Don't Compromise the Favor

“Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’” (Genesis 39:6-7)

The temptation of Potiphar’s wife came against the blessing from God.

It was through God’s favor that Joseph rose from the bottom of the head of the household. Because “the LORD was with Joseph,” Potiphar “put him in charge” and “entrusted to his care everything he owned” (Genesis 39:2-4).

Now, Joseph was faced with a choice. 

Accept Potiphar’s wife and keep the position.

Or reject her advances and threaten the gift that came from God.

“But he refused. … ‘How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” (Genesis 39:8-10)

Joseph knew the proper order. God’s presence came first. All along, the success was a secondary result of divine favor.

If he had to let go of the success to hold onto the presence of God, he would embrace the consequences. He would not sin against the God who had given him all things.

Have you kept the order in mind?

Obedience to God always comes first—even if it means we must let go of a good thing that he gave.

If what began as a blessing brings us into the realm of sin, it is no longer a blessing. It is a threat against the Presence that brought us there in the first place. 

The temptation is a test. Will you trust God to bring you back up from the pit again? Or is your faith so small that you refuse to surrender your secure position, even while it compromises your integrity?

If you have to choose between sinning your way to the top or obeying your way to the pit, choose the pit without hesitation. 

Your job is not to hold onto the blessing. It is to remain faithful to the Lord in every moment.

Let God orchestrate the outcome of your obedience.