Our integrity is tested daily, and sometimes we don’t even realize it. Our integrity is tested when we have an opportunity or are pressured to compromise what we know is right before God—especially when doing the right thing may cost us something.
Sometimes, we may not recognize when our integrity is being tested because we lack knowledge of the Word of God and the truth it contains. The Bible says:
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
— Psalm 119:11 (KJV)
As Christians, our integrity can be tested when we are tempted to lie to protect ourselves, cheat to get ahead, compromise sexually, go along with something we know is wrong, gossip about someone, treat people dishonestly, or retaliate when we have been treated unfairly instead of responding according to God’s Word.
God rewards those who remain faithful when their integrity is tested.
Have you ever done everything you knew was right, tried to live according to God’s will, and still found yourself facing another difficult situation?
Sometimes we may think that because we are walking with God, doing what is right, and trying to remain faithful to Him, everything should begin to fall into place.
But we have to remember that there is an enemy who seeks to distract us from God’s will and purpose for our lives. He will try to get us to take our eyes off God and what God has called us to do.
But what happens when you do the right thing and still experience another setback?
It happens.
Joseph encountered another setback when he was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought Joseph down, and Joseph was placed in Potiphar’s house as a servant.
His own brothers had already betrayed him, he was thrown into a pit, and sold into slavery. He was taken away from his father, his family, and everything familiar to him.
Joseph did nothing to deserve the way his brothers treated him. Yet God had given him a dream, and God had a plan. That is why we have to trust Him even when we cannot see how He is working.
The Bible tells us something very important:
“And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man…”
— Genesis 39:2 (KJV)
Genesis 39:3 continues:
“And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”
Joseph’s circumstances had changed, but God’s presence had not.
Have you ever mistaken a difficult season for God’s absence?
Just because you are experiencing a setback does not mean God has left you. Sometimes we become so focused on where we are that we forget who is there with us.
And once again, we see something being placed in Joseph’s hands.
Because the Lord was with Joseph, even in his setback, Joseph found grace in his master’s sight. Genesis 39:4 says that Potiphar made Joseph overseer over his house:
“…and all that he had he put into his hand.”
There it is again.
What is in your hands?
Joseph may not have been where he wanted to be, but he remained faithful with what had been placed in his hands where he was.
Soon, however, Joseph’s integrity would face a test that could have changed everything.
The very place where Joseph began to experience favor was also the place where his integrity would be tested.
This brings to mind what the Word of the Lord says in James 1:14–15:
“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
— James 1:14–15 (KJV)
We can see a progression here: temptation, being drawn away and enticed by desire, giving in to that desire, sin, and then the consequences of sin.
Potiphar’s wife presented the temptation to Joseph, but Joseph did not allow himself to be drawn into it. That progression was not fulfilled in Joseph’s life.
Joseph respected the man who had trusted him and placed everything in his house under Joseph’s authority. But most of all, Joseph refused to sin against God.
Joseph told Potiphar’s wife:
“…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
— Genesis 39:9 (KJV)
And this temptation did not happen only once. Genesis 39:10 tells us that Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph “day by day,” but Joseph refused to listen to her.
Then the situation became even more serious:
“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.”
— Genesis 39:12 (KJV)
Joseph fled.
He did not stay there and entertain the temptation internally. He did not give it time to grow into something more. When the temptation intensified, Joseph removed himself from the situation.
Sometimes, maintaining our integrity means we have to flee.
It may not be the same temptation Joseph faced. Sometimes we may need to flee from a toxic situation, an unhealthy relationship, a conversation that is leading us into gossip, an environment that pressures us to compromise, a dishonest opportunity, sexual temptation, or influences that continually pull our hearts away from God.
Can we flee, as Joseph did, when something threatens our relationship with God?
This brings us to an important question:
Can God trust us to remain faithful with what He has placed in our hands when our integrity is being tested?
Joseph did the right thing, but it did not prevent another setback.
When Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife’s advances, she falsely accused him. Her lie eventually resulted in Joseph being sent to prison.
Think about that.
Joseph resisted temptation and protected his integrity, yet he still experienced another setback.
Sometimes, doing the right thing before God does not immediately produce the outcome we expect.
Will you still choose to do what is right before God when doing what is right costs you something?
Joseph’s prison season was about to begin. Once again, his circumstances would change, but God was not finished with his story.
The season I am dealing with right now is finding a job, which has been a setback. But in this season, I know God is still with me. What I have in my hands is the faith to believe that He is more than able and that He is going to bring me out victorious.
What I also have is a faith that He is increasing daily, teaching me to trust Him when I don’t know how He is working things out. I can testify that He has given me this blog space to write and encourage others not to give up on God.
You may be closer to your breakthrough than you think. Keep the faith. Be encouraged.
Stay Tuned for Part 6: When Your Pain Becomes Purpose
Joseph remained faithful when his integrity was tested, yet doing the right thing still led him into another setback—prison.
But prison was not Joseph’s destination, and God was not finished with him.
In Part 6, we’ll continue Joseph’s journey and see how God used the very gift He had placed in Joseph’s hands while he was in prison, and how his pain would eventually become part of his purpose.
Stay Connected
If these testimonies have encouraged you, subscribe to receive an email whenever a new post is published. I would be honored to have you continue this journey with me as we grow together in faith.
Leave a Reply