“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

No man knows by the present sign or situation what the future holds. Does your present situation cause you to doubt God’s promise in your life? It took 13 years for Joseph’s dream to come to pass but he never doubted the Giver of the dream. He knew he was a child of promise.

Although Joseph’s present condition looked so discouraging, his future was in his heart, because his focus was on God. From being sold into slavery to being falsely accused and thrown into prison, he was rejected, forgotten and abandoned by those he loved, served loyally and helped selflessly, yet all this time, God was preparing him for the future because the future was in his heart.

Where is your heart? Because Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:21 that where your treasure is, there your heart is. It is all about focus. If you give your attention to God, you become what God says you are, you have what God says you have and you can do what God says you can do.

It is when you give your attention to God that God can use you and develop your gift that will take you to a place of significance with Him. If Joseph’s heart was bound by the pain of the past, trapped by self-pity of the present or imprisoned by anxiety of the future, he would not have had a free spirit to be able to see the pain of those around him and be a problem solver.

What situation are you in? If you handle your present good times carelessly, they can soon turn to hard times and if you handle your present hard times with care, they can soon turn to good times.

Take this lesson from Joseph: your future is in your heart.