HOW TO WIN OVER TEMPTATION—Genesis 39
Temptation. It seems to pop up out of nowhere—although it comes from somewhere! It may be drugs—or ice cream. A party at school—or a pity party. A click on a computer, an alluring fantasy, or a sudden invitation. The feeling of something in a shopping cart—or maybe, the cart is online. The tidbit of gossip that is demanding a place on your tongue. The thought of putting a knife into someone who has it coming—maybe not a literal knife, but sticking it to a person you love, and twisting the knife so it hurts even more.
How do we handle temptation?
There is an old hymn from the 1800’s, that gives guidance and warning. It begins, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin.” Yes, we know that! The hymn goes on to say, “Fight valiantly onward, dark passions subdue.” Yes, we need to do that; the Bible tells us that we must fight against the powers of darkness, and the darkness within. But how do we fight? How do we win? The answer is in the chorus: “Ask the Savior to help you…” He will!
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
God provides a way to overcome temptation, but it is not automatic. We must choose his way!
Read Genesis 39.
How can we overcome temptation?
ELIMINATE SELF-PITY
Joseph is in his late teens or early 20’s, and he is far away from home. He has been a rich kid, with a great future as the leader of his clan. But now, by the betrayal of his own brothers, he is a slave with no future. He is lonely, separated from his family and homeland. He has no one to share his life with, and no one to celebrate his maturity and growth. He has no father to throw his arms around him and say, “I’m proud of you, son.” There are no brothers to wrestle with, and no mother to cry over him. He is old enough to be married, but there is no one to find him a wife and pay the bride-price, except for his master, Potiphar, who might want him to sire more slaves.
His self-pity could have been a setup for temptation. Potiphar’s wife noticed that he was well-built and handsome, and we can imagine how she came on to him: “What a man you are: strong, intelligent, sexy! Why be lonely? Why be unappreciated? Why be like a slave? Come to bed with me!” If Joseph had been wallowing in self-pity, feeling unappreciated and confined by his role as a slave, he might have found her approach hard to resist.
Do you know about self-pity and temptation? Maybe your life hasn’t gone quite like you expected or hoped. Life seems unfair; the wicked prosper, and less-deserving people get all the breaks. You’d like to hold out for the life you hoped for, but that’s not what’s being offered right now.
Then temptation comes. Maybe this thing—wrong though it is—will make you feel better. Maybe, in a perverse way, you feel like you have a right to stray, since doing the right thing has been disappointing. Self-pity makes us vulnerable to temptation.
How can we eliminate self-pity? Self-talk can be helpful.
Joseph reminds himself that his life is not all bad; he has landed in good place. When he tells Potiphar’s wife that he is in charge of the entire household, he is talking is talking to himself as much to her: “No one in this house is greater than I am.”
More than that, the writer of Genesis tells us what Joseph must have understood: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered.” How did a very young, lowly slave become the master of the household of Potiphar, the Pharaoh’s captain of the guard? God was with him.
There is always something good in our lives! We were able to get out of bed this morning, and most of us had breakfast. None of us had to come to church hungry. Most of us have prospered, often in ways that we could not have planned or imagined. But the best thing is that God is with us. We have assurance of his love, and a glorious future with him.
We have the tools to eliminate self-pity, and we need to use them. We need to be intentional about how we look at life, and what we tell ourselves and each other. The Apostle Paul says,
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
In personal and private worship, we remind ourselves how precious we are to God. We count our blessings, and we thank God for giving them to us. We think about what God has planned for us, in this world and the next.
Eliminate self-pity, by remembering that God is with you.
TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TEMPTATION
How might a young man like Joseph think about the situation he was in? He is a lonely young man at the peak of sexual desire, and she is a neglected wife. Who would be hurt?
She is the boss of the household, and she has given her command. Who is he to say no? He has not initiated this situation, and she is willing to take responsibility. Who could blame him for accommodating her? His luck has not stopped since he first walked in the door of Potiphar’s house. Potiphar has given him almost everything. Why not this too?
Joseph tells the truth, and I think he is talking to himself as much as to her. (Read verses 8-9.) He calls it what it is: “a wicked thing and sin against God.” He gets to the core of the sin: It would be a betrayal of trust—the trust of his master, and the trust of the God he serves.
One of the most effective weapons in resisting temptation is truth. And the person who most needs to hear the truth is ourselves.
When temptation comes, call it what it is. It is not sharp business or gaming the system; it is cheating. It is not just “telling what I heard” or “being concerned”; it is gossip. It is not exaggerating or stretching the truth; it is a lie. It is not healthy ambition; it is envy, bullying, manipulation, or greed. It is not a harmless fantasy in the mind; it is allowing filth in the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Truth is a great weapon to expose and disarm temptation.
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO LOSE (AND GAIN!)
(Read verses 9-10.) What does Joseph stand to lose? The trust of his master. His own character. Fellowship with God. His destiny, and the destiny of the covenant people of God—for Joseph had a place in God’s plan to make his family great, and ultimately, to bring redemption to us! The details were yet to be revealed, but Joseph understand that he had a place in God’s covenant plan. This is not just about him; God’s plan of redemption hangs in the balance!
What might you lose if you give in to temptation? Your marriage? A valued friend? The respect of your children? The trust of your boss or coworkers? Your legacy for future generations? The eternal destiny of people in your sphere of influence?
To make it personal, what about your character? Your character is formed by your choices and actions. What about your fellowship with God? What about the things God can do with a person of integrity?
Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
COMMIT TO WIN OVER TEMPTATION (no matter what the cost)
It is strange that Joseph would leave his cloak in her hands. He was a strong young man, who could have easily pried it from her grasp. Instead, he runs from the house. Why? Did he not trust himself to struggle? (What was she wearing? What passions must he have felt?)
2 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.
Yet Joseph is in a tough spot. As the saying goes, “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.” She has all the power, and when she tells her version of the story to the servants, his only hope of escaping punishment seems to be to yield to her demands. Yet he refuses.
Joseph is willing to do what whatever it takes to resist sin. He is willing to pay whatever price it takes, to maintain his integrity. The price is steep: he will be put in prison.
There is sometimes a price to pay to overcome persistent temptation. Rarely is an addiction conquered—whether substance abuse, pornography, social media, or negativism—without making significant changes to a person’s entire life. There is a price to pay.
Dr. Richard Mouw, a well-known theologian and influential church leader, surprised many people when he publicly declared that he was an alcoholic. His addiction snuck up on him, as addiction usually does. When he recognized the truth about himself, he took decisive action. He went to AA meetings every day for a month, and for the rest of his life he continued to do whatever was necessary to control his addiction. Because he was willing to pay the price, God was able to use him in remarkable ways.
Our temptations might only be conquered by a radical commitment to change, in many areas of life. A person who struggles with spending, or with abusive behavior, or filthy language might have to deal with a host of painful personal issues. He or she might also need to change routines, make a commitment to a daily quiet time with God, and choose friends and social involvement more wisely. He or she might need to find someone to hold them accountable, and really mean it! (Research has shown that accountability is only effective when the person being held accountable initiates it and intensely desires it.)
That is a lot of work, and it might not be easy. Can you do it?
Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
We can do a lot more than we think, if we are willing to pay the price.
What motivates us?
Verse 2: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered…”
Verse 21: “The Lord was with Joseph: he showed him kindness and granted him favor…”
Verse 23: “The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success.”
We are not in alone in our struggles. God is with us, and God will give us the strength we need. If we trust him, God rewards us by using us to accomplish his plan and purpose in the world. That makes it worth whatever price we need to pay.
