When Joseph received the “invitation” from his master’s wife, his initial response was to weigh the costs of accepting the invitation. Not only did he consider how his response could impact his master (v.8-9), Joseph also considered how his actions would impact his relationship with God. Our decisions are never only about us and it is a bit selfish to think so. Our decisions impact people (spouses, children, friends, those we mentor (formally and informally), other believers, etc.).
Often times, we act and then ask God for help to get out of the situation. Joseph however, immediately realized that giving in this master’s wife would soil his relationship with God. Not weighing the costs can lead to a poor decision which can potentially set you back in your relationship with God because you have to wade through guilt, fear, estrangement from God.
2. Run as if your life depends on it
What am I running from? The list is endless, but each of us has his own temptation to face. For some, it’s that phone call that you know you don’t need to make, or that temptation to keep shopping despite what the budget says, or letting your temper flare when you could breathe and let it go.
There are some temptations that we need to run from- not skip, not jog, RUN!! After counting the costs and realizing how giving in to temptation can potentially impact your life, you need to run. Make up your mind that you will not flirt with temptation. Yes, we can ask God to deliver us from temptation, but we are advised to walk in wisdom.
You cannot stay until one in the morning and simply “talk”. If you know that the phone call will lead you down a road that you don’t need to go- delete the number! If walking into the store or going browsing online will lead you to overspend (help me Lord), or get into things that you need to avoid, then redirect your time. Do what you need to do and “get out of dodge”. Run as if your marriage depends on it, as if the stability of your mind, the health of your loved ones depends on it. Flee as if your fellowship with God is at risk of being severed; you’ve invested too much to lose it all.
Joseph left his shirt behind in the process of fleeing from his master’s wife, which means he was half dressed. Some of his “business” was exposed to the public and so what? We are so consumed with how it will look to outside world and what people will say about us, that we forget what is really at stake.
So what if you have to excuse yourself because this behavior will send you down another road? So what if you can’t hang with some people like you used to? In the process of fleeing the things that can set us back in our walk with God, we must be willing to leave our pride, our selfish desires, our need to please people, and often our desire to fit in with others. God is calling you to something higher than that. Are you willing to let go of some things for the sake of your spiritual growth?
If you flirted with temptation in the past and lost, you know what the aftermath feels like. God doesn’t want us to stay beat up. He wants us to learn from it , set new boundaries and move forward. The next time you notice the boundaries being encroached upon, run! Run for your life!
