Joseph believed God had promised to remove HIS people from the land of Egypt. Joseph showed his belief by commanding that his bones be removed when they departed from Egypt.
Genesis 50
22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Not only did Joseph show faith in God that HE would deliver the people, but some of the people took faith in God by that which Joseph believed.
God had also told Abraham that after a period of 400 years, the children of Israel would be delivered from Egypt.
Genesis 15
13 And HE (God) 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;
14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Exodus 13:19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Joseph would not see this great deliverance of the people from Egypt but Joseph showed his faith that God would deliver them by instructing them to bring his bones with them when they were delivered from Egypt.
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If we really believe, if we have faith that God will do something which God has said to us, then our actions will show evidence of our faith.
💥 On the night of December 6, 2018, I fell at my house in Texas. As I began to try to crawl to the phone the pain was so severe that I stopped. I knew I could not get to the phone. But then I heard this word from the Holy Spirit: "You can do this." Because I believed it was God speaking, I started inching my way to the phone. (Faith always has appropriate action.) It took me 4 1/2 hours to get to the phone but I knew I could do this because I knew it was the Holy Spirit telling me I could do this thing.
As the ambulance workers rolled me past the front door to that house, I heard another word from the Holy Spirit bringing these words to my mind: "You'll never see this house again." Since I would not see this house again, I put the house up for sale from the hospital, listing it with a realtor. I didn't do this to show my faith but it did show my faith. I put the house up for sale because God had told me I would never see that house again. (My action showed what I really believed.) One of our church members said to me: "I don't see how you can do this." I replied: "God has told me I will never see this house again."
The house did not sell immediately. I was in rehabilitation hospitals for the next 2 1/2 months. Then I was moved from Texas directly to Colorado where I would live in future years.
A year and a half passed and the house in Texas did not sell, but I knew the house would sell for God had told me I would not see that house again. So it would sell.
I prayed many times, asking God to bring someone to buy the house.
God gave me an open vision showing me that house would sell: In the vision, I saw a man drive to the north side of the house and look at the house. Then he drove past the house and stopped and backed up and looked intently again at the house.
And that is what happened. The house was on the market for a year and a half. A couple moving to Texas looked at the house. But they didn't buy the house. Then they made an offer and then back out. But they came back and bought the house and even paid $8000 more for the house than the original price. (When they backed out, I raised the price to cover the repairs they had required on house inspection. And even though the house cost them more, they bought the house and we closed on the offer in mid-2020 with my being in Colorado and them being in Texas. I never saw that house again.
I had to wait for the house to sell but I never doubted that house would sell because God had told me, "You'll never see this house again." (and I didn't)
Through faith and patience we inherit the promises.
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Often friends, family, and church members will rise up against us but because we have faith that God told us something, we continue in our faith, believing and acting in a way appropriate to our faith in God.
In 1975, I owned a small business. A woman took me to court over an incident that happened at my business. God told me, "Don't testify." I told my lawyer he might not want to represent me since I would not be testifying and that I believed it was God telling me not to testify.
One of my workers witnessed what happened and she would be testifying at court, but she was very angry with me because I would not testify. I told her I believed God had told me, "Don't testify," so I couldn't testify. She remained angry.
The man I was dating at that time said to me, "Joan ... you aren't doing this girl any good by not testifying." I replied, "I'm not trying to do her any good. I believe God told me 'Don't testify'. I'm just trying to obey what I believe I have heard from God." He was not appeased.
At the court trial my lawyer said, "Flo's testimony didn't go as well as I had hoped. I don't know what is going to happen. But if you will testify, I know we will win this case." I replied, "I'll see."
I went into the ladies room at the courthouse and said to God, "What do YOU want me to do about this trial?" And I heard, "Don't testify."
I returned to the court room and my lawyer looked at me as I entered the room and I just shook my head, "NO".
The trial continued and at the end of the day the judge declared me innocent of all charges.
I did not testify.
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When we believe God has told us something, we act according to that which we believe and we hold on to that instruction that we believe to have been from God, doing appropriate action.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Noah condemned the world by his action in building the ark because Noah believed what God said and took appropriate action and the world did not believe and were destroyed by God.
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