by Matt Sorger
With God’s perspective, I can now rejoice and thank God for every painful experience that worked greater humility in me. There have been so many times even in recent years where God has taken a painful moment and worked a deeper humility in my heart. Humility is not something we arrive at. It is an attitude of the heart that we must continually cultivate and develop. We are servants called to carry the image of Jesus on our lives for all the world to see. God gives us power so we can serve and help others. We must never forget that we are servants first, no matter what our title or position may be.
It’s amazing when you get to experience this level of humility in the lives of people who have great influence. I had the privilege of accompanying Reinhard Bonnke, one of the Lord’s leading evangelists, on a mass crusade outreach in Nigeria. This general has led millions of people to faith in Christ all across Africa. I’ll never forget the time I spent with him. Each morning around ten of us would gather together for devotions and prayer. Reinhard would share the word with us and eat breakfast with us at the table. At night, after standing before hundreds of thousands of people, he would sit with us in his undershirt and just talk and laugh. He has a great sense of humor. I asked him if he travels with ministry bodyguards. He laughed and said, “No. I don’t have any bodyguards. I just travel with my team.” There were about five people from his team with him.
One night, just before he was to preach at the crusade, he turned to the young man he was raising up as an evangelist and said, “Daniel, you take the meeting tonight. I am going to go back to my room.” He handed his platform over to this young man—a platform that took him years to build, not to mention the million dollars invested in putting such an outreach together. He later told us, “I have to pass the baton. I have to raise up the next generation to take my place.” I was semi-stunned by his statement. I had heard a lot of ministers talk about how it’s important to raise others up, but rarely have I ever seen one give his platform to a younger, less experienced leader to help empower and release them into their call. This was true humility at its finest—no fear, no insecurity, no competition. I believe it’s this very heart attitude that has enabled Reinhard Bonnke to reach and sustain what God has given him. But even more than that, it has empowered him to multiply himself in others, leaving a legacy behind him that will far outlast even his own life. What a testimony to the power of humility!
The Release of God’s Favor
Not everyone gets to experience leaders with this heart. But God uses the difficult moments for a purpose. The painful circumstances and surroundings that I experienced as a young minister soon positioned me in places where God’s favor opened up new doors of opportunity leading me into my destiny. With each step of faith God unraveled His divine plan for me. No matter what happened, I never allowed bitterness or resentment into my heart. I kept my heart clear. I remained humble. I took every beating with a smile. Sure, I had to work through the pain, but I never let it taint my attitude or spirit. This was vital if I was to fulfill my assignment from God. The only thing that can disqualify you from God’s blessing is if you allow anger or resentment to defile your heart and short-circuit God’s higher plan.
The secret is staying planted by the well, as Joseph did. The well is our secret source of power. It’s God’s presence and anointing. As long as we stay connected to our source, no matter what surrounds our life, our branches will keep growing until we go right over the walls that are around us! In other words, you will be fruitful in your call, fruitful in your purpose no matter what man tries to do. Nothing can hold you back when God’s hand is upon you. You will be fruitful and experience the life of power God has for you no matter what other people say or do. In fact, it may just be the negative things they do to you that propel you right into God’s blessings! “What? Did I just read that?” Yes, you did. The very things people do to hurt you will be the very things that God uses to maneuver you into your life’s purpose. But in order for that to happen, you have to really grasp the power of having the right perspective.
Getting a Higher Perspective
It is important to live each day with a positive perspective. It is not wise to pretend problems do not exist, but it is wise to look beyond the problem to the possibilities that are in it. When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, “He’s so big, we can never kill him.” But David looked at the same giant and thought, “He’s so big, I can’t miss him.”1
—DR. DALE E. TURNER
Psalm 105 talks about what Joseph had to walk through. It shows us that God’s perspective can be completely opposite to man’s perspective. The circumstances may be the same, but God knows the end result.
Psalm 105:17–22 states, “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a servant. His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron, until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true, until the word of the Lord tried and tested him. The king sent and loosed him, even the ruler of the peoples, and let him go free. He made Joseph lord of his house and ruler of all his substance, to bind his princes at his pleasure and teach his elders wisdom.”
Verse 17 explains it all. “He sent a man...who was sold as a servant.” From the earthly perspective Joseph was sold into slavery. He was abused and mistreated by his brothers. They were so jealous they wanted to kill him. They sold him as a slave so his destiny could never be fulfilled. They tried to destroy him. This was man’s perspective. It seemed as if the actions of Joseph’s brothers were causing the exact opposite thing to happen than what God had spoken. From the earthly perspective man was destroying Joseph’s dreams and destiny.
God saw things very differently. Joseph was not just a man being sold into slavery. He was a man being sent by God. Man’s viewpoint said, “Sold”; God’s viewpoint said, “Sent”—same situation, different interpretation. The problem is, God does not always send us the way we think He should. But Joseph needed to be divinely positioned by God so that at the right moment he could be promoted to his place of destiny. God knew that the best way for Joseph to get near the king was to be placed in the dungeon where he would meet the chief butler. It would be this one connection that would bring Joseph from the dungeon to the palace. But Joseph had to be in the dungeon to make this connection!
The entire time, even when man couldn’t see it, God’s hand was at work to position Joseph exactly where he needed to be to fulfill the dream. God even used Joseph’s brothers’ ungodliness to fulfill His purposes. Each painful experience pushed Joseph closer to his divine assignment. Each act of betrayal and accusation caused Joseph to be divinely positioned by God. Then when the right moment had arrived, God shut off all the revelation in the land. No one could interpret Pharaoh’s dream—no one but Joseph, that is. This is what God was doing all along. Then in one single moment of breakthrough, Joseph was promoted to the top!
Bird’s-Eye Perspective of Training
As a new baby eaglet grows in size, at some point it becomes time to fly. The parents encourage the eaglet by flapping their wings above the nest. If that doesn’t work, the parents entice the young eagle to fly by holding food just out of reach. While these young eagles have a natural-born instinct to fly, they must still practice to gain strength. While in the nest young eagles will flap their wings and at times become slightly airborne. They learn how to fly by watching their parents. Soon baby fat turns into muscle, and they become more agile. With a need to fulfill their hunger, eventually they will catch an updraft of wind and take their first soaring flight.2
We really learn from this that God will allow our circumstances to get uncomfortable so we become motivated to fly. In the same way a baby eagle is motivated to fly due to the discomfort of hunger, God will use uncomfortable circumstances to encourage us into our destiny, even if it is the scariest thing in the world. Before I launched out into evangelistic ministry, God had given me a vision of an eagle getting launched out of the nest like a rocket. I knew my time was comi
ng. But I was still scared to make the transition into the unknown. God had to make my surroundings uncomfortable in order to propel me into a greater destiny. As they say in Jamaica, “No problem, mon!” It’s all perspective.
Somewhere along his journey Joseph obtained the bird’s-eye view for his life. In Genesis 50:20, he said to his brothers who had tried to destroy him, “As for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day.”
Somewhere along his painful journey Joseph got a glimpse of God’s higher perspective. (See Genesis 45:5–8.) He realized that every bad thing that happened to him along the way served the purposes of God in getting him where he needed to be to fulfill his divine assignment.
You must realize that every trial you have had to face, every time you were mistreated by others, falsely accused, rejected, abused, pushed down, criticized, all of these things have served to maneuver you into the proper position to get you to where God needed you to be so you could fulfill His will for your life. Often during the process it’s difficult to see God’s hand at work. It’s usually not until afterward that you realize what God was up to.
I want to encourage you to stay planted by the well even before you can fully see God’s purposes. As you worship and wait on God, He can reveal to you His hidden plan. But even if you can’t see the full picture, keeping a good attitude and a pure heart will be essential if you want to fulfill your kingdom assignment.
Joseph had obtained God’s perspective. That’s why he could love, forgive, and bless those who mistreated him. He was able to turn around and thank them for what they did because he realized it had to happen to bring him to his destiny. That’s why you also can rejoice when you fall into various trials. That’s why you can get happy when people mistreat you. God is using them to get you somewhere. Don’t let your pain destroy you. Let it propel you!
Life After Death
Brandi’s father was an abusive and violent man. With a criminal record and more than twenty DWIs/DUIs, he would violently abuse Brandi’s mother, verbally and physically. In an effort to cause her to miscarry while pregnant with Brandi, her stomach became his punching bag. Brandi was aborted by her mother and father on September 12, 1983. She was given the ultimate stamp of rejection as a sentence of death was imposed upon her in the womb. She was burned alive by a saline abortion at twenty-one weeks in the womb. As she lay there lifeless, to everyone’s shock her arm shot up. She was still alive! She survived and was further spared from infanticide.
As a result of what she went through while in the womb, she struggles with physical handicaps today. In school she was teased and picked on by the other kids because of her differences. She never received love or support from either her mom or dad. Brandi’s mom would tell her that she wished the abortion had been successful.
But Brandi made a choice. She chose to forgive and not let shame, embarrassment, or her physical disabilities silence the voice God had given her. What was intended for her destruction had only served to make her stronger. God has enabled her to rise above her physical challenges and overcome them with her testimony. She lives not only as a survivor but also as a hero, championing the cause for the unborn and those with physical handicaps.
On May 19, 2010, as a result of Brandi’s testimony, a law was passed by the Louisiana state senate requiring doctors performing abortions to do a pre-abortion ultrasound and give the mother the choice to see the ultrasound image or a printout. Now pregnant women can make an informed “choice.” Brandi’s life is having a profound effect on natural laws, and as a result, lives are being saved. Make the choice, like Brandi, to turn your stumbling blocks into stepping-stones of purpose and destiny.3
The Perfect Storm
The eagle uses the winds of a storm to propel itself higher and higher. As it effortlessly soars, it can rest its wings and preserve energy. While other birds are hiding in the trees, the eagle is soaring to a new height. In the same way, you can never waste a good trial. Don’t hide; fly!
Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into var ious temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and stead fastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
—JAMES 1:2–4
When you endure through trials, God is working in you to remove all your defects. He’s bringing you to a place of spiritual maturity so you can have the best life possible. So when it looks like everything is going wrong, get happy! Rejoice! Not only is God working out His amazing plan for you, but also in the process He is refining you so that when you get to where you are going, you will have the heart you need to stay there. God’s ultimate goal isn’t just what you will do for Him. It’s who you will become. His goal is to make you fruitful. Having the right perspective will give you the power to produce abundant fruit. It’s this fruit that will empower you to fulfill your purpose.
Joseph fulfilled his assignment from God and saved a nation. Man sold him, but God sent him. The same happened with Jesus. He was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver and sold by Judas to the Pharisees. Jesus was sold by man but sent by God—sent to save the world from their sin. Joseph was sent to save his nation from famine. As a result Joseph was able to preserve a remnant in the earth called Israel through which the Savior would be born to ultimately save the world, which actually makes the story of Joseph much bigger than Joseph and his brothers. God’s plan for you is much bigger than you realize.
Fulfilling Your Ultimate Destiny
When you read about the life of Joseph, you see that success is not just about what we accomplish for God during the time He gives us. It’s not just about what we do. The true mark of success is actually who we become in the process of walking out our journey.
In Genesis 49:22–26, not only did Jacob talk about Joseph’s trials and sufferings that he had to endure and the blessings he would receive from God, but he also talked about Joseph’s fruitfulness. Joseph was not one who could be contained. He would expand and multiply under the blessings of God. In the process of everything he had to walk through, he became fruitful. What does that mean? Did it mean he liked to eat fruit? No. It meant that his life produced the nature, character, and heart of God. It meant that he did what was right even when it was hard. He believed God when things looked hopeless. He refused to let bitterness and resentment rob his destiny. He refused to let his pain and wounds defeat him. He refused to take vengeance on his enemies even when he had the power to.
You see, God’s destiny was to entrust Joseph with great power and influence. But God needed to know that he could trust Joseph with that power and that it would be used correctly. So He allowed Joseph to be tested to see how he would react and respond. God’s Word tested Joseph. Joseph kept his heart clean and free. When God’s perfect timing came, Joseph in a moment was catapulted into God’s blessing and purpose. And his heart was in the right place at the right time so nothing could hinder what God wanted to do through him. He was a fruitful bough. Joseph was able to fulfill his divine assignment and use his power correctly because he had God’s perspective. This perspective empowered Joseph to love and forgive, realizing God was working everything for his good.
One thing I want you to understand. No matter what man does to you or doesn’t do for you...no matter what your circumstances say to you...absolutely nothing can keep you from the abundant life God has for you as long as you choose to walk in love and forgiveness because you see your life from God’s perspective. Not only did Joseph succeed in accomplishing great things, saving the nation during a time of famine, and rescuing his own family from peril, but he also fulfilled God’s ultimate destiny for him and became fruitful. He walked in perseverance, love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy. This is what God was lookin
g for the whole time. Joseph finished his race strong and became all God destined him to be.
You will realize one day, if you haven’t already, that many of life’s pains are blessings in disguise. I remember when I could no longer remain on staff as a pastor because God was calling me into travel ministry. While I wanted to do both, God had other plans—better plans. I remember when another minister said to me, “Matt, one day you will be really thankful for this.” I thought to myself at that time, “Yeah, right. I’m losing everything—my church family, spiritual home, and ministry.” I was actually semi-traumatized by the whole thing and had to fight off depression for about six months after my transition. I didn’t feel too thankful at the time. But looking back now, I realize that was exactly what needed to happen for me to have the freedom to run the race God had set before me. Anything less would not have been God’s perfect will for me. And because I kept my heart free from any trace of offense and honored God’s authorities and those He placed in my life, nothing could stop God’s blessings.
Always remember this. Though the enemy may have a plan and an assignment to bring pain and destruction into your life, God’s assignment is always greater. When you submit to God, keep a pure heart, and worship Him even in your brokenness, God will grant to you His heavenly perspective, allowing you to enjoy your journey a whole lot more and experience His resurrection power every day of your life. Just as Joseph was released from the prison, you too will be released into every good thing God has for you. Don’t waste a good trial, and never let the enemy steal your praise!
CHAPTER 9
The Power of Perseverance
Mission Possible
I REMEMBER WATCHING THE television show Get Smart as a kid. It was my favorite detective show. Agent 86 was always faced with insurmountable challenges that he had to overcome.
