Dharius Daniels - End the Seasons of Stagnation and Suffering

You would think that all your friends and family would feel real joy right here; let me tell you, they’d be excited that you’re growing and strong. That’s what you would think, right? But what I learned is that some people only like the small and weak version of you. They prefer you weak; they like it better when you give them everything they ask for. They enjoy it when they can treat you poorly, and you’re still there. They like you better when you’re insecure, when you have low self-esteem, and when you have no boundaries or standards.

Egypt represents mindsets and methodologies that are producing seasons of stagnation and suffering—mindset as ways of thinking and methodologies as ways of behaving, patterns of behavior. So, ways of thinking and patterns of behavior are producing seasons of stagnation and suffering. I’ll say it one more time: mindsets—ways of thinking—and methodologies—ways of behaving—are producing seasons of stagnation and suffering. Aha! Egypt pours down because, notice, I said «seasons of stagnation and suffering.» I didn’t say «seasons of sin.» It might be sin, but you can be stuck and not be in sin. I want you to know that the Deliverer doesn’t just want to deliver you from sin; He wants to deliver you from being stuck!

I said He wants to deliver us from being stuck! So, Egypt then doesn’t simply represent evil; Egypt represents that which has become irrelevant. It’s not that your mindset is bad; it’s that the mindset is no longer relevant. It’s not that your methodologies in the past were bad, but they are no longer relevant for where God is getting ready to take you. Egypt can represent that which, at one point in your life, gave you provision, but when you outstay your season, it became a place of persecution. Oh, this is 12 o’clock, so I don’t need to overthink this!

See, when you don’t have a revelation of this, you will allow other people’s opinions to influence your advancement. Thank you! Because they haven’t had your suffering, they don’t have your standards. And because they don’t have your standards, they’re okay with what you’re not. If you don’t have a revelation of this, you’ll feel guilty and condemn yourselves for being dissatisfied with a state and season that other people wish they could live in. But just because that’s what you want, doesn’t mean that’s what I want. I’m not going to impose what I want on you; don’t you impose what you want on me. If this is enough for you, have at it, but as for me and my house—see, y’all are missing it!

Okay, sisters, I want to hear from Womanology; I want to hear! So, let me help you with this one thing. See, there are some of your girlfriends who just want a boyfriend—that’s where they stand. They just want a boyfriend! But you’re in a season in your life where you say, if all you want is a boyfriend, God bless you; I want a good one! I want a saved one! I want an anointed one! I want one who loves Jesus and has a little edge. Egypt represents that which, at one point, gave you some sort of provision, but when you outstay your season, it becomes a source of persecution.

Listen to this; it’s in the text! Because Israel’s initial entrance into Egypt was actually to spare them from a famine. I don’t have time to tell the whole story, but there was a gentleman named Joseph, right, who God positioned to a place of prominence and influence in the land. He was in the governmental sector—Joseph didn’t work at church! Let me go to this side; Joseph was not a preacher. Joseph was an entrepreneur who knew how to leverage his prophetic gift in the marketplace. Y’all missed it! His prophetic gift allowed him to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams about a coming recession.

Y’all missed it! He predicted there would be seven years of plenty, then seven years of famine. So, God gave Joseph wisdom to say, during the seven years of plenty, we’re going to stack resources, so that during the seven years of recession—when other people aren’t liquid—we will be. We’re going to store up food so when everybody runs out, they’ll have to come to us to get it. We’re not going to give it to them; we’re going to sell it to them! And the Bible says that Egypt prospered during the famine. So, when people ran out of money, they had to give up land, and Egypt’s Empire expanded because Joseph knew how to take a spiritual gift and use it beyond the church.

If the only place your gift works is in church, I don’t know what kind of gift you have! But if you have a spiritual gift, then it works where you work. Joseph’s family was in a part of the Egyptian Empire that was hit with a famine, so they had to come to Egypt to get food. Joseph recognizes his family and says, «You know what? Y’all don’t have to stay there; come live with me.» I want you to catch this now. The Bible says all the descendants of Jacob were 70 persons. So, 70 people came into Egypt. It says, «Then Joseph died, and all his brothers died, and all that generation died.» But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.

Now, you would think that everybody would be happy because Israel was growing and multiplying!