The Joseph Project

By Rev. Norm Stewart

The Joseph Project provides the key to confronting and overcoming life's challenges, adversities, and obstacles. It is the biblical formula for succeeding in every area of life and relationships, both personal and spiritual. It presents the story of a young boy rising from the very pit of rejection, abandonment, slavery, and imprisonment to the pinnacle of success.

In so doing, it highlights the virtues of his character--his humility, his positive attitude, his integrity, and his forgiving spirit. These virtues, grounded in his firm faith in God and his willingness to risk his life to defend them, were the hallmark of his success. This faith not only enabled him to overcome bitterness and conquer immorality but elevated him from prison to the governor's mansion of a country he entered as a slave. Through his wisdom and extraordinary courage, he prepared Egypt to avert the effects of the worst economic disaster to threaten the world at that time.

The Joseph Project presents a biblical blueprint for success. This is based on the simple formula that what God did for Joseph, He wants to do for anyone willing to follow the same principles.

Through this project, you will learn the secret of true prosperity. That, contrary to popular belief, true prosperity is often not measured by how much wealth you own or how many degrees you have earned but by having a right relationship with God.

Joseph was regarded as a prosperous man by his masters even while he was a slave and a prisoner. By adapting the strategies he employed, you will not only succeed in your endeavors, but the problems you encounter that would threaten to delay or deny your success will prove to be only stepping stones on your path to real success.

By demonstrating how Joseph's problems became stepping stones on his journey to the governorship of Egypt, The Joseph Project provides a scriptural blueprint that is applicable to most problems we face today.

Even when those things seem to harm us, God has a purpose for allowing them. Be assured if He allows it, it is for our good, and He will go through it with us. He was with Joseph as a slave and as a prisoner.

This project also inspires us to persevere and never abandon our hopes and dreams regardless of the circumstances we may face. We have the confidence that just as He did for Joseph, He will do for us and that He will make a way when there seems to be no way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890435507

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The Joseph Project

Rev. Norm Stewart

Copyright © 2023 by Rev. Norm Stewart

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

This book is dedicated to:

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

My dear wife, Jean, who prayed for me tirelessly and supported me every step of the way, especially during my long hours on the computer.

My dear daughter, Maureen, who helped me in every possible way in producing this manuscript.

My faithful prayer team, who prayed and supported this project mentally, emotionally, and financially.

I am eternally grateful.

Preface

Are you looking for a life-changing experience that will transform your life and take you from the pit of despair to the pinnacle of success in virtually every area of your life, including your relationships, your business, and your profession? Do you want to know your true purpose and understand why God made you and placed you in this particular place at this specific time?

The Joseph Project answers these questions while providing Biblical strategies for authentic, contemporary Christian living.

Through this project, you will learn the secret of true prosperity. That, contrary to popular belief, success and prosperity are often not measured by how much wealth you own or how many degrees you have earned.

Joseph was regarded as a prosperous man by his masters even while he was a slave and a prisoner. By adapting the strategies he employed, you will not only succeed in your endeavors, but the problems you encounter that would threaten to delay or deny your success will prove to be only stepping stones. Each step obstacle only takes you a step closer to your ultimate destination on your journey to wholeness and true prosperity.

Equally awesome is the spiritual transformation you experience through Christ’s saving grace and His transforming power. This causes you to embrace a spirit of love, forgiveness, and kindness that not only confounds your enemies but comforts your friends and loved ones, rekindles and restores confidence in your relationships, and glorifies your Heavenly Father in everything you do.

The Joseph Project provides hope and encouragement to everyone, especially the young person searching for identity, community, and purpose. It shows how people with seemingly insurmountable problems can become more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.

By demonstrating how Joseph’s problems became stepping stones on his journey to the governorship of Egypt, The Joseph Project provides a scriptural blueprint that is applicable to most problems we face today, especially when there seems to be no logical way out. It is only then we can be reminded of Joseph. Even when what seems to harm us, God has a purpose. Those facing similar situations on their journey to fulfilling their divine assignment for which we were created.

This project also inspires us to persevere and never abandon our hopes and dreams regardless of the circumstances we may face. We have the confidence that just as He did for Joseph, He will do for us and that He will make a way when there seems to be no way.

No one is immune to the problems and tragedies that invade our lives, often without warning. However, The Joseph Project shows that when we make Joseph’s God our guide and constant companion, no mountain is too high or river too deep for us to navigate without Him.

The prophet Isaiah tells us, When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God (Isaiah 43:2–3 NLT).

The psalmist also declares, You hold my right hand. You guide me with counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny (Psalm 73:24).

Modern Josephs

Just as God took Joseph from prison and used him to provide Egypt with the solution to save the nation and ultimately the world from a catastrophic famine, through The Joseph Project, He is raising up and preparing modern Josephs to take the message of hope and transformation through Christ to a world facing a crisis far worse than the Egyptian famine and desperately in need of a solution.

When you become engaged in The Joseph Project, you have not only joined the ranks of the modern Josephs, but you are helping a confused generation discover the answers to the soul-searching questions that have confounded mankind since the beginning of time.

First there are the age-old questions:

Who am I?

Why am I here?

Where do I go from here?

Then there are the more obvious ones:

What is my purpose here?

In this country?

In this state?

In my community?

In my church?

In my job?

Why am I this gender?

Why am I this race?

Finally, there are the more personal ones:

Why am I being treated like this?

Why did she/he have to die?

Why did we have to lose our home?

Why the divorce?

Why this diagnosis—cancer, loss of sight, Alzheimer’s?

The answers to all these questions are dealt with in The Joseph Project. However, not in the way you would expect. These answers are not only irrefutable. They are consoling, comforting, and encouraging regardless of the attitude or state of mind of the questioner.

The great news is that the modern Joseph will be giving the answer from the heart, having had a personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction

The Joseph Project provides the key to confronting and overcoming life’s challenges, adversities, and obstacles. It is the biblical formula for succeeding in every area of life and relationships, both personal and spiritual. It presents the story of a young boy rising from the very pit of rejection, abandonment, slavery, and imprisonment to the pinnacle of success. In so doing, it highlights the virtues of his character—his humility, his positive attitude, his integrity, and his forgiving spirit. Such virtues, however, emanate solely from his firm faith in God and his willingness to risk his life to defend these virtues. This faith not only enabled him to overcome bitterness, conquer immorality, and elevate him from prison to the governor’s mansion of a country he entered as a slave. Through his divine wisdom and extraordinary courage, he spared Egypt from the worst economic disaster to threaten the world at that time.

Through these experiences of Joseph, The Joseph Project presents a biblical blueprint for success. This is based on the simple formula that what God did for Joseph, He wants to do for you. The Egyptians survived the famine all because they listened to him. This guarantees success to anyone willing to apply these principles regardless of age, gender, or race. The key to Joseph’s success and the hallmark of The Joseph Project is that God was with Joseph, and he prospered in everything he did. Following this formula, anyone can experience success.

In addition to Joseph of the bible, we highlight the experiences and stories of modern-day Josephs. As a road map to hope and restoration, we see men and women with broken lives, broken homes, and broken hearts, finding new life in Christ. Many have been condemned and ostracized by society. Some were outcasts, felons, and addicts. Others were victims of failed finances, failed marriages, failed relationships, and broken dreams. Some have been incarcerated while others are dealing with the consequences and the stigma of incarceration as a loved one or friend who is still incarcerated.

For all these men and women, The Joseph Project is paving a path to restoration and recovery. God demonstrates His providential care and transforming grace to those who trust Him. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor (2 Samuel 2:8 NIV).

My prayer is that almost everyone who reads this book will read it for free because someone will pay it forward. In so doing, each person will not only read it for free but will also help someone else to read it for free.

Section 1

The Story

Chapter 1

Beyond Surreal

This was beyond surreal. Earlier that morning, I was in a cell in an Egyptian prison. The next moment, I was standing before the great Pharaoh of Egypt, interpreting his dreams and advising him on how to prepare the nation for the greatest economic boom Egypt was about to experience and the impending famine to follow.

It got even more bizarre. Later that day, I was whisked off to my new home, a grand palace equaled only to that of the king. Dressed in royal robes, riding in my own golden chariot, with servants kneeling before me and obediently trying to satisfy my every desire, I was the ruler of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.

Everything had changed so suddenly. Earlier that morning, I was summoned to the warden’s office. There was nothing unusual about this seeing I oversaw all the other prisoners. Maybe there was a new arrival, or the warden wanted my advice on some change he was thinking of making.

However, upon entering the warden’s office, I realized this was no ordinary visit. Waiting in the office was a group of the king’s officers immaculately dressed. The warden informed me that the Pharaoh requested my presence immediately. He handed me a set of brand-new clothing and told me to shave, get dressed, and accompany the officers to the palace.

The dreams of Pharaoh

Pharaoh shared his dreams at the palace with me, I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream, you can interpret it.

It is beyond my power to do this, I replied. But the Almighty God I serve can tell you what it means and set you at ease.

Then Pharaoh started telling me what he had dreamed. In my dream, he said, "I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I’ve never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt. These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows. But afterward, you wouldn’t have known it for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.

Soon, I fell asleep again and had another dream. In this dream, I saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind. Again, the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they meant.

The interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams

Instantly, the Lord revealed to me the meaning of these dreams. So I conveyed it to Pharaoh.

I said, Both of your dreams mean the same thing. I told him, God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain represent seven years of prosperity. The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine.

Then I continued, "This will happen just as I have described it for God has revealed to you in advance what He is about to do.

The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. But afterward, there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased. As for having two similar dreams means that God has decreed these events, and He will soon make them happen.

My advice after the interpretation of the dreams

After listening to the complete interpretation, Pharaoh asked me for a solution or advice I had to stop this famine.

I replied, "My advice is that you should find an intelligent and wise man and put him