Every one of the Lord's strong saints must be tested in the area of bread, of the lusts of sin, and in obedience. There will be no release from prison until the Lord's appointed hour.

Our tests and trials, our pains and perplexities, our hindrances and frustrations, do not originate in Satan even though he may be the instrument the Lord is using to perfect us. Our pain does not originate with the world, with evil, perverse people. Our discomfiture is proceeding from the Lord if we are serving Him.

Every suffering of the saint is for a specific and eternal purpose. We are to look to Jesus in every instance. If we complain, murmur, blame other people, we only will delay the hour of our usefulness in the Kingdom of God. In order to escape from God's prison we must break God's laws. We may lose (perhaps for eternity!) our appointed role as a nourisher of the people of the Lord, and of the whole earth, in the day of trouble.

Joseph was not a complainer, he was one of God's "stars." He was in prison by the Word of the Lord (Psalms 105:17-19).

When Joseph's "word" came he was exalted to a position of supreme influence in the world. The present earth and all of the people who live on it belong to the Lord God of Heaven (Psalms 24:1). The pressing need today is for saints who will allow Jesus to prepare them so they may be able to nourish the Lord's people, and also the rest of earth's population, throughout the terrible desolation that soon is to appear.

A period of blessing and a period of tribulation. "The morning cometh, and also the night."

A time of unprecedented spiritual blessing now is upon us. It will be followed by years of unprecedented spiritual leanness.

Spiritual oppression and perhaps material desolation soon will fill the entire earth (Matthew 24:21). How soon? Perhaps during our lifetime; almost certainly during our children's lifetime.

What does this knowledge mean to us?

It means we are to be taking advantage of every opportunity for spiritual growth and service placed before us in the present hour.

We are to be storing up spiritual strength and understanding, spiritual food, spiritual grain, spiritual corn—the knowledge of the Lord and His precious Word.

The believer who allows the present hour of spiritual opportunity to pass by unheeded, wasting his time and strength in the contemporary life of material pursuits, most certainly will suffer greatly in the Day of the Lord and will be of no use in the Kingdom of God during the dark hours that even now are on the horizon.

He or she will not be able to help others during earth's great opportunity. Also, he himself will panic in fear and unbelief during the dark hours because of lack of preparation now.

We are to be redeeming the time. We are to be buying back the time because the days are evil. We are to be putting on the Gospel armor so we may be able to stand in the evil day.

To be continued.