The Unfair Advantage: 7 Keys from the Life of Joseph for Transforming Any Obstacle into an Opportunity

by Aaron Burke, Mark Batterson (Foreword)

"Life's not fair!" You've heard it a million times--and probably said it yourself. But what if your greatest difficulties were steppingstones to a greater destiny? What if seasons of unbearable pain turned out to be pathways to unbelievable purpose?

In The Unfair Advantage, pastor Aaron Burke takes a closer look at the seven unfair seasons Joseph endures in the book of Genesis and reveals how Joseph's struggles are not unlike the battles readers face today.

Combining biblical truths with Pastor Aaron's insights from his years of walking with people through their biggest challenges, this book offers a message of hope and renewed strength for anyone who has battled seasons of feeling discouraged, rejected, undervalued, tempted, unfairly punished, deprived, or forgotten. The surprising reality revealed by the story of Joseph is that unfair moments and seasons of difficulty--if handled wisely--can actually be used by God for our advantage.

Readers will be comforted and inspired as they encounter in a new way the dramatic story of Joseph's trials and ultimate triumph. Along the way, they'll learn how to:

• transform adversity into advantage,
• endure even the most challenging moments through courage and hope rooted in faith,
• become aware of God's presence, peace, and promise in the midst of hardship.
 
In The Unfair Advantage, readers who are walking through a season that seems unfair will be reminded of God's ultimate gift of favor. While their situation may seem hopeless now, they can trust that God is forging something beautiful out of the brokenness, putting purpose to their pain, righting every wrong, and building a destiny better than their greatest dreams.

Genres: Christian

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2023

Reviews

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through GoodReads First Read Program.

This book uses the story of Joseph in Genesis to bring out 7 keys to dealing with bad things that we will all face in this imperfect world until we get to go home.

Burke uses examples of his own life and Biblical support to back up each of his 7 keys. You often can see God at work in your life when you look back at the bad things that happened to you and what happened after this. Just because we are Christians doesn't mean we won't face bad things. In fact, we may face more because we are Christian. We can learn so much from those situations. Not easy to do but instead of praying to take it away, pray that you can learn from it and that God can use you and what you learned for His glory. I struggle to do this but I know that it is what I should be doing.

Even Jesus didn't always take the pain or problem away when people asked him for healing. He may take it away but He may have us learn from it. Or He may use it to bring us something even better that we could not have received without having to go through what we consider the bad times.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Unfair Advantage, Aaron Burke explored what important keys we can learn from the life of Joseph and use the lessons to overcome any obstacle that we may face. He explained how all of our trials, struggles, challenges, and setbacks are actually an unfair advantage that God can use to prepare us. What was meant to harm us God can turn it around for our good see Gen. 50:20. There can be purpose for our pain. He shared in the book how he had an unfair advantage growing up. He had trouble making friends and school wasn’t easy. He was expelled from a Christian school. He failed a few courses and had to retake them. His dad also had a drug problem during his childhood. He has been called to preach and every time he would try, he would lose his voice and he had to get a speech therapist to help him and she told him that he was a lost cause. All of his struggles taught him to have greater dependence on God and to have a greater humility. He had an unfair advantage and was able to see the good that came out of it.


The book covered the entire story of Joseph. He was rejected by his brothers and threw him into a deep pit. They wanted to murder him. He was eventually sold into slavery. They were extremely jealous of how much attention and love their father gave him. His dream of success angered his brothers and cause strived and conflict. One of my favorite chapters covered rejection and he has pointers on how to deal with it. He was rejected because of who he was as an individual. He also shared how Oprah, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Michael Jordan, and many others all faced rejected and they all overcame it. He opened up about his own experiences with rejection and how he didn’t get picked for sports teams and how devastated he felt. Even Jesus warned about how brothers will betray their brothers to death and children will rebel against each other and how we will be hated because of Jesus (Matt 10:21-22). Jesus was also rejected and he hung on a cross for our sins. He teaches readers ways in which to deal with rejection and how to not allow bitterness to take root. He instructed readers to guard your hearts.


I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who is ready to go deeper into the study of Joseph. He overcame his unfair advantage and God used all of his pain for his advantage. I immensely liked reading this book and was very interested in learning how to handle rejection and I loved the questions he presented to ask ourselves if we are holding onto bitterness. There are also discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I also liked how he encouraged readers to invest in their relationships especially their marriages and giving others our time. This book is a wonderful read and it will help you in dealing with life isn’t fair.



I received this book free from Thomas Nelson for my honest review.”

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Nelson Books for this ARC.

The Unfair Advantage is a book about the many ways that Joseph was treated unfairly....from the pit to the prison to the palace. The book does an excellent job of describing the circumstances of Joseph's story and an even better job of describing his perseverance. In all 7 scenarios from Joseph's life it would have been completely acceptable for him to give up, quit, or question God...but he didn't. The author did a great job of making this point.

Although I do not agree with some of the author's religious beliefs, the Joseph part of the book was completely aligned with the scriptures.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there benefit from trials? That is a tough question. when difficult times occur, often our view is on what we are missing out, how we are being wronged, or why things may not be going how we thought. What if we changed our view, changed our perspective. What if we viewed difficulties as opportunities to know God. The Unfair Advantage takes a look at the life of Joseph, viewing his hardships and betrayals as a launch pad for God's work in his life. Definitely easy state rather than live out. Overall, this is an encouraging, helpful, and easy read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether he’s preaching a sermon or writing a book, Pastor Aaron Burke is an incredible communicator. His messages are inspiring, relatable and always rooted in biblical truths. He does a great job using the story of Joseph to teach about basic principles that can improve your life. As a member of his church in Tampa, I especially enjoyed listening to the book, which he narrates. I recommend it to anyone who needs a boost of encouragement.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the story of Joseph in the Bible, but I had never read it through this lens before. I appreciated knowing about the different seasons and hardships that he endured. The author really lays out how God used Joseph's trials for good. It made me think about my own struggles and where I see God's hand in them. I won a free paperback copy from Goodreads.

[Calvin Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant analysis of the story of Joseph to the modern day life. Completely changed my outlook on my day-to-day tasks and even my long-term plans. Any and every unfair advantage can be applied to anyone in and respect of their life. Whether you think you don’t need to read this or don’t want to, trust me, this book will wake you up.

[Mesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of listening to him preach and the book mirrors his lesson on what we can learn from Joseph’s experience. His life was unfair but that was how God was moving him to be where he needed to be. It’s really hard to recognize God’s presence when our lives seem to be going in what we think is the wrong direction. However, even negative things can be good eventually.

[Inga Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read. I finished it in less then a week, pastor Aaron just has a way of writing and talking that I just connect with. He has so much wisdom and such a talent. Thank you pastor Aaron for this book and your sermons that are always to full of wisdom and love.

[Glenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. had a lot of good points and was really encouraging!

[Bridgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a great book for someone who feels led to do something "AWESOME" for God and keeps making excuses.

[Gabriel Santana · Rating 3 out of 5]

C-

[Jessie Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who’s passionate about truth, perspective, and spiritual growth, The Unfair Advantage deeply resonated with me. Aaron Burke has a unique gift—he takes familiar biblical stories and breathes new life into them, making them fresh, relatable, and profoundly relevant to the challenges we face today.

What sets this book apart is how Aaron weaves in historical context and philosophical depth, thanks in part to his PhD-level seminary training. Rather than sticking to the overly literal interpretations we’ve often been taught, he invites readers to look deeper—into meaning, intention, and the redemptive patterns within each trial. It’s not just scripture reimagined; it’s perspective transformed.

Reading it made me pause more than once and wonder: is this ability to reframe and connect age-old truth to modern pain exactly how the Lord intended his gifting to be used? I think so.

Aaron Burke is an up-and-coming pastor whose work is worth watching, especially in our region. I’m a big fan of what he’s creating—not just in his writing, but in the broader impact he’s having on faith communities.