In this post, I will be building off of the verse 1 John 2:16 mentioned in my last post, What Is Driving Our Temptations??  –  TEMPTATION – [7], http://wp.me/p5nZpi-yx …

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.

John mentions three areas where, we as humans, crave, chase after, lust for, and take pride in…

1.  Physical pleasure
2.  Everything we see
3.  Our achievements/possessions

Below is an example, from the Bible, to illustrate resisting temptation vs. giving into temptation.

***CRAVINGS/TEMPTATIONS FOR PHYSICAL PLEASURE***

We’ll look first at an example of someone who was tempted, but resisted —

• Joseph and Potiphar’s wife —

Here’s a little background info explaining how Joseph found himself in this tempting situation.

Joseph, as you may recall was the favorite son of Jacob – Genesis 37:3

And because of Jacob’s over-the-top gift for Joseph, he was hated by his brothers – Genesis 37:4. 

In fact, Joseph’s brothers hated him so much that they even considered killing him.  However, with their brother, Reuben’s, urging, they decided to throw him instead into a cistern to die.              AWWW!! – How thoughtful

Later, when slave traders passed by they decided instead to sell him into slavery. Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime. Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed. – Genesis 37:26-27  WOW!! Brotherly love at its height

The brothers then went home. They lied to their father, leading Jacob to believe that Joseph was eaten by a wild animal. When in actuality, they sold him into slavery. – Genesis 37:31-33

A couple of chapters later in Genesis, we find that Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. – Genesis 39:1

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. – Genesis 37:2,4

THIS IS WHEN THE TROUBLE STARTED — read Genesis 39:5-20

WHAT WAS JOSEPH’S RESPONSE TO POTIPHAR’S WIFE’S ADVANCES?

How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? – Genesis 39:9

SIN AGAINST GOD? 

WHY DIDN’T JOSEPH SAY,  “I’D HURT POTIPHAR”, OR “YOU’RE MARRIED”, ETC.?

That’s a great question!!  A great question because how many of us recognize that choosing to sin is not just between “two consenting” adults, as in this particular example, but rather SIN is a choice to disobey God.  Because Joseph responded to Potiphar’s wife’s advances saying that he was sinning against God, he removed another potential temptation trap – rationalizing away his reasons for saying no.  Saying instead, “yeah but…”, or “it’s just this once…” or “______…”

THE NEXT TIME YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A TEMPTING SITUATION, TRY JOSEPH’S STRATEGY —

IN THE NEXT POST —

We’ll look at a person in the Bible referred to by God as a man after His(God’s) own heart – Acts 13:22, yet falls in a major way to temptation, leaving a heap of carnage in his wake.

** FOR MORE ON TEMPTATION SEE MY OTHER POSTS BELOW **

What Is Driving Our Temptations??  –  TEMPTATION – [7],  http://wp.me/p5nZpi-yx

HEADLINES – Man Falls Head Over Heels…  –  TEMPTATION [9],  http://wp.me/p5nZpi-zM