Jesus, when they accused Him, said not a word. When you're being falsely accused, when you're being blamed unjustly, most people arise, they're angry, defensive and react and miss the character opportunity. You're too small if your button can be pushed that easily. You're not big enough for what God has yet, so you've got a little longer before you'll get to that dream, and you'll have more of the same until you can kind of get a handle on actually, God is using this to develop me, because He loves me. I need a different perspective on this thing. It's about character, and growing in character, then the next thing that happens to him, the third thing that happens, in prison where he helps some guys out, and you read it there in Genesis, Chapter 40 I think it is, he helps a guy out - Verse 23 - helps the butler and some other guy out, and they didn't remember him. They forgot him.
Here's another thing that's always a test of your character and that is when people are ungrateful. You help them, you poured yourself, you gave it all this stuff, and then they turn on you and were ungrateful, never said thank you. Ooh, a lot of people can't handle that. A lot of people can't handle someone not thanking them and appreciating them. That's a character one too. If you need people to thank you, you're missing the point. Here's what's going to happen - they won't. Sometimes they will, and that's wonderful when it happens, just don't expect it. Be glad to do it for the Lord, knowing that the Lord rewards everything, because He sees in secret, and He promotes us. See there's a part of life that you've got to learn just to do things, because that's who you are. It's got nothing to do with whether people are grateful, or how people respond, this is the kind of person I am, that's character. I am a generous person, I am a giving person, I am a loving person, I am this kind of person, I'm a strong person. I can stand up in the midst of pressure. This is who you're becoming, this is about your character.
So if God is wanting to prepare a ruler - now get this - the dream that God gave to Joseph was not about him just having some ego trip, just being over his brothers, and they're all bowing down to him - which if you're the youngest and being picked on is a good dream - it's not about that at all. It's actually about the plan that God had to rescue Israel, and make provision for them for 400 years. It was always about God's bigger plan and about salvation and about the cause of Christ being advanced. That's always what these dreams are about. Okay, so how then can you handle it? See, he had a delay. Here's the last one that he went through, is a test of delay, so I'll give them to you again just so you've got them all clear.
Number one is hatred, criticism and judgement, people talking behind your back about you; Number two, being betrayed by people that you trusted; number three, false accusations and injustice, treated unfairly; number four, ingratitude from people you help and number five, delays, when things you expect don't happen, and you've got this unusual delay and you're frustrated. See, now this is God's preparation to make a man who could change a nation, so even if you're not called to change a nation, we're all called to change something around us, so if we're called to change something around us, God will want you to become big enough to do that. To become big enough to do that, if you can't become big enough, your gift will get you there but you'll fall over, because someone will treat you unjustly, criticise you, won't be thankful to you, betray you, all this kind of stuff and you'll get knocked over and disheartened and discouraged and lose the dream, because you got in too much pain.
Pain is part of life. It's how you handle it, so we choose in the midst of trials and pressures whether we step up, begin to rejoice and praise the Lord and look to Him for wisdom and strength and grow in our character, or whether we find a way out. In the midst of pain we turn to alcohol, turn to fantasies, turn to sexual relationships, turn to all kinds of things to avoid the pain we're walking through. It's your choice, and if you got involved in all those things then go to the freedom thing and the restoration course in the coming months so you can get freed up in your heart to fulfil the dream God gave you. We don't run these courses for nothing. They're run to set you free from the junk that holds you back, and keeps you reacting wrongly in the midst of difficult situations.