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please now i want to start my message off by asking you a few questions have you ever felt forgotten i mean like looks like somebody has thrown you into a dungeon and just left you there because joseph sat in a prison and then he was abandoned by people but he was never abandoned by god so maybe he thought that he was abandoned by god but he hasn't been have you ever felt like God's promises literally is not coming into fulfillment. God's promise for your life looks like it's on hold. If you ever feel like everybody is moving on, it's only you that is still stuck. So today we're going to talk about how God delays and not his deniers. and I want to ask you as long as that how do good people face so much pain have you ever felt like that it's like but Lord I'm doing so many good things how come I be having so much pain but just remember doing the right things is always best because staying faithful even though your life feel like you've been throwing into a pit it will pay off at the end so why does it feel like the more you trust god the harder life gets it's because of you are human being joseph experienced this as well joseph was experiencing a lot of the things that we're going through. But yet, his pain was part of God's creative plan. One of the questions I also want to ask you, does it feel like your dreams are dead? Like, I've been having so many dreams to do this, that and the other, accomplish this and that and the other. But is it really dead? Does your dreams really have a dead end. And I can literally say to you nope Because God gave you a vision a calling and a destiny but everything in your life seems to contradict it But you don't have to stress about that one because it's part of the plan. It's just that the vision that you're thinking of might be the humanly way that you want it. You know, human ways is like, there mustn't be pain. But how come there'll be no pain and only pleasure? What type of a boring life will that be? So even if your dreams is not feeling like it's coming to accomplishment, God is yet there to help you. And I want to encourage you that as we're going through this, that is why I started this series of the principles of Joseph and I actually at first got so confused because the first time I did this I had it all planned out and then my whole sermon plan got broken down into this electronics I couldn't find my place and I had to redo it imagine five minutes before church I had to redo it and that made me to be off balance a little bit but I used it from my mind and then I rethink it and today I can say to you wow I've done it again I've managed it but if you can just imagine looking at your detours don't you think it's just training grounds for you like like some of the times when you when you're looking at your life and you see the detour and you're thinking at that moment that this detour is just stopping the blessing of God coming to me. But when you look back after certain things happened and you look at your rear view mirror and you realize that that detour was actually training ground So I just want to encourage you to know that that was just training ground And just remember this now. Have you ever, ever felt betrayed by the people that is closer to you? Because somebody that is far that betrays you, the pain is not that much. because you don't have an attachment to that person. But imagine your own brother betraying you. Imagine that pain. Imagine, let's talk about brother and sister. Leetan asked Levin not to tell us what happened at school for argument's sake. And it was a bad thing that happened at school. and then suddenly Levine came home and gave the message. You know what happened. He will feel so betrayed. And that is not even a life changing event. But the betrayal is so much worse than the betrayal that Joseph had. I mean, Joseph was betrayed not by enemies. he was betrayed by his own blood imagine that have you ever felt like that that is the reason why I'm going on with this series and I actually came to think there was a how do you call it there was at the time when I started there was only 10 principles that I was working on. But in the interim, I thank God that that 10 got lost because I'm sitting on 24 principles now. We have done only 6. Imagine. So, if I ask you don't just be listening to this because it's useless if I give you a principle and you just hear it and not make use of it Because that's where the difficulty comes in. If you just think of it. I just want to recap quickly. Now the number one thing I gave you, or let me say I think it would have been the number one. It could have been number 3, number 5, whatever But in the whole resetting of the sermon I got lost in which one is which one But it doesn't matter The first one is to trust God's plan Even in adversity And if you're looking at that one The principle there is surrender, control And trust His timing Even when life seems unfair I'm not going to go through it much Because I want us to keep this under one hour Number two is to maintain your integrity In all circumstances The principle here is live a life of honesty Purity, faithfulness Regardless of the situation So even though things are hard Just live in integrity Serve others selflessly This is the principle about serving others Not just pursuing principle success then number four is forgive and let go of bitterness which the principle of forgiveness frees you from bitterness and allows you to move forward in god's plan then i i gave you number five which is to be diligent and excellent in your work which the principle i said to you work as unto the Lord striving for excellence in all you do. So if you work for, as if you work for the Lord remember I said to you that the excellence in working for the Lord makes a lot of difference and then the last one that I went through was to seek wisdom and discernment which the principle there seeks God's wisdom in decision making and in leadership. That was the previous ones. And I'm going to go on with the next one. is to stay humble in success do you know that our our problem we have in life is that the moment you make it big you start becoming cocky imagine how do you become cocky i'm not going to talk about that but let me let's talk about the the the the the the the principle there the principle is humility is the key to godly leadership humility is the key to godly leadership and i must actually say humility is the key to anybody that is about to climb the ladder of success. Humility is the key to anybody who is under the sound of my voice because God is taking you from where you are to a next level and that next level will acquire you to have humility. that next level is acquiring you to be standing firmly and say wow it's only by the grace of God that I did it not through my own power it wasn't done through my own ways that is humility and when I look at the scripture in Genesis 41 speaking about this humility Genesis, I want us to read Genesis 41 verse 16 Genesis 41 verse 16 says it as follow, I'm not quite sure if this sounds like I've done this before but it doesn't matter if I've done it before we'll just go on I've done this now And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying It is not in me God shall give Pharaoh An answer of peace So you see he was asked To give the The interpretation Of the dream but he said you see so he didn he didn give to him he said it god grace so that makes him humble because james 4 verse 10 says humble yourself before the lord and he will lift you up so acknowledge that every success and gift from god keep a humble heart and give him the glory i mean nebuchadnezzar uh lessons uh got a lesson in humility nebuchadnezzar was a was literally somebody i can say to you let let me go to james i mean daniel i want you to read daniel 4 go to daniel 4 and I want you to listen to this in 37 Daniel 4 verse 37 says Now I, Nebuchadnezzar praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven all whose works are true and his ways judgment and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Imagine this Nebuchadnezzar guy who was the one that almost had somebody killed, if I can say it that way. This guy, that had to crawl as an animal. Reverencing, reverencing, I mean, God. And then I also think I've done the number eight, which is to trust God's timing. If I've not done it, I'll just do it again. the principle is that god delays are not his denials you have to wait on his perfect timing sometimes we feel like god is let me make it ah man let's let's let's not be so holy let's not be so holy let's talk about basic things You ask God to help you with the car. Then He denies giving you the car. Knowing that you not yet prepared to have a car Because if you do have a car the car would be the one that will take you to your Ignazi God doesn't deny you or He deny you the car because He knows that every Sunday when you're supposed to be in church that the same car takes you to the mall He's denying you because He knows that the moment you have this car you will be free to run away from your family that you don't want to be with most of the time. Now you have a car, now you can just go. His denial is making or let me rather say He's not denying you the car but He's knowing the fact that when a car comes your way what you will be doing is not what He's expecting you to do. you are not yet ready. So God's timing is so perfect that even though you go to Habakkuk where Habakkuk says for the vision is not is yet for an appointed time. Do we tarry, isn't it? Wait for it. So God's timing is so perfectly that the time when you think that he was supposed to do it. He didn't do it. I'm sitting with a situation where I felt like sometimes when I come to church, I felt like I should have just done inviting people because of I want so many people to have the message that I have or to get to know the message that I have. But then I sense are not yet ready. And I stopped it. It's not that God is denying me to share the message to others, but just remember one thing there. There is somebody that is specifically made for your message. So when there's somebody that is specifically made for my message is with me I don need to go and look for others because they have their own messages where they are going to If my message is repentance and you don't want to repent, you can't be sitting under that. Because you're not yet ready. So God's timing will obviously not allow you to sit under somebody like that. wait wait wait I don't want to tramp on toes but I want you to understand most of the things that we're going through is because God's timing for our lives is in sync with His purpose for your life but your life is out of sync with what you want for your life. I mean, if I go to Genesis 21, let us read Genesis 21, verse 2. Genesis 21, verse 2, it, the fourth scripture, what do you call it? The previous scriptures, the previous things you will understand now. For Sarah conceived and bare Abram a son in his old age at the sad time of which God had spoken to him. Sarah was told to be the one that will have the descendants or bring forth the descendants, not somebody else. Sarah. and because Sarah being old or of age let me rather say not old but of age they thought the factory is closed so everybody was like ah this factory is closed she's not going to be able to get what Abram was is it Abram or Abraham because I'm trying to there's a difference there when something changed, it changed to some... Okay, but it doesn't matter. Let me just say, then when he got the look at the stars, can you see or to him it was like I don't even have maybe I'm dried up already how come I be the one that have so much descendants so you stress because God gave you a promise and the promise made you to not feel it doesn't balance so when it doesn't balance you start making your own plans the timing of God is perfect when God promised he will do it he will do it I remember in 2016 we got a prophecy about a company that we should start and lo and behold when you go on to CIPC or any platform where you have to register your company, if your company name you have it already and you don't find it, that prophetic word is in vain. You already feel, ah, that word is not from God. But the prophecy came out it will be R&R trading Mr. R&R trading was was, how say it, geregistered probably a few months after that prophecy, isn't it? Literally a few months after the prophecy I got I was so eager to let this prophecy come to pass that I immediately started to research I immediately started researching and I found the name was available on CIPC and we immediately registered the name. The timing of God is so perfectly that at that time I felt like why is this thing not coming to fault? Because I was hearing they say we make a lot of money and here I'm dead broke I can't even pay attention It was a tough one But God timing Is perfect and I not saying we make a lot of money with R no we don't but we do make something I mean there's sometimes when the month is long and this thing is helping us to have that small bit it's not making money but I can tell you it's helping us sometimes so I'm going to go to the next one which is number 9 God is with you in hard times so I want to give you the principle of it the principle is God's presence sustain us in difficulties I want to I want to I want to I want to take you back to this guy that was locked up in prison now when somebody is locked up in prison knowing that it's not going to be easy to get out but by praising God they can walk freely anyway and here I'm talking about Paul in Acts 12 imagine this is what happened I like to praise praise praise praise the Lord like to praise God, praise His name. Praise. This is somewhat a new song I'm making. I don't even, I've never heard this song before. And God is just, now as you praise God, you say, you are the Alpha and Omega. The next thing, present doors open. and you are like what's happening do you know what you will think as a human being you have not seen anybody put a key in the lock the doors are open What sorcery is this That what you will say Me I will be like I will be like, in the name of Jesus, out, out. That's me being a human being. How can a door just be opening like that? And I know that one has been locked. That's why the prison guards, they knew they were going to be in trouble. They wanted to kill themselves. And do you know that at that time, God was even with them as well. Because they knew when the king wants to know where is the prisoners, they will be killed. That's how hard it would have been at those times. and here they stand Paul says and when the gods hear that they were like wowed how come prisoners that could have run and escaped they did not escape this is showing that God is even with them so don't think that God is not with your enemies because you don't like them God is with them as well because God is using them to you know to forward your life sometimes it's to fast forward your life because by taking you to prison bringing you closer to the king because how would you be closer to the king if you sit there at your house who is probably a million miles away because remember if I can remember what was said that Joseph's brothers took some time to go home and took some time to come back so it would have been far so going to prison do they think God is with you even in the hard times Genesis 39 I going to give you so much scriptures but don worry it just small ones it's just to bring the message to you when you read Genesis 39 and you read verse 2 let me read from 1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, brought him off the hands of Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Huh? Just because God was with him, he was prosperous. Just because God was with him. How do you think that most of the time when you go through life, you're literally telling yourself, why does it feel like God is not with me? But anytime when you look back at the steps that you have taken, you cannot only but see God's hand at work that's all you can see walking past the street the next thing waking up in ambulance asking them where am I I can see that this is paramedics but I still ask because I didn't know where I was and I'm still alive God was with me picture I had to go through a pain where the the back was operated on and when I look back I'm like if God I think just check by the gate if God wasn't in there imagine the guy Because the guy that did my back operation is old Madala. I can tell you now, I think that guy needs a back operation. Because the way he was walking so, you know, like bent. He needed a back operation. But the way God was holding his hand to cut me was a, do you call it, a bastirium, like God's gift. God sent. so when you look back at your life and you look at all these things not taking my life because of the kids life went not killing doing the suicidal thing that's wow the hand of God God is with you even if it's in hard times is with you Just whenever things gets tougher Remind yourself that God is with me Say it like so loud and proud God is with me Even though it sounds cocky to others You don't brag about yourself Because you say God is with me You don't say I am running on my own that is not that is not being humble by saying on my own but when you say God is with me you can brag to anybody there you still portray humbleness Jesus Jesus you know some of the things that we go through is literally things that we can say the hand of God was really with us. There you can say but the hand of God was really with us. He is with us. I remember my daughter being big. I don't know if you've seen the TikTok. Did you see that TikTok somewhere If that TikTok comes up in your life it because it Zulu or Xhosa in fact No, it's Xhosa. The lady was asking the mother, Eish, mommy, why are you so thin? Have you eaten? Are you hungry? Must I give you food? and then the guy still says me I'm big I'm big and then the mom says no God made me to be like this thin he says oh God but he's now speaking and explaining to his mother you must eat man not knowing that the mother's figure is like that for him it feels like she's hungry I can tell you now some of the things that we go through God is with us so when my child Levin was 4.8 4.2 4.2 kilos and they gave and she gave normal birth the doctor said the child was almost gone because of being too big it's God's hand that was with us men are all big I'm telling you some of the things that we go through you just have to look back and say God was with us when my son was eating the what not eating snuffing you can almost say on the lungs the what's a mens? Vrug water yeah okay the fluids that is in the barmoeder where are the angels? in the womb so in the womb there is this water so my son when he was born he snuffed them so the lungs were having problems All these things made me to think that guy almost died and then jaundice upon it geelse jaundice imagine, God was with us, I want to go to number 10, number 10, I'm going to give to you, it's be a steward of God's blessings, but the principle that goes with it is to recognize that everything you have is a gift from God and use it to bless others everything you have is a gift from God that's a principle it's a gift from God so use it to bless others I just want to make sure that you understand what I mean by this sometimes when I look at the things I have and I'm seeing myself being very selfish not using that to serve others it made me to realize why I lost it because through it I didn't serve others Chill. Rain, Jesus, rain. Rain, Jesus, rain. King of Zion How to last my earth Rain Jesus Rain I just know When I play keyboard I don't play it because I can I can't it just because I availing myself to be able to trust what God has instilled in me is there something specifically that God has given you that you can use for the service unto others I want us to go to 1 Peter 4 1 Peter 4 and I'm reading verse 10 I think this is one of the scriptures that let me let me use the King James Version because I so much want to use the the Amplified 1 Peter 4 verse 10 as every man had received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of manifold grace of God. Amplified, as each of you has received a gift, a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment employed for one another as befits good trustees of God's many-sided grace, faithfulness, steward of the extremely diverse powers and gifts granted to christians by unmerited favor you know that that's why sometimes this amplified bibles make make the english to be nicer english you know the english of king james is really the shakespearean english and we not no longer live in the Shakespearean terms but we sometimes just need to also understand that now when you're looking at it each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms that is the thing that we should be doing so use your resources wisely so when god gives you a talent to help somebody i'm just making an example now do you know that when it comes to certain people they are kingdom givers they are only in church to give to the church money to help to grow the church you find the guy that comes in and is there to just talk nonsense and kill the church it's his gift do you know those guys that when they talk they scanner just to cause confusion. They are there. They are there. So don't tell them, ah, you're at the wrong place. Ah, they are there to help you to understand how to make this skinner skinner to be better. You find somebody that is just there in church, to be to be the one that how can I say look for faults you know like observe you're making this mistake please rectify it so you find those guys they don't do anything they just tell us where we've made a mistake and to us you know some of us that has been long in service for God. We think that we are perfect. We think that we can make things. Some of us make so much mistakes that when somebody rectifying our mistakes, we feel offended. But God has placed somebody specifically there to help you. Not to feel offended, but to help you to grow that little bit. They are there. These are the guys I can say from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. According to Luke 12 verse 48 So when God gives you a talent recognize that everything you have is a gift from God and use it to bless others. So be a steward of God's blessing. What God has blessed you with, bless others. If you're looking at it, this principle is something I can tell you that even if you don't have anything there is something you no no no not you please let me not use those words let me use us we it's a song all of us both of us Let me use this kind of words. We have a tendency to think that money is the only thing that you should have. Then you are happy. But do you know that the advice that you sometimes give is way worth more than the money that anybody has? the things that you are able to give is just that smile I remember a pastor, Pastor Edgar in Ravely, you know that pastor what he was doing his job was just to come to church early before everybody is there, stand in front of the church and start greeting each and everyone that comes in with a big smile and a happy face and his words was always by the grace of God he taught me so much about grace and that is where this name started who say it means the fire from because anytime when you ask the guy no no no he will always ask first when you come in Yo! And he will know every name. Even the small guy that was born yesterday, he will know the name. He make it his name to call you by name He will tell you ah Ricardo how are you going today And he has a tendency of he speaking about three languages no, four languages, I think. One of the languages is Afrikaans, then it's English, then it's Soutu and Zulu. That's the four languages this guy can speak. So when he comes into church, he will say, for argument, say, the way he speak with a smile and then he will say by God's grace I am what I am by God's grace I stand where I stand and by that time he was already over 71 and that was in 2000 2003 somewhere around there it's actually 2000 the year 2000 and this guy's work was to smile and greet each and everyone. And not just greet bishop. How are you? Fine. No. When you say, I am fine, but I just have a problem. My mother is sick. He doesn't say let's go skimmer there. His mother is sick again. Maybe it's maybe no, no, no. He will take that information and make sure that in the prayer meetings that information has been given there. And we will pray for everyone that he asks. He will never mention names about what's happening. But he will always make sure that when you come back, he will ask you, and how is your mom today? And always with a smile. That was his job. That was his ministry, in fact, not job, because Job sounds like somebody who's struggling on the the aswapa that was his ministry that pastor was so much that I'm going to the next one principle number 11 is lead with compassion and grace I mean lead with compassion and grace but the principle to it is lead with love grace and compassion reflecting Christ character That a principle So whenever you lead you need to lead with love you need to lead with grace You need to lead with compassion And in everything like that Reflecting Christ character Reflecting Christ character I want to also let you know some of the things that we're going through it's not because of because of what we have, what we don't have, what we do it's just because of we're not showing love you know that if you don't show love you will go through a lot there's this thing that the bible also says if somebody makes a mistake reprimand them with love you know what we do that word is even coming out but through all that God has been faithful through all that God has been faithful Ephesians 4 verse 32 Be kind and compassionate To one another Forgiving each other Just as Christ forgave you Just as Christ forgave you You need to treat people With kindness You need to treat people Even if they don't Deserve it you still need to treat them with kindness. In this one there I want you to understand two things. Number one There's a script that says bad words sounds like you're eating food with stones in it and i'm paraphrasing because i can't get the scriptures direct wording so when you talk to somebody in a bad manner it's like somebody eating food with stones in it so most of the time when you out of anger say something to somebody you know that person will look at you totally totally differently they will not have respect for you in certain times so treat people with kindness lead with love, grace, compassion reflecting Christ's character I'm not going to talk about this a lot because I felt at the time when I saw this I felt like Joseph was sitting in prison and yet treating the prisoners with respect. Therefore, they could recommend him to who's this guy? Potiphar. They could recommend him to Potiphar because of how he treated them. Bishop, do you know that if you treat me badly I will not recommend you to anyone because I know it's the same problem they're going to have like I'm having at the moment because when Joseph treated them nicely it's what made them to see Christ's character in him and recommended him because remember what we were saying previously and God was with Joseph so if God is with you does it mean no let me see If God is with you where is hate coming from? If God is with you, why do you cause pain to others? My question then is, isn't that the devil's pokement or poking you because God doesn't want others to get hurt and Satan is a John 10 kill, steal, destroy that is Satan's whole he's the manufacturer of killing the manufacturer of stealing so if you stole somebody's joy heaven what are you doing master yao go back to your master so when you're looking at that the moment you gave because that ball might be crossing the gates or some place where it's not safe so when you're looking at the master that is within you if you keep on giving peace, love joy, all these other things, it means that God is with you. But the moment other things are coming, suspect Satan. Suspecting. He has not been given us the spirit of fear, but, but, so which means that if you fear, where does that spirit come from? Because God has not given it to you Where does that spirit come from Somebody has given it to you and it time to Which one Who is it Jesus. Sometimes I'm amazed by the way God has taken me from a stutterer to speak somebody. I mean to speak into somebody's life let me rather say it that way because when I look back Bishop there was not a time I can tell you when I speak I did not speak with curse words every second word was a the way I grew up I grew up with so much anger that my sisters even up till today they afraid to say something wrong to me because they afraid I'm going to smack them. You must ask my sister, the one that was here. She said something wrongly one day and her eyes were growing so big looking at me already holding her hands to see where can she block because of how I was. If you say something wrong, it's what I do. That's what I do. Out of anger. And there I already know. This is not from God. The anger that I had within me was not from God. I can't... The anger that I had within me was so much that it causes other people to see me wrongly. The only people that I can tell you that had a better version of me with the people that I had I had to You know the ones that I need to suck up with if I can call it that way that's the only ones if I know I am going to need something from them not even a teacher could tell me Teachers It's It's up till today I'm quite surprised that the teachers Have a seeing of me Being this Quiet nice guy And most of them I swore at them Because of the anger That I had within me I still remember up till today I'm not going to mention the name but we were in woodwork class doing exams and we were doing the sketching something but it was doing something that has to do with sketching take the ruler make the lines what what what not ever and that desk were up like this so you stand on the desk and you can write and you can do your thing and I was asking the teacher, because it's exams, I was asking the teacher, I need to go to the toilet, even if somebody can just come with me, but I need to go to the toilet. And the guy said, no. I got so angry. I said to him, F you. And I stand there, like literally on the desk, standing. And I just be there. I stood there. Like the way I had so much anger in me. I said, whatever you do, I don't care. But I asked you if I can go to toilet. He didn't want me. I didn't take out and, ah, next. I just stood there and I did. Once I'm done, I even went back to standing in the pool like that. I did the drawing finish. and the guy that was standing next to me screaming, my mirror, check, check I didn't care I just went on. The anger I had. Today, if you meet me today, you won't believe the guy that I was by the grace of God. That is why lead with compassion and grace made me to stand where I am today. And these are things, you might think that I make up a story. I almost gave the guy's name and I said I don't want to give the guy's name but it was a teacher in standard 5 we call it standard 5, I think it's grade 7 he was giving me woodwork and the reason why I don't want to mention his name he's also a pastor today and a pastor of a great place what do you call it doesn't matter yeah so when I look at this to lead with compassion, with love and grace this principle will take you far and I think our time has just been up now the reason i using this with a time frame is because of i don't want us to to rush into the next principle when i rush into it i might not be giving it my all you see and i might not be breaking it down for you in such manner that you understand so forgive me if I use only one hour there's also another reason for it because of I want to use this to give to somebody as a motivation to somebody and I don't want them to have too long time and I would like anybody that is listening to this wherever you are to ask questions. Ask the question because I've done this on Facebook. It will go to YouTube. It will also go to TikTok. So I would like you to ask me questions Let us have a communication or conversation about these principles Does it change your life or is it actually making sense Because if it doesn't, I would stop. I would rather go and do something else or preach on something else instead of keep on going because this is the... We're sitting on number 11. And I'm here to go. I'm here to go to 24. Imagine. So I don't want you to feel like I'm giving you not enough. And I'm living it by this. If you live by compassion, and be a steward of God's blessings, knowing that God is with you in hard times, you will trust God's timing. And His timing is perfect. Heavenly Father, I exalt Your name I lift Your name up high Give You the glory the honor that you deserve and I thank you Lord Jesus that through this we can thank God through this we can exalt God through this we can lift your name up high. We can magnify you. And therefore in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior I ask you anybody that's heard this let them implement these principles and not just hear it. Let them take note of it and learn from it. not just hear it in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen. Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest and abide with us all until Jesus comes surely in goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever in Jesus name Amen and Amen. Amen. you can do that as
