Receiving God’s best — Overcoming Life’s Obstacles
Genesis 41:38 NKJV And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
I believe it is possible for you to experience God’s best.
Throughout the Bible, we are given examples of people who faced severe obstacles.
Some of these people were successful in overcoming the obstacles they faced, but some failed. This verse refers to one of the great success stories.
Joseph faced all kinds of severe obstacles in his life.
The kinds of things he faced have caused many people to give up or cave in. Even in his youth he was confronted with obstacles that challenged the dream that God had placed in his heart. As we follow his life and we see that he was confronted with one obstacle after another. Many of those events could have destroyed the heavenly vision that he was given in his youth.
After he was brought out of jail and appeared before Pharaoh, this verse was written.
Have you ever felt that nobody understood what God was doing in you?
You just kept going from one thing into another. It seems like those things were trying to keep you from enjoying God’s best. In the midst of everything that Joseph faced, he held on to his faith in God and was blessed. Pharaoh and his servants had to confess, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
In 2 Kings 12, we find the story of king Jehoash.
2 Kings 12:1-3 NIV84 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
The story of King Joash is fascinating.
His reign was filled with the promise of receiving God’s best.
God set him up for greatness and was prepared to give him His best even though the land was filled with wickedness.
Joash’s grandmother had killed all of the royal family when her son the king died and set herself upon the throne.
At that time, Joash’s great-aunt hid the infant Joash and his nurse and smuggled them out of the palace. They hid for six years in a secret place in the Temple of God.
When Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada the priest staged an uprising against the wicked and idolatrous grandmother.
He placed the boy Joash upon his rightful throne. The temple of Baal was destroyed and Baal’s priest was put to death. The covenant with God and temple worship was restored. It looked like a golden age was coming to Judah. Plans had been laid and the process was started.
It looked like God’s best was about to spring upon them.
The hand of God was on Joash to bless him. Then something went wrong. What kept God from pouring out His blessing? What did Joash do wrong?
Four things stand out in Joash’s life as obstacles to God’s best.
The first obstacle to receiving God’s best was… “follow the leader” faith.
2 Kings 12:2 NIV84 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
2 Chronicles 24:17–18 NKJV Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them. Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass.
Of Joseph it was said, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
Joash was not that man.
He did what was right as long as Jehoiada showed him what to do. He had very little personal conviction. He was walking in the shadow of God’s priest.
As soon as Jehoiada was gone, Joash was easily led astray.
He reinstated idol worship and mixed it with the worship of the One True God. The King did not have a strong faith and trust in God.
It is amazing to watch Joseph.
He had every opportunity to compromise his convictions. He faced one obstacle after another. He refused to give up on his faith and trust in God.
Joash seemed to be a follower primarily because he had no personal convictions.
It was easier to follow than to develop his own character and relationship with God. Joash did some amazing things as long as someone else told him what God wanted him to do. Jehoiada continued showing him the right way, but Joash never had a complete change of heart.
His second obstacle was… neglecting the strongholds.
2 Kings 12:3 NKJV But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
The high places were centers of idol worship on mountains and hilltops.
Asherah Poles were erected in high places to sacrifice to their false gods. When Joash was old enough to do something about this, he was not willing to do it. Idol worship had become more prevalent than the worship of the living God.
There is an amazing difference in Joseph and Joash.
Both men were surrounded by idols to false gods. Joseph continued holding on to his faith in God. Joash never developed a personal deep relationship with God.
What does this have to do with us?
Do you have any high places? Do you have places in your life that God has no access to? Are there habits in your life that you refuse to address? Are there sins that you have not turned from?
Joseph refused to let go of his relationship with God, but Joash never got that far.
The next obstacle to God’s best is… the surrender of the sacred.
2 Kings 12:17-18 NKJV Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.
When faced with a crisis, Joash did not turn to the Lord.
He did not call the nation to fast and pray. When he faced a crisis, he surrendered all the things that had been dedicated to the Lord. He used them as a bribe to get his enemy to leave him alone.
When Joseph was confronted with Potiphar’s wife, he refused to sin against God.
You should know that it never pays to compromise with evil. It is amazing to see how easy it is for some people to surrender the things that have been dedicated to God.
When push comes to shove in your life, what gives way?
If we are earnestly seeking God’s best in our lives, all of our resources, time, talent and treasure must belong to Him first. If we surrender the sacred for the sake of convenience, we cannot expect God’s best.
The last obstacle to God’s best comes from 2 Chronicles… ignoring the call to repentance.
After Jehoiadadied the leaders of Judah came to Joash the king and the king listened to them.Therefore they abandoned the house of God and served wooden images and idols.
2 Chronicles 24:19–21The Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, who said:“Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ”
Joash did not want God’s best as much as he wanted the approval of those around him.
“At the command of the king they stoned Zechariah with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.”
Joash strayed far from the path the Lord had marked for him.
In mercy, God sent messengers to warn him, to invite him back, to offer a return and restoration.
Joash did not want to hear what he was doing was wrong, so he killed the messenger.
God was offering mercy and grace and an opportunity to repent. God wanted to bless Joash and His people. That is always God’s will for His people.
Genesis 41:38 NKJV And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
When Pharaoh looked on Joseph, he saw a man in whom is the Spirit of God.
Joseph had gone through so many things that could have made him bitter and mad at God. He had ample opportunity to forsake the heavenly vision. He could have forsaken the living God and followed the gods of the Egyptians. Joseph remained true to God and the heavenly vision. He was a man in whom the Spirit of God dwelt.
Joash had every opportunity to respond to God.
Every obstacle he faced was an opportunity for him to turn to God. God sent people into his life to help direct him into God’s blessing and best. The Holy Spirit was working with great convicting power, but Joash constantly refused.
It is amazing to watch how Joseph conquered the obstacles in his life.
He didn’t let the ridicule of his brothers or being sold into slavery stop him. He didn’t lose faith when he was falsely accused in Potipher’s house. He didn’t quit when he was thrown in prison. Even when he was abandoned by the chief butler he continued trusting in God. He stood strong in the Spirit of God through every obstacle.
How are you going to respond to the obstacles in your life?
Think about the opportunity that Joash was given.
If he would have moved on into the deep relationship that he saw in Jehoiada, he could have led the whole nation into a golden age of blessing. Is your faith in God going to remain true and strong? Are you going to give up as soon as you walk away from people of faith?
If you are going to receive God’s best, you must become that man and woman of God that is full of the Spirit of God.
God is ready to take you into a higher level of blessing.
