July 11th
7And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” 10So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. 11But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. Genesis 39:7-12 NKJV
The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife provides some good points on resisting sexual temptations. One of them I noticed in particular was how Joseph “did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.” Day after day the woman tried to entice Joseph, but he remained firm in his resolve to ignore her and to not be with her. The moment Joseph let his guard down, either by accident or negligence, she caught him.
Romans 13:14 (NKJV) says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Each day we have opportunities to decide where we’ll go and what we’ll do along the way. We often have plenty of information to help us see where potential temptation points may be. If we decide to make prudent decisions ahead of time, we can avoid many of the “irresistible” temptations that we have fallen to in the past. Some examples of actions we can take include:
· Changing our route home to avoid driving by the adult video store
· Not stopping in the magazine section at the airport on business trips
· Going to bed instead of turning on the TV late at night
· Shutting the computer/phone down at bedtime instead of surfing the web or watching videos
· Calling a friend for prayer when we know we’re headed for trouble
· Avoiding the beach during prime sunbathing hours
· Instead of browsing the latest streaming movies/videos, choosing a wholesome entertainment activity for the evening
There could be many more examples. We can ask the Lord to sharpen our recognition of the critical decisions we can make to avoid disaster. When the Holy Spirit convicts us, we must then heed his instructions. In doing so, we will reap life and blessing along the path of freedom.
Questions for further thought:
Solomon wrote that the eyes of man are never satisfied (Proverbs 27:20). What does this imply concerning making a provision to fulfill lust?
How is pleasure different from lust?
Can you think of an area in your life that the devil repeatedly tests with temptation to see if you’ll keep your resolve?
Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, thank you that I can call on you whenever I need help in resisting temptations. I confess that I have made provision for feeding lust in my life in the following ways: _________ (list). Please forgive me for that sin. Please help me recognize the choices I have each day that will help me steer clear of temptations. Please help me to find the way out of any temptation that I’m presented with. Thank you, Lord! In your name I pray, Amen.”