Temptation Island Pt. 2 – Four R’s
I. Introduction
Temptation Island is a dangerous place because temptation, when we don’t understand it and learn to deal with it, separates, isolates, and will become the gateway to your demise if you don’t learn to move off the island!
So last week we began by discussing the tricks the enemy uses on us. We did this so that we would understand how temptation works so that we wouldn’t be ignorant of the devil’s devices. So we said that:
- Temptation tricks us into passing the buck.
- Temptation tricks us into feeling special.
- Temptation tricks us into falling for hookers.
If it is deadly, then how do we defeat temptation?
II. Text
Genesis 39:2-15
2-6 As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master. His master recognized that God was with him, saw that God was working for good in everything he did. He became very fond of Joseph and made him his personal aide. He put him in charge of all his personal affairs, turning everything over to him. From that moment on, God blessed the home of the Egyptian—all because of Joseph. The blessing of God spread over everything he owned, at home and in the fields, and all Potiphar had to concern himself with was eating three meals a day.
6-7 Joseph was a strikingly handsome man. As time went on, his master’s wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, "Sleep with me." 8-9 He wouldn’t do it. He said to his master’s wife, "Look, with me here, my master doesn’t give a second thought to anything that goes on here—he’s put me in charge of everything he owns. He treats me as an equal. The only thing he hasn’t turned over to me is you. You’re his wife, after all! How could I violate his trust and sin against God?"
10 She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her.
11-15 On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants happened to be there. She grabbed him by his cloak, saying, "Sleep with me!" He left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house. When she realized that he had left his coat in her hand and run outside, she called to her house servants: "Look—this Hebrew shows up and before you know it he’s trying to seduce us. He tried to make love to me but I yelled as loud as I could. With all my yelling and screaming, he left his coat beside me here and ran outside."
III. Temptation
Again we see the process of temptation . . . daily pestering. Temptation is consistent. Just because you defeated it today doesn’t mean you can let down tomorrow. You must learn to daily guard yourself. So let’s learn from Joseph four things we can do to defeat temptation.
A. Refocus
Temptation distracts us. The power of temptation is wrapped up in its ability to get our eyes off of the prize. Temptation gets us to forget what is important. Back to the hat . . . what the enemy does is tries to get our attention diverted until we are simply wrapped up and surrounded by the temporary so that we get our eyes off the eternal. We have to see past the bait to get our focus back on what matters.
Notice how Joseph defeats temptation by diverting his focus off of what was in front of him back to what really matters. He does this by asking this question, "How could I do this to God or to my Master? Oh, that we would learn to pause until we ask the right questions.
Notice his focus was correct . . . he could have focused on the pain he had been through (I have been rejected and now I am wanted) and that would justify it. He could have focused on his position of authority and therefore he would be above suspicion or entitled. He could have focused on opportunity . . . I mean they are all by themselves. He could have focused on her. Chances are she was attractive. However, that doesn’t really matter.
Ron White - once you have seen one you want to see them all. Is it just me or is it that when men leave their wives I always go ... really? Ugly. It isn’t about beauty. It is about lack of focus on destiny and God. He realized his focus was wrong if he only focused on her, the thrill, or the pleasure.
Every temptation simply tries to get us to focus on what is front of us now. We must refocus on what is important . . . God!
I really don’t worry about someone falling to temptation if they are singularly focused on what is important. Triumph comes from fixing our eyes on things above. Eyes on the prize. Eyes on Christ instead of on bait.
I can tell who is going to fall by what they are focusing on. Those that are always focused on their struggle rather than their savior are headed for a fall. Why do I say that? Because their struggle has become more real than their Savior! Our focus determines our future!
B. Resist until it is time to Run Perhaps one of the greatest and most unused promises we have been given is that if we will resist the devil he will flee. I am entirely convinced that most of us fail resistance training. We fail to resist. We just give in. No attempt to resist. No effort to be strong. We crumble, cave in, and fall to every slight pressure! Here is a novel idea . . . just because you are tempted doesn’t mean you have to lie down and give in.
You don’t have to watch. You don’t have to taste. You don’t have to take. You don’t have to get involved. Resist!
Oh wait, I forgot the first part of James 4:7 which makes that promise . . . submit yourself to the Lord then resist. You become much stronger and you are more likely to resist if you remain submitted to the Lord.
We have been given authority over the enemy and when we resist him he has to flee. Even Joseph operated in that authority. For days he stood his ground. However, Joseph also teaches us that there are times when it is best if we flee.
There are moments when our resistance needs to turning into running. There are some times that you can resist right into temptation because the situation didn’t call for resistance it called for showing your hind end to that thing! I just came to declare to some of you, "Quit trying to
play strong . . . run! Run for your life! Get out now!"
II Timothy 2:22 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
There are some things in life from which we must run!
Get away. He dropped his cloak. If I don’t give in my friends will think less of me. Drop the reputation. If I don’t do that I will lose the chance for promotion. Drop the job. If I don’t do that I will lose my boyfriend. Drop the bum. Drop whatever you have to drop to get away.
If some of you would run for your life you wouldn’t have to run from or after your wife.
If some of you would run for your life you wouldn’t have to live in strife!
Don’t misunderstand . . . Joseph ran and he still got in trouble - but what would it had been like if he hadn’t run. He ended up in prison on false accusations but would have been killed had he given in. His destiny would have been forfeited. But not only his future but his family’s future was determined by his willingness to run.
You willingness to run can save not only you but your family! Some of you are putting your spouse, your kids, and your loved ones at risk because you fail to run!
I will just keep going to lunch with her. I will just keep flirting with him. I will just keep spending. Your family is at stake! You can’t just count cost for you but for those coming after you! You can’t forfeit their destiny just because you aren’t willing to slip on your running shoes and get out of that situation . . . all the while claiming to be strong! You keep playing with fire you and yours will get burned!
We hang out with temptation too long. Hesitation leads to heartbreak. It is time to haul tail. Get away at all costs! I am praying God is going to give you the runs this week!
C. Respect
Temptation will try to get you to disrespect boundaries, disrespect blessings, and disrespect others.
How can I do this to my master? This is out of bounds. This would disrespect God and my boss.
Some of us could defeat the temptation we are being tempted with if we would simply learn respect for God and others. If we would stop and see how our choices disrespect God and all that He has done to get us to where we are now. If we would understand that one let down, the moment of falling to the trick is going to throw away years of favor, blessing, and work on His end. We have to come to the place that we understand that when we fail to defeat temptation we are basically looking at God and saying, “I don’t really value or care about all that you given me, all that You have done for me, and all the good things You have placed in my life. I would rather have a moment of pleasure, satisfaction, and thrill than all that You have given me.”
We also need to understand that when we fall to temptation we disrespect others. When we fall we say to our spouse, our boss, and our friends, “We really don’t care about you either. Your relationship wasn’t important enough to me to resist or run!”
It is just 5 minutes here no one will notice. It is just a package of paper no one will miss. It is just part of my taxes the government will never miss it. It is just one show, one drink, one encounter. Where is the respect?
I want to do what I want to do and no one should tell me what to do. Where is the respect?
Look at your neighbor and say “I need a little respect! I owe you a little respect.”
I want to say it again we are connected! I never hear anyone say a word about being connected when they are being tempted. No one wants to stop and think about how what they are about to do disrespects our relationship/brotherhood. I only hear anyone say something about being connected when someone doesn’t do what we wanted them to do the way and when we wanted them to do it. They didn’t check on me. They didn’t let me do this. They didn’t love on me. I thought we were connected. Did you stop to think about that connection when you went into the liquor store last Friday night? Did you stop to think about the connection when you were flipping the person off at the stop light with your Passion sticker on the back of your car? We are connected and we should respect the connection! Remember House Manners . . . Regard, Respect, Resolve, and Restore. Respect one another again by honoring our connection by how you deal with temptation.
