If you think a mystical veil of protection

kept him in control, think again.

Take a look at the proof.

An Egyptian woman offered her body

and a young Jewish servant was enticed

by her brass and overtures, so he refused.

"No," he said.

He fought her seductive remarks, staring her down,

determined not to submit.

How could he do such a thing?

For two reasons.

First is devotion to his master.

"My master trust me," he said to this woman,

"He has delegated authority over all he owns to me.

"You, his wife are the only thing that isn't mine,

"I'd never betray his faith."

The second motivation was his devotion to God.

How could I do this great evil

and sin against God?

Clarence Edward Macartney adds a realistic touch.

This was no ordinary temptation.

Joseph was a red blooded young man,

not a stone or a mummy in his 20s.

It wasn't just one temptation on one day,

but a series of them.

How could this red blooded young man in his late 20s say no?

Because he was aware that his life was an open book

in front of his God.

By this point in his life,

Joseph's God was more real to him than anything

or anyone else on the planet.

He was in a secret chamber,

absolutely safe with the master's wife

who had set up this anticipated moment

of lusty delight for him.

He was a dashing young bachelor.

They were by themselves,

yielding what have been the most natural thing in the world.
But according to Joseph, this is a grave evil,

a horrific offense against his God.

As a result, he walked away.

You might be thinking, whew boy, I'm glad that's over with.

I am grateful to God for Joseph's example.

You forcefully fight temptation like that

and it is banished from your life for good.

You wish, and it came to pass

as she spoke to Joseph day by day,

that he hearkened not unto her to lie by her

or to be with her.

Genesis 39 verse ten.

Potiphar's wife would not take no for an answer.

She wasn't about to be ignored.

So she pressured Joseph day after day after day,

this was a devilish seductress.

She was compelled to have sex with Joseph.

All of his discourse about the moral reasons for resisting

just fueled her determination.

She was unconcerned about the purity of her marriage

or the trust between her husband and this young man.

She was only concerned

with satisfying her physical desires right now.

If you're living in the delusionary belief that

if you resist temptation, it will go away,

break it right now.

In reality, when you think like this,

you become an even more attractive target for the tempter.

Furthermore, keep in mind that the tempter desires

the recognized personality, the one who is quoted by others,

the successful individual,

the trusted spouse and the godly soul.

That's why it's not unexpected

that Potiphar's wife pursued Joseph with such tenacity.

He was a hoot, get him and she'd accomplished something.

But Joseph refused to budge and aren't we glad.

The tiniest show of interest in her

would have sealed his fate.

Bonhoeffer's words are worth repeating.

In our members there was a slumbering inclination

towards desire, which is both sudden and fierce.

With irresistible power,

desire seizes mastery over the flesh.

All at once a secret smoldering fire is kindled,

the lust thus aroused envelops the mind

and will of man in deepest darkness.

The powers of clear discrimination

and of decision are taken from us.

Once the embers of lust began to smolder,

the vivid scene portrayed in James one goes into action.

When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me.

For God cannot be tempted by evil,

nor does he tempt anyone.

But each person is tempted when they are dragged away

by their own evil desire and enticed.

James one verses 13 through 14,

the allure of sexual lust acts like a magnet,

drawing two sudden and fierce forces toward each other,

inner desire and an outward bait.

Let's face it, if you live in the real world,

you can't escape the bait.

In fact, even if you manage to isolate yourself

from the outside world,

your mind will not allow you to escape the outer bait.

However, keep in mind that there is no sin in the bait.

The sin is in the bite.

You have been lured when the lust of another

tempts you to give into your own lust

so much so that your resistance weakens.

You succumb to the allure of temptation.

Joseph exemplifies the secret beautifully.

He refused to surrendered, he persisted in his resistance.

Potiphar's wife kept dropping the bait

day after day after day,

and each time, Joseph refused to accept it.

"No, no, no," he exclaimed.

He not only did not listen to her,

but he also did not wanna be near her.

She was not a person to be around.

Joseph had repeatedly refused her attempts,

refusing to surrender to them.

Finally, she planned a trap for him.

And it came to pass about this time

that Joseph went into the house to do his business,

and there was none of the men of the house there within.

And she caught him by his garment saying, lie with me.

And he left his garment in her hand and fled

and got them out.

Genesis 39, verse 11 through 12.

"One day, Joseph came into the house to conduct his duties.

"There were no servants in sight.

Why is this so?

Potiphar's wife may have dispatched them on errands

to get them out of the way.

Whatever the reason she was alone in the house with Joseph

and she made another move.

Only this time, she was not going to take no for an answer.

She went beyond verbal advances

and physically seize Joseph's hand.

She clung so firmly to him that he yanked away

and rushed out into the street.

He left his outer robe in her clutches.

What a clear picture, what a practical way

to shine a light on truth from Joseph's life.

What good biblical advice?

When the New Testament dwells on sensual temptation,

it gives us one command, run.

We are not instructed in the Bible to reason with it.

It does not instruct us to consider it and claim versus.

It instructs us to flee.

You can't give into sensuality if you're running from it.

So flee for your life, get yourself out of there.

You will eventually yield if you try to reason with lust

or toy with sensual fantasies.

You're not gonna able to fight it,

that is why we run in

and that is just what Joseph did.

He dashed out into the street,

leaving Potiphar's wife standing there, rejected yet again,

clutching his garment.

She was furious.

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,

nor hell a fury like a woman scorned,"

William Congreve famously said.

Mrs. Potiphar's passion was transformed into rage.

She had lusted for him, but now detested him,

which resulted in a fabricator attack complaint.

When she noticed that he had left his garment in her hand

and had fled outside, she summoned the men of her household

and told them.

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand

and had run out of the house,

she called her household servants.

"Look, "she said to them,

"This Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us.

"He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed."

Genesis 39, verse 13 through 14.

This scorned woman now desired only vengeance.

To accomplish this,

she constructed a bogus case against Joseph

based on circumstantial evidence, his robe.

And she laid up his garment by her until his lord came home.

And she spoke unto him according to these words saying,

"The Hebrew servant, which thou has brought onto us,

came in unto me to mock me.

And it came to pass as I lifted up my voice and cried

that he left his garment with me and fled out.

And it came to pass

when his master heard the words of his wife,

which he spoke unto him saying,

after this manner did thy serve unto me

that his wrath was kindled

and Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison,

a place where the King's prisoners were bound.

And he was there in the prison.

Genesis 39 verses 16 through 20.

She lied to the members of the household saying,

look at what he's done

and here's the proof, it was his robe.

When he attacked me, I grabbed it.

Her screams and tears were those of a rejected woman,

outraged that gorgeous young Joseph

had resisted her advances,

that he didn't want anything to do with her.

When we read this biblical tale,

our hearts can't help but go to Joseph.

If there's ever a time to reward this man, Joseph,

it would be now.

Reward him for saying no, day after day after day.

Reward him for running instead of yielding.

Watch closely as the plot against Joseph unfolds.

On the surface, it is heartbreaking.

The personal ramifications.

Joseph was completely innocent,

but the odds were stacked against him.

Potiphar's wife had his robe as evidence

as well position in the family

as a source of manipulative influence.

She used both against him,

resulting in his imprisonment.

Joseph was still imprisoned.

Consider what was going through Joseph's mind at this point,

just after he was imprisoned.

He was not only innocent,

but he had repeatedly rejected obvious temptation.

He never read Genesis 41 before.

He had no idea what would happen in the end.

He didn't know that in a matter of years,

he would be Prime Minister of Egypt.

All the man knew at this painful moment

was that he had done what was right

and had suffered wrong for it.

Time dragged by, days turned into months.

He was again unfairly rejected, forgotten,

totally helpless.

But somehow in the midst of this unfair situation,

Joseph sense that Jehovah's hand was an all this.

Joseph you're mine, just wait, I'm with you.

I'm not ignoring you or rejecting you.

You will be a better man, Joseph,

because of this accusation against you.

I'm not through preparing you for my service.

Does that sound too pious?

Are those meanderings too much for you to swallow?

Am I off base here?

Not if we believe the rest of the story

recorded in this chapter.

But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy

and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand

all the prisoners that were in the prison.

And whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

The keeper of the prison looked not at anything

that was under his hand because the Lord was with him,

and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

Genesis 39 verses 21 through 23.

Have you noticed the important phrase the Lord was with him?

Joseph was in the hands of the Lord.

However, the relationship was mutual.

Joseph too obeyed God.

Instead of being bitter and angry, he put God first.

As a result, he thrived, even while imprisoned.

Amazing.

A few practical words of hope.

It's possible that you're currently confronted

with temptation, maybe you've already yielded.

Some may be thinking to themselves,

so far, I've been able to resist the allure

of sensual temptation, but I need your support

to keep going.

But no one watching this can say,

I have no idea what you're talking about.

I've never seen anything like it my entire life.

As a result, let me conclude with some practical advice.

By the grace of God, four conditions must be met

if you intend to avoid temptation.

I'll cut to the chase and then explain out each one.
Number one, you must not be weakened by your situation,

number two, you must not be deceived by the persuasion,

number three, you must not be gentle with your emotions,

number four, you must not be confused

with the immediate results.

When it came to his predicament,

Joseph had it all figured out.

He was financially secure,

he was respected and trusted in his profession,

he could have let all this weaken his resolve,

allowing himself to succumb to the chance presented to him,

but he did not.

I'll say it again, if you're going to fight temptation,

you can't be weakened by your circumstances.

This is consistent with the second condition

that you must adhere to.

You must not be duped by persuasion.

Your temptress or tempter will use precisely

the perfect words to persuade you.

My husband does not meet my requirements as well as you.

By doing so,

you will demonstrate that you genuinely care about me.

Will anyone ever discover us out?

We're utterly alone and completely safe.

We both need to be aware of the times we live in,

moral and ethical self-control

is the most valuable characteristic

you can give to your spouse and family.

Maintain your composure my friend, refuse to give in.

You too can do what Joseph did,

you too must.

Every day deceptive baits are placed around us

and they do not all come from individuals.

Some of them are influenced by a cable television channel,

the internet, a magazine,

peer pressure at school or coworkers.

Mrs. Potiphar's enticing remarks will play over

and over in your head.

You'll feel like a prude, the only one who isn't giving in.

Don't be fooled by persuasion.

No matter how lovely and attractive the words may sound,

it's a sham.

Remember that's all a lie.

Third, let me emphasize this principle.

You must not be gentle with your emotions.

That's right, you read that accurately.

Your inner feelings will beg you to be satisfied.

Temptation will work on them, pleading for forgiveness.

Remember how tenacious Joseph was with his?

Finally, you must not be dazzled by the instant outcomes.

Remember Joseph once more.

He was wrongly accused and imprisoned

after doing what was right and battling evil.

You'll discover that he was later forgotten

for an extended period of time.

Don't be misled by the quick outcomes.

You could lose your job, you could lose your lover,

if you wanna call that person a lover.

You may lose the group's acceptance,

you may be mocked.

You might be kicked out of the club,

you could be the only one who isn't doing it,

then you must be the only one.

If you name Jesus Christ name,

name it totally and completely

and keep yourself morally clean from this day forward.

Even if it means being demoted, losing one's status

or losing one's job, get the hell out.

You owe it to yourself and your family,

most importantly, you owe it to God.

The reality revealed in Joseph's life applies to all of us,

whether we are married or unmarried, divorced, or remarried,

man, or woman, young or elderly.

Don't linger in any circumstance

no matter how enticing, delicious

or briefly delightful the bait appears.

Claim the miraculous strength

that comes from knowing Jesus Christ

and stand strong in his might

as you operate under his authority.

Decide to be a Joseph right now, in this exact now.

Make up your mind to join his ranks

and then refuse from now on.

You will yield if you do not.

It's only a matter of time before it happens.

God always protects his own people.

To watch the story of David and Goliath, click here.