The Lost Ones - Part 9 | From the Pit to the Platform
I don't care who you are - all of us have had dreams. We've all had a moment where we caught a glimpse of something bigger than where we currently are. Today we're closing out our series on the Lost Ones, and this message is going to touch on being lost, finding your purpose, and leadership development all wrapped up in one.
This is the story of a man named Joseph. His life can be broken down into five rooms - five stages that leaders move through before they're ready for major influence. If you're in a difficult season right now, I want you to pay close attention. Your current room is forging the exact emotional maturity required for your future influence. Don't rush the process.
Room 1 | The Dream and Vision Room
Key 1: Great Leaders Start with Vision
"Joseph had a dream." - Genesis 37:5
Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]. - Proverbs 29:18 (AMP)
Joseph saw something before it existed. That's what vision does - it lets you see a future that hasn't arrived yet. Leaders must be able to see future possibilities that others cannot yet see. Vision is what moves people from where they are to where they could be.
Every leader must answer this question: What future are you helping people see?
Room 2 | The Pit Room (Character Development)
Key 1: Adversity Develops Leadership Character
Now when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the multicolored tunic which he was wearing; then they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty; there was no water in it. - Genesis 37:23-24 (AMP)
Joseph's leadership didn't begin on a platform. It began in a pit. Leadership pressure reveals character, and great leaders are shaped by setbacks, criticism, opposition, and failure. Without adversity, leaders develop entitlement instead of resilience.
The pit is not the end of your story. It's often the beginning of it.
Room 3 | The Service Room
Key 1: Faithfulness in Small Assignments Leads to Larger Responsibility
So Joseph pleased Potiphar and found favor in his sight and he served him as his personal servant. He made Joseph overseer over his house, and he put all that he owned in Joseph's charge. - Genesis 39:4 (AMP)
Joseph was put in charge of Potiphar's house, and he didn't wait for the palace before he started leading. He led faithfully in the smallest assignment. That's a word for someone today - stop waiting for the big stage to show what you're made of. Faithfulness creates trust, and trust creates opportunity.
Key 2: Integrity Is the Foundation of Leadership
He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God? - Genesis 39:9 (AMP)
Joseph protected his integrity even when it cost him his position. Leaders lose influence the moment they compromise integrity. Integrity means doing right when no one sees, keeping commitments, and refusing unethical shortcuts. Your influence grows when your trust grows.
Room 4 | The Prison Room (Emotional Strength)
Key 1: Leaders Serve Others Before They Lead Them
When Joseph came to them in the morning and looked at them, he saw that they were sad and depressed. So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in confinement with him, "Why do you look so downhearted today?" - Genesis 40:6-7 (AMP)
Even in prison, Joseph noticed people. Even in prison, he cared. Servant leadership builds loyalty, and leadership influence comes through service first. You want to lead people? Start by noticing them.
Key 2: Preparation Determines Promotion
Joseph spent 13 years in preparation before entering leadership in Egypt. Thirteen years. Let that sink in.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since your God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and clear-headed and wise as you are. You shall have charge over my house, and all my people shall be governed according to your word... I have set you in charge over all the land of Egypt." - Genesis 41:39-41 (AMP)
Many leaders want promotion without preparation. But preparation builds wisdom, emotional maturity, and decision-making ability. Promotion without preparation leads to leadership failure. The 13 years weren't wasted - they were working.
Room 5 | The Palace and Platform (Strategic Leadership)
Key 1: Leaders Solve Problems
Let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and clear-headed and wise, and set him in charge over the land of Egypt... Let them gather the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the direction and authority of Pharaoh, and let them guard the food in fortified granaries in the cities. That food shall be put in storage as a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine... - Genesis 41:33-36 (AMP)
Joseph didn't just explain the problem. He offered a strategy. Great leaders bring solutions, not just analysis. When you finally reach the room you were made for, you'll have the wisdom to know what to do with it - because you earned it in every room that came before.
Key 2: Emotional Maturity Is Essential for Leadership
Years later, Joseph faced the brothers who betrayed him. He had the power to destroy them. Instead, he forgave them.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present outcome, that many people would be kept alive. - Genesis 50:20 (AMP)
Leadership requires emotional maturity. Leaders must learn to forgive offenses, manage anger, handle betrayal, and move forward without bitterness. Bitterness destroys leadership effectiveness. Joseph could have let the wound become a weapon - but he chose to let it become a testimony.
Key 3: God's Presence Is the Ultimate Leadership Advantage
The most repeated phrase in Joseph's entire story is this: "The Lord was with Joseph."
The Lord was with Joseph, and he - even though a slave - became a successful and prosperous man. - Genesis 39:2 (AMP)
But the Lord was with Joseph and extended lovingkindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the warden. - Genesis 39:21 (AMP)
Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the divine spirit of God?" - Genesis 41:38 (NLT)
Leadership skills matter. Strategy matters. But God's presence provides wisdom, discernment, favor, and guidance that no amount of talent can manufacture. Leadership becomes most effective when it is God-directed.
Which Room Are You In?
Take an honest look at your season right now:
- Are you seeing the future? - You're in the Dream Room.
- Are you isolated and being tested? - You're in the Pit.
- Are you serving someone else's vision? - You're in the Service Room.
- Are you waiting in the dark with no answers? - You're in the Prison Room.
Your current room is not a mistake. It is not a detour. It is forging the exact emotional maturity required for your future influence.
Don't rush the process.
Discussion Questions
- Joseph had a God-given dream long before he had the character to carry it. In what area of your life do you sense God has given you vision - and what character qualities do you feel He is still developing in you to match that vision?
- Room 2 (the Pit) and Room 4 (Prison) represent seasons of adversity that Joseph didn't choose. Think about a difficult season you've walked through. Looking back, what did that season produce in you that couldn't have been developed any other way?
- Joseph led faithfully in Potiphar's house long before he ever reached the palace. Are there areas in your life right now where you're waiting for a bigger platform before you fully commit? What would it look like to lead with full faithfulness in your current assignment?
- Joseph had the power to destroy his brothers and chose forgiveness instead. Is there a person or situation in your life where bitterness has taken root? How might holding onto that offense be limiting your leadership influence or your ability to move forward?
- The phrase "the Lord was with Joseph" appeared whether Joseph was in the pit, in Potiphar's house, in prison, or in the palace. How does your awareness of God's presence change the way you navigate difficult seasons? What is one practical step you can take this week to stay connected to that presence?