This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. For the past few messages we have seen how God favored Joseph to the point where he was a prosperous slave. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it is true. Joseph was a slave, but he was also a prosperous man, because of the Lord was with him and the Lord favored everything he did.
You know satan will not leave you alone when you are walking in The Blessing. Satan tempted Joseph with something many great men have fallen to: SEX. The Bible says:
Joseph was a very handsome, good-looking man. After some time, the wife of Joseph’s master began to pay special attention to him. One day she said to him, “Sleep with me.” But Joseph refused. He said, “My master trusts me with everything in his house. He has given me responsibility for everything here. My master has made me almost equal to him in his house. I cannot sleep with his wife! That is wrong! It is a sin against God.” The woman talked with Joseph every day, but he refused to sleep with her. (Gen 39:7-10 ERV)
Let’s think about this situation for a moment. Joseph is a kid at this point; 17 yrs. old. He was away from home. His brothers sold him as a slave. God had blessed him to basically rule his master’s house. He was in charge of everything but his master’s wife. She was the one thing that his master had access to that he did not. This sounds like the temptation in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve fell because they had power, provision and purpose, but they failed to follow God’s established parameters. Would Joseph make the same mistake? He too had power – everything he touched turned to gold. He too had provision – everything he needed was taken care of. He too had purpose – God put His dream in Joseph’s heart and Joseph also had the responsibility to rule Potiphar’s house. The difference is that Joseph, unlike Adam and Eve, heeded to God’s parameters. He said, “I cannot sleep with his wife! That is wrong! It is a sin against God.” Joseph could have had sex with Mrs. Potiphar without theoretically anyone knowing, but God would have known and that was enough to Joseph.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Don’t mistake God’s grace to mean He overlooks sin. God has never required any less than ALL of us. While God loves the sinner, He still hates the sin, and He expects His children to walk upright before Him. Joseph refused to sleep with Mrs. Potiphar because it would have been a sin against His God. If you want to experience earthly success, you should learn from Joseph was honor the Lord enough to abstain from the indulgences of sin. As a New Testament believer you have been forgiven of sin. Now embrace God’s grace to live free from the power of sin. Sin may not wreck your righteousness, but it can surely wreck your life.
2. Don’t believe the lie. This series is about accessing God’s grace to succeed in life. You should believe that God wants to bless you, prosper you, and cause you to be successful in the earth. The enemy would want you to believe that you can do whatever you want to do, even if it goes against God’s Word. Don’t believe the lie. God wants to bless you, but he expects you to live in accordance with His set order. Sin is still sin and God will not bless mess. Eve believed the lie, she ate, her husband ate, and both of them were kicked out of the Garden of Eden because of it. Don’t miss out on God’s best. Don’t believe satan’s lies. Believe God and pursue His best, by His grace, being led of His Spirit, in accordance with His Word.
3. Living without Parameters is dangerous. Have you ever heard of a person winning the lottery and then filing for bankruptcy a few years later? Why does this happen? It happens because they had provision without parameters. Or how about the CEO who has an affair after being married for 30 years? This person had power without parameters. God has no shortage of provision, He can bless you richly. God has no shortage of power, He can anoint you to operate in the Supernatural. But God requires you to maintain His parameters. God blessed Joseph quickly. He was in charge of “almost” everything in his master’s home. However, Joseph understood his parameters and he operated therein. Although he was only a teenager he exhibited the spiritual maturity to restrain himself and not sin against his God. So thank God for His provision and power, but remember that you can lose it all if you choose to live in sin.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my purpose. You love me with an everlasting love. You made plans for me — good plans, plans to bless me richly — all because You love me. You want me to walk in Your best and You give me all things richly to enjoy. You want to see me succeed in life, because You birthed me for Your divine purpose. But You also want me to mature and to develop Godly character. You give me power and provision, and they are both connected to my divine purpose. I have access to all the provision I need to accomplish what I was born to do. I also have access to all the Supernatural power I need to fulfill my divine assignment. But the power and provision can be cut off if I refuse to operate within Your parameters. I am saved by grace, but sin is still sin, and I know it. Sin may not wreck my righteousness, but sin can surely wreck my life. So I abstain from sin. I abstain from even the appearance of evil. I walk within Your established parameters, by Your grace. If I do miss the mark, I am quick to repent, to embrace Your forgiveness, to forgive myself, and to move forward. Sin has no power over me because Jesus dealt with sin’s power. I am free from the power of sin and I walk in the fulness of my calling. Living this way I am determined to arrive at Your desired destination for my life, before I die, by Your grace. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
