Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): You're just in time for today's installment of the Power Walk Ministries broadcast with Pastor Paul Cannings. Broken, Not Defeated, that's the title of our current series as taught by Pastor Paul Cannings. Pastor Cannings has been taking us step by step through the life of Joseph. It's quite amazing to see him as a young man showing so much maturity and level-headedness in the midst of cruelty, injustice, and long-drawn suffering.

So how did Joseph finish well? Pastor Cannings takes us further into Joseph's life to bring us today's message titled, Be Sober.

Dr. Paul Cannings: How can hopelessness turn to hope? How can despair become less moments of crying, less moments of feeling not too sure how you're going to make it to more times where you find strength and more smiles, even when there are times you still cry? How can that happen? Is that something that we just sing away? Is that something we hope that just time will remove and trust the Lord it will be gone? How are we approaching those times?

The Bible is clear that God would give us everything we need for life and godliness. And he's teaching us in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13 that we can't come to these times uninformed, or it will leave us in despair, even as others which have no hope. Because there's a level of ignorance when God is saying, I've given you everything you need for life and godliness through the word of God.

And when that happens, you don't stumble, you don't make mistakes. 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 through verse 11 says you make the right decisions and you come to good results because you're using the scriptures as a means of making your way through the most difficult times. In the midst of it, the Bible is talking about giving, in the midst of it, the Bible is talking about serving God. None of that has changed.

Talking to the disciples he would say, don't let your hearts be troubled. Believe in me. So their hearts were troubled. They were discipled by Jesus Christ for three years and he's talking about dying, and he's telling them, I'm going to be gone. Well, they just left the fishing business, they left the tax collecting business, they left everything. Matthew 19 verse 27 on says, we left everything to follow you, so what is in it for us? We have nothing when you are gone. How do we make it?

Peter, do you love me? He comes back to this process and challenge us how we make it through this time so that we don't function in ignorance, we don't function uninformed, even when we grieve. You cannot say to a person, stop your mourning. No, the Bible never says that mourning is sinful. Jesus Christ mourned with people. He wept with Mary. He told us to mourn with those who mourn, weep with those who weep.

That's a command of his that we must follow in supporting people that are hurting and broken in our church. We just don't pray over them. The Bible says if you do that, in James chapter 2, we have no faith. To just tell a person, go away and I'll pray for you and get yourself clothed and God will provide for you. He says no, that's not faith. That's a nice spiritual, religious thing you just said, but that's not faith. There's no works with it. Mourn with those who mourn, weep with those who weep. That's what he teaches us and he says it repeatedly in scripture, so it's not a one-time thing.

The people in 1 Thessalonians were struggling. They were hurting because they were believing that Christ is coming back and they were faithful to serve God, they were committed to serve God, they were all in in serving God. They became a model church serving God. And as time just kept going and people are dying and they're hurting, how do they function in that?

Well, he brings us to that point in 1 Thessalonians by giving us a model in Genesis of how they came through it and how they should come through it, and how the body should operate when a person suffers in the midst of it. And that's what we find with Joseph. On one hand, as we studied yesterday for Joseph, his father is saying, I'm going down to Sheol. For this place that is dark with shadowy figures. That's where I'm going. I'm done. I'm not trying to live anymore. I lost a son. Jacob probably kept functioning because of his son Benjamin. I mean because when they come back and say they need Benjamin, he says, okay, you know what? I'm not doing this.

But Joseph is different. How is Joseph different? What moves Joseph to function this way as we read yesterday when we looked at chapter 41 verse 51, when Joseph would say this? He says, and Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh, for God had made me forget all my toil and all my father's house. And the name of the second called Ephraim, for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Watch this carefully. He says, Manasseh, firstborn, for God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house. All my toil, all this stuff at Potiphar's and being in the prison and becoming the best jailer and leading the jail system and all of this hard work with no possibility of getting out. But Joseph is saying, you know what? All of that is behind me now. I'm married, I'm second in command, I'm done with all of this.

He literally says, and the name of the second son, Ephraim, God has caused me to be fruitful in this land of my affliction. It's been not just my trials, my affliction, my emotional distress. I'm in Potiphar's house doing the best I can and deal with that and I'm going to prison, nobody's going to try to get me out. There's no phone call I can make, there's no person I can call, there's no lawyer I can call on. I'm just there.

How did Joseph get there? Here's the first thing we learn. Whatever trial that Joseph came to, he approached it with God on his heart. That's the first thing we would find. When Joseph goes to Potiphar's house and Potiphar's wife sought to get him to sleep with her, Joseph said, I cannot sin against God. When his brothers would come and they kept saying, we are honest men, we are honest men, and they kept saying that and throwing that in Joseph's face and Joseph is going, you're what?

Joseph wasn't buying that. Joseph wasn't jumping up and down and saying, okay, you know what? You guys may have grown up and time may have made you wonderful and therefore we're all good. No, Joseph says, I know about character and how character looks like because I'm a man of character. I know about character because I lived with my father, I lived knowing about what God has said throughout the years he would do for the nation of Israel and as a result of that, I hold to that. So until you prove that, we got nothing to talk about. So I'm locking you all in jail.

And he kept them there for three days. But in verse 18, this is what Joseph would say. And Joseph said to them on the third day, This do and live, for I fear God. In his affliction, don't forget, this is a land of affliction, mental duress, emotional duress. Probably very lonely, no family. He's just there. A whole new culture, language to learn, and nobody to fight for him. When he comes to this, he's going, no, hold up a second. I cannot sin against God.

You see, one of the things we learn that help us to come out of things like this is when we choose to live a life of holiness. It's a choice. Please understand, some people come to that and they get frightened. I can't do everything right every day. I'm going to make mistakes. Okay, yes, so if you say that, you've actually been honest with the scriptures.

Holiness is not where people are perfect. Holiness is where people are living with commitment to let the Holy Spirit, who's within them, Philippians chapter 2 verse 12 through 13 he says, it is he who is at work within us both to will and to do for his good pleasure. Because the minute I make a choice that I'm going to do what God called me to do, I force myself to understand what is it he called me to do.

What is it that God is expecting for me to do in the situations that I face so that I live up to his standards? Because all sin is to say, I understand what his standards are, but I'm not going to do them. Sin is rebellion. It's to know what to do and choose not to do it. Sin is not an accident, it's a choice. Look at 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 13. He says, wherefore gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, just living life without the word of God dominating how I function.

Joseph wouldn't do that. The word of God kept dominating how he functioned. And he didn't have from Genesis to Revelation. He didn't have 66 books to go by. He had the stories that was passed down from his father and grandfather to him. What they taught him, what information they gave him, what the dream told him. He held to that. We have 66 books and he's saying, be sober.

In other words, yes, pain comes. Yes, duress comes. I've lost loved ones. I've lost people that are very dear to me that have always been there for me. And it hurt deeply. But he says, I came to it and I said, okay, don't function in ignorance. You've got to stay sober. And to stay sober, a drunk person going to drink, drink, drink, and then the alcohol controls how they operate. They no longer are making decisions, it's what they have taken into their body that is guiding them.

And the Bible is saying the affliction, the pain, the hardship can't guide us. The word of God must still remain. And when that happens, he says in verse 15 of 1 Peter chapter 1, but as he which had called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. So he's saying, stay sober by holding to the word of God. What is God saying? What is the next thing I need to do? What is God saying? I go to work, I have a job to do. What is God saying? I'm a member of the church.

What is God saying about the issues I'm facing financially? What is God saying about the issues I'm dealing with in the conflicts that my kids would be going through, marriage may be going through? What is God telling me to do? I'm not going to let my feelings, my emotions, and everything so overwhelm me that I lose my consciousness. And when Joseph did that, it took him further down into affliction, but God rescued him. Let's stay focused.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Pastor Cannings. Joseph approached trials with God on his heart and a commitment to not sin against him. As we take the message of the gospel and seek to equip the body of Christ effectively, would you consider partnering with us both in prayer as well as through your financial support? You can do so online at powerwalkministries.org or by giving us a call at 281-260-7402.

Aaron Campbell: I'm Aaron Campbell from Grace Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Some of the things I learned from the conference was how to implement an effective youth ministry. This conference has exceeded my expectations. I've met some amazing people and I've heard some great presentations.

Guest (Male): As it relates to Power Walk Ministry, Dr. Cannings for over 33 years, it began with him personally ministering to me in my home and then in our church, teaching me the basics of leadership and many other subjects. And we took that information and began to make it applicable in our lives and the life of our church.

And then soon after that, I began traveling with him around the world with Power Walk Ministry, helping other pastors globally to implement the principles that Power Walk Ministry stand for. So it's been beneficial to me and our ministry. And as I've traveled again around the world with Dr. Cannings, we've seen the benefits in places like Rwanda, in places like St. Maarten, the Bahamas, islands. So again, Power Walk Ministry has been a great blessing to me and I pray that it continue to be a blessing to many other ministries around the world.

Dr. Paul Cannings: I am so excited about the conference coming up April the 23rd through the 25th. I really am ecstatic about it. Pastors have come together on a committee and helped with the process moving forward. Excited about our first conference last year, but this conference this year is going to be greater.

There's like about 40 classes here. Let me give you a taste: the pastor and deacon's functioning under the leadership of Christ, a biblical approach to resolving conflict in the church, traits of successful biblical leaders, cultivating a healthy and productive team environment, overcoming the stagnation in the church, discipling leaders, dealing with how do we grow people and do evangelism at the same time.

Despite all the difficulties churches are facing, we can find a powerful effective way forward. A lot of teachers are coming to teach. They're well-trained, well-educated, practicing these principles within their church. Come be a part of April the 23rd through the 25th. Go to powerwalkministries.org so that we could move forward together for God's glory. Look forward to seeing you at this conference.

Guest (Male): And now keep in mind, Joseph honored God even as he faced betrayal from his own brothers, even in fear and trembling. So let's also remain sober and pray for God's grace to help us through trying times.