Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” Genesis 39:6(b)-7 NIV
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. Genesis 39:11-12 NIV
The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife is a well known story. Joseph gets tempted; his response in the heat of the moment was to simply run.
What do we do when the temptation to sin comes our way? I believe Joseph sets the greatest example. Don’t think or mull on it, simply turn and run away.
Think about deer we encounter, on our walks through the woods or simply in traveling down a country road. How often we try to get very close, only to have the deer run at the immediate sign of trouble. Now how about the deer we see linger, look up, look around, then go back to grazing? The deer who lags behind suffers one of a few fates. They either lag behind long enough to fall prey to the hunter, lag behind when crossing the road just far enough behind the lead deer and get struck by the passing car, or get too comfortable that all is well and fall prey to the mountain lion.
If Joseph had taken even a moment to think or mull over the situation, he very well could have suffered the same fate; to fall prey to the attack of the enemy!
It is written, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NIV
The same lion that gets the deer, can easily devour us if we don’t turn and run.
It is also written “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7(b) NIV
What a statement! This does not say resist the devil and he’ll kind of shrug his shoulders and walk away. It says he will flee from us! I think about a criminal fleeing from the scene of a crime, running for his life in absolute fear of getting caught. This is what the Lord says the devil will do if we resist him, he will run from us quickly with the fear of being caught, as if he is running from our Lord, if we dwell in him!
So, when confronted with great temptation, turn and run!
Barnabas
Special thanks for this submission by guest blogger – Barnabas