E115 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Joseph’s time in Prison - Part 2

Hope’s Harbor

Gritty Bible Devotions

Episode #115

Title: Joseph’s Time in Prison – Part 2

Date: July 17, 2023

Contact: info@hopesharbor.net

Key verse: 2Pe 2:19 – ‘While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom someone is overcome, by him also are they brought into bondage.’

Keep in mind this devotional series is about us being taken prisoner. As Joseph was put into prison actually, we may be in a prison of sorts, commonly called bondage in the Bible. Many Christians are prisoners to habits and practices in the spiritual realm, as Joseph was in the physical realm.

Intro: As I read the Bible and prayed this morning prior to writing this episode’s notes, I concluded my time with GOD by reading a devotional message in A W Tozer’s book, ‘Renewed Day by Day.’

His message fit perfectly with this episode, that of time in prison, whether actually as happened to Joseph, or spiritually as is happening to countless Christians today.

He called it, ‘Christians Drawn by this Present World’s Charms.’

Devotion focus: What it looks like to be a Christian in Bondage

Joseph was put into prison, into bondage, against his will, but his bondage was a result of standing firm against committing sin against GOD.

How many Christians are there in bondage against their better judgment?

There are too many kinds of bondage to list them all, but here are a few:

·         Alcohol

·         Drugs

·         Porn

·         Food

·         Social media

·         Mental disorders

·         Disease

·         Etc.

Each kind of bondage has something driving it, like pain in many cases. But listen Joseph’s bondage resulted in a driving factor of honoring GOD and through this honoring his Egyptian master.

I speak to the bondage resulting from our choices. For example, how many of us, first thing when we get out of bed and begin our day with social media on our phones instead of beginning our day with time alone with GOD by reading the Bible and prayer?

Whichever one you start your day with is a choice you make. During Joseph’s time in prison, each day was defined by his bondage. There were certain things he could do, and others he could not. It’s the same with us. If we are being held in the vise grip of a harmful habit, there are certain things we will do and others we won’t.

Let me cut to the heart of the matter: most if not all harmful habits are a result of numbing some kind of pain. It can be the pain of rejection; a bad marriage; poor health; violence in the home; and the list goes on. What you may not know is within the brain, the midbrain, a survival instinct at work. When we discover, even inadvertently, how to release dopamine, a heroin-like substance that gives a feeling of euphoria, we are in trouble.

The feeling I’m talking about is that which happens during sexual climax.

Addictions are those actions that release dopamine. For those of you who wouldn’t dare use illicit drugs, drink to excess, or view porn (I’ve done 2 of these to numb pain, alcohol, and porn), there is a spreading addiction sweeping like wildfire throughout the world: cell phone social media.

Listen to this article in Forbes Magazine online: (the link is in the show notes)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/01/11/digital-addiction-should-you-be-worried/?sh=6dd51bbe59c3

[If you believe you may be addicted to your digital devices, you’re not alone. Check out these sobering stats:

● Worldwide, an estimated 210 million people suffer from social media addiction

● Americans check their phone an average of 344 times per day, which is approximately once every 5.5 minutes

● Nearly half of Americans believe they are addicted to their cell phone

● The average American will spend the equivalent of 44 days on their phone in 2022 – that’s nearly a month and a half!

Developing a compulsive need to use your digital devices is a hallmark of an addiction, and it’s a rampant problem in our society today.

And digital addiction doesn't just interfere with our relationships. It also saps our concentration, so it takes longer to get into a creative flow. And the pandemic has only exacerbated our dependence on our digital devices.

Designed to Be Addictive

Social media sites and apps like Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram are specifically designed to be addictive. Big tech giants have major incentives to keep you on their platforms as long as possible. After all, the more time we spend on a site or app, the more advertising revenue they bring in.

Tech companies use behavioral design to create highly addictive apps that keep us coming back again and again. “Like” buttons and comment features hook us in and make us want to return to the apps to check our “scores,” and the endless scroll of most social media platforms guarantees that there’s no stopping point to our consumption of updates, images, and ads.

These features aren’t an accident. They’re part of an overall plan to maximize the amount of time we spend on our digital devices, regardless of the potential negative impact on our mental and emotional health.

Furthermore, here are the stats concerning fatal crashes caused by people who use their phones while driving.

“According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than intoxicated driving.]

Phone addiction is causing death every day.

One final warning and we’ll look at the parallels between Joseph’s time in prison and ours.

This definition is from the National Institute of Health. (link in the show notes)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7311140/#:~:text=Social%20media%20disorder%20(SMD)%20is,ignored%20or%20excluded%20by%20others.

[Social media disorder (SMD) is defined as a behavioral addiction and has been associated with depression, loneliness, narcissism, low self-esteem, poor sleep quality, and low academic performance.]

Joseph, while in prison and not of his choosing, served GOD by doing the best he could for others. GOD rewarded him accordingly.

Those of us in prison, whatever the cause, are unlikely to serve GOD by doing our best for others. How could we? Addictions by their nature demand we meet the need to satisfy the craving within us.

But listen, it’s not all gloom and doom. If we will go to GOD and ask His help with the thing holding us in bondage, and then do whatever is necessary to become free, GOD will help us. This may involve professional counseling as it did with my own bondage to depression and anxiety, and I still must work every day on my aftercare regimen.

Whatever path you choose for freedom, it begins with acknowledging you are being held, prisoner. Even if you’re trapped by the consequences of your past behavior, Jesus died to set us free. Free from the penalty of sin, and freedom from the practice of sin.

Even in prison, you can begin to serve GOD with a heart willing to obey. Take the first step in the process of freedom.

Summary: There are many forms of prison surrounding us daily. For those of us being held captive, Jesus promised in Luke 4:18, He came to set the captive free. Always keep in mind freedom is an ongoing process.

Action to consider: Serve GOD today by offering Him your life. And then read and memorize these verses: Romans 12:1&2 – vs 1 – ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

VS 2 – ‘And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Next week’s devotion: How Joseph Got out of Prison – Part 3