Lord whispered these
same words to the boy's heart. I don't know what your
particular situation is. Maybe you are going through an
unexpected turbulent time. I remember years ago that one of
our Team members left his job for us, not because there was a
problem but because it was God's time for that important
decision. He was a musician who helped us in the crusades.
As the time of his departure approached, I felt desperate
inside. I couldn't imagine sitting on the platform without having
that man of God in us, who was a great friend. It seemed like
the end of the ministry to me. I remember we were in
Guatemala, and I felt restless and distressed. I came to think
that we were finished as a Team. That week, while doing Bible
memorization I had to learn Isaiah 41:10. I had to repeat it to
myself a hundred times and in the end I had peace. And God
has blessed our Team in a tremendous way, using us in
towns, cities, countries, and now entire continents. Maybe you
are going through a situation similar to that of young José. It
may not be a matter of life or death in the eyes of others, but
to you it seems insurmountable. The Lord promises you “Do
not be afraid, for I am with you.”

Privilege put to the test

That was the secret of Joseph's success: The promised and real
presence of God, and divine blessing in your life. When Joseph
began to prosper, he might have thought: At last I have largely
triumphed in this matter of slavery. I am now in charge of this place,
and I will persevere in this position. I am administrator of the
properties and assets of one of the most important men in the
country. I will act very cautiously and stay here. My brothers thought
they had done me wrong, but look at me now. The Lord has honored
my faith. And suddenly, when everything seemed to be going
wonderfully for Joseph, a tremendous temptation appears, the
temptation of his master's wife.
(Genesis 39:6-19). Joseph was “of beautiful countenance and
beautiful presence.” A good looking boy. We are all “of beautiful
countenance and beautiful presence”—for someone. But God was
faithful and delivered Joseph from this temptation and in the same
way we can trust that He will give us the means to escape
temptation. The divine promise given 2000 years ago is still valid (1
Corinthians 10:13). Regarding his master's wife, we find several
outstanding characteristics that condemn her way of acting:
Greedy:
First of all: “he set his eyes” on Joseph (v.7) he began to covet him.
Although greed begins in the heart, time after time in the Bible the
Lord emphasizes the importance of the look. For many, greed begins
precisely there. Temptation has its origin in our inner being, but the
first thing we notice is something that catches our eyes.
Shameless:
Secondly, the woman was shameless. He said to Joseph: “Sleep with
me” (v.7). It wasn't subtle. Passion, in contrast to love, is shameless.
It may seem like love, but outside of marriage it has no place.
Persistent-sagacious:
Third, the woman was persistent. Day after day he harassed José
with his demands. Fourthly, he was shrewd. We read that he called
Joseph “to lie down next to her, to be with her” (v.7). He understood
that Joseph was not going to fall into direct sexual temptation. So her
way out was to tell him “Well, if you are so exaggerated and self-
righteous, let's be together while my husband is away. That can't be
bad." I remember seeing a book titled
“Games that people play.” Some time ago in a magazine I read an
article titled “Innocent games that people play.” However, there was
nothing innocent about the little games described there. They were
dirty games, very common today in our society. All the flirting we
see at parties and social gatherings—the indiscreet advances, the
“casual” friction—is accepted as normal. And this is not only
happening on a secular level, but is also contaminating encounters
between Christians. Men in the church make dishonest propositions
to church women, even if on the surface the proposition seems
innocent. Things such as: Can I walk you home? Shall we have a
coffee? In this matter of immorality, there are two old tricks that men
use with women. With young girls, the old trick is when the
boyfriend asks her: Do you love me?—if she answers. Then he asks
me to prove it to him. Thousands of naive young women have fallen
into immorality following this reasoning. And it keeps happening
time after time. Even in our age of sophistication, women continue to
fall into the same trap. And on the other hand there is the deceptive
trick to which many married women succumb in a moment of
weakness. They meet the old friend of their youth, who gallantly
says “Cristina, what a joy and what a surprise. You are splendid.
You haven't changed at all since I last saw you in high school.” Is
this a joke? Who can believe such a thing after twenty years and four
children? But those who have additional motives beyond simple
gallantry know that this trick works like a charm. It is a comment
that is good for female vanity, and many women believe these cheap
lies. Something deep inside us longs to believe Satan's lies such as:
“Your husband hasn't said a word to you in years about how
beautiful you are, Cristina. And yet this old friend is the first thing he
mentions after twenty years. Couldn't it be the true love you've been
searching for so long?
Machinist:
And fifthly, Potiphar's wife was a schemer. After perhaps waiting
months, he finally found the perfect moment (Genesis 39:11-12).
Maybe he planned everything so that only the two of them were in
the house. So she went to Joseph, grabbed him by the clothes and
hugged him—a desperately passionate and selfish woman. It was not
love, even though even today passion is called “love.” That is why
even Christian homes are falling apart. What are the reasons? Many,
but often a scheming passion has a lot to do with it, and it is
repeatedly the last blow, the final blow.
Love: Today yes, tomorrow no.
Joseph withstood the test, which actually helped him become the
triumphant young man God intended him to be. We must be
extremely careful with the tricks and lies of the devil that make us
believe that passion is equivalent to love; that because you get
nervous, restless and excited when you meet a person, that is a sign
of love, and that because “it is love” there is the right to sexual
intimacy. It is not love, and such a right does not exist. Here we have
the proof of this: The moment Joseph rejects the woman, the so-
called “love” turns into deep hatred. The passion transforms into a
desperate desire to destroy José. On many occasions, passion is
precisely hatred or tremendous selfishness disguised as love, using
the word “Love” as an excuse.
Joseph's defenses
Joseph protected himself from temptation in several ways, and
Scripture reveals what they were. In verse 8 we read “he would not.”
In essence Joseph was saying, “My spirit causes me to deny.” In the
New Testament we are reminded (Galatians 2:20).
Rejection:
“I am crucified” When we face these issues of sexual temptation and
flirting, I believe that like Joseph we must bring everything to the
foot of the cross of Christ saying: “Lord Jesus, here I present this
problem to you. I would be hypocritical and foolish if I denied it. I
am tempted. Sometimes temptation hits me, and this is one of those
times. But I want to fix this matter inside me, Lord. I want to
mentally and physically reject everything related to sexual games,
and even distant flirting. “I want to solve this issue radically.”
We all have to deal with resolving this temptation, and the sooner we
do it, the better it will be. Once the matter is settled, once the
crucifixion of the self has taken place, it does not mean that you must
never again be tempted. But when temptation returns, the intimate
decision we made at the foot of the cross will make things easier.
Although temptation is presented to us in the most attractive and
striking form, you can consider that it is already resolved in the
shadow of the cross.
Loyalty:
Secondly, what Joseph says in other words is “I would be being
disloyal” (vv.8-9)
“My master trusts me in everything related to his property; He has
given me all his authority. He has not forbidden me anything, except
you because you are his wife.”
Common sense:
Thirdly, Joseph says to the woman “You don't belong to me. “You
are his wife, not mine.” Now, a young man might perhaps argue,
“No, of course she's not my wife, but she's not any other man's wife
either, she's single.” The Lord has a person for you, and that is the
only person who belongs to you. And you belong to that person. So
this reasoning of José is also valid for two single people. José solved
the problem intellectually, using common sense. God helps us
overcome sexual temptation by making the problem clear in our
minds. It is true that we are not exempt from desire, and temptation
but according to the Bible we can handle the issue intellectually “She
(or he) does not belong to me.” Therefore it is finished matter.
Honesty:
Joseph exclaims regarding his master, “How could I do such a great
evil like this?” (v.9). A very clear message. Evil. Sexual relations
outside the limits of marriage undoubtedly constitute great evil, that
is, sin. They are not unimportant little games. This is, without a
doubt, one of the reasons that is causing the destruction of our
society. If you think such love affairs are inconsequential, consider
the effects it is having on the world. Most countries are poor and
have a high percentage of illegitimate population (in some cases up
to 70%). As a result of sexual immorality, there is a terrible sense of
dissatisfaction and emptiness in the social structure. There is no
exception to this rule. Regardless of the education, cultural
development, economic power and religious influence of a society,
there will be unspeakable suffering and countless problems due to
sexual immorality. We cannot close our eyes to reality, saying: It is a
secondary issue. You eat, have a drink, do it and forget it. No, you
don't forget. Immorality constitutes a serious sin. Joseph recognized
the fact that it was a sin against God. Surely Joseph was as
powerfully tempted as anyone else in the same circumstance. But he
fixed the situation spiritually and at the same time with his
intellectual reasoning. He settled things with the Lord: It's wrong. It
is sin. You don't belong to me. I do not want to do it. Forget it
woman.
Aim for the best
On the other hand, José was also practical. When he realized that this
woman would do everything in her power to catch him, he was ready
to flee and ran away. The Bible warns us (2 Timothy 2:22). If there
is someone you feel tempted by—friend, acquaintance, whoever it
may be—get away from that person once and for all. It's not enough
to say—I'll discuss it with my husband. I will pray. But what else can
I do? I remember counseling a Christian lady, a very capable and
active person in an evangelical Christian church. He had started
working at a school where one of his colleagues began making
romantic advances toward him. She was surprised, told her husband
and they both prayed about the matter. Her husband told her that
when he was tempted, he would simply take out a photograph of her
and the children, and say to himself: “I am married.” I love my wife.
Temptation must be rejected. The colleague made another suggestion
and the woman replied: I have told my husband. This can create
difficulties for you, so get it over with. When the man insisted a third
time, she gave in and committed immorality, not once but twice.
Then she confessed to me: I don't feel guilty for what happened. I
know it's wrong. But I have no remorse, and that worries me. It
wasn't enough to tell her husband. In my opinion she should have left
her job and run away, like José did. If you remain where you know
there is latent temptation around you, where you know you face
weaknesses, you take too many risks. José left everything and fled.
There is hope
God exhorts us: (Philippians 4:8). Everything begins in the mind,
with our thinking. So if our thoughts are clean, it is much more
difficult for Satan or temptations to gain ground “Everything that is
pure… think on these things.” Today it is easy to have access to dirty
and cheap magazines or books. Corrupt literature is at hand. Many
women's publications are full of provocative and suggestive material.
The same thing happens with television shows. Even news
magazines are flooded with corruption. Therefore I believe that all of
us who love the Lord need the mind of Christ to be at work in our
lives.
The Bible states: “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
The mind of Christ is a pure mind. If we stay away from damaging
and corrupting influences, there is no need to fear or worry that we
will stumble or fall into temptation. And not only do we have the
mind of Christ but we also have the power of Christ. When the mind
and power of Christ are activated and working in us, we have sure
victory over temptation consistently. It is an unquestionable promise
(Philippians 4:13). If, on the other hand, we allow our minds to
become sutured with impure thoughts, if we fill our minds with
garbage, we will not only begin to fantasize but we will weaken our
will. Slowly, almost without realizing it, we will weaken in this
crucial area. It is not easy to talk about the subject, but I feel a great
burden in my heart for those who fall into sin and then get divorced.
It happens all the time around us. Therefore, the steps Joseph took
are the same steps we must take: 1) in our spirit— we are crucified
in the presence of the Lord; 2) in our intellect--- we solve the
problem once and for all, remembering that no one belongs to me
except my spouse; and 3) in our will— we flee with firm
determination. It is then that we will obtain victory.
Chapter Seven
Prepared for the test
Norman Grubb, a writer whom I respect very much, says in one of
his books that all biblical characters at some point in their lives had
to be tested by the Lord, both in their body, in their soul and in their
spirit. Once a person passed the test in each of those areas, then they
were truly ready to be a powerful instrument in the hands of God.
Joseph was tested in the body and triumphed. He overcame
temptation with the power of God's presence in him. When his
master's wife gave herself to him and made the circumstances so
easy for him to commit immorality, Joseph was able to say NO to
sin. He conquered because God was with him and all the power of
God was working in his life. Then we see that Joseph is put to the
test of both his faith and his intellect—that is, his soul. His intellect,
his emotions and his will had to be tested. He was to be used
mightily by God to impart “rivers of blessings” upon the people of
Israel, upon Egypt, and upon the entire world. When God chose
Joseph, he had a worldwide plan in mind, but before using
Joseph he had to test him to the fullest, so that his faith would
become more solid and indestructible. All of us, particularly
those of us who had the blessing and privilege of being
reached by the Lord when we were children, have to go
through different trials that God sends us. We do not like it. I
don't think a normal human being likes going through trials.
The Bible states emphatically (Hebrews 12:11). There are no
alternatives. The Lord must test us. Years later, by carefully
meditating on what happened in our lives, we will be able to
tell wonderful experiences of the great works of God in our
favor. But while we are being tested, we find it difficult to
reason intelligently about God's dealings with our lives. It even
happened to Jesus himself. “! Even Jesus, the Son of God,
had to learn by experience what it is to obey when obedience
involves suffering!” (Hebrews 5:8).
In the psalms we find references to Joseph (Psalms 105:12-
22).
The favorite once again a prisoner
His master's wife became his enemy since she felt insulted by Joseph
when he rejected her. She decided to take revenge and the young
man ended up in prison (Genesis 39:19-23).
Is not it wonderful? The Lord prospered Joseph even in prison. God
makes incredible revelations to him, gives him unusual
responsibilities, and then allows him to go through tremendous trials.
It all begins with dreams of glory and power; but he is immediately
sold as a slave. What a contrast! He then becomes the manager of the
house of Pharaoh's assistant, but receives false accusations.
Furthermore, overcome temptation in the power of God, and what is
the result? A filthy prison. Later, as we will see later, he interprets
the dreams of his fellow prisoner, an important servant of Pharaoh,
but as soon as the man leaves prison, he forgets about Joseph.
Couldn't you choose someone else for a change?
This young man must have found it terribly difficult what God was
trying to do in his life. In the play THE FIDDLER ON THE ROOF,
the main protagonist, when talking about the Jews who were so
mistreated, looks up to heaven and says:--Lord, I know that we are
your chosen people.
And then considering all the problems and persecutions he adds with
his request:--Couldn't you choose someone else, for a change?
Sometimes God's children go through trials and tribulations. And
perhaps you will be tempted to say:--If I am one of the chosen ones,
then what would it be like if I were not? Why do I have to go
through all this? Now, as long as we are in good health and
everything is going well, it does not occur to us to think such a thing.
But when we face death or a serious illness in ourselves or our loved
ones, or when we become bankrupt, we seem to immediately lose
our joy. We forget the promises and immediately look at the sky,
asking:--And, Lord?
What has happened to all your promises?
We must not forget the attributes of God. God is a God who is in
control of the universe. God rules the world. Sometimes it may not
seem like it, but it is an unobjectionable fact. And when wars and
persecution prevail, we may wonder if God is still sovereign. Let us
be sure that He is in control of things. There is no opposing force
that can interfere with divine plans. He is supreme and nothing and
no one can against Him. Envy, hatred, exile and slavery only
contributed to the fulfillment of God's purposes in Joseph's life.
José's brothers thought:--Yes, here comes the dreamer. Let's get rid
of him and see what happens to his dreams of greatness. In their
carnal minds they said:--We are going to destroy the plans that God
has for him.
Strange path to the throne
Slavery brought Joseph one step closer to the throne of Egypt. It was
a strange way to rise to eminence, but it was God's plan for Joseph.
The Lord had a very special purpose, an unmatched experience.
And God has a plan for each of us. This is how Bill Bright, of
Student and Professional Crusade for Christ, expresses it well in the
FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS: “God loves you and has a wonderful
plan for your life.” For each of us—man, woman, young person,
child—God has something special, a task, a ministry that will be the
best for us if we walk close to the Lord and are attentive to his voice.
God says (Jeremiah 29:11). We can be certain that God has a unique
plan for each one of us. He promises so. In Genesis chapter 15, the
Lord had prophesied to Abraham and his descendants that they
would be slaves in a foreign land, and that after 400 years He would
bring them out with riches. So through Joseph God was carrying out
details of the covenant made with Abraham decades before. He was
beginning to fulfill his purposes, allowing this teenager to be sold
into slavery and taken to Egypt. If we are honest, most of us must
admit that when we were younger we dreamed of reaching the
summit. My children dreamed of being great soccer players. I
honestly never believed it would happen, but they kept dreaming.
Then they changed their goal and decided that if they were to
become famous Christian musicians, they wanted to sing for the
Lord. Then they modified their goals. The fact is that they always
dreamed big dreams. I believe that it is appropriate for us to dream
because the Lord God has for each of us a peak experience, a
ministry that he wants to carry out through us.
A place for everyone
We know a couple who lives in a small town of about 1000
inhabitants, and God has used this couple to reach many people. We
have heard testimonies of drug addicts who were freed from drugs
through the ministry of these friends of mine. I remember the case of
a couple who traveled 80 kilometers every Sunday to attend
meetings in this small town church. The lives of these friends have
always been a tremendous example to me, reminding me how God
can use lives that are totally consecrated to Him. In a small town
they are fulfilling the mission that God gave them, and it is amazing
to see what happens in this place for the glory of God. The Lord has
a special place and task for one of us. When we discover what the
place is and what the task is, He begins to work through us (James
4:6-10). Joseph had great dreams that the Lord gave him—not carnal
dreams but given by the Lord. However, God sent him into slavery.
It was surely very difficult for Joseph, both intellectually and
spiritually, to accept the circumstances, to be accused by a passionate
and lascivious woman, and then sentenced to prison. But the Lord
was with Joseph, who humbled himself before God and in due time
was exalted by God. Perhaps a long time ago the Lord gave you a
vision, and yet it seems that that vision will never crystallize in your
life. Maybe José repeated the same thing over and over again. They
were long months in jail. Time passed and nothing happened. The
temptation would have been to say: Lord, what is happening? My
brothers hate me. They sold me as a slave. And the dreams you gave
me? Were they simply promises that I imagined? However, God
rules the world. God is supreme (Psalms 2:4), and it has been written
about Him (Psalms 76:10). And as for our enemies and situations
that seem to be against divine designs, God can use everything to
fulfill his will. God sitting on his throne smiles when he
contemplates how frenetic the lives of his enemies are. The Lord is
not fazed nor confused by the enemies of his cause; Nor is he
intimidated when we must go through trials, tribulation, and
opposition from his enemies. In reality He laughs at His enemies.
The Scriptures point out that even the anger of man results in praise
to God. He can take the work of his enemies, and completely
transform it for his glory. It is wonderful.
Is all this necessary?
But what confusion for José. Can you imagine what was going
through his mind when he was a slave, and then in prison?---And,
Lord? Where have all those wonderful dreams gone? What
happened? Here I am, in this dirty prison, and you had told me that
everyone would bow down before me. You told me that even the
stars, the sun and the moon would bow before me. What am I doing,
then, in this prison? It was probably very hard for him and it is also
difficult for us when things don't go the way we think they should.
Several years ago we were making preparations to minister in Spain.
The situation was discouraging. There was no money. I had to go to
Spain without the teammates whom I needed so much for the
meetings. We were not able to buy some of the essential material nor
were we able to pay certain expenses that we believed should be
borne by us in Spain. Despite everything, when we arrived we
realized that the Lord had allowed things. Regardless of the fact that
the circumstances did not happen the way we thought, we witnessed
a great triumph for his glory in Spain. Once there I realized that
bringing the singing director would have been a waste of money
since we were not allowed to sing in the theater. And in many other
ways God showed that He was acting and had control over
situations. He gave us a tremendous victory. To a surprise, members
of the Spanish parliament came to the crusade. Important
government officials attended and heard the gospel message. In
short, I went to Spain with a burden on my heart, alone and
discouraged. But the Lord knew everything and was sovereign over
everything. In the same way, you too can experience this reality.
Young Joseph's trials in prison were aimed at turning him into a
man. He had been his father's favorite, always treated in a special
way. Perhaps José was somewhat undisciplined and even spoiled.
Although the potential was latent, the Lord had to allow him to go to
prison so that he would emerge not as a spoiled child but as a mature
and responsible man.
Men with steel temper are needed
Today we need strong Christians in the body of Christ. The Bible
exhorts (1 Corinthians 16:13). The church of Christ needs real men.
We must all be converted into strong men and women of God, and to
do so we must go through problems, tribulations and experience
hopes that are delayed. And God, who is faithful, will allow us to go
through experiences that will transform us into true adults and not
into big children.
By nature I am an active person. I like to do things quickly and my
way. I find it unbearable when people---whoever they are---get in my
way. If someone does it, I tend to get extremely exasperated and
scare people, until they finally say
“Leave the way clear for Luis so he can act” It is not easy for me to
understand that God's time is better than mine and that the Lord's
will is better than mine. But the truth is that the Lord is fully capable
of carrying out his purposes without the help of my carnal efforts. In
our time this is a very normal reaction. For his part, perhaps José had
this tendency. But God knew that years of famine were coming, so
He had to make Joseph a man of steel. The Lord is omniscient and
knows things that we do not know (Psalms 105:18 and 19). God was
molding Joseph, turning him into a man of steel. According to an old
English version, in prison “the hot iron made its way to the soul.”
Joseph had to become a strong, resilient man before God could truly
use him.
Let's start at once
For an active person, there can be nothing more frustrating than
delay. We can't just sit back when things are delayed. We get
frustrated. And yet (Romans 8:28). I think we quote this verse too
lightly. However, it is one of the most powerful truths in the entire
Bible. All things work out for good for those who love God and trust
in Him. The admirable thing about José is that he did not try to force
or manipulate things. Quite the opposite. He did the right thing, right
where he was, at the right time. And that is of crucial importance.
His father Jacob tried to handle the circumstances and ended up
wasting his life. Many others have attempted to manipulate situations
in carnal ways, and the Lord has had to push them aside until they
abandon their own attempts to force God's hand through people and
situations, wanting to do everything their own way. It was not the
case with José. He simply did the right thing where he was. In the
Bible there is a beautiful biblical passage very appropriate for this
interesting topic (Proverbs 3:5-6). Joseph remained in prison, did
what he had to do, and again reached the top. In reality, the jailer had
nothing to do with the whole matter since it was God who was in
action, fulfilling his purposes through Joseph's life.
Faithful in the small things
The case comes to mind of a young man who went to two mature
Christians for advice. He wanted to get married and study at a Bible
college, but he owed a considerable sum of money. The answer
could have been
“Trust in God and start studying in seminary” but nevertheless the
wise biblical advice he received was: You should not consider
marriage or studies until you have paid everything you owe. Above
all, you must do what is right, and stop dreaming about “super-
spiritual” things. Many of us dream of great spiritual achievements
but we do not want to worry about the small but important details of
daily life. I think this is why God never uses many Christians. Jesus
Christ said (Luke 16:10). In my opinion, one of the characteristics of
a leader is that he is faithful in the small things. The person who is
now going to pay all his bills, keep his house in order and do what is
appropriate, is to be honored by God.
It's everyone else's fault
Another outstanding aspect of Joseph's life is that he did not feel
bitterness or resentment in his heart or for those who treated him
unfairly (Genesis 40:15). It is interesting to note the expression that
José uses:
“I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews.” Does not say
“My cowardly brothers betrayed me, put me in a pit, and sold me for
20 pieces of silver.” That was the reality, and yet Joseph says, “I was
stolen.” We do not find any trace of bitterness. Because? Because he
saw the hand of God working in his life and he trusted Him. Most of
us—myself included, of course—when we encounter difficulties or
obstacles along the way, we try to blame others. If people didn't get
in the way, I could evangelize 250 million people, then retire and
spend the rest of my life peacefully with my wife Patricia. But I
cannot finish the work that God has entrusted to me because others
barely stand in my way. They don't offer enough money and they
block my way. The Lord is trying to teach me something in this
regard. I know the truth in theory, and yet I must apply it to my life.
It's one thing to know a principle intellectually, and quite another to
let God do his will for us when we go through difficulties. A very
good pastor friend of mine often says: “Woe to the man who must
learn principles and truths in times of crisis.” A principle is a
doctrine or fundamental truth, a predetermined rule of action or
conduct. We must learn solid biblical principles now, because the
crisis will come and the tests will come, there is no doubt about that.
But if you know and put into practice the principles of God's Word
now, in the moment of trial you will have the stability of Christ to
stand firm, go through it, learn the lesson and emerge triumphant,
filled with the Holy Spirit to the glory of God. .
The yoke is not easy
God put his heavy yoke on Joseph, but that yoke was precisely what
produced fruit. At 17 or 18, long after my father died, I was a
rebellious young man. I asked myself “Why are things so difficult
for us?” Many times I complained—usually to the Lord, but one time
I complained to a preacher. He shared with me a biblical passage in
the book of Lamentations. It bothered me at the time, but I have
never forgotten it (Lamentations 3:27). Over the years I have
remembered those words. If you have carried his yoke since your
youth, it is because the Lord has something very special for you and
you must be prepared (Matthew 11:28-30). The yoke does not seem
easy or comfortable to those who are going through difficulties. The
yoke is heavy. Unfortunately, many preachers talk about the
Christian life, saying:--The Christian life is difficult. It is hard to
follow the Lord. Do not think that it is easy to be a disciple of Jesus
Christ, it is very difficult. But I want to warn you that it is much
more difficult even if you do not belong to Christ. The yoke of Christ
is a comfortable yoke because He carries it with us. When two oxen
are joined together at the plow, the yoke unites them. Jesus Christ
told us: I carry the yoke with you. If you try my yoke, you will see
that it is comfortable and light. Those who really have a problem are
those who are not under the yoke of the Lord. Who helps them bear
the burdens? It is easier for those of us who are under the yoke of
Christ because the Lord Jesus carries it with us. The apostle Paul
presents this idea in a beautiful biblical passage (Galatians 2:20).
Joseph had not heard the words of Galatians 2:20, but he knew the
experience of bearing the yoke of the Lord. The Lord was with him
at all times giving him encouragement. God was with him even in
prison. Joseph went through problems, tribulations and anguish, but
he conquered. The Lord suddenly brought him out of prison and in a
few days he was at the side of Pharaoh himself. He was the national
hero. Because? Because he was yoked to the living God. No matter
what difficulty or problem you face, the great secret of victory is
simple: humble yourself “under the mighty hand of God” so that “He
will exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).

Chapter Eight
willing to forget
 up again
While Joseph was still in prison, he interpreted the dreams of
Pharaoh and Pharaoh's baker. At that time, the chief cupbearer not
only served the wine but was one of Pharaoh's personal attendants. A
short time later the chief baker was hanged and the chief cupbearer
was released.
One night Pharaoh had a dream about seven fat cows and seven
skinny cows. Joseph interpreted the dream as seven years of plenty
and seven years of famine in the land, and even suggested to Pharaoh
a plan of action so that his people would not die of hunger (Genesis
41:37-46). What a great responsibility for a 30-year-old young man!
But for Joseph to become the second man in the largest empire in the
world at the age of 30, from the age of 17 he had to walk with God in
purity and submission. This clearly says that if you want to be a man
or woman of God at 30, you better have lived for God since you
were 17.
And the story continues (Genesis 41:46-52). These two things,
forgetting and being fruitful , must go in that order. If you want to
bear fruit, you must forget. And once you forget, God can make you
fruitful.
Here come the brothers
(Genesis 42:1-6) We found an incredible scene. Finally José's
dreams were becoming reality. This shows the irony of God. These
ten men did not imagine that they were kissing the feet of their
brother Joseph. And there we have them, with their faces on the
ground and bowing before him (Genesis 42:7-24).
Years later when Jacob, Joseph's father, was about to die, he spoke a
prophecy about each of his twelve sons. The prophecy for Joseph
was as follows (Genesis 49:22-26). Jesus Christ affirmed (John
15:16).
How to bear fruit
God's will for all men and women is that they be fruitful in their task
of winning others to Christ. The dream of every true Christian is to
produce fruit. There is nothing sadder than an unproductive
Christian. Now, God does not desire fruit that has been obtained with
the energy of the flesh. He does not want fruit that results in boasting
or pride, but fruit that comes from God Himself, as a result of the life
of Christ in us. Joseph—along with many other biblical figures and
modern-day Christians—suffered in unspeakable ways. He was
betrayed, falsely accused, forgotten in an almost criminal way. And
yet, we do not see in him even a hint of bitterness. He saw the hand
of God on his life and in his problems, and he denied himself the
right to blame others for what happened to him. This is how he
became a useful man for the Lord. He had two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim. The names couldn't have been more appropriate. Manasseh
means “forget.” When his first son was born, Joseph named him
Manasseh, implying that “God had made him forget the anguish of
his youth and the loss of his father's home.” When his second son
was born, he named him Ephraim, which means “fruitful,” declaring
“God made me fruitful in the land of my slavery” (Genesis 41:51-
52). In reality, it is very simple to be a fruitful Christian. God is in
you. God lives within you. Christ lives in us. Why, then, are there so
many unproductive Christians? Why do they not produce fruit that
honors the name of the Lord? I think one of the reasons is that they
haven't learned to forget. They constantly relive their past, relive
memories of old offenses and grievances, and are full of resentment.
Unless you forget the past, forgive what is behind, and set your
sights on the now in Christ, you will never bear fruit.
Joseph had the right to resentment
Joseph had enough reasons to give rise to bitterness, and perhaps this
is your case too. After one of our evangelistic meetings, an
acquaintance of my wife approached me and her. She seemed
desperate. Her husband, to whom she had been married for 27 years,
had abandoned her. The woman accused him of being the biggest
hypocrite in the world. They were both around 50 years old at the
time. In desperation, the woman had tried to take her own life. How
sad!. And yet it is difficult to blame him for it. Apparently, this
woman had every right to be full of bitterness. But if you continue
with this attitude, you will never again be able to be a Christian with
fruits for the Lord. There are women with unfaithful husbands, and
the most natural thing would be to resent them. Maybe someone
called “brother” has deceived you in business. There will also be
young people who are committed to those who suddenly said: “This
is over.” I do not love you anymore". And in the face of so many
painful situations, it seems that we have every right to be bitter. It
was the case of Joseph, but he forgave his brothers with all his heart.
The apostle Paul exhorts us (Ephesians 4:32) and (Romans 12:19).
Revenge
It is easy to want to take revenge in the flesh. By nature I am
choleric. It is said that cholerics are vengeful and by nature I am. My
dad passed away when I was 10 years old. He left us some property
and money. However, they did not play fair to my mother, and in
three years we were left in total poverty. We were full of debt
because someone close to the family apparently wanted to take
advantage of our situation. As we grew older and understood what
had happened, my sisters and I tried to convince my mother to get
revenge, hire a lawyer, and go to trial. The years passed, and my
bitterness increased. I dreamed of taking revenge on those who had
wronged us. But the Bible is clear when it says that vengeance is
from God. He is the one who dispenses justice, which does not mean
that he allows people to get away with it. Yes, instead it means that
revenge is not ours. God Himself wants to carry out the judgment,
maybe now, maybe in the future but He will do it. Mama always
quoted verses about not going to a court of law, and she forgave the
incident. But it took us 20 years to finish paying off all the debts. I
never understood why my mother did not want to take the matter to
law enforcement officials. However, to this day I remember the
lesson Mom taught us with her attitude. Several decades later I still
refer to what happened. She simply refused to take matters into her
own hands and forgot what they did to her. These people have a lot
more money than us now, but what does it matter? God has
showered us with blessings, our conscience is clear and we have
opportunities to bear fruit… to serve Him… to live fully.
Joseph forgave and forgot. First he had to forgive. Now, perhaps
someone will argue: “Luis, you don't understand. I am a very
sensitive person. "I can't forget the matter just like that." Maybe you
say "What happens, Luis, is that you have goals and objectives and
you can forget because you concentrate on those goals, but I am very
sensitive." In reality, what that person is saying is that they are not
willing to forgive. It is easy to cover up an unforgiving spirit by
calling it
“sensitive” since it sounds better. There is also another aspect worth
mentioning in the case of Joseph. He not only forgave and forgot but
also, as a man of authority, was responsible for doing something
about the conscience of his brothers. In fact, because he had already
forgiven them, he was then able to guide them to repent. If he had
not forgiven them, God would never have been able to use him to
restore the brothers. But there was forgiveness on his part, and God
used it to cause repentance and restoration. Personally he had
forgiven them completely, but as a man in power he felt obliged to
deal with them on the level of the great sin they had committed.
Those who in one way or another are in a position of authority must
learn this principle—although it is not easy to distinguish the
difference between both aspects. If you have been hurt, you must
forgive. But as a person responsible for others, you may have to help
the offender return to the Lord. And He will help us do it, no matter
how difficult it may be for us to take that step.
Take the rags out into the sun
Did you notice that when Joseph treated his brothers harshly, they
immediately remembered their sins as if they had committed them
the day before? 22 years had passed, and it didn't seem like it.
Furthermore, since they thought that Joseph could not understand
what they were talking about, they told one another (Genesis 42:21).
It is not interesting? A clouded consciousness has an incredible
memory and memories haunt the person year after year. Maybe
several rags that you should put out in the sun, things that you have
long tried to ignore. Maybe it's a small incident, something you've
done before but never solved. Until you fix things it will not be
possible for you to bear fruit for God. Joseph's brothers not only
remembered what had happened, but again began to accuse each
other. Rubén raises his accusing finger: ---Didn't I tell you? There
everyone was arguing as if they were together in the cistern twenty-
two years ago: "Didn't I tell you that we shouldn't sin against the
boy?" says Rubén angrily. "But you
They didn't want to pay attention to me. Now we are going to die for
killing him. I can imagine Joseph looking with compassion at his
brothers and listening to them argue with each other. They were
spiritual children. When José hears them arguing, he is so moved
that he leaves the place and goes to cry alone. A beautiful image.
Whoever forgives another, cries; not because of the damage you
have suffered because of the other person's foolish immaturity. If I
put myself in José's place, I know what humanly speaking I would
have done. I would have stood up and exclaimed: traitors, do you
know who I am? I am José, the brother that you did so much harm
to. Now I am important, I have power over you, and I am going to
give you what you deserve. But that's not what Joseph did. And in
his behavior we find an admirable lesson. Joseph does not make
reproaches or recriminations because he is a man of God. However,
he wants to deal with the consciences of the brothers, so he leaves
the room because he cannot contain his tears. The Bible says: “If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink”
(Romans 12:20). Do you remember what happened when the
brothers were preparing to return to Canaan? Joseph had ordered his
servants to put wheat in the bags and return the money that each one
had paid. So when they opened the sacks and realized that the money
had also been returned to them, their guilty consciences
misinterpreted these gifts. Instead of saying “Glory to God. “We
don’t know why he did it, but he gave us our money back.” Their
dirty consciences asked, “Why did he do this? Are you trying to get
rid of us? A guilty conscience misinterprets the best intentions.
I am Jose
And finally we come to the climax of the story (Genesis 44:16-18).
Here we see poor Judah totally broken, turned into a spokesperson
for his brothers. In the end everyone is broken by their sins. At last
they realize that the sin of having sold Joseph years before—a figure
of all their sinfulness—had been discovered. They are sorry. They
are afraid. They realize that they have ruined their lives. They are
completely humiliated before Joseph, who then reveals his identity to
them. True repentance is accompanied by complete revelation on
Joseph's part. When they repent from the heart, Joseph tells them: “I
am Joseph, your brothers. Do not be afraid. Is my father okay? Jesus
Christ said (Matthew 5:8). Guilt in our conscience darkens our view
of God. Every time there are things in our conscience that have not
been resolved or confessed, our vision of God fades or is distorted.
Joseph was able to reveal himself to his brothers openly and honestly
because he had been able to forgive him. Let us remember the two
sons he had, Manasseh (forget) and Ephraim (full of fruit). Once
Joseph forgave, he was able to forget. Only after forgetting can fruit
be produced for the glory of God. If you continue to remember
incidents and try to blame others all the time, I must give you a
serious warning. If the past has no solution, bury it in oblivion.
Otherwise, not only will you be spiritually extinguished for the rest
of your life, but you will also be an unproductive and barren
Christian, without fruit for the Lord. And also remember to forgive
yourself. There are many who, even though God has forgiven them,
carry unnecessary guilt. It happens that they cannot accept divine
forgiveness. That is not God's will for your life. He wants you to
bear abundant fruit. So first of all, forgive the offender in the power
of the Lord, as God has forgiven you in Christ, and then forget. The
apostle Paul declared: (Philippians 3:13-14). Forget and set your
sights on God's plan for your life. In the Bible also the following
exhortation (Hebrews 12:15). If you allow roots of bitterness to
appear in your life, you will not only cause serious problems, but you
will also damage the spiritual lives of many, contaminating them
with your attitudes and actions. Now, perhaps you say:--Luis, that
may be easy for you because everything is going well for you. I
assure you that things don't always go well. But that's beside the
point. What matters is the commandment of the Lord himself “Let
there be no root of bitterness.” Joseph forgot everything and as a
result became a tremendous and fruitful blessing to the rest of the
people. Without exception, we all go through potentially devastating
experiences in life. A root of bitterness can result in generations of
misery and is not worth it. Nor is it worth the mental anguish that
bitter resentment must produce. I remember an older Christian
woman, mother of four children, who had been successful in many
ways. She could never carry on a conversation without mentioning
her unhappy childhood. His mother had died and his father had
remarried. She could never forgive him for that, and in her mind
there were constant memories of sad and painful incidents regarding
the now deceased stepmother. It is interesting, although at the same
time very sad, to observe how in this family the biblical warning that
many can be contaminated is fulfilled. The second generation, four
children who have formed their own homes, has the same tendency
to constantly remember past injustices, and those four homes are far
from being God's ideal. There are very small plants but with very
deep roots. Joseph saw that the hand of God, sovereign and merciful,
was at work in history. His response to the situation was: “You
intended evil, but God transformed it into a blessing.” For that
reason he was able to forgive and ignore human circumstances and
set his sights on the God who controlled everything. The result?
Joseph had peace. He was able to see and trust the hand of God
working behind the scenes. God declares: (Hebrews 10:17). I once
heard a great truth said: “The God who knows everything can forgive
everything and forget everything.” It is wonderful. And that same
God can help you and help me forget and look forward. Why don't
you forget the past and become a fruitful Christian? That is the key
for God's purposes to be fulfilled in your life. Don't forget the words
of Jesus (John 15:16).
Chapter Nine
Called to be a figure of Christ
God still has control
We have been considering how God worked in Joseph's life. First of
all, we saw the sovereignty of God, the almighty God putting his
hand on the boy Joseph, giving him a dream, choosing him, calling
him and revealing him to him. I tell him “I know, I have a great
plan for your life, and I am going to show you part of what is to
come.” So when José was 17 years old, he was given a dream, and
later another one.
We then see the hand of God at work in Joseph's life, showing divine
authority and dominion. God in control of every circumstance—
Supreme God, reigning and subduing the enemies who tried to stand
in the way of Joseph's success. We also saw the permissive will of
God, allowing Joseph to be sold into slavery, allowing Joseph to be
tempted by the woman, allowing Joseph to be put in prison, allowing
Joseph to be forgotten there in prison. We saw God's faithfulness
working for Joseph to become ruler in Potiphar's house, and then
allowing him to “go down” again, we saw a God of promises. We
saw Joseph acting in the Spirit of God when he forgave his brothers.
He forgave them from the heart and not a trace of bitterness was left
in him. Not once did he reproach them for their behavior. Not even
once did he act like he was going to take revenge. Not at all. There is
the hand of God on Joseph.
Preach to conscience
Years ago, when I began studying the Bible and preparing to preach,
I read books by John Darby, the great preacher of the last century.
Darby said, “Every time you preach, preach to the conscience.” That
is truly the duty of every preacher. If we want to help people, we
must come to the conscience---not in an accusatory way but by
ministering in the Spirit so that the conscience awakens. The
conscience of Joseph's brothers was wide awake. After 22 years they
remembered exactly what Joseph had done and what Joseph had said
when they threw him into the cistern. And their conscience led them
to argue again and fight. Joseph's strange method towards them
exposes their conscience. It would even seem cruel the way he acted
with the brothers, particularly with Benjamin. Why did he do it?
Why did Joseph put his favorite cup in Benjamin's saddlebag? Once
the brothers had left the city, he sent guards, saying “Stop. “Someone
has stolen our lord’s cup.” It hadn't actually been stolen. It had been
placed in Benjamin's saddlebag intentionally. The guards searched
diligently and found her. Then the brothers had to return and appear
before Joseph again (Genesis 44:1-13).
Attitude is what is important
Why did Joseph decide that the center of the attack would be
Benjamin, the brother he loved so much? He plans things so that
they would have to return to Egypt, and keeps pretending that he
doesn't know who they are, all because he wanted to address the
matter on a conscious level. There were two attitudes that he wanted
to examine and correct in his brothers. The first was the attitude they
had towards their father. They had been cruel to Jacob. In Shechem
they had shown themselves to be men of violence (Genesis 34). José
knew that they had had to lie to his father and had broken his heart
by trying to explain José's own disappearance. So I wanted to know
if they had humbled themselves and repented. Secondly, Joseph
wanted to know what their attitude was towards Benjamin. Benjamin
was Joseph's only direct brother. Jacob had begun to treat him as he
used to treat Joseph, so Joseph wanted to know if the brothers had
changed their attitude toward Benjamin, who, so to speak, was a
figure of Joseph. Therefore, he handled things by making it appear
that all the problems lay with Benjamin. And since they did not
know who Joseph was, they did not know that he could understand
their language, their feelings would surely betray them. What he did
might seem very cruel, but sometimes conscience needs to be treated
harshly. These were tough men. They would not give up easily, and
Joseph knew it. So he pushed them to the limit until they finally
humbled themselves—not so much before him but before God.
Judah, the spokesperson for the others, prostrates himself before
Joseph (Genesis 44:16).
At last there was, brokenness. Then José says inside himself, “Now I
can make myself known.”
Replacement and restitution
It may be difficult for you to accept that your sins are forgiven and
your guilt erased. I was once told, “It is easier for me to accept that
God has forgiven me than to forgive myself.” It is easier to accept
that your wife forgives you for what you have done than to forgive
yourself. If you find it difficult to believe and accept that God and
others have forgiven you so that you can have peace with Him—I
urge you to remember two words: substitution and restitution.
Substitution: It means that you must not only believe in the work of
the cross and that God placed your sins in Jesus Christ, but that you,
by faith, leave your sins at the foot of the cross. This is precisely
what Scripture teaches. That Jesus Christ took upon himself the sin
for which you cannot forgive yourself too. But I believe that in your
heart you must take the simple step of faith by which you leave all
your burden on the Lord. That's what the Father did on the cross.
And there is yet another step, restitution: which points out the
reason why many cannot forgive themselves or live in the sincerity
of God. You need to go to the person you have offended or hurt and
settle accounts with them. Maybe it's your girlfriend who you made
suffer some time ago, and the memory haunts you—go and fix
things. Maybe it is a dishonest business, and you are aware that you
did wrong. Even if no one else knows, and even if the law can't
convict you, go and make things right. What the brothers had done to
Joseph had taken place 22 years ago. José had no thirst for revenge.
He didn't really care. He was in the highest position any man could
desire. Furthermore, there was complete forgiveness in his heart. But
the brothers had to settle the matter. And until you settle your
accounts, you will not have full peace nor will you be able to be a
Christian with fruit for the Lord. And it could all originate from a
small, seemingly unimportant issue.
A box of colored pencils
I remember that when I was a child, one day at school I stole a pencil
box from a friend of mine.
(who today is a man named Juan Payne). That pencil box remained
in my consciousness for years. I remember that in prayer I settled my
accounts with God. Some time later I was baptized, consecrated
myself to God and said that I wanted to serve Him. But on many
occasions when I knelt to speak with the Lord, I felt a voice inside
me, the voice of the Holy Spirit, telling me: “It's okay, Luis, I have
forgiven you, but one day you will have to confess and return Juan.
“That pencil box you stole from him so many years ago.” All of this
became a heavy burden on my conscience. Years passed, and when I
turned 25, one day I arrived to visit another country. There they told
me: “Luis, there is a pastor from a church who wants you to go eat
with him. His name is Juan Payne.” I was wondering if he could be
my old friend from school. I went to the meal and it turned out to be
the Juan I knew. After chatting for a while, I told him—Juan, I have
to make a very serious confession to you, and I beg you to listen to
me and forgive me because my conscience is transparent. Many
years have passed and I carry this burden in my heart. What could it
be?—answered Juan—I don't remember any harm I did to him. Then
I told him about the pencil case, and he laughed heartily. Of course,
Luis, he replied, of course I forgive you. “Look, I want to give you
ten boxes of pencils,” I replied. Please accept them. "I don't even
want one," he answered. "Why do I need them?" What I needed was
Juan's forgiveness, and after the confession I had the desire to
replace what I had stolen from my friend. From that moment on I
had a deep peace regarding that incident. It's wonderful when God
helps you clear your conscience. Those who help people in this
aspect with their advice have an incomparable ministry. Joseph may
have seemed cruel. But usually, sin produces guilt and is also cruel.
Of course, restitution can be very difficult, and it may seem cruel for
God to ask us to settle accounts. But think how cruel we were, in
many ways, when we did wrong.
Do your branches spread over the wall?
Joseph became a fruitful person.
(Genesis 49:22-26) Are you a fruit-bearing Christian? Do your
branches spread over the wall? Are you a blessing to others? Or are
you like those despicable Christians who spend their lives seeking
blessing and asking for advice? Of course we all need advice when
we go through difficulties, but there are those for whom asking for
advice has become an extreme habit. They cling to other “branches
of God” as if they were spiritual monkeys, and are totally
unproductive. They are never a spiritual blessing to others. God
wants you and me to be fruitful branches. There are many desperate
people who need us. There is too much to do. So stop holding on to
branches and become one. The Lord wants us to produce fruit.
Scripture says (John 15:5)
(John 15:16).
God made Joseph bear fruit from his youth
When a person begins to serve God in his adolescence, he can bear
fruit from the beginning. There is no reason to wait until adulthood.
What they expect is misfortunes. But those who start early are
blessed and produce from their youth, like Joseph. Let's consider
those fruits. First of all; He had dreams that came true. Secondly, he
revealed God in his life. Let us remember that even Pharaoh, a
pagan, admitted: “What other man has the Spirit of God like this
man.” Thirdly, he became the second most important person, since
Pharaoh was only a figurehead. Fourth, he prevented famine and
destruction in Egypt and throughout the land. Fifthly, we see the fruit
of a happy family. God gave him a wife and two children, the image
of a fruitful family. I have no doubt that Joseph's life converted his
pagan wife to the faith of the living God. Sixth, Joseph produced
fruit by protecting his father and brothers from famine. Seventhly, he
was an instrument of God's purposes for Israel to go to Egypt, so that
God's promises would be fulfilled. Eighthly, he sought his father's
blessing for his children, and it was the joy and joy of Jacob.
Ninthly, it was one of the tribes of Israel, and it became two. Double
blessing from God and double fruit. All other tribes remained with
the original name, but God subdivided Joseph and used his sons to
multiply Joseph's influence. Do you remember when old Jacob said:
“May the people of Israel use the following saying as a blessing:
“May God make you prosperous like Ephraim and Manasseh.” Jacob
was about to end his days in Egypt. He is about to die and Joseph
and his two sons ask for an audience (Genesis 48:8-12).
At that time José was the second most important in the world. When
he heard that his father was about to die, he came with his children
and requested an interview with the old man. Even though he was
the chief man of the country, to whom everyone bowed respectfully,
Joseph goes to his father with all humility. No one else was in the
room, she closes the door, removes her little children from Jacob's
knees, and bows to the ground.
Jacob gives his blessing
There we see Joseph, the world leader, and we also see the old man
—bent over, blind, and infirm. But it was his father, the man for
whom he had deep respect. Despite all his weaknesses, Jacob was a
man of God. And Joseph, he was a great among the greats of the
world, bows before his father with his face to the ground. Because?
Because he asks him to bless his children. It is an exciting scene
(Genesis 48:13-16). At that time the blessing of the father, especially
of a patriarch, was of supreme importance. It was not simply that
whoever received the blessing would receive the inheritance, as
would happen today in part, with a will. Back then, there was also a
spiritual dimension. When the father or grandfather gave a blessing
with the right hand, it was like a touch from God. It was a crucial
fact. The idea was that the firstborn would receive double or the
special blessing that would make him the undisputed leader of the
family. However, many times in the Bible we find that the hands are
crossed before imparting the blessing: “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated”
(Jacob was the younger and Esau the older). Now José tries to
maneuver the situation. He thought, “Dad can't see. If you are going
to put your right hand where it belongs, that is, on the eldest, you
better place it on your right.” But the old man folded his hands, and
was about to bless the younger one more than the elder.
Blessings in our time
Although we Westerners are reluctant to admit it, I believe that
something in the soul of every human being makes us desire the
blessing of an older man. Maybe we secretly wish for it. I'll be
honest; It is what I desire in my heart. I think we would all love it,
even if it seems like a sign of weakness. In the Old Testament it was
something of utmost importance. The great question of life was:
“Who is going to lay his hand of blessing on the child?” I am
convinced that those of us who are advancing in age must take
seriously the issue of being “parents in Christ.” In the Scriptures we
read about “ little children, young men, fathers” (1 John 2). I
would love to be that kind of spiritual father and the sooner the
better. I remember a boy of about 10 years old who once approached
me. I put my hand on his head. I didn't give it my blessing, but it
made me think. There is something solemn about a man who loves
God and walks with God putting his hand on his head saying “I
believe God is going to use you.” It is something that is never
forgotten. I remember a respectable elder from a church who when I
turned 25 told me: Luis, I believe that the Lord is going to use you so
that millions will come to Jesus Christ. And I hope I live to see it
with my own eyes. For me those words were like the Lord himself. I
never forgot them. And they have been fulfilled in a great way. The
blessing of a pastor left indelible marks in the depths of my soul. I
don't think it should be practiced lightly, but I do think there are
times when we should do it in the name of the Lord. When Charles
Spurgeon, the famous British preacher of the last century, was 6
years old, a preacher went to his grandfather's house. One morning
during breakfast this preacher took Carlitos, sat him on his knees,
and said to him: “I believe that this child will be an instrument
of God to preach the Gospel throughout England and to win
thousands of souls for Jesus Christ.” The boy was only 6 years
old, but he never forgot it. At age 16 he began preaching, and
by age 20 he was preaching to crowds of 20,000. After that
breakfast, the preacher took the boy to the garden, sat him
next to him, and gave him advice for two hours. Extraordinary,
right? Our reaction to the 6-year-old child would have been—
Leave me alone and go play. But this preacher noticed
something in Spurgeon, gave him advice, gave him his
blessing, and the boy Spurgeon became one of the greatest
preachers of all time.
Spiritual Babies
I think we must stop being spiritual babies and become
spiritual parents. The world needs it in a tremendous way.
Unfortunately we must recognize that many of us are nothing
more than spiritual babies. What a tragedy! God wants us to
be parents. I find it moving and moving to see Joseph, with his
face on the ground, presenting his little children to their
grandfather, saying: “Father, bless them.” We do not pay
much attention to children, adolescents and young people who
admire us more than we can imagine. They approach us, and
greet us or smile at us. To tell the truth, I've been more aware
of this lately. When a child runs past me and says: “! Hello
Luis!" and he walks away immediately, I try to find out his
name and talk to him later, because I am convinced that the
Lord put in the creature the desire to greet me. We all have
spiritual authority that we never use, or just play with. And yet
we could be a great blessing to others, as they have been to
us. My dad passed away when I was 10 years old, so I always
transferred the concept of authority to my mother. If Mom
approves of something, I don't care what the rest of the world
says. If she says “Praise the Lord”, I don't care if others
criticize.
She's my mother!. Everyone has responsibility for widows and
orphans; responsibility towards women who have divorced,
and responsibility towards the children of divorced parents.
Our responsibility is to be parents in the Lord Jesus. As men
and women of God we must impart the blessing that an
unfaithful father did not give to his children.
 Be like Christ
First he had to forgive, then forget, then he had to be fruitful
and then he was called to be a figure of Christ. This was
Joseph's crowning glory. Joseph was a figure of our Lord
Jesus. It is said that if we study the Scriptures, we will find
hundreds of parallels between the life of Joseph and the life of
Jesus Christ. Our God is a God who transforms, a God who
delights in transforming people's characters. He loves to enter
your life, and mine, and make us full people, like Jesus Christ.
He wants to make us men and women of God. My continued
prayer is that, as time goes on, my wife, my children, my team
members, and the people I love will see more and more of the
characteristics of Jesus Christ in me. Every Christian should
have the same desire deep in his heart. Saint Paul expressed
that desire for others when he said (Galatians 4:19). Let us be
filled with Christ, may He be formed in us. Such is the desire of
Christ. And it is also Paul who exhorts (2 Corinthians 3:18).
When we take off the mask, when we stop showing what we
really are not, when we walk with God in transparency, when
we look openly face to face, we are transformed from glory to
glory and we become more and more like Him.
But how?
The answer is simple (1 Thessalonian 5:24). The Lord will do
it. He called you, and He Himself will do it. That's for sure.
With some it will take longer than others because some of us
are more stubborn. But the Lord will do it if we cooperate with
Him and allow Him to work in our lives. And the sooner, the
better. Joseph, figure of Christ. How?. First, as we compare
Joseph's life with that of Jesus Christ, we notice that Joseph
was tenderly loved by his father and honored above all others.
Likewise, Jesus was honored by heavenly Father. Secondly,
Joseph was hated by his brothers and sold for 20 pieces of
silver. However, he received honor from some Gentiles. The
Bible says, referring to the Lord Jesus (John 1:11-12). Third,
Joseph was falsely accused, but he did not respond to the
accusations and was put in prison. Likewise the Lord Jesus
was falsely accused, did not answer and was taken to the
cross. Fourth, Joseph was put in prison with two others who
had broken the law. One of them was convicted and the other
released. This reminds us of the Lord Jesus on the cross with
a thief on either side. One of them condemned, and the other
saved. Fifth, Joseph was apparently buried and forgotten. The
Lord Jesus was buried and his enemies thought they had been
freed from him, but on the third day he was resurrected. Sixth,
Joseph was elevated to the place of greatest prominence.
When Pharaoh made him walk through the streets, the leaders
of the nation went before him saying: “Bend your knees before
Joseph,” and each Egyptian had to bow before the young
Joseph. And in the Word of God we read (Philippians 2:10).
Lastly, I want to mention that Joseph saved millions from
hunger, and was able to bring his people to a land of plenty,
where he gave them a special place. The Lord Jesus has
saved millions from eternal damnation and given a special
place to the Jewish people. These are just a few examples,
limited parallels, that remind us that Joseph was a beautiful
figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what an immense privilege
to resemble the Lord Jesus in many ways! The secret lies in
the uncovered face (2 Corinthians 3:18).