11/08/2023
THE PIT IS JUST A PIT STOP
From the message, “Lessons from the Pit” by Dave Cutar
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It was not strangers who threw Joseph in that pit, it was his own brothers. People that he loved. The reason why betrayal and lies are so painful is because they're committed by people that you trust. Those that were supposed to take care of you and protect you. They conspired and talked behind his back, deceived, lied on him, turned their backs and attacked him at a time when he least expected it, he was betrayed by the very people that he thought was closest to him.
He was just bringing food to them. But instead of being welcomed with open arms, they laid hold of him to hurt him.
So while Joseph was crying for help his brothers were eating the food that he had brought. People that you've fed, you've helped, some of them will not even bother to help you in time of trials.
The pit has a way of thinning out the people that you don't need in your life. When things are bleak, you'll know who your real friends are. Some people you hang with you don't need to be hanging with. That is why God brings you sometimes to a season of trial. Sometimes it's not for you. It's for the people that tries to latch on to you so that they can no longer influence you.
God is about to take you to another level where certain people can't hang with you but sometimes we put ourselves into these cliques that we try to hang with people and we try to gain acceptance by a certain group. But God has set us apart. That's the term holy. It means to be set apart for Him.
God has a plan for your life. And while you're trying to please certain people while you're trying to be in harmony with the world around you, while you want to blend in, God says I have to set you apart for my purpose so that you can be used for My glory.
So sometimes the pits in your life are pits of isolation. It is not isolation so that you can be sad, but just because you need to be separated.
In the day and age of the Internet and fast cars, Wi Fi speeds, technology and too much traffic and you've got work and you're trying to balance your work and your job and you're raising kids and you're like oh, there's just too many voices around us trying to catch our attention. So God puts us sometimes in a situation where it's just you and Him. And then he can start to talk to you. And you can start hearing his voice. And you begin to realize, even in this stressful moment, this is where I got to hear the voice of God this is where I have the opportunity to listen, this is where I have the opportunity to get back on track.
I am fascinated with these race cars I see on Formula 1 or NASCAR, but you'll see in these car races, in the midst of all the chaos, they will go to what is called a pit stop. You would think that in a race where every second counts, it seems that stopping for any length of time is counter productive. But no. The pitstop is not a distraction, it's necessary. You need to park to the pitstop so that you can have your tires renewed. You can be refueled. So that you can keep running the race.
The pit is not permanent, it’s just a pit stop. After that, you still have Potiphar’s house and the prison to deal with. But never lose sight of the promise. You’re on your way to the palace.
