PROPHETIC WORDS

THE JOSEPH ANOINTING: PROPHETIC AND ENTREPRENEURIAL

by Nathan Shaw

The nations are entering a time of transition and change. We should not be afraid. God has prepared many “Josephs” in advance. Joseph was God’s secret weapon. He was used to save the ancient world during a time of extreme famine. Some Josephs are already being positioned to handle future crises. Other Josephs will come forth in the midst of crises. Joseph was both prophetic and entrepreneurial. This made him unique. Usually prophets are prophets and entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs. In Joseph these two anointings combined.

Prophetic Accuracy and Strategic Wisdom

Joseph demonstrated prophetic accuracy when he interpreted Pharaoh’s two dreams. In the first dream Pharaoh saw seven fat cows and then seven famished cows. The famished cows devoured the fat cows but remained famished. In the second dream Pharaoh saw seven full heads of grain and seven scrawny heads of grain. The seven scrawny heads of grain devoured the full heads of grain but remained scrawny (Genesis 41:1-7, 17-24). Joseph accurately interpreted the dreams: There would be seven years of plentiful harvest, followed by seven years of extreme famine. Joseph then went beyond prophetic accuracy and gave Pharaoh strategic wisdom. He advised Pharaoh to appoint a person to oversee the collection and storage of a vast grain reserve during the years of plenty. Joseph was appointed for the task (Genesis 41:25-46).

Prophetic accuracy is the domain of prophets. Strategic wisdom and its implementation is the domain of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are successful because they know what to do and how to do it. In the coming season, not only will there be greater cooperation between prophets and entrepreneurs, prophets will implement strategic wisdom, and entrepreneurs will move with prophetic accuracy.

Anointed to Manage Resources

Joseph’s life in Egypt went through three phases.

• Firstly, he was a slave in Potiphar’s house. He proved so trustworthy that Potiphar promoted him to manage all the resources of his household (Genesis 39:1-6)
   
• Secondly, after being falsely accused and thrown in prison, he became a successful manager of resources within the prison, even although he was a prisoner (Genesis 39:20-23)!
   
• Thirdly, Joseph was promoted to become Prime Minister of Egypt. As Prime Minister he managed Egypt’s resources before and during a time of extreme crisis. Joseph learned how to collect, store and distribute grain.

It doesn’t sound inspiring but Joseph was anointed to manage resources. Joseph spent 13 years managing resources for Potiphar and in prison, and then 14 years managing storehouses throughout Egypt. That’s a total of 27 years of hard work!

Often prophets are stereotypically seen as isolated. They disappear into a “cave” for long periods of time and then dramatically reappear with the word of the Lord. This perception will change as prophets go to work. Joseph came out of isolation and went straight to work.

There is a principle in the Bible that states: One can chase a thousand and two can put ten thousand to flight (see Leviticus 26:8 and Deuteronomy 32:30). In other words, unity multiplies authority. The coming unity between prophets and entrepreneurs will result in a dramatic increase in authority. In fact, many prophets will become entrepreneurial, and many entrepreneurs will become prophetic.

Creative Inventions, Systems, Strategies and Technologies

Prophets give guidance and direction. Entrepreneurs go to work. Joseph was a prophet but he also had entrepreneurial assignments from God. We are entering a new season. Joseph is a model.

• In the past season people came to the prophet, or the prophet went to the people. In the new season the prophet will go to work.
   
• In the past season the entrepreneur came to the prophet, or the prophet went to the entrepreneur. In the new season the entrepreneur will receive revelation and blueprints from heaven. This will include creative inventions, systems, strategies and technologies that will bless the nations.

Under Joseph's leadership Egyptian civilization took a major step forward. This happened because large storehouses were built in centralized locations. Storing grain for extended periods of time and on such a large scale required new technologies. Building storehouses was a precursor to building strong cities (Genesis 47:21).

A union between prophets and entrepreneurs will bring forth prosperity even during times of crisis. It will also result in new technologies that will bless the nations in powerful and significant ways. Joseph was unknown on the national stage. At a strategic moment his voice was heard. Great authority was bestowed on him. Joseph was not limited by labels—he was both prophetic and entrepreneurial. There are many unknown Josephs in our day. God will bring them forth to fulfill the assignments He has for them.

This prophetic word was shared by the Elijah List on 2nd January 2017 
To visit the Elijah List website click www.elijahlist.com/index.php

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