His Promises Are Sure
Can you see God's promises shining through the clouds when it's dark outside?
Like the expectation of a rainbow after the rain, God gives us a promise to look forward to when it's still stormy out. When it seems like the word of the Lord will never come to pass in our lives, we can look up at the sky and remember God's impossible promise to Abraham—that his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky. When it looks like the dreams He has given us will never come true, we can hold to the truth that God's promises are "yes" and "amen" in Jesus Christ.
Joseph's Promises and Character Refined
"Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph's character." (Psalm 105:19 NLT)
Joseph, in the Bible, knew what it was like to wait for a promise from God. At seventeen, God gave him two dreams in the night about his future. One day he would be a ruler, and his family would come and bow down to him. Because he had the dream two times, the word was confirmed and established by God.
Later in his journey, he was able to deliver God's message to Pharaoh through his own two dreams, as we see in Genesis 41:32: "As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and He will soon make them happen" (NLT). Yet, as soon as he had the dreams, the path to his promises looked like the complete opposite of what God had spoken. Even so, Joseph learned to hope against all hope when his dreams were opposed at every wrong turn.
At the right time, the promises and dreams God gave to him still came to pass. He saw God work everything his brothers meant for harm for his ultimate good and the good of many others. Joseph said, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people" (Genesis 50:20 NLT). Not only that, but God refined and prepared Joseph through the trials by fire he endured so his character was ready for the fulfillment of his promises.
Trial by Fire: When God's Promises Heat Up
Interestingly, this season aligns with the start of the Hebrew month of Tammuz. In Jewish history, this month is associated with moments of transition and tension—times when things feel as if they are being shaken, exposed, and brought to the surface.
Prophetically, this time frame serves as a reminder for us today: God is not absent in the pressure we face. He is present in the process. He uses seasons of testing to refine us and prepare us. Not only that, but our faith in God's promises is often tested by fire.
If anyone knows what it's like to have a promise from God tested by fire, it's Joseph. And sometimes, like Joseph, we experience a test in our own lives. Yet, we can be encouraged by these words:
"These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." (1 Peter 1:6–7 NLT)
Through the trials we endure, God is not only bringing us into promises; He is shaping us into the kind of people who can live them out. He is shaping our faith into something more precious than the purest gold.
The Preparation Is Not Wasted, It Is Producing Gold
I hear the Lord say, "Come up higher and see from My perspective. I do not see the way you see. Let Me adjust your perception of your life and circumstances. I want to correct your lens and give you a new vision of hope. I want you to see this season not merely as a season of waiting, but as a season of preparation. (Photo via Flickr)
"You are not on standby. I have not put you on hold. I am doing more in you than you may see right now. Like a gardener (John 15) tending gently to the soil of your life, the deep work I am doing in your root system is vital to where I am taking you. Let My Word transform your beliefs. Let My Word transform your mind (Romans 12:1–2). I want you to hope against all hope and believe Me again for the impossible."
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24 NIV)
"If you feel stuck, do not view this time as a delay but as an essential detour. The pit prepared Joseph. The prison prepared Joseph. I wasted nothing in Joseph's life; I used it all for his preparation. I will waste nothing you go through when you lean on Me. I will use it all for your good. Your situation may look impossible, but I can open a new door overnight that no one can shut.
"No matter how long the wait, I am working behind the scenes. I opened Joseph's prison cell, and I quickly promoted him to the palace. He could have given up and not let Me cultivate his character and use his gifts, but he still had faith in the dark season of waiting in his prison cell. In your preparation season, will you faithfully steward what I have given you for today? Will you let Me refine you as gold?
"My refiner's fire is to prepare you for the things I am preparing for you. At the right time, the smoke will clear, and you will see and understand more clearly the work I have been doing in your life. You are coming forth as gold, not even smelling like smoke."
From the story of the men in the fiery furnace: "Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn't even smell of smoke!" (Daniel 3:27 NLT).
"When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." (Isaiah 43:2 NIV)
"You are not alone in this season," I hear the Lord say. "Find comfort in knowing your brothers and sisters around the world are experiencing the heat of purification in the furnace. I have been leading many people through a season of greater transformation. I am removing the impurities in My Bride—and how beautiful she is to Me!
"Just as a silver refiner knows his work is complete when he sees his image reflected in the silver he is purifying, I am transforming you into My image. Your surrender to My preparation process is a beautiful gift of worship to Me. You will come forth as gold."
"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:10 NIV)
Everything Must Go
Yielding to God's timing and preparation process is rarely easy but always worth it. As I write this prophetic word, I hear the phrase "everything must go!" While this word may not be able to be received by everyone reading it, it may impact just one person.
I see a surrendered heart posture developing in some of God's people. I see a deep, genuine heart cry that says, "God, I only want Your plan! Everything else must go! I yield my plans for Yours!" I see a willingness to toss everything in the fire, like a beautiful sacrifice to the Lord. I see an invitation to say "yes" to selling all to buy the field. (Photo via Unsplash)
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." (Matthew 13:44 NIV)
In the letting go and the seeming loss and cost, I am reminded of what Jesus told His disciples: "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it" (Matthew 16:24–25 NLT).
When we surrender our plans, timing, and will for God's plans, we find true abundant life and everything we have been looking for all along. In this season, perhaps the Lord is calling some to go all in and trust Him entirely in a way that takes greater faith than they've walked in previously. Perhaps it's time for some to yield and say, "Yes, Lord. Everything but You must go!"
In the Process, God's Promises Are Still YES and AMEN
"And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times." (Psalm 12:6 NIV)
I hear the Lord say, "Don't be weary in the waiting. I am working in more ways than you can see right now. Do not believe the negative reports full of doubt. Do not give up before you step into My promises. There is much purpose in My process in your life.
"Take time to ask Me what I am doing beneath the surface of your life. Ask Me to give you fresh vision for the 'now' while you prepare for the 'not yet.' Ask Me how to yield more deeply to My refining work in your life and heart. I want to pull you deeper into My presence when you may feel the temptation to pull away. I am calling out to you today, pursuing you through My ordinary and supernatural signs and wonders. Do you hear My voice calling you deeper into friendship with Me?
"I am far from finished with the plans I have for you. I want to give you hope that has been deferred for too long. You are safe to hope again in Me."
"And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:5 NIV)
"Receive a fresh wave of hope, like a new wind in your sails. Let Me carry you when you feel you can't take another step. Soon you will see a new horizon ahead and a new land in sight. The negative report of your promise is not your story, nor My plan for you. Let Me show you how this is your preparation season. Believe My good report over you."
A prayer for today:
Dear heavenly Father, help me have eyes of faith to see Your purpose in my process. I choose to have faith and believe You when You speak Your words of hope and life to me. Fill me afresh today with hope, joy, and purpose as I trust in You. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
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Mariel Villarreal, Founder
The Embolden Co.
Email:Â Mariel@marielvillarreal.com
Website:Â www.marielvillarreal.com
Mariel Villarreal is a writer, speaker, and prophetic mentor. Her heart is to encourage this generation with right-now prophetic words that reignite hope during the waiting between a prophetic promise and its fulfillment. Through her ministry, the Embolden Co., she holds seasonal prophetic mentorships, training programs, and retreats to empower people around the world to develop their spiritual gifts and hear God for their lives, so that they can bring revival to the nations. You can follow her on social media on Instagram @Mariel_Villarreal_ and Tiktok @Mariel.Villarreal and Facebook @TheEmboldenCompany to get more prophetic encouragement!
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