Don't bow to temptation.
| posted 1/30/2009
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Temptation is all around you—whether it's a coworker who tells you how sexy you look in that red sweater, a man who flirts with you in the grocery store checkout line, or a "screen name" on the Internet who flatters you and then suggests that you meet. It may seem like the easy—or romantic—thing to give in. After all, if your husband doesn't know this person, who's to find out? A one-time affair might add some zip to an otherwise dull life.
As a young man, Joseph was faced with this temptation from a powerful source—his boss's wife. Although he could have bowed to her pressure and had sex with her, he chose instead to flee. He knew that he would be sinning against God and his boss by acting on his boss's wife's desire. Although he was unjustly accused later by this angry, spurned woman, Joseph said a firm no. As a result, God blessed him in the long run—even though saying no made his life more difficult in the short term. When you're faced with temptation, you always have a choice; to give in, or to stand strong. (See also Hosea 2:2-8; 3:1-3; Matthew 5:27,28; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.)
Good Words to Remember:
The LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper. Genesis 39:23
Today's Challenge:
How do you handle members of the opposite sex who flirt with you? Do you kindly but definitely say no and set guidelines for your behavior around that person?
Copyright 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Bible Studies.
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