A father said to his son: You graduated with honors, so I want to give you a car that I acquired many years ago ....
But before I give it to you, take it to the pawn shop and see what it’s worth. The son went to the pawn shop, returned to his father and said, "The pawn shop offered $1,000 because it was a 55 year old car." His dad then told him to take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them you want to sell it, and see how much they offer you.
The son went to the used car lot, returned to his father and said, "They offered me $ 3,000 because it looks well used and has seen it’s best days."
The father asked his son to go to a car club and show them the car. The son took the car to the club, returned and told his father: “Some people in the club offered $70,000 for it, since it is a 1965 classic Corvette Stingray, an iconic car that is sought after by many collectors.
The father said to his son, "I just wanted you to know that the right place and the right people, will always value you the right way." ...
If you are not valued, don’t be angry, it just means that you are in the wrong place, with the wrong people. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you, who see what you’re worth and are willing to help you reach your destiny.
Genesis 47:28 “Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. 29 When the time drew near for him to die, he called for his son Joseph”
Jacob’s son Joseph was the prime minister of Egypt, second in command under Pharaoh. (Now there’s a guy that most folks never saw his worth for sure)! Joseph was Jacob’s 2nd youngest son, and his favorite. He had given Joseph his coat of many colors, and was so proud of him. But for many years, Jacob thought Joseph was dead; his brothers had tricked their father into believing that Joseph had been eaten by a wild animal. (Satan wants us all to believe something that is not true. If we buy into it, he can get us on the wrong path and steal the blessing from us). Some thirteen years later, (years of sorrow, grief and pain because he believed a lie) Jacob found out that Joseph was still alive, and in a position of great honor. Joseph eventually brought his father and his family to Egypt, gave them a place to live, and took care of all of them, preserving their very lives and the lives of an entire nation!
We know that the turn in Joseph’s story, came about because Godput three people in his life that released his value and worth and elevated him to his destiny. I believe God has these three people behind the curtain in all of our lives, waiting to come forth and be revealed so that each of us can come into our destiny….
Joseph had the baker that he met in prison, who prepared the kings meals. The baker is a person who knows how to bring different ingredients together and make it all work. Joseph met his baker in prison at one of the lowest point in his life. We need someone who can bring things together and make it work….
When we heard that our place at the golf club was for sale, and we had just a couple months to find a place. We were down to the last 2 weeks and nothing in our price range…. Then our baker came forth….Mary told Linda that their niece Jenna had told her of a rental unit that had just come available. (actually that’s 3 bakers, Mary, Linda, and Jenna) Declare and release your baker to come forth to put things together.
We all need a butler like Joseph met in prison. He was the kingspersonal butler, who tasted everything before the king ate it. This man was loyal, if someone tried to poison the king, he would die instead … The butler is someone who makes connections. He knows someone you need to know, and can help you make contact. There in the prison, the butler told Joseph, he would mention him to the king and the next thing, the butler was pardoned and Joseph was standing before the king telling his dream about the coming famine. Call forth your butler….Theperson who can connect you with the right people ……
The third person we all need in our journey is a financier. This is the person God uses to provide the job, the income, the provision, the finances so we can be able to finance the vision….Call forth your financier, in Joseph’s case this was the Pharaoh….
Begin to believe for your baker, your butler and your financier and receive what God has prepared to bring you to your destiny.
Genesis 48:7… Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him… 8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?” 9 “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father… 11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”
Like Joseph, you may have given up on a dream, you think it’s been too long, in the pit, in Potiphar’s house of servitude, too long in the prison of addiction, or old habits…. And you’ve accepted that you’ll never get well, meet the right person, start that business, or see the results of what God put in your heart. He’s not only still going to bring it to pass, but it’s going to turn out better than you thought.
Genesis 48:5-10 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will now be reckoned as though they are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine… in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers… 10 … Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them”.
Don’t miss this….Jacob said to Joseph, “Your two sons will be as though they were my sons”…..God is adopting you in spite of what they did or didn’t do. You may feel like you’ve been under a generational curse because of how you were raised; God is choosing you to start a generational blessing. You’re the difference-maker; God is calling you the fore-runner, and the way-maker….you are the one to affect your family line for generations to come and multitudes would be effected by this moment.
it was extremely significant that these boys, adopted by Jacob,were grandsons, not sons; they should have had to wait another generation, forty years, to receive what Jacob was giving them. normally, it would’ve come from their father, Joseph; he would’ve passed down the blessing, inheritance, that was given to him. But Jacob was skipping a generation… they were receiving something that they didn’t have coming to them.
Grace was overtaking protocol and showing us the character of God; there are things that we don’t deserve, we were off course, doing our own thing, but God Who is full of mercy said, “I’m going to reach down in spite of your past, your mistakes, what your family didn’t do, and I’m going to adopt you anyway.” That’s why it’s supernatural! It supersedes the natural…
Paul said in Ephesians 1:5 “The Father planned, in his purpose of love, that we should be adopted as his own children through Jesus Christ” As His children, we are receiving our generational line through Him.
because you’ve been adopted, you’re going to come into blessings that you didn’t earn, favor that you didn’t deserve. your past is not going to limit you. how you were is not going to keep God from blessing you. like these boys’ mother, who didn’t honor God, or make good choices; God is not holding that against you. He says, “I’m adopting you anyway. not as my grandchild but as My own son or daughter.” What a powerful statement that God doesn’t have any grandchildren, only sons and daughters….
The crossed hands blessing is speeding things up….Joseph’s sons shouldn’t have been heirs for another generation, but because of what Jacob did, they skipped a generation. There are things that should take you years to accomplish: get out of debt, break an addiction, set a new standard. but God is going to do for you what he did for these boys; catapult you ahead. You’re going to see things happen faster than you thought; it should have taken you a generation, but God’s going to do a quick work. Because you’re honoring Him, saying, “as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord.” Yes, God is speeding things up. what should have taken you your whole life is going to happen in a fraction of that time.
Amos 9:13 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.”
Favor is not fair. When God blesses you, don’t be surprised if some people get jealous. When He speeds things up, when you break barriers, some people won’t understand it. They’ll start talking about you; “you don’t deserve it, you’re not talented, you’re just lucky.” it’s not luck, it’s favor, God has decided to shine down on you, making things happen that you could not make happen. Your job is to stay on the high road.
God says in Matthew 20:15 Don’t I have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
You don’t need for everyone to like you. some people can’t handle your faith and your convictions. if they walk away, let them. you didn’t need them; if they left you, they’re not a part of your destiny. don’t waste your valuable time with people that won’t celebrate the blessing that God put on your life. Don’t apologize for it, you didn’t choose it, God chose you, and said, “I’m adopting you, giving you what you don’t deserve, taking you to a new level.” Wear your blessings well; it’s the favor of God on your life.
Genesis 48:13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn…
17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” Like Joseph, when his dad crossed his hands, sometimes we think God has it mixed up, but He’s just doing His Alpha and Omega thing, for He knows the end from the beginning and everything in between. Speaking of things feeling like they’re getting all mixed up… A man took his wife to get tested for Covid 19. Several days go by, and he receives a call from the doctor. The doctor tells him, “Due to an unfortunate mixup with the lab, we got your wife’s test mixed up with another woman. We are not sure if your wife has Covid-19 or Alzheimer’ The man, clearly frustrated, asked the doctor, “Well what am I supposed to do with that kind of information?” The doctor paused as though thinking it through and then said, “I recommend you take her for a very long walk and leave her. If she finds her way home, just don’t let her in the house.”
God doesn’t always bless the way we expect. God often bypassesall the tradition, and does something out of the ordinary. When Joseph tried to stop his father, Jacob said in effect, “I know Ephraim was born second, but I’m crossing my arms on purpose, to show him favor that he doesn’t deserve.” (If he deserved it, it wouldn’t be favor) This story is not so much about one family member getting ahead of another, it’s God showing us how He can take people from the back of the line, that don’t have the position, who feel left out, and bring them to the front. God loves to choose people that others say are not qualified, don’t have the talent, don’t come from the right family, or made too many mistakes. Please, don’t believe those lies, God is about to cross His arms, and reposition you in a place that you didn’t earn, you didn’t qualify for, and you weren’t next in line.God’s going to make things happen that you didn’t see coming.
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing that his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man looked for any indication that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the day that he graduated, his father walked up to him and told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful gift wrapped box. Curious, with visions of his dream car, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold.
Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" threw the bible and stormed away, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and he had not seen his dad since that graduation day. While feeling the regret of the separation, he received a *……telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.
When he arrived at his father’s house, sadness and remorse filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the Bible, still new, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father has carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7: 11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"
As he read those words, a car key dropped from the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had always wanted. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words....PAID IN FULL.
How many times have we missed God’s blessings because they were not packaged as we expected?
God crossed His hands….Isaiah said “His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
You may think that where you are now is where you’re always going to be, you’ve reached your limits. that would all be true, except for one thing; God is going to cross His arms and He will open doors you never dreamed would open, and he’ll promote you even though you weren’t next in line. You’ll think, “how did I get here? I didn’t have the training, experience, connections.” here’s how… It’s already been paid in full!
we can all come up with an excuse to justify living below the blessing. “I don’t have the training, connections, confidence, talent, size, personality.” God says, “I know all that. I created you, you don’t feel like you have what you need to go further; don’t worry, God has crossed His hands, to make things happen that you couldn’t make happen.
Turn your worry into worship and watch God turn your battles into blessings…..If you could see the measure of the blessing God has coming for you, then you would understand the intensity of the battle you’re facing that’s trying to keep you from it….
God has things in store for you that you don’t see coming. This amazing story of the grace of God as Jacob crosses his hands, reveals that He has unexpected favor for His people, He’s going to do things that we could never earn or receive in the natural realm.And there are so many more….
Judges 6:15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you.”
Gideon is threshing his own wheat by night, and hiding for fear that the Philistines will see him. God said, “You’re a mighty man of valor, Gideon, I know you’re not qualified, not next in line, but I’m going to cross My arms, take you from the background to the foreground, give you influence and ability that you’ve never had.”
Samson could have said, “God, I don’t deserve Your goodness. You gave me supernatural strength and I blew it, I kept giving in to temptation. now I’m blind, bound, grinding at the mill, and it’s all my own fault.” God said, “Sampson, I knew every mistake you would ever make, and My mercy is bigger than anything you’ve done wrong. yes, you should die defeated, feeling like a failure, but take heart; I’m going to cross My arms.” And God blessed Sampson one more time:
Judges 16:22 “And the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and even upon the roof were about three thousand men and women, that beheld while they made sport of Samson. 29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. 30 And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the number which he slew were more than they which he slew in all of his life”.
If you have God’s presence, you have His favor, and that can accomplish more than all your striving. You may have a thousand reasons why you can’t accomplish your dreams, or get out of that problem; God is saying, “I’m about to cross My arms, show you unexpected favor, promotion, healing, breakthroughs.” you didn’t see it coming, and you weren’t qualified, but it’s going to happen because it’s just the goodness of God.
You may have some big problems, a lot coming against you, butthe scripture says: Isaiah 59:1 “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save.” God wants you to know that the He has saved the best for last!
Do you think somehow you’re too far back, made too many mistakes, missed too many opportunities….? God’s arm is not too short to deliver, heal, provide, establish and, vindicate you. When He crosses His arms, things are going to fall into place: good breaks, Devine favor, and opportunities are going to chase you down.
In the book of Luke, the angel said: Luke 1:30 “Don’t be frightened, Mary,” “for God has decided to wonderfully bless you! Wow, she didn’t need to have a husband to have a baby! God crossed his arms and bypassed the natural sequence of things…..
God in His mercy crossed His arms, chose to be good to you, turned that problem around that you got yourself into, opened that door that you could have never opened.
On the surface, there are many things that could hold you back, cause you to think, “too bad, this is my lot in life,” but God doesn’t choose the way we choose.
David said: 2 Samuel 7:18 … “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? Aren’t you glad that it’s not who you are, but who He is….
David was saying, “I’m not the biggest, strongest, most qualified, I didn’t come from royalty, I was a shepherd, working in the fields, minding my own business, and Lord, look where you’ve taken me.” He didn’t have to go after it, it came after him; the prophet Samuel showed up at his house to anoint him king. He didn’t have to chase anyone down to get it.
Remember, it wasn’t the older son, Esau, but it was Jacob who got Isaac’s blessing. And in the same way, the greater blessing passed not to Ishmael the first born son of Abraham, but to Isaac. God has some far and beyond your imagination opportunities that are about to come looking for you.
By blessing Joseph’s sons, God was giving a double blessing to Joseph. There is no Joseph tribe, but Joseph was given two tribes through Ephraim and Manassas. When God crosses His arms there is a double blessing in store…
The double blessing means that the right people are going to track you down. it’s the arm of the Lord reaching down to promote, elevate, and increase you. you’re going to look back and say, “wow, God, I never dreamed You’d take me to this level or do it like that.”
Keep your faith out in front of you. Negative thoughts and vain imagination, will tell you it’s never going to happen; But if you know the blesser, get ready, God’s about to cross His arms. you’re coming into unexpected blessing, things are going to turn around, He’s going to bypass someone that everyone thought should get it, to get to you.
I want everyone to stand and cross your hands. God is going to cross His hands as He blesses you today so that you can impart a double blessing to someone else. It will mean that it’s above what you could ask, think or expect. In a way you could never make happen in yourself. God is rearranging some things, and rescheduling some things. He is causing a shift to take place at some intersections in your future. It was going to go one way, but now, it’s going to go another way. It would have happened one way, but now it’s going to happen another way. Left will now be right, down will now be up, back-ward will now be forward…. It will feel like you’re going back, but it is God’s new forward…..Lord we receive the crossed hands blessing that you have reserved for us according to Your word and because you’re true to your nature, you make us the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, abounding, not just surviving… Lord the baker, the butler and the financier are stepping forth and about to be revealed. In Jesus
Now receive it and begin to thank Him for it, before you see it…..
