DAYS OF DISTINCTION: How God's Gotcha in Goshen | PURPOSE | and...Happy Birthday Family Disciple Me!

What if the chapter you’d rather skip is the one God is using to shape your calling? We open Genesis 50:20 and sit with Joseph’s bold confession—“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good”—to reframe detours, delays, and disappointments as ground where purpose grows. From betrayal to breakthrough, we trace how character formed in hidden seasons becomes strength for public assignment, and how that pattern is alive in our own eight-year journey with Family Disciple Me.

Joseph’s story gives language to what many of us feel: purpose doesn’t vanish in the pit and it isn’t guaranteed in the palace; it develops when God remains our focus through every season.

This is the story of Joseph, this is the story of the Family Disciple Me ministry, and this is the story each of us can have as we continue to walk with the Lord and "Seek Him Speak Him." So, be encouraged! Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs a “but God” moment, and leave a review to help more families discover these tools. Let’s keep seeking Him, speaking Him, and trusting that God still intends it for good.

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:04):
Have you ever looked at your life and wondered, what
is the purpose of all this?
The disappointments, the delays,the detours, the seasons that
just don't make any sense.
If you've ever felt like yourstory was falling apart, well,
Joseph's story reminds us itmight actually be falling into

(00:27):
place.
In Genesis chapter 50, verse 20,Joseph looks into the eyes of
his very brothers who hadbetrayed him, and he said, You
intended to harm me, but Godintended it for good to
accomplish what is being donenow, the saving of many lives.

(00:48):
That's the very heart of thisweek's conversation as we
continue in our days ofdistinction conversations
talking about how God's gotchain Goshen.
And today, how does God got you?
Well, he has purpose in thisplace.
He has purpose in your life justlike he had purpose for Joseph

(01:13):
way back in the land of Goshen.
You see, things were hard, butGod.
Things, they looked impossible,but God.
Things seemed hopeless, but God,God intended it for good.
So welcome to the FamilyDisciple Me Ministry where our

(01:34):
goal is to help every Christfollower be encouraged,
equipped, and empowered to doone simple thing that we call
seek him, speak him.
And well, as we begin thispodcast video cast episode, this
week is especially meaningfulbecause it is the Family

(01:55):
Disciple Me Ministry's eighthbirthday.
I'm so excited about that.
Eight years ago, this ministrybegan with a simple desire to
help families and Christfollowers of all ages and stages
be able to meet with God andthen make him known.
That's what we sum up when wesay seek him, speak him.

(02:18):
And what started as a small stepof obedience eight years ago has
grown into a movement ofdevotion-driven discipleship.
I believe that this movement hasthe power to change the world
for Jesus as we live out theGreat Commission, Jesus' Great

(02:39):
Commission, in our lives, in ourfamilies, and in the lives of
all those that He's entrusted tous.
But just like Joseph's story, Ihave to say it hasn't always
been easy.
There have been some moments,many moments, in fact, of
uncertainty.
There's been seasons of waiting.

(02:59):
We certainly haven't arrivedyet.
We're still waiting.
And there's been time after timewhen we've wondered what God was
doing in us and around us andthrough us.
But through it all, we've seenGod's faithfulness.
We've seen his presence, we'veexperienced his provision, we've
watched his protection, and nowwe also see his purpose because

(03:24):
every single step of the way wecan say with Joseph, but God
intended it for good.
Joseph's journey was anythingbut easy.
He was betrayed by his brothers,he was sold into slavery, he was
falsely accused, he was throwninto prison.

(03:46):
So many things happened.
He was forgotten by people thathe helped.

But here's the thing (03:50):
he was not forgotten by God.
God was still a part of writinghis story every step of the way,
in every moment of waiting, inevery injustice, in every
disappointment, God was stillintricately involved in the
weaving of Joseph's life.

(04:12):
So when Joseph finally stood inPharaoh's palace so many years
later, when famine struck theland and when his brothers came
seeking food and help, all of asudden everything made sense.
Joseph realized that even in hishardest days, God had been
preparing him with purpose forthis very moment.

(04:35):
Yes, things had been hard, butGod.
Yes, things had lookedimpossible, but God.
Yes, things had seemedabsolutely hopeless, but God.
You see, purpose doesn'tdisappear in the pit, it doesn't
disappear in the prison, and itdoesn't just automatically

(04:56):
appear in the palace.
The thing is, it develops inthose places when God, when God
is our focus.
Maybe you can relate to this.
Maybe there's something in yourlife right now that doesn't make
any sense.
You've prayed, you've waited,you've tried to trust, you're
trying to give it all back toGod, but it still feels

(05:19):
uncertain.

Friend, here's the thing (05:20):
God's purpose is never thwarted, it's
never waited.
For all of us, for you, for me,just like with Joseph, we may
not see the full picture yet.
But when our trust is in theLord, when our eyes are focused
on him in the midst ofeverything, we can be certain

(05:42):
that he is working behind thescenes to accomplish something
good and what's more, somethingthat's eternal.
That is the story that we'veseen through the eight years of
family disciple me.
This ministry was birthed.
I never imagined how long laborwould be.

(06:04):
As I can honestly attest, therehave been moments that I didn't
know what was next.
I didn't know what I wassupposed to do.
I didn't know how we were goingto get over that huge hurdle.
I didn't know if I was gonna beable to learn the technology
that was required.
So many things, so many momentswhere we were at a make it or

(06:27):
break it point.
But in every one of thosemoments, just like in Joseph's
story, God has kept showing upfor us and showing us his
purpose in us, to us, andthrough us.
Every piece of devotion-drivendiscipleship that's been
written, every podcast that'sbeen recorded, every step of the

(06:52):
way with the Family Disciple Mewebsite, everything that we've
learned about social media andcreating an app and doing all
the things with YouTube andvideo and and and sending out
mass emails and text andmessages and encouraging people
in whatever we do to seek him,speak him.

(07:15):
Every single one of thosemoments have been steps of faith
for my team and I, my amazingteam of volunteers and I.
And in all of this, for everysingle Christ follower who's
begun talking with their kidsagain about Jesus, for every
single parent who has started apattern of devotion-driven

(07:36):
discipleship in their home, forevery auntie and uncle and big
sister or mentor, whoever it isin the body of Christ, who's
decided to not just have theirpersonal devotions, but then
turn around and disciplesomebody else.
Every piece of that is part ofGod's purpose for this ministry.

(07:58):
And so every step of the way hasbeen a part of his plan and his
path for us.
God has used each of theconversations that have been
deployed to accomplish what'sbeing done now, what Joseph
called the saving of many lives.
And we don't get to be thesaviors of people, but we do get

(08:23):
to be now today the ones whospeak Jesus and He is the
Savior.
And we get to meet with him andthen turn around and make him
known to others.
So you see, in this FamilyDisciple Me is not just an
organization.
We are a living, breathingtestimony that God's purpose

(08:44):
still stands today.
As the founder and the executivedirector of the Family Disciple
Me Ministry, I can say for allof us, we have watched him take
seasons of scarcity where Ididn't know how financially we
were going to make it, and he'sturned that into stories of
abundance.

(09:04):
We've seen God take our fear, orI should speak for myself.
I've seen him take my fear aboutfamily disciple me and turn it
into deeper faith.
I've seen him take what wasuncertain and use it for good
because that's just the kind ofGod that he is.

(09:25):
That's what he does.
But God, he's the game changer,he's the page flipper, he's the
story, absolute upender to giveus an unexpected next chapter,
if not ending, but God intendedit for good.
When someone says to me, FamilyDisciple Me helped our story

(09:47):
engage one another in talkingabout Jesus again, that's the
one sentence, that's the onesentiment that is the why we do,
what we do.
Every time a mom or a dad or anauntie or an uncle or whomever
listens to one of these podcastor vodcast episodes or opens up
one of our devotion-drivendiscipleship guides, every time

(10:10):
a teenager does that and comesback with questions about
scripture, every time a newbeliever listens and then begins
again and takes a deeper step offaith, that is purpose
unfolding.
That gets me really excited.
That's what Joseph's life showsus.
That's what the family discipleministry celebrates.

(10:33):
God's purpose doesn't stop atthe end of a hard chapter, it
continues into the next onebecause he's still writing the
story in all of us.
So, what is it that he's writingin you today?
Do you sense his purpose?
Do you sense his calling on yourlife?

(10:53):
Do you sense a little piece ofwhat he's doing in you and to
you and through you?
Let me encourage you to lean in,to receive that, to walk with
him into what he has for you.
And then, since you're here inthis episode with me, I just
want to say thank you forcelebrating with us as a

(11:14):
ministry as we are looking ateight years of completion.
We are so thankful.
With that, we also believe thatGod's purpose is expanding for
the Family Disciple Me Ministryas we prepare to launch the
Family Disciple Me app.
This is a tool that will makedevotion-driven discipleship

(11:34):
even easier for familieseverywhere.
And if you've tracked with theFamily Disciple Me Ministry for
any time, you know we've beenworking on this app and the
building of it is going along.
It's all volunteer, so it'staken a hot minute, but it is
coming.
And we are praising God for whathe's doing.

(11:55):
And in the midst of that, here'sour invitation to you.
A couple of things.
Would you pass on however you'recoming into this episode today?
Would you share it with afriend?
Would you pass on this podcastor this YouTube link to somebody
else?
Or maybe you've popped into thisbecause you received the Family
Disciple Me email or text?

(12:15):
Would you invite somebody elseto subscribe?
Maybe you found us on socialmedia and you're listening to
this, watching this now.
Would you go and like or followthat social media platform with
Family Disciple Me?
One way or another, we inviteyou to engage with us in the
next level of story in yourjourney with Family Disciple Me.

(12:38):
So that's number one.
And then number two is would youcelebrate with us by helping us
reach our$5,000 birthday goal?
Every dollar that's donated willhelp us go into this next
chapter as we release this appand do all the things that will
put this on the market and makeit known so that, not just so

(13:00):
that we have an app, so thatmore families and Christ
followers can do what ourmission is about.
And that is seek him, speak him.
You can go tofamilydiscipleme.org forward
slash donate, and every pennycounts as we seek to reach this
goal and to continue ourmission.

(13:21):
Thank you so much for comingalongside and being a part.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode.
As we close, I just want tochallenge you to remember this.
Whatever you're walking throughright now, Joseph's story
reminds you, can remind all ofus that God still has a purpose

(13:42):
for each of us.
So things may be hard right now,but remember, but God, things
may look impossible right now,but God, things may be
impossible right now, but God,because God intended it for
good, for the saving of manylives.

(14:02):
He is still in the business ofaccomplishing miracles.
He is still working in what isnow being done in our lives, in
our families, and through thisministry and other ministries.
Thank you for being a part.
I pray that you will beencouraged, challenged, and
blessed as you live into yourpurpose of meeting with God and

(14:26):
making him known in the lives ofthe precious ones that he's
entrusted to you.
So let's keep seeking him andspeaking him, and let's keep
trusting that God's purpose willalways prevail, and his purpose
is eternal.
So happy birthday, happy eighthbirthday, family disciple me.

(14:47):
And to all of you listening,thank you for celebrating with
us what God has done, what he isdoing, and what he will continue
to do.
Because in every season, inevery way, God intended it for
good.
So go with him until next time.