Run The Other Way!

“One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” - Genesis 39:11-12


Over the last few days, we have talked about Joseph. Yesterday, we talked about his refusal to sleep with Potiphar’s wife. We know WHY Joseph chose not to. He says in verse 9, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” We know Joseph was motivated to stay obedient to God.

That is WHY he was able to deny her, but HOW was he able to deny her? If you are like most believers, your heart is often in the right place. You desire to remain obedient to God. You do not wake up with the intent to sin. Yet, somehow we find ourselves giving in to Satan’s traps and choosing against what we know is ultimately God’s will and what is truly best for us.

So how was Joseph able to successfully reject the temptation of sleeping with Potiphar’s wife? He RAN THE OTHER WAY! Where we make the mistake when it comes to temptation is that we allow it to run freely through our minds. We do not control our thoughts, and we do not reject them right away. Far too often we let the thought enter our mind, and we wonder what it would be like.

At this point, it is already too late. That is all Satan wants, for you to even consider it. Because when you think about it, you are giving the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

When you entertain sin in your mind, you allow it to hang around. But Joseph was successful because as the text says, “he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” When she reached for Joseph, he ran the other way!

What do you need to run from today? What is the devil tempting you with? If you want to find the success Joseph found, run the other way! You will not regret it.