When you have favour, promotion soon follows. It has been said many times that you do not need everybody tolike you, only the right person. Favour is a byproduct of solving problems for those that have the authority to promote you.

Promotion comes in two forms. The first type of promoted results in you being promoted. Looking at Joseph’s life, one might conclude that Joseph was one of the most successful failures that ever made it to the top. He received a vision and was thrown into a pit by his brothers and sold as a slave to the world by his cousins. He worked hard until he was successfully running the household for Potipher only to be thrown into jail for a crime he did not commit.

Joseph again worked hard until he was promoted and was second only to the Jailer in the prison. He interpreted the dreams of Pharoah’s Baker and Cup-Bearer and was totally forgotten about for years – until Pharoah had a dream. Then he Joseph was promoted by Pharoah because he had a plan that would save Egypt and ultimately Israel and the world from starvation.

Second, your favor can cause others to be promoted. It is only lonely at the top if you do not help others get there. In the Book of Esther, Mordecai was promoted to Prime Minister second only to King Xerxes.

Esther 10:1-3 NLT
(1) King Xerxes imposed a tribute throughout his empire, even to the distant coastlands.
(2) His great achievements and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Media and Persia.
(3) Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants.

How did this happen? It was Esther who found favour in the sight of the King. Her favour not only kept Mordecai and the Jews alive, but also allowed the King to recognize the problem solving ability in Mordecai.

Looking at another example, David’s Mighty Men were not so mighty when they formed their association.

1 Samuel 22:1-2 NLT
(1) So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there.
(2) Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.

These are the same men that became high ranking officials and advisors during David’s reign. It would not happen if David failed to become king. His promotion lifted others to new heights.

Favour is not difficult to obtain if you know how to solve problems for those capable of promoting you.

When we examine the life of Joseph, we find that Joseph made the decision to believe God. This is the most critical desion that anyone can make. Once Joseph made his decision, he stuck with it despite all the negative circumstances that he landed in. Sticking with this decision allowed Joseph to excel in both his work and work ethic.

Genesis 39:2-3 NLT
(2) The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.
(3) Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.

Joseph was annointed for business and administratration. In fact, Joseph was not only able to read and write, but also able to interpret diagrams and architectural drawings. He was more than capable in this area and Potiphar noticed this.

When you are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing the right people will notice you. The world calls this luck or brown-nosing. Whatever it is that you are called to do will not grow beyond a seed unless you grow it in the proper environment. Joseph was just a boy, a younger brother to be tolerated by Isreal and his family. To Potiphar in Egypt, Joseph was a capable, shrewd administrator.

It did not happen only to Joseph. Step through the Bible and look at opportunities taken. David took the opportunity to move beyond the “back forty” into the Palace. Remember, nobody told David to fight Goliath, yet it released the warrior in David.

1 Samuel 17:23-37 NLT
(23) As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.
(24) As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.
(25) “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”
(26) David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
(27) And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.”
(28) But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!”
(29) “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!”
(30) He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer.
(31) Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.
(32) “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”
(33) “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”
(34) But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock,
(35) I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.
(36) I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!
(37) The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the LORD be with you!”

Solomon took the opportunity to pass up riches and wealth to gain wisdom. That wisdom was known throughout the European and Middle-Eastern Areas. He was so wise, that world leaders came to him with their riches seeking what the wisdom he had asked for. Solomon is the embodiment of:

Proverbs 24:3-5 NLT
(3) A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.
(4) Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
(5) The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.

Paul took the opportunity to be redeemed.

Acts 22:6-21 NLT
(6) “As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me.
(7) I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
(8) “‘Who are You, lord?’ I asked. “And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the One you are persecuting.’
(9) The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me.
(10) “I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’
(11) “I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions.
(12) A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus.
(13) He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him!
(14) “Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and hear Him speak.
(15) For you are to be His witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.
(16) What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’
(17) “After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.
(18) I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about Me.’
(19) “‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
(20) And I was in complete agreement when Your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.’
(21) “But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”

What opportunities have been staring you down from the other side of the crisis you are facing. Remember this: Battle is the seed for territory. Battle is also the seed for your future. If you choose to let the crisis go unchallenged, it will grow into a mountain. Take the opportunities and exploit them for God. After all, how many mountains does it take before you are hemmed in and your progress is nullified?

What is a crisis? The definition may surprise you….

CRISIS, n. plu. [Gr. L., to separate, to determine, to decide. See Crime.]

1. In medical science, the change of a disease which indicates its event; that change which indicates recovery or death. It is sometimes used to designate the excretion of something noxious from the body, or of the noxious fluids in a fever.
2. The decisive state of things, or the point of time when an affair is arrive to its highth, and must soon terminate or suffer a material change.

In other words, SHIFT! Looking at the second definition, there is a radical change that takes place in a relatively short period of time. There are many examples of people in the Bible that faced a crisis, which created a radical shift in the circumstances around them and around nations.

For example, Joseph encountered radical change in his life that seemed to place him further and further down in society. Think for a moment – When you are thrown into the bottom of a dry well and you cannot get out you have a crisis? In Genesis 39, we pick up on the life of Joseph as he was discarded by his brothers and sold by his cousins to the Egyptians as a slave.

Genesis 39:1 NLT
(1) When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Obviously this was not one of Joseph’s better days. Regardless, Joseph had a decision to make.

1.) Be Bitter.
Our liberal society of grayscale morals would actually condone and promote this behaviour. In fact, our society celebrates this sliding scale of behaviour because moral absolutes have been steadily educated out of people.

2.) Serve God
Joseph could choose to pick himself up and take sustained positive action in his present situation. Joseph was not prepared to sever his ties to God, because he had already experienced God. In essence, Joseph was living out what the apostle Paul wrote:

2 Thessalonians 2:15 NLT
(15) With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.

Look around you. What Crises are around you screaming opportunity at you? Take a step back and examine where you, what you are doing and why you are doing it. You may be surprised to find that there are trees that forest.

Opportunity produces Ministry.

We live in a world today that is constantly changing. Many people are not on the forefront of this change. Even fewer Churches and Ministries are on the forefront of this change. It is more likely that change is dragging people and organisations by the proverbial nose ring. Solomon said that there is a season for everything under the sun. Isaiah put it this way.

Isaiah 43:19-21 MSG
(19) Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.
(20) Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’ –the coyotes and the buzzards– Because I provided water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth, Drinking water for the people I chose,
(21) the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.

I believe we are at a critical time in history. Change is happening more and more rapidly. In fact, I was able to visit one of the top research facilities in the world last week. There are significant technological advances that will severely change the way we live our lives, conduct our business and access or world.

In this series, we will examine how changes affected people in the Bible. We will look at how David, Solomon, Daniel, Joseph and many others dealt with changes in their lives and what the results of those changes were. There will be 10 parts in this series – this introduction and nine others. We will examine each of them over the next nine days.