The Situation

A New Start – Day 13

Joseph is one of my biggest heroes of the Bible.  If you are not familiar with him, he was one of the twelve sons of Israel.  His brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery and told his father that he was killed by wild animals.  The slave traders took him to Egypt where he was sold to a high official named Potiphar.  This is where we catch up to today’s reading (Genesis 38-40).

When Joseph worked for Potiphar, he did so well that Potiphar put him in charge of his whole household.  The Lord blessed his work and blessed Potiphar for trusting Joseph.  When Joseph saw that Potiphar’s wife was very attracted to him, he started to avoid her.  One day, she cornered him alone in the house and tried to seduce him.  Joseph, being a righteous man, fled, but he had to leave his cloak behind to escape.  She used that cloak to falsely accuse him.

There are so many lessons from the life of Joseph, but here is what stood out to me today.  Joseph avoided compromising situations.  The one time he did let himself get in a compromising situation, he fled.  Even though he fled and did not sin in that situation, he suffered from the results.  I need to not just flee sin.  I need to avoid any situation where it becomes possibility.  Many would look at that idea today and say that I am being old fashioned and legalistic.  I am not saying that letting myself get in those kinds of situations would be sinful.  I am saying that it is wise to avoid them.

What are those situations for you?  Are there people you have to avoid because they may draw you back into addiction?  Do you need to avoid watching certain types of movies that may cause you to sin?  You probably already know those situations for you.  Pray that God would make them obvious to you and pray that you may have the strength to avoid them.  Watch as the Lord blesses you and those around you for staying on the path He has for you.