GENESIS 39:6-10 – “So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. “
THEME OF THE DAY: THE GREATEST MOTIVATOR TO DEFEAT TEMPTATION. The Christian life is the tried life, and it is also the tempted life. When it comes to temptation, God is not the author. Testing is, but not temptation. James would tell us the source of our temptations – Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (James 1:13-15). Temptation to sin comes from our heart and we won’t know total freedom from it till we see Jesus and become like Him.
However, temptation does not mean defeat. To be tempted to sin is not sin. It is yielding to the temptation that leads to sin. Yet, in salvation, God grants to us the power of Christ’s resurrection and that means we never have to yield to temptation leading to sin (Philippians 3:10). For the Christian, sin is always a choice. And God not only gives us the power to overcome temptation but also the way to escape the grip of temptation – No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
In today’s scripture, we have the ultimate way of escape from temptation in the model of Joseph. What he does isn’t just to escape the temptation of sexual sin. It will prove to defeat every temptation. Let’s enter the scene.
Potiphar’s wife and Joseph are alone. She is opportunistic and seeks to seduce him. She is persistent as all temptation is and would not be denied. Left to himself, and in his own strength, she would have worn him down and he would have yielded. That is what temptation does when we seek to fight it in the strength of self. We will eventually yield. But not Joseph. He doesn’t rely upon himself. He appeals to his relationship with God – How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
Friends, the greatest motivator to defeat sin is our relationship with God. When temptation comes upon us, stop and remember the sin temptation wants us to commit is what Jesus died for. Let that sink in. Why would we entertain doing what Jesus died for? And that is the greatest motivator to defeat any and all temptation!
PRAYER: “Father, may Your love for me cause me to love You and serve as the power to defeat temptation.”
QUOTE: “To remember the love of God when tempted to sin will lessen the grip the temptation holds on us.”