the blessing of jacob

The Blessing of Jacob; How God intends to bless usMensah Otabil’s Notes

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1Saturday, October 15, 11

What makes us do what we do?

How come people can have the same circumstances,

training, exposure, education even finances Yet as they grow up they end up differently, behave differently and do things

differently? What makes us do what

we do?

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What makes us do what we do?

What you do is the sum total or product of our;

Choices, Values, Belief,

Experience, Knowledge and the

Environment

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1. Environment What others think and do,

because the world was existing before they were born

into it. The people had some ideas,

beliefs and mindset and when we came into the world we learnt from them and if their

thinking was wrong then what we learn is wrong.

The environment first feeds you.

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2. Knowledge

What you know! Not what somebody

else knows. What the environment

teaches you. What you are going to

learn by yourself.

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3. Experience What you go through by

yourself.It helps you to discern,

distill, filter and determine between relevant and irrelevant knowledge which you may have

acquired by yourself or your environment

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4. BeliefsThis is different from your

experience and your knowledge.

It is what you accept or believe as truth.

It’s not all you learn that you believe

For example: You may have learnt about the theory of

evolution but do not believe it.

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5. ValuesWhat you treasure!

Note the progression From the environment which you have no control over, you learn whatever it teaches

you. To the knowledge you

acquire and your experience which determines your beliefs which affect what you value.

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6. ChoicesWhat you appreciate is

based on what you value. This is influenced by what

you believe. Directed by what you have

experienced. Developed as a result of

what you know. Taught to you by your

environment.

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7. ActionsWhat you do.

This the sum total or product of our;

Choices, Values, Belief,

Experience, Knowledge and the

Environment

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What to do to change what people do?

I must help them to make better choices, and to make better choices:

I must help them to develop good values, and to have good values:

I must touch their belief system, and to touch their belief system:

I must touch their experiences and to touch their experiences:

I must touch their knowledge base and to touch their knowledge base

I must deal with the environment.

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If I can’t deal with all these things, I cannot change what people do!

If you go to church regularly and scream shout listen to messages and something does not change,

you are going to be the same.

If your experiences, knowledge, values, choices do not change you will be the same because

actions do not produce themselves but are a product of

you believes knowledge etc.

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It is so important when we deal with human beings we change what causes

them to act the way they do and go back to their belief system.

That’s what our Lord Jesus Christ came to do, He changed the way they

thought, changed their belief system and changed their experiences and

their value system. Ultimately changing their actions

We must go back to our belief systems which is the 4th in our list of factors and

stands as the pivot of everything you do. It is at the centre.

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What people believe is so important and so strong that it does not

matter whether you have a PhD degree etc if he believes his mother

or wife is a witch it will affect his actions. We must change his belief and to change it its not education

that will do that.

My expectation in life determines what I receive in life, my

expectation however is determined by the factors above and what you

expect will be what you get.

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Genesis 41:49-5249 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.

51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”

52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

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Joseph’s StoryThe story of the parent Joseph is

told here in the story of his children; Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” And the second

child Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the

land of my affliction.”

This is true of Joseph’s story, the betrayal of his brothers and his

suffering which was or is the story of his life and he second child the success he had in the land of his

affliction.

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Joseph’s StoryManasseh means deliverance

from my toil and painful memories and Ephraim, fruitfulness in the

time and place of affliction which is how Joseph understood his

story as the names of the children reflect his story.

This is the underlying logic for Joseph is that those who

experience fruitfulness in the period of affliction must first

be delivered from toil and pain.

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The 1st LogicBased on the factors

discussed, this so important and crucial realizing that to

change what we do we must first change what we know.

This way of thinking has been our attitude in life

and ministry in the church with our great emphasis

on deliverance.

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Joseph’s StoryRepresents a world view and a knowledge base, a way of understanding.

Joseph believed this happened to him and

people who believe this would always expect to be

fruitful in the land they would first have to be delivered from their

affliction.

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Joseph’s StoryThey believe and expect

that God is able and would 1st deliver them from their affliction and then make them fruitful and this is what they teach their children.

Something happens that changes this

forever.20


Jacob’s ViewJoseph brings the children to Jacob to bless and places the

children in a particular order by age and birthright.

Jacob reverses the plan and changes the order; it’s the

fruitfulness of the land that delivers you from the toil and pain.

He changes Joseph point of view and sets fruitfulness before deliverance, God makes us experience Ephraim before

Manasseh.

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Genesis 48:19-2019 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

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The TruthThe truth and logic here is that God would first make you fruitful in the time and

land of your affliction before you experience deliverance

from the toil and pain of your past.

You cannot change what you do unless you

change what you believe.

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ImplicationsTwo expectations for life in the world view of Joseph and in the world view of Jacob. They are not the same

thing.They saw things

differentlyThey work differently.

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ImplicationsJoseph – Expect God to deliver you from adversity before you experience a

fruitful life. Manasseh before Ephraim.

People with this world view say;

“I am waiting for God to set me free before I can

serve him and be fruitful.”

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ImplicationsJacob – Expect God to make

you fruitful in times of adversity before you

experience deliverance.

He does not wait to solve your problem before He makes you

fruitful.

Even in adversity or pain, God makes you fruitful and after

which you have the capacity to solve the problem.

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ApplicationThe logic of your life would determine

the outcome of your life

1st Logic Manasseh B4 Ephraim

If God will prosper me then I will tithe faithfully.

If God gave me a wife/husband I will live a

fulfilled life.

If I get paid well or more I will work harder.

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ApplicationThe logic of your life would determine

the outcome of your life

1st Logic Manasseh B4 Ephraim

If God will prosper me then I will tithe faithfully.

If God gave me a wife/husband I will live a

fulfilled life.

If I get paid well or more I will work harder.

2nd Logic Ephraim B4 Manasseh

I will tithe faithfully for God to prosper me

I will live a fulfilled life and trust God to give me a

wife or husband.I will work hard to earn a

better pay27


ConclusionsWhen Jacob reversed the

order he was saying in essence,

From today this is how Israel would be blessed.

If you belong to the people of God this is how your blessing

comes

Ephraim before Manasseh.

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ConclusionsThis explains the logic in the

sequence of healing of Jesus. It was based on the Ephraim before Manasseh principle.

He did not say for instance your eye be opened go but he says the opposite, go and as

they went their eyes were opened.. Take up your bed and walk not walk and take

up your bed etc.

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ConclusionsWhy? Because if you want to solve people’s problems before their lives get on track then their lives would

never get on track.

Even in your mess God is able to get beautiful things out of your life. When he does you will look back and forget where you came from because God

changes the story.

He will make you fruitful wherever you are because

deliverance is a by product of fruitfulness.

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Another Look at Joseph LifeGenesis 39:3-5

3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.

4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

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Another Look at Joseph LifeWhen we look at Joseph’s life

we will discover that his logic of Ephraim before Manasseh was already true in his life but he did not recognize or understood it.While he was a slave, he was fruitful and yet had not been

delivered. He could have prayed for deliverance and waited for

fruitfulness.

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7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”

8 And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

He was still in prison when he was using his gift to be fruitful.

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Another Look at Joseph Life

Genesis 41:15-16

15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”

16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

Still in bondage and yet was fruitful.

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39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

40 “You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

God does not solve your problems before He uses you and your problem gets solved as He uses you and as you experience His Glory things fall off.

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Ephraim before ManassehIs so important because millions of

Christians are waiting for deliverance. Like the man at the pool of Bethsaida

whom when asked said “I have no one to help me” and Jesus said Take

up your bed.

We have a culture of begging waiting for somebody to solve your entire problem before you take charge of

our life.

If you wait for Manasseh to come before Ephraim we have a very, very

long wait.

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Joseph GiftsHe only had two gifts

Managing Households.

Interpreting dreams

Everywhere he went that's what he used from getting food for his brothers in the field to managing Potiphars House, the Prison and

the Economy of Egypt.

He also was interpreting dreams in the same places but at

different levels.

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Joseph GiftsChange your perspective and start using your own two gifts and your Ephraim would lead to

your Manasseh.The various gifts operated at different

levels, in Potiphars House he got exposure but in Prison he developed character and in Pharaoh house he got promotion but it is the same gift.The same gift but different value at different times, in Prison it probably paid for food, in Potiphars house it gave him Authority and at Pharaoh

house, he received Rulership.

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Joseph GiftsSame gifts today, stop waiting for prophecy. Use the gifts God has given to you.. Life does not care

whether you have prophecy or not. You have to face its challenges and take action solve the problem and

defeat your enemies. Prophesying only tells you of the possibilities not actuality. Don’t sit

down waiting doing nothing, like the 4 lepers why sit here until we die? We get so spiritual but we should learn to act in faith on what we

believe.

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The SeedThe character of the seed is built within

the seed and not within the environment.

We also know that everything starts from the environment but between the environment and your action you can change your knowledge, experience,

belief, values and therefore the choices we make.

The environment as powerful as it is cannot control the power of the seed.

Plant an orange seed in a garbage dump; it still produces oranges not

garbage because its character is in the seed, not the environment.

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The SeedDon’t let your environment or

even your culture to choose who you become because this not

your seed but the seed of God.

Allow the word of God, the knowledge of God, the values of God to radically transform you.

How does God bless us? [According to the blessing of

Jacob] Ephraim before Manasseh. He makes you fruitful before He

delivers you from your past.

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The SeedThat’s why like a woman after childbirth Joseph was able to forgive his brothers

for the pain because of the fruit.

The joy of the birth of the baby because when you are not fruitful you become

bitter, wicked. Allow God to deliver you from by making you fruitful in the land.

I want to stop sinning before I do well! No do well or do good and then you will

stop sinning.

Let your gift begin to be activated and be fruitful to enable us to be delivered

from our past.

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the blessing of jacob

Spiritual

iwill work harder

live afullled life

joseph lifegenesis 41

prosper methen

tithe faithfully

determinethe outcome

applicationthe logic

myfathers house