YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN – PART 2

Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis 41:51-52

Joseph life is quite a story! Despite being treated unfairly multiple times, he experienced the favor of God in his life and continued to be elevated.

Genesis 39 tells us that even though Joseph was wrongly thrown into prison, he kept his heart right and because the Lord was with him, whatever he did the Lord caused to prosper!

Joseph ended up interrupting the dreams of two of Pharaohs servants, while in prison. One of those servants was released and Joseph asked him to put in a good word for him, but the man forgot. So Joseph sat in prison longer because of one man’s forgetfulness. Joseph eventually ended up, by the ability of God interrupting one of Pharaohs dreams and he was again elevated to and became the Prime Minster over Egypt!

His journey took him from the pit, to the prison, to the palace! When every circumstance tried to drag him down, beat him up and take him out, he rose to the top.

We can learn such valuable insight from Joseph’s life. Later in his life, after he was married and had children, Genesis 41 tells us that he named one of his sons Manasseh because he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles” and he named another son, Ephraim because, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my grief.”

Forget and be fruitful! Just like Paul had to forget and leave those things behind in order for him to obtain what was ahead of him (Phil. 3:13), Joseph had to forget the wrong of his past in order for him to move on to fruitfulness.

For Joseph to experience fruitfulness he had to forget the things others had done to him. Paul had to forget the things he had done to others. But both of them walked in the supernatural power and favor of God! Neither of them allowed their past to define their identity, determine their worth or dictate their future!

Joseph was elevated by God! It wasn’t because people were always nice to him or treated him fairly. It wasn’t because he always had good circumstances or that people always told the truth about him. It wasn’t because things happened quickly for him or that people remembered and appreciated him. None of that happened, but despite of the terrible circumstances and mistreatment, he was elevated by God.

An elevated life must be lived in spite of opposition. Joseph’s life wasn’t elevated because he was never knocked down. It was lifted because of how he acted when he was knocked down. He kept getting up, with a good attitude, letting go of what had been unleashed against him and holding fast to the one who was for him.



Declaration to Life: Thank you for Joseph’s example. Other people can’t write my narrative unless I let them. God has the final word over my life! The weapons formed against me will not be successful!