Tag Archives: Temptation

Aug 15

Joseph’s Game Plan

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Joseph's Game Plan copyAny time a person is going to enter battle or take the field against an opponent, he develops a game plan. Christians entering the battlefield of life should be no different. From the moment we wake up until the time we go to bed, we are at war. Our war is with the temptation to sin. For most of us this battle with sin is hard because of all the temptations we face.

Joseph was a young man who faced the same temptation day after day (Gen. 39:10), yet he didn’t succumb to it even when he had the perfect opportunity. He had a game plan in advance. Notice what Joseph did to help him resist the temptation before him.

  1. He Remembered (Gen. 39:9). As Potiphar’s wife was standing there tempting him to sin, Joseph stated how wrong this act would be to God. I have to think we would be less likely to sin if before we gave in to the temptation we reminded ourselves how wicked the act is in the eyes of God.
  2. He Realized (Gen. 39:8-9). While some people might have tried to justify giving in, Joseph did not. He understood there would be consequences because she was the wife of another man. He simply had too much to lose. One of the best ways to overcome temptation is to understand when we give in to the temptation and sin, there will always be consequences.
  3. He Refused (Gen. 39:8). Instead of giving Potiphar’s wife what she wanted, he refused her advances each time. If we’re going to overcome the temptations which face us, we’re going to have to make up our minds ahead of time to refuse the temptation.
  4. He Ran (Gen. 39:11-12). When Potiphar’s wife grabbed Joseph and demanded he sleep with her, Joseph understood his refusal was no longer enough and ran. He ran out of the house and away from the temptation. If we want to resist the temptations we face, run away from the people, places and things that tempt you to sin.

To overcome the war with sin, we’re going to need a game plan like Joseph. We must prepare well in advance or it will be too late. May God bless us with the wisdom to develop a game plan for resisting temptation.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Feb 29

CYC 2012

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Last weekend 43 of us from Karns attended Challenge Youth Conference in Gatlinburg. It was an extremely beneficial weekend for everyone. Personally, I think it was by far the best year overall that I have ever attended. I thought all the speakers did a tremendous job with their lessons and our group devotionals where some of the best time we spent all weekend. As I sit back and reflect on what I hope is a launching pad for a fantastic 2012, I want to share with you some of the quotes that stood out and challenged me over the course of the weekend.

“All the devils apples have worms.”

“We will have to give account for the things we know and for the things we should have known had we been listening.”

“You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.”

“Temptation is a proposal to fulfill a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.”

“The penalty of sin last longer than the pleasures of sin.”

“Not feeling shame doesn’t make something right!”

“Until we decided sin is something detestable, disgusting, something we hate, we are not protected from sin.”

“When we change our mind about what we love and about what we hate, then we can protect ourselves from sin.”

“We can’t have a flirtatious relationship with sin.”

“When what you want is greater than what you fear, you’ve lost the battle with sin.”

“There is nothing I can do to make God love me more; there is nothing I can do to make God love me less.”

“My actions are a measure of my love for God. Can people look at my life and tell I am into God?”

“Two reasons people don’t become Christians: 1) They don’t know any Christians; 2) They know some Christians.”

“Do people praise Jesus because of you?”

“If your friends followed you today, where would you lead them?”

As I said earlier, my life was richly blessed because of CYC ’12. Lord willing, I’m already looking forward to next year.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

Father, thank you for an incredible weekend at CYC. I pray all those who were in attendance will take to heart the challenge that was presented. Help us to be people who truly hate sin and are hooked on you. Lord, please forgive us when we fail you and give in to our desires. Help us become more like your son. In Jesus’ name, Amen!