Stay Away from Temptation
(Lessons
from Potiphar's Wife)
"And
it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened
not unto her, to lie by her, or
to be with her."
Genesis 39:10
Joseph was
tempted every day by Potiphar's wife. So he made an important
decision, which is a good lesson for us today. He didn't just refuse
to commit adultery with her, he refused to even be with her.
Matthew
Henry said “Those that would be kept from harm must keep themselves
out of harm's way.
Another
old Proverbs says, “He who keeps off the ice will not slip.”
Joseph
tried to keep himself out of situations where he would be tempted. He
stayed away from this woman as much as possible. He was a wise man! This is an
important lesson in dealing with temptation. If something or someone
tempts you to sin, if it's possible, stay away from it.
"Abstain
from all appearance of evil." 1Thessalonians 5:22
"Enter
not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, pass not by it,
turn from it, and pass away." Proverbs 4:14-15
There are
2 particular things that are a temptation to me.
1)Being
covetous
I find it
a temptation to buy things impulsively that I'll regret later on.
So to
avoid doing that I sometimes only take money for what I have to get
or I shop in a hurry. I also avoid 'shopping' when I don't need
anything!
2)Wasting
time
Since I am
home most of the time, it's very easy for me to waste time on the
internet. Then I wonder why I don't have enough time to get my work
done!
For this
temptation, after I've used it in the morning I sometimes turn the
computer off for the day. Or if I need the internet later on, I'll
switch off the internet until I need it. Then I'm not so tempted to
quickly check this or quickly do this!
There is a
temptation that a lot of teen girls face and that is in
relationships. If you are in a relationship with a guy, there is the
temptation to go too far and ruin your purity or even just to do
something you'll regret later on if that person doesn't end up being
your husband.
There are
precautions you can take to keep from being tempted. You can avoid
being alone together; take someone else along or stay in groups. My
husband and I didn't take this precaution when we were getting to
know each other. We didn't see each other very often as it was a long
distance relationship and we also didn't talk on the phone as I don't
like talking on the phone much and my husband wasn't very good at
English. So we did need some time to be alone and talk in private!
But we took another precaution which kept us from being tempted when
we were alone. When we got engaged we decided to not touch each other
until our wedding day. We stuck to that and I'm glad we did! We have
no regrets.
Stop and
think about the temptations you face. Are there ways you can prevent
yourself from being tempted?
