Then she told him the same story:  “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, but when I screamed for help, he left his garment with me and ran outside.”  When his master heard the story his wife told him-“These are the things your slave did to me”- he was furious and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined.  So Joseph was there in prison.

But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him.  He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.  The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority, and he was responsible for everything that was done there.  The warden did not bother with anything under Josephs authority, because the Lord was with him and the Lord made everything that he did successful.        Genesis 39:17-19  HCSB

Joseph was his father’s golden child you might say.  His brothers despised him and sold him into slavery and told his father that he had been killed by a wild animal.  He was brought into Egypt where he found favor with one of Pharaoh’s officials and was given charge of his household.  Now Joseph was handsome and well built, according to scripture, and Potiphar’s wife set her sights on him.  When he refused her advances, she got angry and said that he tried to rape her.  Now this was not true, but who is everyone going to believe, the slave or the official’s wife?  We see from our scripture passage that Joseph was placed in prison, but found favor with the warden and was put in charge.

There is a common thread in the story of Joseph.  You see someone intends to do him harm and God works it out for his good.  His brothers sold him into slavery, he winds up in charge of the official’s home.  He is falsely accused and winds up in prison and where he is put in charge.  From prison he interprets Pharaoh’s dreams with God’s help and winds up second in command in Egypt.  This allows him the opportunity to save his father’s and brother’s lives due to a severe famine.  Wow, what a story, right?

Joseph’s story spans from chapters 37-50 in Genesis.  One thing you see over and over is that no matter what hand Joseph is dealt, he is not bitter.  He knows that God is working all this out for his good (Romans 8:28).   So he just keeps on plugging along and even in bad times, God grants him the favor of those around him.

Several years ago I was falsely accused of something that I would never do.  It was very hurtful that a family member would accuse me of such a thing.  This same family member had also lied against another family member and accused them of something horrific.  Let me tell you, it is hard to not be bitter and angry when this happens. It took a lot of prayer. Both cases went through the courts and it took months before we were “cleared” of any wrongdoing.  The saddest thing I have noticed is that usually when someone accuses you, it is something they are doing and they are trying to shift the blame.

If you are being falsely accused of something, know that if you stay obedient to God, He’s got this.  Don’t step away from God now.  Stand strong in the faith and refuse to be shaken (Psalm 62:2).

No matter what we face in our lives we can overcome it, if we remain obedient to God.  The devil wants to shake your faith and cause you to be bitter and angry and unforgiving. He wants to destroy your witness.  Don’t let him do that! Focus on God and know that He will work all this out for your good.

Have a great day!