And it came about after these events that his master’s wife had her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Sleep with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put me in charge of all that he owns. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?”

Many of us have an idea of how we will respond in a moment of temptation, but it is often more difficult than we thought. In the confines of our mind, we know the clear right and wrong things to do, but when we are living out the scenario, we realize just how compelling sin is. In this passage, Joseph valued the gift he had in his relationship with God more than the temptation that was in front of Him.

James 4:7-8 says, “Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Dealing with temptation is more than knowing right and wrong. It requires us to submit ourselves to God more than to our desires or what we think is best. Joseph made it clear that he wanted to be close to God. This nearness gave him the grace to resist what might have been so compelling. Resisting the enemy is not something that comes naturally to us. It is impossible for us to do on our own, but by God’s grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can run from sin and toward God in moments of temptation.

• When have you had to resist temptation? What did you do? What would you do differently?
• What temptations are hardest for you to resist?
• Pray and surrender to God the temptations in your heart. Ask Him to equip you to run toward Him and resist the enemy.