⁣Genesis 39:6
Principle: the enemy will trying using your strengths against you.
If you are good with money the tempter will tempt you there; if you are good socially the tempter will tempt you there.
I’ve learned my ability to communicate can be my biggest obstacle. Sometimes I have a big blessed mouth and other times I have a big fat mouth
Verse 7 says,
Talk about being direct and straightforward.
No ambiguity with her
Joseph is in a position here that it is just him and Potiphar’s wife; no one will know if he gives in.
verse 8
How did Joseph respond to temptation? He refused.
He did not rationalize it, he did not debate it; he simply refused.
You may be wondering, “How did Joseph refuse such a great temptation like that?”
Joseph knew his purpose and he knew who he was
This is key
When you don’t know your identity and purpose, temptation will have its way with you
Joseph knew his life was an open book before God.
Now don’t think for a moment that this was easy and it just happened on one occasion.
The enemy will continually come at you try to get you to give in.
He tries to chip away at us.
The devil is not creative but he is persistent
Genesis 39:10-12
The devil is not creative but he is persistent
When the devil comes knocking We should ask ourselves with every decision we make is this drawing me closer to God or pushing me further away from God?
Joseph knew that if gave into the temptation he would not just be sinning against Potiphar but more importantly God.
Now in Egypt sexual immorality was no big deal.
It was apart of their culture just like it s ours today.
Turn to your neighbor and tell them it is about to get PG-13 in here.
Let me preface this by saying that no one is excluded from the temptation of lust.
Doesn’t matter if you are a guy or a girl, young or old, single or married
Lust in America is like a lion devouring whomever it can regardless of age, sex, or race.
lust and sex are the daily themes of life here in 21st Century America.
Sex and lust has gone from the bedroom to the big screen
And if we are honest with ourselves and if I were to be honest with you the truth is lust feels really good in the moment; it feels like joy unspeakable.
But lust is like a two-sided coin or maybe better a two headed monster.
One side it feels like joy unspeakable but on the other side there is sorrow unimaginable.
One moment of pleasure can lead to a lifetime of sorrow.
It reminds me of how an Eskimo catches a wolf.
Our goal in life is not see how close we can get to our lust without falling but to stay as far away as possible.
I heard a story about back when they were cutting through and pioneering the old West.
it is not about how close you can get to the world and remain saved; it is about staying away from that edge of destruction.
Remember this: One step away from the light is one step towards darkness.
The further you get from darkness the closer you are to the light.
You will recall the famous story about lust and seduction in the Old Testament.
Samson and Delilah.
Samson was love-struck by this Philistine woman named Delilah and Delilah was being used by the Enemy to seduce and manipulate Samson so they could capture him.
She used her charm and her looks to get him to tell her where his power came from
Night after night Samson, the man of God would indulge in his lust for Delilah.
Each night she would ask him where his power came from and he would lie to her.
His power came from his long hair.
One-night Samson finally gave into the temptation and out of lust he told her his secret and it was the most expensive haircut of his life.
Delilah never cared about Samson but used her looks and charm to catch him and when she caught him she cut his hair and the Philistines captured him and gouged his eyes out.
Samson fell and fell hard in his own strength.
Remember this: a moment of pleasure is not worth a lifetime of blindness; a moment of pleasure is not worth a lifetime of blindness.
But no one falls overnight.
The devil comes and he chips away at you little by little if you allow him to him.
Delilah came and repeatedly asked Samson where his power was.
Men and women of God can be caught in the trap of lust.
Dont give up your purpose for your passion.
Lust goes after what it cannot afford.
Lust drives you from your calling.
And here is the amazing thing I have learned in my own life. Lust is not so much what he or she looks like on outside, but it is more about what I am on the inside.
Lust in not driven by the outside but it is driven by the inside.
Lust is not just a guy thing and it is not just a young thing or a single thing.