Reacting to Temptation and Choosing Righteousness

Genesis 39

In this chapter we see that doing the right thing doesn’t always bring about positive consequences when people who do evil are involved. However, by continually doing good, God will make up for any deficits.

In verse 12, Joseph shows how to react to temptation: he “fled, and got him out.”

12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

The result of this was Potiphar’s wife lied to save face and accused Joseph of coming after her. This resulted in Joseph being thrown in jail.

20 And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

Next, we see God blessing Joseph for his righteousness.

21 ¶ But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

  22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

  23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

Being imprisoned eventually led to Joseph interpreting the dreams of the chief butler and chief baker, the chief butler finally tells Pharaoh about Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, Joseph gives credit to God and interprets the dreams of the impending seven good years and seven lean years, and is made to be a leader in Egypt--second only to Pharaoh himself. In this position he is then able to save his family from starvation.

Joseph is richly rewarded for his righteousness. Sure, he had to endure some time in jail, but he had leadership while there and great leadership once released. It is always best to stay on the side of God and choose righteousness.

The Ultimate Irony - Again

“One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies.” [1]

I love this talk. I blogged about it a couple weeks ago. 

Although this statement was applied more to acting as if in a disembodied state by overuse of technology and being in the false world of virtual reality, it is amazing how it can be applied to so many ways in which Satan tries to get us to misuse our bodies.

I was trying to explain to my friend what it is like to be a compulsive eater and be eating something all the while knowing that you don’t want it, that it doesn’t even taste good anymore, and you just keep reaching for more. This talk came into my head. This is my disembodied state.

Aha moment!

This is one of the ways that Satan is trying to get me to misuse my body.

Another one of Elder Bednar’s restated points is that we are to act and not be acted upon. In those “disembodied” moments of compulsion, I feel acted upon. 

I feel out of control. 

Not in control. 

Helpless and hopeless.

Herein lies my struggle; to be present enough in times of stress or distress to stay present, and not be acted upon.

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[1] Elder David A. Bednar, “Things as They Really Are,” CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 3, 2009, Brigham Young University-Idaho

The Ultimate Irony

Listening to the podcast for class this week, there was a quote from Elder Bednar 's talk Things as They Really Are, which  was very thought provoking:

“One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies.” [1]

I love this talk. While he was giving it, this statement was applied more to a person behaving as if in a disembodied state through the overuse of technology and being in the false world of virtual reality. It is amazing how it can be applied to so many different ways in which Satan tries to get us to misuse our bodies.

Because the family is so central to the Plan of Happiness, one of the ways he tries to get us to misuse our bodies is through sexual sin. I find it so interesting to think that, what is done for pleasure, can lead to such heartache outside the bonds of marriage. Sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, single mothers raising children in poverty, and children raised without a father, just to name a few.

I asked my class members how can we as parents, in a world which views chastity and fidelity as a thing of the past, teach our children to want to live a higher standard.

The common responses were: 

• begin teaching children while they are young 
• be an example in the way we live our lives

I believe it is never too early to begin teaching our children correct principles, and that includes talking about sex and the sacredness of it and our bodies. 

I am also a fan of being an example through our actions. Kids have a highly fine-tuned BS detector. They will see right through any attempt to parent in the "do as I say, not as I do" method. 

Through it all, though, we have to remember that children have agency. Agency is all fine and good until you see your kids making stupid choices! We have to remember to love them as our Savior would and to not stop loving them because we don't like what they have chosen. 

The Atonement is real. Our Savior is keen to save us. He wants to save our children. 

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[1] Things as They Really Are , Elder David A. Bednar, CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 3, 2009, Brigham Young University-Idaho

Together in Marriage

Watching a podcast about eternal identity, something that really stood out to me was the concept of “not being alone” as to marriage; Satan had to find Adam and Eve alone to more easily tempt them.

Hugh Nibley said: “[Satan's] first step (or wedge) had been to get one of them to make an important decision without consulting the other.  He approached Adam in the absence of Eve with a proposition to make him wise, and being turned down he sought out the woman to find her alone and thus undermine her resistance more easily.  It is important that he was able to find them both alone…” [1]

This doesn’t mean that husband and wife have to be constantly at one another’s side. I think that would drive us all crazy! It is, however, very important that husband and wife are “together” both spiritually and emotionally.

Elder Oaks said: Satan's most strenuous opposition is directed at whatever is most important to the Father's plan. Satan seeks to discredit the Savior and divine authority, to nullify the effects of the Atonement, to counterfeit revelation, to lead people away from the truth, to contradict individual accountability, to confuse gender, to undermine marriage, and to discourage childbearing (especially by parents who will raise children in righteousness).[2]

If one of Satan’s “most strenuous oppositions” is targeted “to undermine marriage”, this shows me how extremely important it is to be one with my husband.

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[1] Professor Hugh Nibley, Old Testament & Related Studies, 1988

[2] Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “The Great Plan of Happiness,” Ensign, November 1993