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How to Defeat Temptation
The Power of God-Focused Refusal
Genesis 39:9 (KJV)
There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
We can make a lot of excuses for our proclivity toward sin. The unbeliever can almost get away with it. He is a slave to his sin nature. If it were not for the laws of the land and fear of punishment, the unsaved man is capable of anything.
But for the Christian, who has been set free from sin, who is aware of the great sacrifice for his salvation, and who has the indwelling Holy Spirit, giving in to sin is, well, without excuse.
Yet even the Christian is tempted to sin. For that reason, Joseph teaches us some very good lessons on how to refuse sin:
He acknowledged the grace that had been shown to him.
His master had kept back nothing from him except his wife and had shown so much faith in him that he didn’t even inspect his work. Joseph didn’t dwell on the negatives but on the grace he experienced.
