Revelation and Self-Control

Genesis 37-38; Psalms 7; Luke 15 

“Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more…His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?’ And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers.”

Genesis 37:5, 8, 9

Not all dreams from the Lord are meant to be shared with others. Prophetic dreams are meant to encourage us in our circumstances. We put them ‘on the shelf’, and when the circumstances that the dream points to happens, the Lord reminds us of the dream and it serves as a confirmation of God’s hand at work. However, when we unwisely share prophetic words or dreams prematurely, they stir up the anger of the enemy of our souls. Joseph experienced God’s sovereign blessing through his trials and tests in Egypt, and through this learned self-control. He later used that self-control in the disclosure of his identity to his brothers and in sharing with them the various leadership roles he had been given. Self-control and discipline must accompany the gifts of the Spirit, or we, too, will experience broken relationships and pain, rather than blessing.

“Lord Jesus, teach me self-control, for your glory.”