Voice of Hope
1 November 2022
“Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.” -Genesis 39: 20
Can you imagine how Joseph must have felt? He was overseer over all of Potiphar's household, and then, Mrs. Potiphar wants Joseph to sleep with her. Joseph refuses to commit adultery and she accuses him of rape, and he lands in jail.
I get messages or calls from people all the time to pray for them. Just when God answers one prayer request, there’s another calamity that strikes them. Sometimes I find myself saying, “God, really? This person can’t seem to catch a break. Please can you help?” Joseph is one of those people that seemed to go from a bad situation to worse.
Thank God Joseph’s story doesn’t end here!
You see, Joseph was destined for greatness, and no pit, no slavery, and no prison could keep him down. The hand of God and His blessings were on him. Nothing was going to keep Joseph from getting to where God was leading him to be.
This week, I went down memory lane. I’m going to share another personal story about myself. After graduating from college, realizing my call was not in medicine, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I decided to work for a temp agency doing meaningless jobs. About a month later, one of the companies I was sent to work for offered me a permanent position. They told me, “We want you here. Name your price, and what you want, and you can go back to college if you wish, we will pay your tuition.” So, I named my price, asked for an additional week of vacation, and took the job. I was the lowest in the company. I was the go-to girl. Whenever anyone in the department needed anything, they came to me.
The president of the company came to my desk every day to chat with me. It had nothing to do with business; He was very nice to me. I had been with the company for about 8 months, and the woman who hired me and begged me to take the job paid several thousand dollars to the temp agency for breaking the contract to hire me had decided to hate me. I had no idea why, but suddenly, she hated me with passion. The work environment was too much for me to bear so I handed in my resignation, giving them two weeks' notice.
The president of the company called me into his office. “Teresa, I read your resignation letter, and I want to know the real reason why you're leaving. If you're not happy in your current department, I’ll move you to wherever you want to go. Just tell me I’ll take care of it.” I didn’t want to cause trouble, so I didn’t tell him anything. He told me I was welcome back any time I wanted a job with the company, and to give future employers his name for recommendations.
The next two weeks were hell in the office. The woman did everything in her power to try to get me to react. The last day of the two weeks finally came. The president of the company came to me, every day to chat with me, and then he said, “Teresa, would you do a personal favor for me? Can you man the phones at 4:45 pm? I know this is your last day with the company and I know you leave at 5 pm, I promise you will leave on time.”
At 4:45 pm, the entire department headed for the conference room, I took over for the woman who handled the department phone calls. The President came out of his office, headed for the conference room, got to the door, turned around, smiled, and gave me a wink. Ten minutes later, he opened the door, stood by the door, looked at me and gave me the biggest smile, and went straight to his office.
One by one the people came out of the conference room. Some were crying, others in a daze. Last woman to leave said to me, “Rita wants to see you!” I went into the conference room thinking, “God, I had enough of this woman. Please, God, keep my mouth shut.” I walked in, she was sitting down crying. I asked her what was wrong. She said, “Teresa, I know you know God. I know God hears your prayers. I need your prayers. I’m sorry for all I did to you. Please you got to pray for me. I’m desperate. The president just fired us all. The whole entire department has been fired. I have no job and no money. Please pray for me, I need a miracle.”
I was in total shock. The president had been watching what they were doing to me. I was innocent. I hadn’t done anything to anyone. It was pure evil what she had done, and the rest of the staff had followed her leading. This week God was showing me the path He has me on for years now. The path I’m on is His perfect will for my life.
You see, I was at the bottom of that company. I was the go-to girl for meaningless things. God was leading me to bigger and greater things. Rita’s attitude was to get me to quit. God was leading me to become the next Chief Executive Officer of LDW. Please get this, when you serve God, He doesn’t play with your life. He leads you from greatness to greatness. Her evil plan served to launch me into the greatest job opportunity of a lifetime. I didn’t know what to do with my life, but God knew.
Joseph landing in jail had to happen so he could meet the cupbearer of Pharaoh, the greatest and most powerful man of his time. The Egyptian Pharaoh. Imagine one day in prison for lies others told, the next you are the second in command. I wouldn’t want to have been Mrs. Potiphar when she had to bow before Joseph and the real truth revealed then. Imagine her embarrassment.
I don’t know what you're going through. But you can rest assured God has you. People can spread lies all they want. Yes, you might have to live with it for now. However, I promise you God is watching, just like the president of that company was doing. Revenge did not come by my hands. I could have set the record straight and told what was really happening to that President. I’m so very sure he would have believed me. God said, “Don’t!” I obeyed and didn’t defend myself.
Do you know how many times I have had to do this? Several people have been downright evil towards me and told many false accusations about me. I know what was said to whom and by whom. God always shows me. But I have never said one word. Not one. I allowed the gossip, the untrue stories, and the downright lies people say about me. God was reminding me what He did in the past to defend me, He will do it again.
Joseph was sold by his own brothers at the age of 17. The jealousy and hate his brothers had for him had almost turned to murder. It was their first choice to kill him. God stopped it, and 13 years later, he made him second in command of Egypt. His brothers and the rest of Egypt had to come to him to get their food. Their very lives were in his hands. They had to come not just to apologize but to receive food for their survival. Did you catch this?
If you are honorable, kind, and humble God will take care of you and the evil done to you. He scatters your enemies before you, and He brings them back to apologize to you. Job had to pray for his three friends in order for God to bless his friends. It was Job’s prayer God heard, not theirs.
I’ll never forget that day. I knelt down, while Rita sat in her chair, inside the conference room, and prayed with a love I didn’t know I had for a woman that did me harm. I believe God took notice, and a year later God opened the door for me to work as the CEO of an international company. God keeps all the scores. Remember my story and know it can be your story, too. The idea is to remain holy and righteous. Regardless, of the evil that is done unto you. God will end it in victory for you. No prison of lies and hate can stop the blessings of God on your life.
Rev. Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro Chancellor/President Manda University Founder and President Thread of Hope, Inc.