Dealing with Temptation

But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.”

Genesis 39:11-12

How do we deal with temptation? Do we play around with it like it is a harmless inconvenience? Do we convince ourselves that we can handle it? Or, do we take aggressive action to remove either the temptation or ourselves from the situation?

Joseph – of the Old Testament, not Jesus’ step-dad – provides us the perfect example and plan for dealing with temptation. Joseph’s story is an interesting one. His brothers, being jealous of him, sold him into slavery. However, God was with Joseph and whatever he did seemed to prosper. So much so was Joseph’s success that he eventually ended up in the house of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, in Egypt. Because God was with Joseph, he ended up in control of all of Potiphar’s house.

Unfortunately for Joseph, Potiphar’s wife took a liking to him. She is constantly pressuring him to sleep with her. The day came that Joseph found himself alone with her in the house. On this day she was a little more aggressive. She grabbed him by his clothes and insisted that he come to bed with her. Joseph’s response? He left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house” (Gen 39:12).

Joseph was not a man who over-estimated his own will power. He found himself in a situation where he was about to dishonor his master and the God he served. Instead of hanging around to prove how strong he was, he fled. At that moment, Joseph had nothing to prove. He simply removed himself from the situation.

The example of Joseph is something we need to follow. He took aggressive action to do what God would have him do. We must recognize that sin is not something to be trifled with. We should take any and all temptation seriously. And, like Joseph, we must deal with temptation aggressively. Remove the temptation. If you cannot remove the temptation, then remove yourself. God will honor our attempts to keep our life pure and follow Him.