Bait of Satan -How Could This Happen To Me?

Joseph said to them…” But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” Genesis 50:19-20

I am part of a small group studying The Bait of Satan, by John Bevere. In his book, he groups offended people into two major categories: (1) those who have been genuinely mistreated and (2) those who think they have been mistreated but actually were not.

Let’s take a look at the first one and ask yourself the question: If you’ve been genuinely mistreated, do you have the right to be offended? We can find the answer in looking at the life of Joseph. (Genesis 37-48)

Some facts about Joseph:

* favored by his father- coat of many colors ; hated by his brothers

* God gave him two dreams…shared with his brothers…they hated him more

* brothers plotted to kill him, but sold him into slavery

Important: In biblical times, a man’s sons carried his name and inherited all he had. Joseph’s brothers kept him from ever receiving his father’s name and inheritance. They blotted his name out, completely stripping him of his identity. When a person was sold as a slave to another country, he remained a slave until he died. The woman he married would be a slave, and all his children would be slaves!

* Joseph sold to Potiphar…served him about 10 years, gaining favor and was placed over his household and all he had.

* Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him…he did not give in…accused him falsely and he went to prison.

Joseph had every reason to question, Why did this happen to me? Did God not give me the dreams? In his mind, he was probably thinking that he had done everything that God had asked him to do and this was the result. However, Joseph never put the blame on anyone else.

In our lives it is easy to blame everyone else for the problems we have and imagine how much better it would be if it had not been for all those around us. We seem to overlook that no one but God holds our destiny. No man, woman, child, or devil can ever get us out of the will of God. The only person that can get us out of the will of God is ourselves. We have a choice. We can either stay free from offence and stay in God’s will or become offended and be taken captive by the enemy to fulfill his own purposes and will.

It wasn’t what Joseph expected, but God still accomplished His purpose in and through Joseph’s life…second in command in all of Egypt and provider even for those, his own family, who had done him wrong.

Can you say with Joseph concerning those who have offended and hurt you? ” But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.”  Or do you harbor anger, resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness and have become “the bait of Satan?”

Visits: 1443