SOME FACTS ABOUT STAGES

Hi folks, all so soon we have come to the end of this journey and I hope you have been blessed, but before we sign off I want us to take a look at some facts about what we just looked at, so as to refresh our memory and probably clear any doubts in our minds.

1.       Assignment determines Duration - Your assignment on earth determines the duration you spend in your preparatory process – Just like the introductory story about the pregnant dog and the pregnant elephant, the duration one spends at a particular stage hinges on the assignment we are supposed to fulfill on earth. I saw this quote on a friends facebook page and I quote 

    “Noah – waited 120 years before the predicted rains arrived, Abraham waited for 25 years for a promised son and Joseph waited for 14 years in prison for a crime he did not” So it will be unhealthy on our part to be comparing ourselves with others, the bible says that “those who compare themselves with others are not wise”, however, you can draw inspiration and encouragement from the achievement of others. 

     My brothers and sisters, your assignment has a direct link with the amount of time you spend in your preparation period. As the person called and ordained to take the nation of Isreal out of the hands of Pharaoh, Moses went through 40 years of preparation in the wilderness before he came back as a runaway fugitive to deliver the people of Israel from Egypt according to the account in Act 7:29 – 31 (KJV) 

     “then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold”. 

    Whereas Joseph, the person destined by God to take the Children of Israel into Egypt spent just 14 years in prison just to ascend the throne of a prime minister of Egypt so as to preserve Abraham’s lineage according to the account in Genesis 45:7 – 8(KJV) “And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” 

    Joseph’s assignment was to safely send the descendants of Abraham to Egypt and Moses on the other hand had an assignment of taking them out of Egypt; they all had different assignments in fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 15 :12 -14, but their preparation wasn’t the same; their respective assignments determined the duration of their process. Please take note of the fact that your duration in the sowing stage and dying stage might be different from others.

2.    Assignment Determines Process - What we go through at each stage of our preparation is predicated on our respective assignments. The kind of wilderness I have to go through to be ready for my assignment, might not be as harsh as your wilderness. Moses was called to take the children of Israel out of the oppression they were under in Egypt according - Exodus 3:9-10 (KJV) 

     “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt”, Moses’ process to the fulfillment of this assignment was very different from Joseph’s. Joseph was called to take the descendent of Abraham into Egypt according to Genesis 45:7 -10 (KJV) 

    “And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast”. 

     Joseph the person who had the mandate of sending the descendant of Abraham safely into Egypt was first of all sold as a slave to Egyptians, whereas Moses the person who had the assignment of safely taking the descendants of Abraham out of Egypt was raised as a Prince in Egypt, Isn’t it interesting? However, for Joseph to be able to preserve the posterity of Abraham, he had to become the prime minister of Egypt after he was falsely accused and imprisoned for 14 years. 

   Whereas, Moses the person who was mandated to take the descendant of Abraham out of the oppression in Egypt had to come back as a runaway fugitive.  Although, both Joseph and Moses were called by God to carry out the prophetic word to their great grandfather Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14 (KJV) “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.” 

   They both had entirely different processes in God’s plan, it would have been therefore unwise and unhealthy for Moses to compare himself to Joseph during his forty years preparation in the wilderness.

3.       Obedience also determines Duration – In as much as God has already designed a set time for us to spend at each stage of our preparation period, our disobedience can also lengthen the duration we spend. The children of Isreal were supposed to spend a 40 day’s journey from Egypt to the promise land, yet they ended up spending 40 years because of disobedience – Numbers 14:33(KJV)  

    “And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.”  And even after 40 years it was only two out of the whole lot who made it to the Promised Land. In the same vein our obedience to God will spare us extra struggles we go through during our preparation period. Our obedience in the face of difficulty before we manifest is very important. 

     In fact our disobedience can actually abort God’s assignment on our lives and cause us our very lives just like it happened to the obstinate Israelites in Numbers_11:1(KJV) “And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” We need to be careful and be reminded of the fact that “Obedience is better than sacrifice” 1^st Samuel 15:22

As we bring the chapter to a close, I want you to know that your assignment determines your process, and the duration of your process depends on your assignment as well as your obedience. My prayer as we round up is that God strengthens us with grace to be able to rise up to the occasion and pay the price that is required of us to fulfill our God ordained assignment.  

God bless you for listen or reading, if you have any questions or comments you can leave it below, or you can also send me an email via- wisafawubo@gmail.com or send me a WhatsApp message on 0233868205. Watch out for the next Series entitled “Productivity”. See you as we as embark on the next series.