So it tells us in the midst of it, rejoice or count it all joy. I don't know about you, but most people I notice don't count it all joy when they have trouble, not at all. The Bible says to count it all joy. Why is this? Because we have knowledge that God can use it to develop our inner man to get us to where He wants us to be. If you didn't know that, you'd be frustrated, and trying to avoid it all. If you know that, you can rejoice. Here's the second thing. If you don't know what to do when you're under pressure, ask God. He is willing to help you in every situation. He'll give you the wisdom, which means help you discover what to do, how to respond, how to face this thing, and the ability to do it. So God tells us that testings, trials, difficulties, pressures in life are good for us. Tell someone next to you stop complaining, this is good for you. Stop complaining.
Now what happens when difficulties and pressures and trials come, my observation with what most people do, including most Christians is this, is they complain. Complaining is the sign of a loser. You are losing because you can't see what the purpose of the difficulty is, and how it's not meant to destroy you, it's meant to help you grow. When you start complaining, you're dying and perishing and losing. You see, if you complain you're saying this; God, I don't trust you to use this for my good. God, I don't believe you'll help me. I'm just ticked off - that's saying it sort of nicely. I have said it worse than that. So when people face difficulties they do a number of things. One is they kind of what can I do? Powerless, helpless. Maybe I'll just say a prayer, maybe that'll help. Believe me, it won't, not if you've got that kind of attitude, that passivity. Other people say well it's just I guess I'm reaping what I deserve, what goes round comes round. I must've done something somewhere and I'm getting it back on me. Other people, they kind of get angry and resentful. Anyone got angry and resentful during trials? No, you see there's no one owning up.
No, well I'll own up. I tell you I've got really angry, I've shouted out some bad words at times I tell you. Lyn confined in me she had too. So I know the rest of you do! Don't try and hide it - so all kinds of ways we react with pressure and problems. We can blame people, we can be bitter, we can grow resentful, we can try and promote ourselves, try and use people, try and manipulate people. Or we can actually just grow in character in the trouble. Here's the deal - the choice is yours. I know that there's many people facing and feeling all kinds of pressures. The thing is it doesn't last, but will you last? Will you come out better or bitter? Will you come out like a lemon, twisted up - church, God, people... or will you come out sweet and gracious and better? That's really the question, and you know what? God does not choose that outcome, you do. You do. It's called development of your character.
I think it's great to have wonderful dreams. We need dreams because they're our future, but believe me if you don't develop character you'll never ever fulfil that thing God put in your heart. It just really requires something, so let's have a look at a guy called Joseph. Now here's a dreamer. You'll love this guy, Joseph. You know where we're going and I want to show you a couple of keys in his life and I want to show you what he actually walked through. Now Genesis, Chapter 37. Here's a great man, the example of Joseph and this is how God prepares someone to rule a nation. This is how God prepares a world changer. I hear you know we sing songs of being a world changer, destiny maker, it's lovely stuff, ra-ra-ra ra-ra-ra! But when you leave the church now, will you become a world changer? It starts with your world. See? If you can't change your world, you can't change the world, so it starts with your world. So here it is, here's the young boy.
Now this is the story - Verse 2 - the history of Joseph. Joseph was 17 years old, so he's 17 when he gets the dream. He's a teenager, this is good, good news for teenagers. You can get dreams from God about greatness in life when you're a teenager. He got a great dream from God, so there it was. His father loved him and it says, Verse 4, when the brothers saw that his father loved him more than his brothers, they hated him, so he was the sweet little youngest boy, couldn't do anything wrong, and they couldn't speak peaceably to him. Verse 5, now Joseph had a dream so he told his brothers and they hated him. So it tells he has dreams. It tells us also again, Verse 8, they hated him even more for his dreams and he still dreamed a dream, so Joseph had dreams.