How To Overcome Evil (part 2)
(Genesis 45, Romans 12)
(Genesis 45, Romans 12)
Overcoming evil is not solely based on what you know, but also on what you do. Joseph is a great person to study because he was mistreated, persecuted, and separated from his father who loved him, yet he overcame evil.
He Sets Them
Genesis 45:10 – “I am going to set you in the land of Goshen.”
He Sustains Them
Genesis 45:11 – “ I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.”
Joseph places them in a place to sustain them or provide for them.
“We [must be] willing to do what is in our means to do because we are on assignment.” – Pastor Ferne Sapp
He Speaks To Them
Romans 12:14 – Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
We see that Joseph speaks to his family from a place of love and compassion. We must speak well of them (our enemies) also.
The word “Bless” comes from the Greek compound word “Eulogeo”. The first part “Eu” meaning good, and the second part “logeo” meaning words. In other words, it means to speak well, to say words about them and to them that are edifying and words that tear them down.
Who should we bless? We should bless those that persecute us. In this passage, the inferences of the word “persecute” is that the person ran you down to harm you. That is who we must bless.
“The power of life and death is in the tongue.”