At some point in life you’re no longer dependent on your parents and the real you comes out – for better or worse.
Then things don’t go your way and you have to decide how you’re going to respond. Like Kevin, you look around you and make do with what you’ve got.
[Genesis 39:1-6]
“When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,”
- When Life Knocks You Down, Get Back Up
There are a couple of things that Joseph did that I can learn from:
- Get to work, where you’re at,
- [Ecclesiastes 9:10] “Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.”
- Let God elevate you at His time, because your work ethic was for Him anyway
- [Colossians 3:23] “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
[Genesis 39:7-12]
“and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.”
2. Have Courage in the Middle of your Chaos
[1 Corinthians 10:12-13]
“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
What do I do if I didn’t take the high road? What if I did give in?
[Hebrews 4:14-16]
“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Does this mean I can just keep doing this?
[Romans 6:1-4]
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”
What happens when I do all the right things and crap still happens?
[1 Peter 3:14]
“But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.”
[James 5:13-16]
“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
3. We Fight Back with Prayer, Praise, and Partners