"Here comes that dreamer! they said to each other. Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what becomes of his dreams."

(Genesis 37:19-20 NIV)

Note the phrase, "Then we we'll see what becomes of his dreams." Did you know that Satan is determined to destroy your dreams before they are ever realized. Poising the minds of Joseph's brothers against him, Satan set out on a course to destroy both the dreamer and his dreams. Remember, however, that God is greater than Satan, and he would not only rescue the dreamer, he would also keep Joseph's dream alive.

Tragic as it may seem, unlike Joseph, many dreams are never realized. The problem is not with the dream, however, but with the dreamer. Someone has written, "The dream never dies, only the dreamer."

How then can we keep our dreams alive? As Joseph was thrown into a cistern, there are four cisterns, according to H. D. London, Vice President of Ministry Church/Pastoral Ministries of Focus on the Family, that must be avoided at all cost, if we are to keep our dreams alive. They are as follows:

 

I. The Cistern of Doubt

According to Webster, doubt means, "to be inclined to disbelief; lack of conviction; feelings of uncertainty." The cistern of doubt is a dream killer. Being inclined to disbelief, the Israelites would spend forty years in the wilderness. They chose the cistern of doubt after hearing a bad report . . .

 

"So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying. "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size." "There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

(Numbers 13:32-33)

Joseph would have perished in the cistern of doubt had it not been for his older brother Reuben, who came to his rescue. "When Reuben heard this," referring to verses 19-20, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life, he said."

"Reuben further said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him"- that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father." (Gen. 37:22)

When doubts assail us, we need a Reuben. It was Barnabas who came alongside Paul to encourage him. Everyone needs a Reuben.

We cannot imagine the doubts that must have bombarded Joseph's mind while he was in the cistern. Doubt as to whether or not he would ever see daylight again . . . had he seen his father for the last time . . . Would this dreamer perish in the cistern of doubt?

 

What about you? Do you find yourself in the cistern of doubt? Have you begun to doubt whether or not your dream will ever be realized?

If the cistern of doubt does not kill the dreamer, look out for...

 

II. The Cistern of Fear

Remember now, "the dream never dies, only the dreamer." If Satan could destroy Joseph in the cistern, his dream would never become a reality. You see, Satan does not attack the dream. Rather he attacks the dreamer. One of his most successful tools in destroying the dreamer is fear.

Fear of failure has stopped many a dreamer short of their dream. Fear of failure almost destroyed my dream of accomplishing my educational goals. Enrolling in college at age 28 was a frightening experience . . . seminary was, likewise, a frightening experience. Do you know what got me out of the cistern of fear concerning my educational career? Someone believing in me. That someone was Carolyn. She was the primary one, but there were others . . . Dale Christian and Dr. F.M. Dowell, and last but certainly not least, my daughter Carrie. These people believed in me. With their help and my trust in God, I was able to get out of the cistern of fear and accomplish my educational dreams.

Concerning our cisterns of fear, one writer said it like this, "No failure has to be final, and no flaw has to be fatal."

God sent a special envoy to rescue Joseph from the cistern of fear, but he was not yet ready to realize his God given dream. You see, like many of us, he was still in . . . .

 

III. The Cistern of Rejection

In the pursuit of your dreams, if doubt and fear don't get you, look out for rejection. The cistern of rejection can destroy the dreamer.

 

Joseph was the favored son of his father, but he was rejected by his brothers. Pulled from the cistern, his brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites.

"And Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him. Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt."

(Gen. 37:26-28)

Speaking of rejection, he was sold a second time . . .

"Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh's officer, the captain of the bodyguard." (Gen. 37:36)

Potiphar, would reject him and send him to prison based on a lie. Then he would be forgotten and left to rot in an Egyptian prison.

Perhaps some of you have been lingering in the cistern of rejection . . . rejected by parents . . . rejected by a spouse, etc. One can be thrown in the cistern of rejection at any phase or stage of life.

In the midst of my final educational dream, I found myself in the cistern of rejection. This was the cistern that almost destroyed this dreamer . . .

This time, like Joseph, it was my Heavenly Father who rescued me. He rescued, restored, and released me to accomplish my dreams . . .

There is one final cistern that could have destroyed young Joseph. It was . . .

 

IV. The Cistern of Vengeance

If anyone had a right to seek vengeance, it was Joseph. His brothers had thrown him into the cistern and would have killed him had it not been for Reuben. If that wasn't reason enough for him to desire vengeance, being sold into slavery added fuel to the fire.

Years later, finding himself as the second in command, in Egypt, he was in a position to get even with his brothers, as it has been said, "With a vengeance." However, God was with Joseph, and he chose the highroad of forgiveness. He left the vengeance to God, as recorded in Scripture . . .

"For we know Him who said, "Vengeance Is Mine, I Will Repay." And again, "The Lord Will Judge His People."" (Hebrews 10:30)

See Joseph's attitude of forgiveness . . .

READ Gen. 50:14-21

Earlier he had said . . .

 

"And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance." (Gen. 45:7)

Joseph refused to stay in the cistern of vengeance and went on to fulfill his God given dream.

CONCLUSION: Will you avoid the cistern of doubt, fear, rejection, and vengeance and keep on dreaming? You can you know. It was the Apostle Paul who said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"(Phil. 4:13), and so can you.

If you don't know Jesus, let me remind you that a greater than Joseph is here. His name is Jesus. He can rescue you from the cistern of hell and give you an eternal home in heaven. Will you trust Him today.