[The Glory Unveiled]
No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” [ Genesis 39:9 NIV ]
The account of Joseph in the house of Potiphar shows us the strategy for freedom from temptation. In our anchor scripture, when Joseph was tempted by Mrs. Potiphar to sin with her, Joseph told her he couldn’t do what she wanted—calling it a wicked thing—and sin against God. The Joseph template (strategy) for escaping temptation is expounded in the New Testament book of James. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The formula for freedom from temptation and actually walking through the way of escape in every temptation is buried in this verse. The first step is to be submitted to God. Our submission to God is equal to resisting the devil. We resist the devil, not by doing anything directly against the devil; we resist the devil in our submission to God. When we submit to God, it becomes a repellent against the devil and his advertisement. No one resists the devil in the energy of their flesh (strength) but rather from the crucibles of their surrendered life. The power that translates as resistance to the devil is submission to God and walking in the highway of His truth. This was what Joseph did and the temptation to sin couldn’t hold him. Even when the temptation was so sponsored that it seemed Joseph wouldn’t have anything to lose and there were no witnesses at the scene to report to his master. If he was avoiding the temptation to sin because of his master, that day would have given him reason to sin but because the strategy for his spiritual purity was rooted in His surrender to God, he didn’t do it even when the master was not around the house. The same strategy can help us out of any temptation the enemy throws at us. But first, we must submit to God thoroughly.
Prayer_Bead: Our God who sees us, thank you for showing us the strategy you taught Joseph. Help us to apply it whenever we come face to face with temptation and sin. In Jesus’ name.
Wisdom_Quote: Resisting the devil is not spontaneous, it is the result of being submitted to God.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.