The Pit Cannot Hold What God Has Destined
- Henley Samuel
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
March 31, 2026
Have you ever felt like the very people around you were working against the dream God placed inside you? Have you ever been thrown into a pit, not by strangers, but by those closest to you? If so, you are in good company. Because that is exactly what happened to Joseph. And yet, the pit was not the end of his story. It was actually the beginning of his elevation. Today, let us look at what happens when people try to destroy your dream, and why they never can.
When Your Own Brothers Become the Opposition
Joseph did not just have a dream. He spoke it repeatedly. He shared it in Genesis 37 with his brothers, describing how their sheaves bowed down to his in the field. He then shared another dream in which the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed before him. And their response? They called him a dreamer as an insult. Even his father rebuked him.
But notice something powerful here. His brothers were not just jealous. They were afraid. They saw in Joseph something they recognised as real. And instead of celebrating it, they said:
"Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams." Genesis 37:20
Read those last words carefully. "We will see what will become of his dreams." The enemy was not trying to destroy Joseph as a person. The enemy was trying to destroy Joseph's dream, his purpose, what God had called him to do. That is always the target. It was never really you. It is always the purpose inside you.
The enemy is not attacking you. He is attacking the purpose God placed inside you.
This is why you must not be surprised when opposition comes from close quarters. The attack confirms that your dream is real and that it carries genuine threat to the kingdom of darkness.
God Always Sends a Rescuer
Even as the brothers conspired, God was already moving. Reuben stepped in and said, "Let us not take his life." Every time someone pushes you into a pit, God sends a rescuer.
And that is the greater story of all of Scripture. We have all fallen short of God's glory. We have all been in a pit of our own making or others' making. And God sent the ultimate Rescuer, Jesus Christ, to pull us out. Not just to rescue us and leave us on the ground, but to lift us into a completely new place. As it says in Psalm 40, God brings someone out of the miry clay and sets their feet on a rock. He does not just rescue you. He relocates you.
"He raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:6
Your seat is not in the pit. Your seat is in heavenly places. And when you know where you are truly seated, no pit can hold your identity.
From the Pit to the Palace, Not a Temporary Stop
People often say life is full of ups and downs. But that is not the testimony of Scripture. When Joseph was lifted from the pit to become prime minister, he remained there. He did not cycle back down. When God elevates you to the next level, that elevation is permanent. You are not on a rollercoaster. You are on a staircase, and every step upward is by God's design.
Think about the rubber ball pushed underwater. The harder you push it down, the higher it shoots up when you release it. In the same way, the more the enemy tries to press you down, the greater the momentum of your rising.
And look at Daniel. Kings came and went. Empires rose and fell. But Daniel's success remained consistent across all of them. Why? Because his dream, his purpose, his passion was rooted in God, not in any earthly system or person.
Your Dream Keeps You from Sin
Here is a truth that is easy to overlook. It was not just the pit that tested Joseph. There was another moment of deep testing in the house of Potiphar. His master's wife tried to seduce him. And Joseph refused. Why? Because his dream would not let him compromise.
If you do not have a purpose, you will settle for whatever is offered to you. You will say, "I am just a slave, this is the best I can get." But when you know your calling, when you carry the God-given dream, it becomes a wall of protection. The dream keeps you from sin. The purpose keeps you from settling.
When you know where God is taking you, you will not accept a detour through compromise.
God can even use our mistakes
Joseph was eventually sold to the Ishmaelites, traders descended from Abraham's line. And here is the remarkable thing. The Ishmaelites existed because of Abraham's mistake with Hagar. But God used Abraham's mistake to put Joseph in Egypt, exactly where he needed to be to fulfill his destiny.
You may be looking at your past and saying your dream can never happen because of all the wrong turns, the failures, the broken relationships. But God is not limited by your mistakes or anyone else's. He weaves them all into a redemptive story. The very things that seemed like setbacks are often the vehicles God uses to position you for your purpose.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
Nothing you have been through is wasted. Not the betrayal. Not the pit. Not the prison. It is all leading somewhere, and that somewhere is the palace.
Conclusion
Your dream is indestructible. People can throw you in a pit, sell you out, or lock you in a prison, but they cannot touch what God has placed inside you. Joseph's story is proof that when God gives you a dream, no amount of human opposition can stop it. The same God who took Joseph from slavery to the throne is the God who is walking with you today. Do not give up on your dream. Do not silence your vision. Do not accept the pit as your permanent address. You are called to the palace, and your dream is the very thing that will carry you there.
Reflect on This
Have you experienced opposition from people close to you regarding the dream or calling God has placed in your life, and how can you reframe that opposition as confirmation that your purpose is real?
In what area of your life has the absence of a clear God-given purpose caused you to drift or settle for less than God intends for you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I declare that the dream You have placed inside me cannot be destroyed. I thank You that every pit I have been through was not the end but a step in Your plan. I receive the truth that I am already seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I declare that my purpose will not be silenced, and my past mistakes do not disqualify my destiny. Use every broken thing in my story for Your glory. I am going from the pit to the palace in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Key Takeaways
The enemy's target is never you personally but the God-given purpose and dream inside you.
Every time someone throws you into a pit, God is already sending a rescuer to bring you out and elevate you higher.
God's elevation is not temporary. When He lifts you, He seats you permanently in a higher place, not a cycle of ups and downs.
Your dream is a moral anchor. It keeps you from sin and from settling for less than God's best.
God redeems even the mistakes of others and uses them to position you exactly where your destiny requires you to be.
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To dive deeper into this powerful message, watch the full sermon in English on our YouTube video below.
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