We Need to Be Aware of This
Temptation is kind of like standing at the edge of a cliff. It can be both exciting and scary knowing the risk that comes with being so close to danger. Different people handle this situation differently. Some people can’t get close. They step back from it or hold on to something solid, while others want to get as close as they can and maybe even hang one foot over the edge.
Different things tempt each of us differently.
As we continue going through the Lord’s Prayer, this week’s focus is on the line: Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. The Bible is full of examples of people who were tempted and failed. There are also examples of being tempted and not failing.
Joseph is one of those examples. Most of us are familiar with this story; he was sold by his brothers to Midianite traders. He was bought by Potiphar, an officer of Pharoah and ended up in Egypt. In Genesis 39:1-12, we see how Joseph was tempted and how he handled it.
The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.
When his master saw that the Lord was with him and made him prosper in all he did, Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant.
Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”
Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her. One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside. She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.
Even after Joseph ran away and avoided the temptation, he was still punished by Potiphar because his wife lied.
Even while he was in prison God was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison. The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. (Genesis 39:21-23)
After being in prison for years Joseph was brought to the Pharaoh to interpret a dream. The Pharaoh believed that Joseph was right and put him in charge of everything.
God always provides a way out of life’s trials and troubles.
It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.
This is why many times we succumb to temptation, because it is the easy way out.
Satan temps us, but God gives us the power to resist.
We don’t overcome trials and temptations by our own strength … it’s God’s.
Be aware that there are going to be temptations, and understand how to handle them. Ask God to give you the strength to take the action needed to avoid them.