Move out of unhealthy places.

Court

I have spent the last two weeks on Jury duty.

Lots of waiting around - I got through two books, I was home early, I was able to get up late for. It was almost as if the timing was planned to give me a breathing space at this time of transition.

Court can appear a strange place full of what to an outsider are strange rituals and procedures, people dress differently, speak a different set of languages (legalese) and behave in ways that appear odd compared to everyday life. It is quite daunting. Church is not dissimilar – it can appear a strange place full of what to an outsider are strange rituals and procedures, people dress differently, speak a different set of languages (Christianease) and behave in ways that appear odd compared to everyday life. It is quite daunting.

I won’t go into the details of the case that I was on the jury for, but it centred around an individual being in a place that was not a healthy place for them to be. They went to a place that could have been ok to be at but when they arrived it was filled with people they should not associate with. They had a choice – flee or remain.

From the fact they were in court, I think you can surmise that they chose to remain.

Flee from the unhealthy places

In the Old testament we hear of Joseph in a similar situation, with a similar choice to make.

As you will know Joseph, of Techicolor coat fame, and of big mouth and cocky attitude.

“I’m dad’s favourite, just look at this amazing coat he has bought me, your all-in rags”

Was ambushed by his brother, beaten up, thrown in a pit and sold in to slavery.

Joseph

In Genesis 39 we read the following…

Genesis 39:1–23 (NLT)

Joseph in Potiphar’s House

When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 4 This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. 5 From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. 6 So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!

Sound pretty good at this point – God is blessing Joseph even though he is in slavery

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, 7 and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.

This is the first moment

8 But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9 No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

10 She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.

He has distanced himself from the place that is unhealthy for him to be in – near Potiphar’s wife. -he could cope with it…?

11 One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. 12 She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.

PARAPHRASE THIS

13 When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, 14 she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.”

16 She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. 17 Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. 18 “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”

Joseph Put in Prison

19 Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. 20 So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. 22 Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23 The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.

I think many of us have unhealthy places. Places that we know we should not visit but we don’t always flee from. I am not saying that each of us in in danger of being seduced by our bosses’ spouse. Or in danger of breaking the law and ending up in Lincoln Prison but there are places that stifle our growth as Christ followers or keep us ‘prisoners’

Places that stifle growth

Places that are our own little gods

What places, what activities do we put in front of God.

Some of these places we actively choose to put above God in the importance stakes and I appreciate that sometimes it is hard to reconcile the clashes in our calendars and our busy lives.

And this is certainly not about legalism. You do not go to heaven because you have not missed a church meeting this year. 98% attendance at Thursday morning prayer does not grant you the favour of God, necessarily – though God does reward both obedience and faithfulness.

The danger comes when we start to justify that our decision is not what it actually is. When placing other things as more important than God stops being a conscious decision and becomes either the norm - it is reckoned that you only have to miss church for 4 weeks to massively increase the chance you will not attend again.

More worryingly is when the behaviours we put ahead of God become un-noticed. Where we stop being concerned that what we are doing, where we are is taking us away from God.

What am I talking about, well often it is the really small things.

The things that squeeze God out of our daily routines the distractions and time fillers that seem to take over.

At the One Event this year I bought a paper bible. Why? Well you see I tend to read my bible on my phone, or on my ipad. But this is where one of my little gods creeps in... you see I am of small brain and I am easily distracted. My distraction is generally BBC news alerts – I start with every intention of reading God’s word and end up losing an hour reading the worlds words. There is nothing wrong with reading the news but not at the expense of elevating it above God. My solution is to flee that place – turn of my device and pick up a paper bible – one that does not have little alerts popping up about the news, or a new email.

For others it will be the TV, or the Gym, or shopping or…..

Sometimes we need to take a look at the things that are filling our time. Are they wholesome. Are we placing them before spending time with God or doing what God has called us to? Are they time fillers that have become time demanders. Do you sit there watching a tv programme and think why am I watching this? Or I need to go to bed but I am just going to watch…

In The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis’ writes and imaginary letter from a senior demon, Screwtape, who is trying to help his new tempting nephew, Wormwood, keep the new Christian sliding away from his faith. Screwtap writes:

As this condition becomes more fully established, you will be gradually freed from the tiresome business of providing Pleasures as temptations…. you will find that anything or nothing is sufficient to attract the christians wandering attention. You no longer need a good book, which he really likes, to keep him from his prayers or his work or his sleep; a column of advertisements in yesterday’s paper will do. You can make him waste his time not only in conversation he enjoys with people whom he likes, but in conversations with those he cares nothing about on subjects that bore him. You can make him do nothing at all for long periods. You can keep him up late at night, not roistering, but staring at a dead fire in a cold room. All the healthy and outgoing activities which we want him to avoid can be inhibited and nothing given in return, so that at last he may say, as one of my own patients said on his arrival down here, “I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked”.

You must be aware of Satan’s traps. His goal is to distract you from the only real source of life. Remember, he is “the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Take a look at what fills you time is a benefit to your journey with God or a distraction are you visiting unhealth places or activities that you need to flee from?

Places that keep us in our past

Some unhealthy places keep us prisoners in our pasts.

In Corinthians we read

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

If we are new creations, why then do we get trapped doing the same things, going to the same places, acting in the same ways that we did before?

For some people that will mean not going to the betting shop, not getting absolutely drunk every weekend, not sleeping around for others it will be less obvious, but we are called to be transformed

For me…

2 Timothy 2:22–24 (NIV) is a real challenge…

22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

I love a good argument – always have – That is the place that keeps me in my past. With God’s grace and not just a little bit of effort on my part I am trying to flee that place.

Does that mean I am not going to stand up for what I believe is right, no! of course not that would not be right. It does however mean I am trying to remember that I do not have to attend every argument I am invited to. Especially when what is required is not another protagonist but someone to bring Grace, kindness and peace. – wow that is hard for me.

What about you, what are the things you that keep you chained to your past. Are they things you do that you know you need to move on from. Are they the things you rely on – one of the Word for the day readings this week – was about Moses staff, the very thing he leaned on for support – God could only use it when he through it down. only when he did this could God transform Moses from his past: a murder, an abandoned child into the leader of a nation. Are there things you need to ‘throw down’ before you can be transformed.

Places where we do not belong

You know there are some places that we just do not below – some places that are just downright incompatible with being a Christian. Joseph avoided an obvious one of those – when he avoided Potiphar’s wife.

You know most of those places start as places of compromise.

The affair that starts as a very intimate friendship.

The bitching and Gossip that starts as – I thought you should know so that you can pray.

The habits that start with – I thought I would just try it.

The things that start with it is only a bit of harmless fun or I know my limits I won’t go beyond them.

I raise this as we move towards the end of the month and Halloween beckons. I love the costumes, the ingenuity, the sense of fun the opportunites for jokes and pranks. It is so easy to put it down as harmless fun and you know for some it is. Let’s be honest there is not a demon lurking at the bottom of every apple bobbin’ bowl.

But behind the things that go on at Halloween there is another element. There is a normalisation of the wrong kind of super natural, there is an element of darkness. This is one of those compromise situations.

Paul in Corinthians gives some advice on this…

1 Corinthians 10:12–13 (NIV)

12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

That way out only works if you take it.

Lisa was telling me that at her school (a Christian School) they do all the activities of Halloween – making potions, dressing up, creating spells in creative writing but they are not allowed to use the word Witch. Lisa was clear the kids know what this is about, it was simply pointless. – We sometimes worry about looking like kill-joys and I for one would not want to be that – but you know I would rather have my credibility through not compromising.

Recognising those places.

Joseph recognised that the being alone with Potiphar’s wife was not the best place to be – he avoided here and ran away.

The defendant in the court case I was on the jury for was asked if he recognised that the place, he was in was not a place he should be in. He concluded that when they looked around, being there was not the wisest of decisions.

He had a choice, like Joseph to flee or remain.

Do you need to look at yourself and ask the same sort of question? Are there, places, people, activities that are not healthy for me, are preventing my being a new creation, are stopping me stepping into what God has instore for me?

Do you need to Flee to Run away?

Flee from one place to another.

As we flee from temptation, we naturally flee toward something else, and Paul tells us what that should be: “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Wisdom recognises the danger in temptation and bids us flee from it. “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty” (Proverbs 22:3).

Gods Favour

I said at the beginning that this not about attending Church 98% of the time, it is not about collecting badges or awards, “Congratulations – you have read your bible every day for the last 7 days!”

In the Christian life it is not a case of points make prizes – Joseph did the right thing and ended up in prison.

It is however about being faithful to God and stepping into the best that God has instore for us.

We read .

21 But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. 22 Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23 The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.

None of us can be faithful to God on our own. It is only once we have been shown God’s favor—once we have been united to Jesus—that we are able to respond with faithfulness. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). God’s favor leads to our faithfulness when we express our free will.

James encourages to consider troubles, trials and testing as great Joy as it builds us. (James 1:2-4)

James 1:2–4 (NLT)

Faith and Endurance

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Because

James 1:12 (NLT)

12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

So this week, take a good look at the things you do, the places you go and ask do I need to flee?

as James 4 puts it…

James 4:7–8 (The Message)

7–10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.

FINISH

Matthew 6:9–13 (NIV)

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.’

Matthew 6:9–13

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 08:22 21 October 2018.