I had church at the beach today and it was oh so good....!!  Just me and Father for 3 hours.  While there, I read this, "Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt" (Joshua 24.3-4, NKJV).  Please notice, the BUT Jacob and his children, etc...there goes that BUT again in Scripture.  Let's expound upon this passage of Scripture, shall we?  Jacob or Israel, God's chosen people were sent into slavery, while Esau, the one He hated (did not choose-Malachi 1.2-3), was sent off to the mountains to reside.  Let's go further with this thought...The Edomites, the descendants of Esau, lived on Mount Seir or Edom.  Esau founded the country and dwelled there.  They intermarried with the Horites and was a tribal chief nation before becoming a monarchy.  Eventually, they were subject to Babylon, but in the early centuries of their existence, they enjoyed freedom.  The Israelites, on the other hand, were sent to Egypt, by God, into slavery for 430 years!  We really do not know why God chose Abraham from a family that worshipped other gods, to produce His chosen, royal priesthood, but He did. He wanted the Israelites to be in covenant with Him, and through this nation, salvation would come to the world!  Hold up, wait a minute!  We see a similar situation in the Gospels when after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and His ministry begins, the Holy Spirit sent Him into the wilderness to get tempted by the devil.  So, here is where you are affected.  You might be going through hell in your life right now.  You might be in a situation that seems impossible to overcome.  You might be asking God why did you send me here with these crazy people, or why into this situation?  Lord, why?  If you look back throughout history, every great man or woman in Scripture went through some test or trial or tribulation.  That's what made them great!  Your pain has a purpose.  God is chiseling US, pruning us, taking out all of the ugly mess, disciplining us (cause He disciplines those He loves).  He is getting us ready for promotion. I would suggest that you use this time to get rid of any toxicity in your life, body, and mind.  This is what I am doing right now. We need to be ready for promotion.  Our barns can't be full and vats overflowing if we have no where to put the produce and wine.  As singer Daryl Coley says, "He is preparing me for things I cannot handle right now."  Get ready for a promotion after the pain is gone!  Blessings...