Genesis 39:9 (KJV)
There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
We can make a lot of excuses for our proclivity toward sin. The unbeliever can almost get away with it. He is a slave to his sin nature. If it were not for the laws of the land and fear of punishment, the unsaved man is capable of anything.
But for the Christian, who has been set free from sin, who is aware of the great sacrifice for his salvation, and who has the indwelling Holy Spirit, giving in to sin is, well, without excuse.
Yet even the Christian is tempted to sin. For that reason, Joseph teaches us some very good lessons on how to refuse sin:
He acknowledged the grace that had been shown to him.
His master had kept back nothing from him except his wife and had shown so much faith in him that he didn’t even inspect his work. Joseph didn’t dwell on the negatives but on the grace he experienced.
He persisted in refusing sin.
Sin doesn’t let up, but the more often we refuse to give in, the easier it will be to refuse the next time. When the temptation became insistent, he fled. He had developed the character to do that by his persistent refusal.
He saw the sin as not against the woman or even against his master, but against God.
I see this as the most powerful tool in Joseph’s box. If his focus had been on the woman, he could have reasoned that she asked for it. If his focus had been on his master, he could have reasoned it wasn’t fair for him to be a slave anyway. Having his focus on God set the temptation in a different light.
Here is the problem with religion: religion focuses on improving man’s relationship with men. This focus on sin, its harm to others, and to our reputation only serves to minimize the true evil of sin. Further, it seeks to find the strength to reject sin from the least powerful sources.
We don’t need religion; we need the Lord. When our eyes are upon Him, we see sin as truly evil as it is AND we find the only resource able to deliver us from temptation.
#ResistTemptation #FocusOnGod #RejectSin #JosephsExample #FaithOverExcuses
How to Defeat Temptation: The Power of God-Focused Refusal
Call to Action
- What’s one way you stay strong against temptation?
- Share your strategy in the comments.
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