EXTRAORDINARY ADVERSITY

I read a book several months ago titled,
THE UPSIDE OF ADVERSITY by Os Hillman.
(he has a blog located at http://www.marketplaceleaders.org)

I highly recommend the book... especially if you have gone through a tough time, think you might have to go through a tough time or think you're exempt from "tough times", because NO ONE is. Especially those that think they're exempt and coated with teflon.

Hillman titles the first part of the book, SOME LEADERS ARE CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY ADVERSITY. That doesn't make you want to find the sign-up clipboard.

He sites an obvious biblical examples, Joseph.
He states, "What's a Joseph calling? Like Joseph, God calls some leaders to experience extraordinary levels of adversity in order to accomplish extraordinary things through them."

The moment you see your adversity through the lens of the "Joseph Calling" your perspective will change completely.

"Joseph's dreams had to die before they could come true." That is a hard one. We've been taught, hold on to the dream... pray the dream, speak it into reality. Joseph shows us that sometimes, we just need to lean back and do what it says in Psalm 37... "Rest in God."
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7 (NIV)

Joseph had to pass through betrayal, mistreatment, false accusation and false imprisonment before his dreams were fulfilled.

When Saul was called to be king by the prophet Samuel, he gave a response that at first glance was self-deprecating. But it was actually a false humility. It reveals a lack of authentic faith in God. (see 1 Samuel 3)

It is so easy to be like Saul and focus on our weakness and not on God's strength.
We hide in the baggage of emotional guilt, regret, past failures, sins, old wounds, emotional hurts...

Henry Blackaby said,
"you cannot go with God and stay where you are."

Whenever God moves us in a new direction, we HAVE to change.
Change takes us out of our comfort zone.

Don't be afraid of the "extraordinary adversity."