PROGRAM SUCCESS – JULY 2011 PAGE 39
Is There A Famine In The Land
The brisk economic times seems to place a dark shadow over the entrance of the 2011 Summer . The real estate market is down to an all-time low , gas prices are high , the war in Iraq lingers , and the leadership of our country is up for grabs again . Everyone everywhere has been touched someway by these trying times . We feel the ill affects … unemployment , foreclosures , high crime rates , increase sickness and even death . How did we get here ? Where was the warning ? Do we escape ?
I ’ m reminded of the Pharaoh who had a troubling dream that no one could interpret but Joseph as he explained that Egypt would have seven years of harvest followed by seven years of famine . The dream was a warning to Pharaoh that gave him time to prepare for the dramatic economic downturn that was about to come . We today have had many years of harvest , a time when everything was plentiful and our work produced fruit with very little effort . Now things have been getting lean and by all indicators , will continue and become progressively worst over the next years .
Harvest should not just be a time of indulgence . A time we spend and consume , fulfilling our hearts every desire . It is much easier to save when there is abundance . It is less difficult to study and learn when there is no pressure . Building relationships comes without thinking when times are good . However , when famine strikes the land , unpreparedness and derelict of duty leaves many stating - Could ’ ve , Would ’ ve , Should ’ ve !
I could have saved money . I would have gone to school and earned that degree . I should have worked a little harder in establishing closer relationships with other businesses . Now times are hard and money is tight for me and everyone else . Where do I go ? To whom do I turn ? God is not a respecter of persons and He blesses us all the same in that He has given us all 24 hours in a day . It is what we do with that time that differentiates us as individuals . Successful individuals can track the number of hours they spend towards bettering themselves each day .
Pharaoh had the dream , and in Genesis 41:25 , Joseph explains to Pharaoh that God is showing him what He is about to do . This tells us that regardless of what our state maybe as a People today … God is still very much in control . Many are adversely affected today not because the Devil has attacked them , but simply because they are out of touch with God and unaware of what God is doing , and therefore frivolously spend their time .
Joseph supplied Pharaoh with knowledge which allowed Pharaoh to create a “ famine plan ” which prevented starvation and kept Egypt from turning from might to ruin . What you don ’ t know can hurt you , therefore , we all need to know what ’ s ahead , and have a detailed survival plan prepared . As leaders , it is our responsibility - not an option .
The Bible is still our road map and guide to successful living . It gives us an account of how God dealt with those of yesterday as an indication of what is expected of us today . Though we may change and are constantly finding ways to innovate and upgrade , God is still the same , yesterday , today and forever . Make sure you are not reshaping God to fit your plans and desires , but instead seeking His will and plan for your life . Only then can we expect to rise above the famine in the land .
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