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Get out of the Bunker
Genesis 43:8-14
Once things go wrong we tend to get a bunker mentality and are afraid of our shadow
In the bunker, we think that everything and everyone is against us and live in desperation and discouragement
In the bunker, we are afraid to even trust God
In the bunker, we can not see blessings
In the bunker, we lose our joy and it hurts our relationships even with our closets' friends and family
In the bunker, there is little we can do but wait it out in fear
Fear, worry, and discouragement have become the lifestyle of Jacob and the family
Jacob believes that Joseph is dead and grieves for him many days 37:34
He refuses to be comforted and says that he will die sad 37:35
If Benjamin goes with you something bad just might happen 42:4
When things go wrong the brothers wonder what it is that God is doing to them 42:28
They saw the money in their sacks and were afraid 42:35
Jacob thinks not of what he has but of what he has lost and says all these things are against me 42:36
You are not taking Benjamin with you or you will cause my gray hairs to go to the grave with sorrow 42:38
Judah says let me bear the blame forever 43:9
Well if I have to lose my kids I just have to lose my kids--that is the way it is 43:14
The brothers are afraid because they are to go to Joseph’s house 43:18
God is actually working everything out at this very moment to pour out great blessings on Jacob and the family
There is no way that Jacob and the family can know this but everything that is happening has been planned from before the beginning of the story
Joseph’s dream was about this happening
God has promised to bless the world with Abraham’s family, Isaac, and now with Jacob
God is not going to allow Jacob to fail 35:10-12
There is no way that they can know that what appears to be a tragedy is really a blessing in disguise and the answer to their problem
The steward even knows and tells them not to be afraid because their God is taking care of them 43:23
Joseph will later tell them that God sent him before them to preserve their lives 45:5
Joseph will tell them that it was not them that sent him to Egypt but God and it was all for their good 45:8
Joseph will tell them to just forget their stuff because all of the good of Egypt is there for them 45:20
Even their sin and failure was already forgiven
God had been working out every detail for their good Romans 8:28-29
What a difference eyes of faith could have made in their joy
Satan is here to steal your joy but Jesus is here that we might have abundant life John 10:10
The joy is not found in everything turning outright but in our deepening relationship with our Lord and King Habakkuk 3:17-19
Waiting on the Lord we can renew our strength Isaiah 40:31
We need to encourage ourselves in the Lord I Samuel 30:6
That God would open our eyes to see what He is doing for us II Kings 6:16-17
III.Practical lessons for your life
We allow many things to put us in the bunker
Our failures in the past yet God’s people may fall 7 times but they get back up again Proverbs 24:16
Satan convinces us that our sin has caused God not to love us Romans 5:20-6:2
Mistakes that we have made are causing this heartache--yet Joseph teaches us a different truth
We focus on ourselves and our problems and hurts more than on God, his promises and purposes--all Jacob can think of is how he lost his son and everything is against him
We begin to accept that everything is going to go wrong and that is just the way it is
We must remember that we are people of promise
He will never leave us or forsake us Hebrews 13:5
All things work together for good Romans 8:28-29
He that began a good work in us will finish it Philippians 1:6
When we are weak we are strong II Corinthians 12:8-10
He has not given us a spirit of fear II Timothy 1:7
This light affliction is working a far greater eternal work II Corinthians 4:16-18
We go from triumph to triumph II Corinthians 1:20, 2:14
We are to do what we can and trust Him with the rest of it II Samuel 10:12, I Chronicles 19:13