When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Matthew 1:24-25 (NLT)
One of the indicators of spiritual maturity is mastering or sacrificing our desire for food, sex, sleep, and other natural desires when prompted by the Holy Spirit. Joseph sacrificed his sexual needs in order to fulfil prophecy. He was a righteous and spiritually mature man–A perfect father for Jesus.
To fulfil God’s prophetic agenda for our lives and households, we must be willing to make the sacrifices God reveals through the Bible, God’s sure Word of prophecy. That’s one reason we must feed on the Word daily. We can’t raise mighty warriors or have an extraordinary family life without sacrifices.
