By Saemus Sutton

Everyone is born with a callingâ€"a unique purpose that God has built within us. For most of us, discovering our calling isn’t very difficult. Our passions and talents point to it from birth, and by the time we reach adulthood, most of us know what truly fulfills us and what we want to do for the rest of our lives.

However, learning how to walk in that calling can be a challenge. Trials, setbacks, and failures tend to discourage our best efforts, and we often find ourselves questioning the validity of our dreams. The devil loves to make us think we are destined to be unfulfilled and unhappy, and he is skilled at making us feel unworthy of expecting God’s help in reaching our goals.

If you are one of those who’s had trouble maintaining a steady course to your dreams, a study of the life of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) may be just what you need to keep you on track. Below are five key concepts drawn from his story that may help you.

1. First Things First….
Matthew 6:33 and John 15:5 make it obvious where our focus should be. Joseph understood this truth: his nearness to God is mentioned numerous times throughout his story. Over and over again, we are told that God was with Joseph and gave him success. James 4:8 explains that we must draw near to God before He will draw near to us, so we can be certain that Joseph was just as much with God as God was with him. Genesis 37:2, 37:5-10, and 39:6-10 prove that Joseph’s passion did not center around earthly things, but on God and the things of God.

2. Attitude Determines Altitude
There are many times when your circumstances may make it appear that you are a long way from walking in your calling or reaching your career goals, but that is a lie you must disregard. There really is no better example of this than Joseph’s life. Every time he began to rise above his circumstances, the people around him made his circumstances even worse than before! It would have been easy for him to become negative and complain all the time, and who would have blamed him?!

But he didn’t, and we can be sure of this because nobody who really walks with God can have a negative outlook on life. A negative attitude displays to God and the people around you that you lack faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). On the other hand, a positive attitude reflects your deep conviction that you and God are right on track. Where you are now is where you’re supposed to be, and you are excited to be another day closer to your destiny!

It is also highly unlikely that a slave or a prisoner in a dungeon would have been elevated to positions of authority if his attitude had been anything but stellar!

3. Bloom Where You’re Planted
You must train yourself to accept the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, and apply that passage to your everyday life. What Solomon is saying in this scripture is that even the seemingly insignificant steps in your journey are ordained by God. Regardless of whatever your specific calling is, its primary purpose is to impact others for the kingdom, and you can do that wherever you are!

Joseph made many stops on his way to becoming the second most powerful man in the world. No matter where he was, though, he impacted others and walked out his calling to leadership. He made the most of every step in his journey because he understood that although God’s training program may not always be easy or convenient, it always works!

4. Seek Opportunities to Stretch
True faith is active and will motivate you to move toward what you believe in. Joseph was gifted with dreams, an ability to interpret dreams, and the desire to lead others. Even as a young boy, he attempted to put these gifts to work in his life, even though the outcome of these endeavors usually made his life miserable!

Peter the apostle is another great example of someone who was always stepping out in faith. He knew he had been set apart for something great, and he was willing to make a fool of himself as many times as necessary to make sure he didn’t miss out on it! It is my belief that his stepping out of the boat to walk on the water (Matthew 14:29) was preparation for his stepping out to lead the disciples when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14). Although he sank pretty quickly, his willingness to go beyond his comfort zone and human abilities showed that his faith was not in himself, but in God.

You must do the same. If you continue to stay where you can operate successfully from your own strengths, God can never really manifest Himself through your life, and you will fall far short of your true potential.

5. Steady On
Doom and destiny always meet in the same place, and it is always up to you to choose one or the other! Few people in history could claim to have experienced the kind of ongoing tragedies that Joseph did. In fact, if you had never read the story before and you stopped after Genesis 40, you would have a completely different perspective of Joseph’s life than those who’ve read it all.

That’s because his story doesn’t end there, and neither does yours! Joseph persevered through every trial, and was eventually able to tell his brothers, “it was not you who sent me here, but God (Genesis 45:8).� You must stand firm in your faith that God is in control and not your circumstances. You are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37), so act like you have the victory and you will have it!

The road of faith is not always easy, but it is rewarding (Hebrews 11:6). If you put these five principles to work in your life, you will begin to see your destiny drawing nearer and nearer, and in due season, God will bring it to fulfillment!

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