Sexual Temptation - Joseph

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. But Joseph refused.

Genesis 39:6-8

Have you ever attempted to drop a few pounds (or more than a few)? If so, you know the stupidity of stocking your freezer with your favorite ice cream, your cupboards with your favorite cookies, or your refrigerator with your favorite cheesecake. Doing so would put you in a place where you felt, in the words of the apostle Paul, “the temptation to be more than you can stand” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

And that, as you may have learned the hard way, is an excellent strategy for keeping those pounds on.

Sometimes God calls us to stand up to temptation and fight it like a man; at other times, he instructs us to run away from it. Sexual temptation calls for the latter strategy. God tells us to avoid it; and failing that, we are to run from it.

Enter Joseph.

Wasn’t Joseph sexually attracted to the wife of his master Potiphar? It is hard to believe that he wasn’t. As the spouse of a high-ranking Egyptian official, she probably used her beauty to get what she wanted.

She really wanted Joseph!

What could Joseph do? Because he refused to betray his master or dishonor God, he had only two options left: resist the seduction or flee. When resisting didn’t work, Joseph ran, leaving us with an excellent example to follow when sexual temptation tries to catch us in its snare.

Many centuries later, the apostle Paul warned a young pastor named Timothy to “run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22). Run, he says, not walk, box, argue, evangelize, flatter, flirt, reason with, or saunter away. Run!

In what situations are you most likely to encounter sexual temptation? Clearly identify them and develop a plan for running away. God never intended for you to put yourself in a position where you may find it easy to fall. Don’t reason with sexual temptation or try to stand up to it. Run!