The Bait of Satan - Chapter 3 - Book Discussion

The Bait of Satan, Chapter 3 - How Could This Happen To Me?

In Chapter 1 of The Bait of Satan, we learned that there are 2 different groups of offended people: 1) Those who have truly been mistreated and 2) Those who perceived they were mistreated, but actually were not. In Chapter 3, we focus on those who have truly been mistreated by taking a look at the life of Joseph (Genesis 37-48).

Joseph was brutally sold into slavery by his brothers. Joseph was their father's favorite son and because of that, they were jealous of him. His brothers were also upset about Joseph's dreams in which he claimed they bowed down to him.

As a slave, Joseph was separated from his family, forced to go to a foreign country and made to endure prison and many years of hardships before God's plan for him as 2nd in command to Pharoah was fulfilled.

Joseph was reunited with his brothers many years later when they were forced to go to Egypt for food during the famine. What if Joseph had stayed offended at his brothers instead of forgiving them? Had he chosen to kill his brothers, he would have murdered 10 of the 12 patriarchs and wiped out the lineage to Jesus. (Imagine how happy that would have made satan!) Joseph would have fallen out of the will of God and would have fulfilled the will of the devil.

Since Joseph was wise enough to realize that it was God's will for him to be 2nd in command in Egypt in order to save the lives of his family and many others, he did not hold offense against his brothers. Instead, he blessed them by keeping them alive during the famine and giving them the best land in Egypt.

The bottom line is that nobody, no man, woman, child or devil can keep you out of God's will for your life. Only you can, through offense and disobedience. Stay obedient and submitted to God and free from offense and God will make sure that His plans for you are fulfilled.

Chapter 3 - Key Points/Bible Verses:

Genesis 50:19-20 - Joseph recognizes that God turned the evil his brothers did into good.

1 Kings 22:27 - Prisoners in Joseph's day suffered by just getting enough bread and water to survive.

Psalm 105:18 - Joseph's feet were hurt with fetters and he was laid in irons. It was not a fun situation to be in.

Genesis 37:20 - Joseph's brothers deliberately set out to destroy Joseph and his dreams.

Matthew 5:44 - Joseph blessed those who cursed him and did good to those who hated him when he forgave his brothers and took care of them during the 7 years of famine.

Genesis 45:5-8 - Joseph tells his brothers that it was not they that sent him to Egypt, but it was God. God wanted Joseph in Egypt to become 2nd in command to Pharaoh which would allow him to save his brothers and family from starvation during the famine.

Psalm 105:16-17 - The psalmist also confirms that it was God who sent Joseph to Egypt.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to resist. He will provide the way of escape.

James 4:7 - Resist the devil and he will flee from you. We resist the devil by not becoming offended.

Day 5 and Day 6 - Devotionals:

Days 5 & 6, in the devotional at the back of the book, cover Chapter 3 of The Bait of Satan.

Day 5

From the following list, rank your normal responses to offense from 1 (most likely response) to 5 (least likely response):

I get mad: 2
I immediately forgive: 3
I get even: 5
I work hard at forgiving the person: 3
I get away from the person: 2
I seek to be reconciled: 3

Consider the story of Joseph (read Genesis 37-48.) How do evaluate Joseph's words and actions?

(Each statement has a horizontal line.)

One the first line, it says "He became offended" at the far left of the line, and at the far right of the line it says "He forgave." I put an X above "He forgave."

One the second line, it says "He blamed others for his circumstances" at the far left of the line, and at the far right of the line it says "He trusted God." I put an X above "He trusted God."

One the third line, it says "He sought revenge" at the far left of the line, and at the far right of the line it says "He sought to be reconciled." I put an X above "He sought to be reconciled."

Write a prayer asking God for the wisdom of Joseph to avoid taking offense and to trust Him instead of blaming others or circumstances for difficulties in life:

Dear Father, Help me to be content and loving no matter what situation I am in. Help me to trust that You always have a perfect plan for my life. Help me to learn from my circumstances and not to blame others. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Day 6

Read Genesis 45:5-8 and Psalm 105:16-17. Jot down all the reasons why God sent Joseph through his trials.

Genesis 45:5 - God sent Joseph to: Preserve life.

Genesis 45:7 - God sent Joseph to: Preserve future generations and save lives.

Genesis 45:8 - God sent Joseph to: Become a ruler of Egypt, 2nd in command to only Pharaoh.

Psalm 105:16-17 - God sent Joseph to: Go before his family to prepare for the famine.

Think of the greatest problem you have faced in the last year. Describe it in one sentence.

One of the biggest problems I faced in this past year is losing my luggage on the way to the Denver airport when leaving for a trip to Alaska.

Now complete these sentences:

My response to the problem was: I was upset, but I dealt with it the best I could by replacing almost all my luggage in Seattle. It would have been easy to blame others in this situation, but I immediately recognized that blame would not solve the problem and that things sometimes happen that I don't understand.

God's plan was: At this time, I don't know what God's plan was, but I felt that losing my luggage was an attack by satan since we were going on a Christian cruise. We had such a wonderful time on the cruise and it was such a blessing to us, that it's easy to see why satan would have not wanted me to go.

What I learned about myself was: By God's grace, I can get through any situation that He puts before me.

Write a prayer thanking God for having a good plan for your life and for working for good all the circumstances of your life:

Dear Father, Thank you for having a plan for my life. Help me to remember that whatever my circumstances are, that your plan for me will prevail so long as I am obedient to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Chapter 3 - My Thoughts

Joseph has always been one of my favorite people in the Bible. I have always admired how he lived his life with integrity and godliness no matter what his circumstances were.

As I get further into the study on The Bait of Satan, I am beginning to feel like my brain is in need of reprogramming. Our culture here in the United States is extremely "me" oriented. Through television, movies, and books, we've been taught from a young age on to focus on our own wants and needs and feelings, to put ourselves above others. However, to do that, to put others first before ourselves and to not hold offense, seems to be against our culture and go against our very nature.

Several times this past week, I caught myself getting easily offended in situations where I went out of my way to do something for someone else and it doesn't seem to get appreciated. The closer I am to that person, the more upset I tend to get. The good thing is that I am catching myself and recognizing what I am doing. I am working on not expecting anything out of others, and let me tell you.... it's hard!

Are you finding that you are recognizing your offense with others as soon as it occurs? How are you handling it?

This past week, I went through a very difficult situation with our school district. Through the grace of God, everything turned out perfectly in the end, but it is very likely that a person or two in the district might not be too happy with me and they are people that I will need to deal with for the next few years until my son graduates. I am determined to put this situation behind me, to not hold offense with these people and to treat them kindly when I have contact with them.

What kind of offensive situations have you dealt with these past few weeks? How are you dealing with them?

If you'd like to learn more about the life of Joseph, one of the best resources I know is a series called "God Meant It For Good: The Life of Joseph" by David Jeremiah of Turning Point.

This is truly one of my favorite studies and something that I have listened to time and time again. It is a very thorough study and very inspiring. The teacher and preacher, David Jeremiah, is a very articulate speaker. Through his illustrations and explanations, he brings Joseph and the Bible to life.