This week, Pastor Ringo reminded us that  Joseph’s brothers could take his coat, but they could not take his calling. They could strip away the outward evidence of favor, but they could not remove the dream God had placed within him. They could put Joseph in a pit, but they could not put his purpose in the pit.

That is a word for somebody today.

People may change toward you. Doors may close. Circumstances may shift. What once identified you may be taken away. But when God has spoken purpose over your life, what He placed inside of you cannot be canceled by what happens around you.

Sometimes the pit is part of the growing process.

Before Joseph could handle the palace, God allowed him to experience the pit. There were lessons to learn, character to develop, strength to build, and maturity that could only come through the process. We cannot always pray our way out of the very place God is using to grow us.

Sometimes you have to stay in the dirt.

A seed does not grow by continually digging itself up because the darkness is uncomfortable. It remains planted. And while nothing may appear to be happening above ground, something powerful is developing beneath the surface.

The same is true spiritually. God uses seasons that break us, humble us, stretch us, and rebuild us. Those growing pains are not always evidence that something is wrong. Sometimes they are evidence that God is expanding you for something greater.

So do not allow the enemy to convince you to abandon what God has already spoken because the process became uncomfortable. Do not exchange God’s vision for another vision simply because the journey is difficult. And do not allow rejection, opposition, closed doors, or the opinions of people to rewrite a story that God has already authored.

Look at Daniel. Look at the three Hebrew boys. Look at Paul. Look at Joshua standing before Jericho. Their circumstances did not determine their faith because they knew the God who was with them in the circumstance.

That same God is with you.

So keep walking.

Keep praying.

Keep believing.

Keep listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Keep declaring what God says about you when the enemy tries to tell you something different.

And most importantly, keep growing.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are part of a royal priesthood and a peculiar people. You are not defined by your pit, your past, your rejection, or your mistakes. Your identity comes from the God who called you, and His grace remains sufficient throughout the process.

There will be moments when growing in purpose hurts. There will be moments when you do not understand what God is doing. But remember Joseph: the pit was a chapter, not the conclusion.

God was growing Joseph in one season so that he could carry the responsibility of another.

And perhaps God is doing the same with you.

Final Encouragement

Pastor Ringo closed with a powerful reminder: 

Stay in the process. Stay planted. Face the giants. Walk past your past. Stop complaining and start praying. Become a doer of the Word.

Do not let the enemy stunt your growth or substitute God’s vision for your life with something easier. Everybody does not grow at the same pace, but if you remain surrendered to God, keep growing in grace and keep growing in purpose.

What God placed inside of you is greater than the pit you may presently find yourself in.

They may take the coat, but they cannot take the calling.
They may put you in a pit, but they cannot bury your purpose.
 Stay in the dirt. God is growing something.