In Touch Ministries

Dr. Charles Stanley: Where is your focus? You can tell me what you've been through in life. Where was your focus then? You can say, well, here's what I'm going through now. But where's your focus? Is your focus on finances? Is your focus on relationships? Is your focus on business?

Is your focus on your education? Is your focus on politics? What are you focused on? That is, what's the key thing that's above everything else in your life?

Guest (Male): How do you keep going when your world seems to be in constant turmoil? Today on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, we'll learn how to remain calm and steady by keeping our focus on the Lord. Dr. Stanley's message explains how to stay in step with God through times of trial.

Dr. Charles Stanley: The genuineness of our faith and our devotion, our love, our walk for God, really isn't revealed in times when you and I are having everything going our way with ease, comfort, and pleasure. They're revealed when we are going through difficult times, trying times, when sometimes maybe our faith may almost be a little bit shaken. Those are the times that reveal the genuineness of who we are and what we are. It's much easier to declare our faith and devotion than it is to demonstrate it.

We've been talking about walking with God and what's involved in that. We've been talking about what are the requirements of that? What can we expect? Today, I want to take a biblical character and illustrate one of the most awesome truths when it comes to walking with God. As I think back over the years and think about things that God has taught me, one of the most precious lessons I've learned, I learned as a result of simply reading the biblical characters, how they lived their lives, their failures, and all the rest.

Some of those are like Joseph and David, Daniel, and a few others. But I found something in the life of Joseph that absolutely strengthened me and has been a part of that strength all these years. What I want to do in this passage of Scripture today, which is really Genesis from 37 primarily all the way to 50, doesn't mean that we'll take all of that, but it's the truth in those chapters. It's something that happened in his life. When I think about the trials of Joseph's life and recognize how God used him ultimately and so mightily, God is still willing and ready to use people today who will practice this one simple truth that I want us to look at.

I want you to turn, if you will, to Genesis, beginning in chapter 37. I just want to read a few verses to get us started and then I want to give you a little background. The Scripture says in verse one, "Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father."

I want to give you a little bit of background about Joseph because everything else hinges on this. What I want you to listen to is this: there is one truth that goes all the way through his life. Remember that he's 17 years of age. He's a teenager when this starts. He dies at 110. But from 17 to 30 is a time of nothing but trials, heartache, burdens, misfortune, and pain. Oftentimes, we come through those times and think, "Well, God, why do you let these things happen?"

What I want to do is take you through the trials that he faced during this time. I want you to keep hearing one thing because that one thing, personally, has helped me. If I could think of some of the things that God has taught me, but in one phrase, one idea, one principle that has sustained me through the most difficult, trying times of my life, this is that phrase. Let's look at Joseph for a moment. Joseph grew up in a family where his father had had dreams. God had spoken to him. He didn't have the word of God. God oftentimes spoke in dreams in those days because there was no written word, and anything writing was very unusual.

So, he grows up in this family, and the Scripture says that Jacob, Joseph's father, loved him above all the rest of them. He favored him. You recall that Scripture says that his father gave him a coat of many colors. As a result of that, and this is the beginning of his trials, the Bible says this was the way his brothers thought about him. The Scripture says that verse three of the 37th chapter, "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all the sons because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a very colored tunic. His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all the other brothers, and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms."

I mean, not just once in a while, but this means they just didn't like him. They wished he weren't there. Then he had this dream. He had this dream about these sheaves they were out in the field and his bundle stood up and all their sheaves bowed down. Well, that didn't make him very popular either. Then he had another dream that made everything worse. He dreamed that the sun and the moon and the stars all bowed down before him. Well, by this time, listen to what the Scripture says. "So they hated him even more." So he tells them the other dream. The Bible says they were very jealous of him.

What happens here in his family, nothing's going good for him. He grows up in a family where his father and mother love him dearly, but his brothers hate him. They're jealous of him. The first trial of his life is living in a household where he's not wanted. He's hated. They despise him. Now, listen, this isn't just a little bit of anger. This is pure hatred. You'll see that the next trial he goes through is proof of that. But remember this, he had a dream. He had a promise in that dream that one day God would so use him that his family, his brothers, and even his mother and dad would one day bow down before him.

Etched in his mind and in his heart were these dreams. In spite of all that, his brothers just hate him and despise him. But here's what he did: he kept his focus on God. He did not allow his brothers' attitude to make him angry, bitter, resentful, and hostile. So, he comes to the next big trial in his life. His father said, "Your brothers are out in Shechem with the flocks, and so I want you to go and find out how everything's going along." The Scripture says they saw him coming and they said, "Here comes the dreamer."

They didn't just dislike him; they hated him. So they decided, "Let's just kill him and get rid of him. We'll just take his garments and kill a goat and dip it in blood and tell his father that he got killed by some kind of beast." The oldest one of the brothers, Reuben, said, "No, no, no, let's don't do this. Throw him in the pit." Throw him in a pit that had no water, which they would have said, "Well, then he'll just die of thirst," because he couldn't get out by himself. Reuben did that with in mind, though, that he would come back somehow and rescue him.

Reuben's off the scene for a while for some reason, and here he is. Now his brothers not only hated him, but they're trying to kill him. What's in his mind? He had a dream. He had a promise from God. So what sustained him through their hatred and bitterness? We don't have any idea how they treated him when he showed up on the scene because of their hatred. You don't think they said to him, "Now, Joseph, take off your coat. Take off your coat and stand over here, and we're going to push you into this pit." No. You can imagine, full of hatred and bitterness and jealousy, what they did, what they said to him.

So, here he is lying at the bottom of this pit, and no doubt crying out, "Why have you done this? What have I done to you?" whatever it might be. Leaving him there, his focus was upon God, not his circumstance, because there was nothing he could do about his circumstance. Then, of course, the third trial he goes through is here he is in the pit. So Judah, remember how important he is, the lion of the tribe of Judah. This is the son of Jacob's family through whom the Messiah came. Judah says, "Here's what we should do. Don't kill him. Let's just sell him off to this caravan of Midianites." So they sold him for 20 shekels.

Think about this. Here he is now, his brothers' hatred and animosity toward him. Not only is that bad enough, he thought he was going to die, but in spite of all that, something inside of him would not let that be a reality. They pick him up and sell him off to these Midianites. Now where's he going? He's getting further and further away from home and his family. Well, when he arrived in Egypt, in the capital probably, he was sold. Sold to a man by the name of Potiphar, who was head of the bodyguard of Pharaoh. A little time went by. Now remember, he's a teenager when this begins to happen. A little time goes by and Potiphar begins to observe this Hebrew slave.

They of course would never dare eat with each other because they despised the Hebrews because they were shepherds. That's what they didn't like. And these, their class was so much higher than that. But he kept observing this young man until finally he probably gave him a little task here and a little task there. He noticed that whatever he did, he did it very well. After a while, he added some of his responsibilities. The Scripture says that he did so well that the Lord was with him, and now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant. He made him overseer over his house. All that he owned he put in Joseph's charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph. Thus, the Lord's blessing was upon all that he owned in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph's charge, and with him, he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.

Why would he do that? Think about this. More than likely, at some point Potiphar said, "Tell me about your background. I know you're a Hebrew, but what's going on?" I'm sure he must have told him about his father and about his brothers and how they dumped him in the pit to die and how he got to Egypt. I'm sure Potiphar wanted to know that. "How did you get here in the first place?" He realized that he'd been sold off by his brothers. Potiphar was certainly a smart man, or he would not have been the bodyguard of Pharaoh himself. So he had to recognize this: "Here's a young man who does an excellent job at what he does and he doesn't seem to have any anger in him."

He's not bitter. He's not hostile. He's not defending himself. He's not on the defense. He's a Hebrew, but he's not objecting here, and he's not criticizing Egyptians. He's learned the language. Whatever I give him to do, he does very well. Over a period of time, as God demonstrated, listen, His favor in the heart of Joseph, God began to do an awesome work in his life. What I want you to see is this: his focus was upon God, not upon his circumstances. As a result of his response to his trials and heartache and the way people had treated him, in spite of all that, what happened?

God kept him with the right spirit and, I believe, a sense of gentleness about him. Very organized, very orderly, good leadership because he turned everything. That means he turned all of his finances, everything he had, which would be totally unlike an Egyptian, he turned it over to a Hebrew slave. Then everything was going along rather well. The Bible says, if you'll notice here in this 39th chapter and the seventh verse, "Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance." Potiphar had a wife. Potiphar's wife, no doubt, the whole idea of having a Hebrew slave in the household was a very negative thing, the way she responded later.

But she looked at Joseph and noticed he was good-looking and probably very strong, but most of all, it was his spirit. He had a gentle spirit, very organized, very orderly, probably a very quiet spirit. The more she noticed him, the less her husband looked because he's a young man. The more she looked at him, the more she lusted after him. The more she lusted after him, the more she plotted and planned that somehow she'd be able to go to bed with this Hebrew slave. Now, they hated Hebrews. But to show you how the devil works, she kept looking and she kept watching and she kept planning.

One day, while everybody else was out of the household, she tried to get him to go to bed with her. He would not do it. I want you to notice what he said because what he said is so very significant in this 39th chapter. Verse seven: "It came about in those events that the master's wife looked with desire at Joseph and she said, 'Lie with me.' But he refused and said to his master's wife, 'Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in this house, and he's put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I.'"

He didn't mean a prideful thing. What he was saying is, "I'm the most responsible one and I'm in charge, and he has withheld nothing from me except you because you're his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?'" His focus was always on God. If his focus had slipped from God to this awesome opportunity to lie with Potiphar's wife, he would have been in serious trouble. No matter what she might have promised and what she might have guaranteed, what she might have said, that wasn't what got ahold of him. His focus was always on God.

His focus was on God when he was with his family, when they tried to throw him into the pit and kill him, when he was on that trip to Egypt with the Midianites. Always his focus was on God because God had given him a dream and he had the promise of God. He didn't have the word of God as you and I have. The reason God doesn't put a lot of dreams in people's eyes and minds today is because we don't need dreams. We have something far more certain and specific and promising and encouraging and believable than dreams because most dreams don't make any sense anyway.

So here he is, and now he is being threatened by this woman, no doubt what she may have said. All the servants are gone. So when they happened to be together and he refused her, he left his coat and left, and so she took it. As a result, here's what she said. She called the other folks in and she said, "The Hebrew slave whom you brought to us came into me to make sport of me, and I raised my voice and screamed. He left his garment beside me and fled aside." Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him saying, "This is what your slave did to me," then of course Potiphar was upset and the Scripture says his anger burned.

Potiphar's master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. He was there in jail. No matter what he did, it was just getting worse. Remember he started out at the age of 17. Somebody says, "Well, what do you think Potiphar really thought?" Here's what I think he thought: "I don't really believe this, but I am going to have to put him in jail for the simple reason if my fellow Egyptians heard that my wife said a Hebrew slave tried to go to bed with her and I believed the Hebrew slave rather than my wife, it would have been extremely, extremely disgraceful."

So he threw him in jail. Now, why do I believe that? Because if he really had believed that Joseph tried to go to bed with his wife, he'd have had him killed. People were killed for almost nothing. Here his wife has accused Joseph of trying to go to bed with her, so he threw him in jail. He started out at 17, now he's probably 20-some by this point. If you ask him, "Do you believe in the one true God?" "Yes." "Well, what's your evidence? Your brothers hated you. They threw you in a pit to die. You got sold into the caravan. You did your best in Potiphar's household and now you're in jail. On what basis do you believe this God?" Because he kept his focus upon God, not upon his circumstances.

Guest (Male): Thanks for listening to In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. Do you notice God's activity in your circumstances? You can if you keep your focus on Him. You can hear this message again by heading to intouch.org and clicking "Today on Radio". To order a copy of today's complete message, head to the bookstore. The title is "Through Times of Trial", or order Dr. Stanley's teaching set "In Step with God". Again, that's intouch.org. You can also call or text 1-800-INTOUCH. If you prefer to write, our address is In Touch, Post Office Box 7900, Atlanta, Georgia 30357. What does it mean to be free in Christ? The answer is just ahead in today's moment with Charles Stanley.

Does your prayer life need a jumpstart? With the In Touch Praying with Purpose cards, the time you spend talking with God will take on a whole new level of energy and intimacy. Beautifully designed and easy to use, or to share with a friend, there are prayers to lift up each day of the month along with corresponding Bible verses and more. For your set of Praying with Purpose cards, call 1-800-INTOUCH or go to intouch.org/store. Have you ever forgotten something God taught you when you were reading the Bible? When we take note of what God reveals to us, it helps us to apply it to our lives.

With the Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Journal, you can keep track of your spiritual journey and be transformed by God's truths. This journal features artwork of Dr. Stanley's 30 Life Principles, lined pages for writing, a prayer journaling section, and more. To order, call 1-800-INTOUCH or go to intouch.org/journal. Dr. Stanley devoted his entire life to helping us get closer to Jesus as we all want to do. So, are you ready for the next step in your journey? It begins at the Charles Stanley Institute. You can learn how at charlesstanleyinstitute.org.

The Bible says it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Here's a moment with Charles Stanley.

Dr. Charles Stanley: What does it mean to be set free in Christ? Somebody says, "Well, set free from what?" And the very question oftentimes reveals that a person is not aware of what's going on in their life. Because you see, if a person is experiencing fear or jealousy or bitterness, unforgiveness, past hurts, addictions, lust, poor self-image, whatever it might be, attitudes and actions such as these enslave a person. Naturally you're going to deny it because you see, that's Satan's strategy. If he can just get you to deny what's going in your life, you know what's going to happen is you're going to still be enslaved by that very thing.

It's going to affect your entire life. You may feel on the one hand that you're free, but if you stop and examine your heart, what do you think about when you go to bed at night, the lights are all off and you're thinking about what you're really doing with your life? What's going on? What are your attitudes? So often people live enslaved all of their lives. Now the question is: can you be free? And the answer is: yes, you can. Jesus is the one who sets us free. And here's what He said in His word. In John chapter eight and this 32nd verse, Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Well, what is this truth that makes us free? Jesus is the liberating power in our life, and there is no freedom apart from Him. Because you see, you may be able to correct a few things in your life, but sin enslaves to the point that only through Jesus Christ can you be set free. He said He came for the purpose to set us free. You say, "Well, how does that work in my life?" Well, remember this: first of all, we have to confess the fact there is sin in my life. We have to confess the fact that somehow I can't do better. You see, many people who say, "Oh, I could stop this if I wanted to. I can quit that. That's not enslaving me." The truth is it is. And how does that freedom come into your life? By confessing that you are enslaved by that sin, and believing in your heart that when Jesus Christ died on the cross, that death at the cross made it possible for us to live above this sin.

Guest (Male): Learn more about the freedom you can enjoy when you trust Christ as your Savior from the penalty of sin. Visit us at intouch.org. Looking ahead on In Touch, God promises to guide us through times of trial. Learn how to faithfully follow when we return on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. This program is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia, and remains on this station through the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts.