Day 27 of the 40 Days of Purpose

“Defeating Temptation”

The best way to deal with temptation is to, if at all possible, get away from it. The story of Joseph is a classic example. Potiphar’s wife made it very easy for Joseph to sin. He resisted the temptation by running from it.

(Gen 39:6-12 NIV) So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, {7} and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" {8} But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. {9} 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?" {10} And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. {11} One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. {12} 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.

While standing in temptation makes it hard to fight it, running can be hard, also. It is not easy to walk away, or it wouldn’t be called temptation. There can also be consequences of running, as well. Look at what happened to Joseph after he ran from Potiphar’s wife.

(Gen 39:16-21 NIV) She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. {17} Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. {18} But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." {19} When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. {20} Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, {21} the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

There are some who do not want you to be successful in resisting sin and will do everything they can to make it rough for you because you decided to run from the temptation. But notice the end of the story, even when they make it rough, the Lord is still with us and in the end we will win.


Our victory over sin is a great demonstration of God’s power in grace.
Our victory over temptation is a great demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit strengthening the inner man.
Our eventual victory over death is the demonstration of Christ resurrection power.

(1 Cor 15:55-57 NIV) "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" {56} The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. {57} But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.