If you grew up in church, you probably heard about Joseph and his coat of many colors. The world is fascinated by the story of Joseph. Genesis chapters 37—50 chronicles the story of Joseph. In summary, as a favored son, his father gave him a special robe that indicated royalty and divine favor. However, his brothers were envious of Joseph, so they sold him into slavery. Joseph then continued to go through mishap after mishap until he became the second in command in the world’s most powerful nation.
What an example for all of us. God allows us to go through a process to prepare us to become His riches and our highest best. But, like Joseph, we must hold on to the dreams and visions that God has given even when times get tough. You may have heard the preacher’s story – God took Joseph from the pit to the palace. In Genesis, you will find this confirmed along with the pitfalls along the way. In Joseph’s story, we learn three crucial keys to Kingdom living. They are (1) trusting the dream, (2) not compromising, and (3) never giving up.
Although Joseph lost the coat, he held on to his dream. Joseph shared a dream that he had during the night with his siblings and parents. In his dream, his family bowed down to him. God gave Joseph the dream, so it was not his choosing. Often, we wrestle with being set apart as God’s chosen people. We do not want others to see us as different, so we suppress our true aspirations. Our dreams may not make sense to ourselves, let alone to other people. Therefore, it is essential not to look at our circumstances to determine the possibility of God manifesting our dreams into reality.
Compromise is a deterrent to greatness. At any given point, Joseph could have said my dreams were mere fantasy. Eve was fooled in the garden not just by Satan but herself. Compromise comes when we question the dream and choose an alternative route. There is a way that seems right, but it is not righteous or God’s right way. The ultimate end of compromise is destruction. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12 NASB) – death to the dream and death to eternity with God.
In the Bible, God seldom shows us where a person gave up on His call, but I think we see a glimpse of this in the story of Abraham. It seems that Abraham’s father, Terah, might have been called first but decided to stop along the way, so God called Abraham. You can read the account in scripture. Terah is mentioned four times in scripture. Genesis 11:26–27, Book of Joshua 24:2, I Chronicles 1:17–27, and Luke 3:34–36. As you research the word, you are free to make your own decision. However, the critical thing to note is that if you give up, you cannot finish. Joseph never gave up regardless of his circumstances. When God instructs us, we must not stop until we have accomplished our assignment. 2 Chronicles 15:7 tells us to “be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” Even when times are trying, we are not to become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).
We are God’s beloved sons, a chosen generation, and a royal priesthood. We are God’s Josephs with robes of many colors indicating the grace that rests upon our lives. As I reflected on breaking bloodline curses that referenced Joseph as an example, I realized that as Josephs, we stand as beacons of light, reflecting His multifaceted and multidimensional depth. Encoded in our natural and spiritual DNA are keys that unlock strategies and mysteries that answer the groanings of humanity. According to Psalm 48:2 KJV, we are beautiful for situations and the joy of the whole earth. However, we must choose to be His answer and reflect His beauty. Our multicolored robe is His answer to the world, but we must choose the way of Joseph, which requires that we trust the dream and the dream giver.