Strive to live your life like Biblical Joseph. He is famous for running from sin. He should be famous for insisting on doing what God wanted him to do. When we insist on doing what God wants us to do, running from sin becomes much more likely.
Joseph was a stickler for God’s commandments. He obeyed because he knew that sin steers us from the path of what God wants us to do.
Joseph was a man of prayer. He prayed all the time about what God wanted him to do. We think, “Finding what God wants me to do is so hard.” Let’s examine how hard it was for Joseph.
Joseph was thrown into a pit to die. I bet he reacted by praying constantly. Joseph was sold into slavery. I think he reacted by praying constantly. Joseph was thrown into prison. I think he reacted by praying constantly.
I told someone to set an alarm for every 30 minutes on their phone to remind them to pray:
“Father, show me what you want me to do.”
He laughed.
If Joseph had heard that advice, he might have said, “I need to be aware of what God wants me to do more often than that!”
Realize, God did not tell Joseph in the pit, “You will someday be second in command in Egypt.” God simply was with Joseph in the pit. God only told him that He would be with him if he did things His way.
My dad was where they dropped the atomic bomb. He said it was the most barren, dead place he had ever been. But, he said he prayed more while he was there than what he had prayed before or since. He said he felt the presence of God in that horrible place. He had nothing, but he had God with him.
Second, Joseph was going to do what God wanted him to do. He knew that sin would derail his mission. When the King’s wife tried to seduce him, he ran.
Third, I will likely pray:
“Father, show me what you want me to do.” 30 times today.
I will likely pray:
“Father, keep me from temptation,” as many times as it takes to prepare for temptation.
If I watch TV tonight, I will likely pray:
“Father, help me to turn-from-lust as many times as it takes to keep that habit, and to actually turn-from-lust.
Finally, God’s system is not: “Try not to be naughty.”
God’s plan is: “I have something great for you to do. You need to go to war with sin so that you can do it. You need to quit this habit so that you can do it.
Why should you consider working on the habit of praying, “Show me what You want me to do?” Because, it took Joseph being thrown in a pit, being sold into slavery, and being thrown into jail before God showed him exactly what He wanted him to do. But Joseph believed every minute that God had something for him to do. No matter what happened, he kept praying and obeying.
Joseph’s train did arrive. He became the 2nd most powerful man in the world, and he saved the Israelite’s.
Work on healthy habits daily. Someday your train will arrive.
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