“And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.”                                               

Genesis 39:10

Potiphar’s wife had her eyes on Joseph, but Joseph had his eyes on his God.  Joseph had refused her advances day after day.  Verse two of our chapter says, “And the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”  By the Lords blessing Joseph was overseer over Potiphar’s house and all that he had.  Joseph did not allow such power and blessing to corrupt his heart for God.  After Potiphar’s wife’s  first advance the Bible gives us insight into Joseph’s love for the Lord, “But he refused, and said unto his masters wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in the house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Verses 8-9.)

We must be grounded in the word and desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Remember, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13.)

God is faithful!  God is faithful to strengthen us against the wiles of the devil and the desires of the flesh.  We are not alone in this battle.  Fix your eyes upon Jesus, fix your heart upon God’s Word, and Fix your hunger upon the want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

"The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.  The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and the needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.  Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken."-Psalm 37:12-15


It should not surprise us that David, being led by the Holy Spirit, describes an occurrence in his day that is no different than what we see in our time.  “The wicked plotteth against the just.”  The root of evil is often time in full bloom as we read the harrowing stories of the evil plans and plots that are carried out against Christians in faraway lands.  These plans are hatched and deep rooted in the pit of hell.  The disdain for the just is so great that the wicked gnash their teeth together at the site of them.  Picture the look on one’s face if they were to come at you grinding or striking their teeth together.  The face only displays that which is found in the heart.  The possibility of such an occurrence will increase as our own country becomes more intolerant of Bible believing Christians.

Verse thirteen contains sobering words from the sovereign God of the universe.  The wicked may have their say for the moment, but the God of heaven will have the last word.  His laughter will signify His complete contempt for the wicked.   When the ungodly plot and gnash their teeth against the just, they are doing it against God as well.  There is coming a day, there is coming an hour, and there is coming a moment of God’s judgment.  It will be decisive, and it will be final.

The wicked will draw their swords and bend their bows with the poor, needy, and those of an upright conversation (conduct) in their sites.  The word “slays” in the fourteenth verse means literally to “slaughter.”  A dark and dirty picture is painted of such violence, and yet there will be a boomerang effect that will eventually take place.

That which they were doling out will return upon them.  Psalm 7:16 in speaking of the wicked says, “His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.”  We sometimes skip over the wrath of God, and we are doing no one any good if we only preach a part of the truth.  Is God a God of mercy?  Yes indeed!  Is God a God of wrath?  Yes indeed!  My prayer is that our study will bring to light God as He is, according to His word, and that we will take serious the salvation of those around us.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

  Hebrews 11:7

Oswald Chambers writes, “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.  It is a life of faith, not of intellect and reason, but a life of knowing Who makes us “go.”  Our response to God’s plan for our lives says a lot about our trust in God.   I have learned that we never have knowledge of every step we will be taking.  This is a blessing in that as we will rely on the Lord every step of the way we will grow closer and closer to the Lord.   His will can be accomplished and there will be a depth to our relationship.

I wasn’t saved until I was thirty-six years old.  I had no idea what faith was or what it even looked like. God put me through what I like to call faith boot camp, and I admit it was not easy.  I felt led to start a lawn care and odd jobs business.  The question that I seemed to be asked the most was what plan did I have for work in the winter.  I believed that I was in God’s will and that He would provide the work.  I had to completely trust the Lord for work week to week to pay the bills and have food to eat.   I could not see ahead of time the work that God had prepared for me and so I had to trust Him. It has been said, “The faith that hasn’t been tested can’t be trusted.”  The more God tested me the deeper I sunk my trust in Him.  God was faithful! I dug into God’s Word and that was where I found the substance of my faith (“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17).  God’s Word told me He would never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). I look back on that winter as a great time that God taught me what it was to live by faith.  I cherish the memories of seeing God working so mightily.

Noah’s unsinkable faith was based on the fact that he had a word from God (read Genesis 6:8-22) and so Noah trusted God and was obedient to God.   God had warned Noah of an impending judgment in the form of a flood (a global flood) yet they may have never seen rain in Noah’s day.  The Bible says in Genesis 2:6 “But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.”  Noah’s unsinkable faith was on display for all to see.   It wasn’t raining when the first beam was cut for the ark, but that did not detour this man’s faith in God.   Put down your binoculars and trust God.

“I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”

  Psalm 18:1-2


These words have meant so much to me and I believe they always will.  When the Lord saved me at the age of thirty-six not only was God doing a mighty work inside of me, but also all through my life.  Many friends scattered and for a long season it really was just me and my Lord.  I had a small lawn care business and after one particular job I would get my Bible out of my truck and read this passage out loud.  It was a house that was a rental that was owned by some dear friends of mine and at that particular time it was vacant. Often as I would read this passage, the wind would blow across an open field that surrounded three sides of the property and I would just take in the beauty of God’s wonderful creation.  These words strengthened me as I would speak them out loud as a reminder to myself, as well as a prayer to the Lord.   First and foremost, I want God’s word to reveal to you who He says He is.  The basis of our faith is the truth of God’s word. We must get into it and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us our place and position in Christ Jesus.  Too many are ignorant of what the Bible teaches on the relationship between the Lord and His children thus they live below their means spiritually speaking.

 Please consider these thoughts:

 I. I am strengthened for the Lord is my strength.

 2. I stand firm on solid ground because the Lord is my rock.

 3. I am safe for the Lord God almighty is my fortress.

 4. I have deliverance for the Lord God is my deliverer.

 5. My God is my rock and so my life is not built on sinking sand.

 6. I am protected for the Lord is my buckler.

 7. The strength and origin of my salvation is my God.

 8. My strength is in the stronghold in which my Lord provides for me.

  9. O the high tower that is the almighty God of the universe. My God in whom I will trust.

Dear believer get a hold of this!  Don’t turn from it. Claim it and rest upon it. Will you Take time this week to mediate on these verses? You will be strengthened and encouraged.

The life you live in Christ Jesus will be a marker for all those around you.  It will show where you stand; It will announce what you believe and it will define whom you belong to.   Each day is an opportunity to bring glory to God.   Cease the day!  Grab the day with both hands and squeeze everything out of it you can in CHRIST JESUS!  Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) while desiring the sincere milk of the word (I Peter 2:2) and seek those things which are above (Colossians 3:1-2).  A life lived that brings glory to God will not only be a marker, but it will be a stepping stone for those who come after you.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Matthew 5:6

 Your spiritual health, strength and energy will depend upon what it is you are putting in your tank.   A long distant runner would not live off of fried food, junk food or bottle after bottle of soda and expect to run and finish the race. Spiritually speaking we can’t live off the worlds table and be fit for this race we are running.  We are carrying the banner of the Lord Jesus Christ as we run this race in the time we have been given. Let's choose wisely and in doing so we will bring glory to God and be a light in a dark and lost world.   A godly appetite will lead to a godly life for all to see. Let's live everyday as if it were our last.  Such a mind set will bring glory to God and good to many.

This a well-worn quote, but it is well worth another look, “ Sin deforms us,  the penitentiary reforms us, education informs us, the world conforms us, but only Jesus transforms us.”

When one is born again the Bible teaches us, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (I Corinthians 5:17.)  We are a new creation and I thank God for the transforming power of the Living God! I marvel at the man I once was as opposed to the man I am today. Let's celebrate the mercy, the goodness, the amazing grace and the power of the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have been blessed to preach at churches where people who knew the old me attend and they get to see and hear the new me! Glory to God! I absolutely love the look on their faces! I am a trophy of God's grace and if you are saved you are as well! Be joyful in Christ Jesus for the work He has done and continues to do!

Lord willing tomorrow will be another opportunity. Many will come in a variety of ways. Some will walk while others will drive.  For some there will be a bus or buses that will go out and bring in the young and the old alike. With that said, there will be people in the class rooms and the pews. Teachers who have prayed and labored over their lessons will be prepared. Many will come. Pastors and preachers will have sought the Lord for the message that He would have them to preach. They will have soaked and saturated those messages in prayer.

My friend tomorrow is not a game; souls are in the balance and people are hurting and hungry for truth. This world and its way offer rotten manna that neither saves nor satisfies. Many will come. Will you pray this morning? Will you pray today? Will you pray tonight?

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Psalm 23:1

 

Matthew Henry wrote in regards to believers and The Great Shepherd, “He takes them into His fold, and then takes care of them, protects them, and provides for them, with more care and constancy than a shepherd can that makes it his business to keep the flock.”

How often are you able to comfort and console another Christian brother or sister; and you are more than able to believe for them so that their faith would increase during a season of testing and trials and yet you yourself struggle to take hold of our verse today when you encounter a similar season. 

Dear Christian friend you will not lack anything.  Your position in Christ Jesus brings many benefits that are made possible by Christ and Christ alone.  We do not name it and claim it.  We read it and receive it!  When we are hungry, our physical bodies need protein and carbohydrates to function.  Most of us have a refrigerator and cabinets where we store our food. We enter these by opening the doors and choosing what it is we are hungry for. Spiritually speaking, we have a double door cabinet that is filled with all that one needs to satisfy our spiritual hunger, THE BIBLE. 

The Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).  The main reason we lack faith is that we don’t trust God’s Word.  Think how victoriously we would live day to day if with a simple childlike faith our words would echo David’s, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”