Be Bold In Sharing by Brother Curtis Hansen

         The scripture reading will be in the first book of the Old Testament Genesis. Chapter 37 and beginning with verse 5.

        5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

        6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

        7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

        8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

        The message today is going to be about Joseph and his brothers. The lasting sentiment that remains with the story of Joseph's life was that the Lord was with him. Jacob, Joseph's father was married to two sisters. Jacob's wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's sister and Jacob's other wife was Leah. Leah was the mother of 10 men who would begin the 10 tribes of Israel.

        At the time of the scripture, it is estimated that Joseph was a young man, about 17 years old. If you do not fight the battles in your family and overcome, your children and even your children's children will face those battles. If you look at the story of Jacob when he was younger, he was at odds with his twin brother Esau. Leah and Rachel had aught with each other.

        Let's go back to the scripture selection. Joseph has a tendency to overshare with his brothers which gotten him thrown into a pit and sold into slavery. What informed this tension and strife? It was from the parents unresolved issues. Joseph's beloved coat of many colors was a bold showing of a father's favor in public. There are people who you will meet in life like Joseph's brothers. Don't hide the coat your father provided for you in public. That coat shows you have favor with your Heavenly Father.

        The dream Joseph has was pretty profound and big. When you get a sign like that from God, you have to know that there is going to be a lot of work to go through to get it. The concept of predestination does not override your free will. If you do not work for God, there are others who God will select.

        The favor of God gets you started. You need to have boldness to overshare at times and also have a boldness to lead. God's favor was on Joseph when he was in Potipher's house. Joseph would bot be influenced by his outside surroundings. He knew who he was to his core, even when he was in Egypt. You should know yourself and be true to God in your walk.