In the Bible, the definition of success is happening and following God ‘s will for your life. In the old two messages we talked about paying attending to God ‘s pot holes, and how to last the swallow holes of life.

In this message I will turn to the subject of how to get the better of enticement.

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On God ‘s route to success, there are plentifulness of directional marks. As you drive along the route, sometimes route marks can be instead confounding.

I saw one route mark that said, “ Keep right ” but the pointer was indicating to the left! Another route mark said, “ Entrance merely ” but below the words “ do non come in ” appear! Or some route marks are dense because they province the obvious. One route mark declared, “ cautiousness: H2O on route when raining. ” What else is traveling to on the route when it ‘s raining? But my favorite route mark was really painted right on the route. I ‘m certain the route painter meant to paint the word “ halt ” but what he really painted was “ S.O.T.P. ”

Everyone understands what a stop mark agencies. Adolescents used to state that STOP S.T.O.P. stood for Screech Tires On Pavement. It ‘s a unsafe thing to run a stop mark. In the same manner, do n’t disregard God ‘s halt marks either.

Whenever you face any enticement to transgress, God puts up a immense halt mark. Joseph is a

great theoretical account for us to utilize on following God ‘s route to success. In Genesis 39:1-12 we read about how he reacted when he faced enticement:

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“ Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.

Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh ‘s functionaries, the caption of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him at that place. The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian maestro. When his maestro saw that the Lord with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attender.

Potiphar put him in charge of his family, and he entrusted to his attention everything he owned. From the clip he put him in charge of his family and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the family of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The approval of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.

So he left in Joseph ‘s attention everything he had ; with Joseph in charge, he did non concern

himself with anything except the nutrient he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and fine-looking, and after a while his maestro ‘s married woman took notice of Joseph and said, “ Come to bed with me! ” But he refused. “ With me in charge, ” he told her, “ my maestro does non concern himself with anything in the house ; everything he owns he has entrusted to my attention. No 1 is greater in this house than I am. My maestro has withheld nil from me except you, because you are his married woman. How so could I make such a wicked thing and wickedness against God? ” And though she spoke to Joseph twenty-four hours after twenty-four hours, he refused to travel to bed with her or even be with her. One twenty-four hours he went into the house to go to to his responsibilities, and none of the family retainers was indoors.

She caught him by his cloak and said, “ Come to bed with me! ” But he left his cloak in her manus and ran out of the house.

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As we examine this episode of enticement in Joseph ‘s life, I want to indicate out three general observations about enticement. Then I want to give you three really practical rules on how you can defy enticement.

First: EVERYONE FACES TEMPTATION.

How many of you struggled with a enticement to transgress these past yearss? You do n’t hold to experience abashed about being tempted-we are all tempted. It ‘s non a wickedness to be tempted-the wickedness occurs if you give in to the enticement.

Over the old ages I ‘ve been prophesying I ‘ve had many people come to me who were fighting merely because they did n’t understand the difference between enticement and wickedness. They may state something like, “ There must be something incorrect with me because sometimes I have the most atrocious, foul ideas that run through my head. ” They feel guilty because they face enticement.

Temptation is the mental suggestion to transgress. It ‘s the idea of the possibility of a wickedness. When it comes to understanding enticement, merely retrieve the lesson of the birds and the bees. You ca n’t maintain the birds from winging over your caput, but you can maintain them from constructing a nest in your hair. You ca n’t maintain the bees from bombinating around you, but you can maintain them from constructing a beehive in your ear! You ca n’t maintain alluring ideas from winging about in your head and bombinating about in your ear, but you can maintain alluring ideas from lodging at that place!

When I mention that we all face enticement, I mean everyone. Even Jesus had to cover with enticement.

We read in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 where He was tempted by the Satan after passing 40 yearss in the wilderness. In the book of Hebrews Jesus is described as being our high priest.

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The Bible says, “ For we do non hold a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our

failings, but we have one who has been tempted in every manner, merely as we are-yet was without wickedness. ”

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Jesus faced every enticement that you ‘ll of all time face-and yet He remained sinless.

Second: Temptation CAN ( and should ) Be RESISTED.

Joseph, faced a powerful enticement. Mrs. Potiphar was n’t demure about what she wanted. It was n’t easy for a immature, virile adult male to state “ no ” when a adult female was throwing herself at him. Mrs. Potiphar made several efforts to score Joseph. Then we come to the three most powerful words in this transition. They ‘re the first three words in poetry 8, “ But he refused. ” He had no control over Mrs. Potiphar ‘s behavior, but he did hold control over his determinations.

His refusal should learn us there is a large difference between confronting enticement and falling into enticement. When Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, he gave some instructions to His adherents that teach us there is something we can make so we wo n’t fall into enticement.

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He said, “ Watch and pray that you will non fall into enticement. The spirit is willing, but the organic structure is weak. ”

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We need to be on guard and we need to pray because enticement can originate at any minute. Sexual enticement is one of the hardest to defy. The human sex-drive, particularly among immature people can be a powerful force.

It ‘s obvious Joseph had already decided he would non give in to sexual enticement. If he had n’t already decided it would hold been a tough pick when Mrs. Potiphar was scoring him.

Young people, God ‘s will for your life is that you remain sexually pure until you are married. You must do that determination in a minute of saneness when you ‘re cognizant of the effects. If you try to hold a argument with your sex thrust when you ‘re in the back place of a auto with the Windowss steamed up, you ‘re inquiring for problem. Decide now!

Adults, God ‘s will for your life is that you stay sexually faithful to your mate. Bible believing churches are one of the lone topographic point where you hear that message today. Thank God there are many 1000s of Christian adolescents who have made a determination, that like Joseph, they are traveling to defy sexual enticement.

I like what a adolescent wrote in an essay entitled “ Extreme Familiarity: For Marriage Merely. ” She writes about how sexual enticement is existent, but she and many of her friends have made a committedness to remain sexually pure until matrimony. In portion of her paper, she writes about how she already has a response ready when guys force per unit area her to give in to sexual enticement. When the cat says: “ Real work forces are sexually active. ” She says, “ So is my Real Canis familiaris. ” When the cat says: “ Everybody ‘s making it. ” Her response is: “ Incorrect. I ‘m person, and I ‘m non making it. ” If the cat says, “ If you love me, you ‘d allow me. ” She says, “ If you love me, you would n’t inquire me. ” If a cat of all time says, “ But I wo n’t acquire you pregnant. ” She ‘s ready with, “ That ‘s right because you are n’t traveling to touch me. ” If a cat asks her, “ Have you of all time done it? ” She ‘s traveling to inquire him, “ Have you of all time made the fantastic find of cognizing Jesus Christ? ” If the cat moues and says, “ If you wo n’t allow me, I ‘ll happen person who will. ” Without vacillation, she replies, “ It was nice knowing you. ” Finally, if a cat demands, “ But you owe me! ” She says, “ Yes? I ‘ll acquire you a

key concatenation or something. ” We need more immature people like Joseph and that miss!

Third: GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES A WAY TO ESCAPE FROM TEMPTATION.

When hurricane force storms are predicted for an country. Road marks read: “ Emptying

Path. ” These marks mark the path people in the way of a storm can follow to get away injury. God has done precisely the same thing for us. Whenever we face a storm of enticement, God has provided an flight path. The most powerful promise in the Bible dealing with defying enticement is found in 1 Corinthians 10:13,

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“ No enticement has seized you except what is common to adult male. And God is faithful ; he will non allow you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will besides supply a manner out so that you can stand up under it. ”

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The Bible says every enticement you face has already been faced by others. And you can ne’er state, “ The enticement was merely excessively great! ” God is so faithful that He will non allow you be tempted beyond your ability to defy it. But the best portion of that promise is that God ever gives you an escape path from enticement. In other words, whenever you are being tempted to transgress, look around. God has posted several emptying path marks for you to follow to get the better of that enticement. There are many flight paths, but allow me advert three flight paths from wickedness.

Temptation Escape Route # 1: Quote Bible!

In Matthew 4 and Luke 4 we read the history of how Jesus was tempted by Satan after passing 40 yearss in supplication and fasting.

Jesus was hungry, so Satan suggested he turn rocks into staff of life.

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He said, “ adult male shall non populate by bread entirely. ”

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Satan showed Jesus all the wealths of the universe and promised He could hold it all it He would merely bow down and idolize Him.

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He said, “ Worship the Lord your God and serve merely Him. ”

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Jesus had n’t started His earthly ministry yet, so Satan suggested a immense promotion stunt of leaping off the pinnacle of the temple.

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Then Jesus said, “ Do non set the Lord your God to a trial. ”

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In each instance Jesus defeated Satan by citing a Bible from Deuteronomy.

Now, because Jesus was God in the flesh, He could hold easy have dispensed of Satan in a pulse. Satan was merely a fallen angel. Jesus could hold snapped His Divine finger and “ fagot ” Satan would hold found himself chained to an iceberg in Antarctica! But alternatively, Jesus chose to discourse with Satan and licking him my citing Bible.

Why? Because He wanted to show to us HOW to defy Satan ‘s enticement. I ca n’t snarl my finger and direct Satan fleeing, but I can make precisely what Jesus did. In all three of those enticements, Jesus merely quoted a Bible. If Jesus could get the better of the Satan with three vague poetries from Deuteronomy, what do you believe we can make with poetries from John and Romans!

The ground we all should be memorizing Bible is so we can cite it when we ‘re tempted.

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The Psalmist wrote, “ I have hidden your bosom in my bosom that I might non transgress against you. ”

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When you ‘re tempted, do you of all time seek citing Bible? No? Then do n’t be surprised if

you fall into wickedness.

What if I had a stack of several thousand lb with me at a Church Service, and I said that I would give each individual ?1 for every Bible you can cite from memory. How would you make? Would you have adequate hard currency to purchase tiffin today?

There is a direct connexion with analyzing and memorizing the Bible and get the better ofing

enticement.

That ‘s why I like the expression: This book will maintain me from wickedness, or wickedness will maintain me from this book! That ‘s your first flight path.

Temptation Escape Route # 2: Run off and remain off from alluring people and topographic points!

Small Johnny wanted a bar, but his female parent said, “ Absolutely non. It ‘s excessively close to dinner and those bars are for sweet. ” A few proceedingss subsequently, Johnny ‘s female parent heard him in the kitchen. She said, “ Johnny, are you in the kitchen? ” He said, “ Yes. ” She said, “ What are you making in the kitchen? ” Johnny called back, “ I ‘m contending enticement. ” That was n’t the best topographic point to contend enticement. He should hold got out of there! One of the best flight paths from wickedness is to merely run off from it.

Joseph could n’t cite Bible, because the Old Testament had n’t been written yet! It was n’t an option to him like it is to us. So, he took another flight path. He kept declining her.

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And it says in poetry 10, “ he refused to travel to bed with her, or even be with her. ”

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He stayed off from her every bit much as he could. Then she eventually cornered him one twenty-four hours and grabbed his shirt. He did the right thing-he ran off.

One of the best flight paths from wickedness is to merely run off and remain off from alluring people and topographic points.

You may retrieve the old comedy modus operandi. The physician is analyzing a patient with a broken arm. The patient said, “ Doctor, I broke my arm in two topographic points. ” The Doctor says, “ Well, remain out of those topographic points! ” It may non be really amusing, but it does incorporate some truth. If you are a kid of God who is seeking to populate a pure life, there are some topographic points you need to avoid.

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The Bible says, “ Flee the evil desires of young person, and pursue righteousness, religion, love and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure bosom. ”

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God says that you should run away from enticement like it ‘s a bomb. But on the positive side, you should trail after religion, love and peace with other people who are naming on the Lord. That ‘s why you need to go to a church. There are people there who are naming on the Lord. There ‘s no such thing as a perfect church, but it certain beats a saloon or a casino if you ‘re seeking to acquire closer to God!

Adolescents, if you ‘re fighting with the enticement to make drugs or drink, do n’t travel to the topographic points where that ‘s traveling on. Work force, if you have a failing with cyberspace erotica, do n’t travel to those sites. Better yet, put a content block on it that ca n’t be bypassed. You should run off and remain off from topographic points and people who will do it easier for you to fall into wickedness.

Temptation Escape Route # 3: See the high cost of wickedness!

I like the narrative of the burglar who broke into a house one dark dark. He had been watching the house and he knew the residents were gone. As he crept through the house he heard a voice from another room that said, “ Jesus sees you. ” He stopped and stood still for a minute. He thought for certain everyone was gone. Then he heard it once more. A voice said, “ Jesus sees you. ” It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen, so the criminal crept in that way. When he got to the kitchen he pointed his torch and saw a parrot in its coop. The parrot said, “ Jesus sees you. ” The burglar breathed a suspiration of alleviation and said, “ It ‘s merely a stupid bird. ” The burglar flipped on the kitchen visible radiation and saw there was a adult Doberman underneath the parrot ‘s coop. The parrot said, “ Get him, Jesus. ” That ‘s a cunning narrative, but it ‘s really true that Jesus sees us.

Joseph did n’t give in to sexual enticement because He knew God was watching him. When Joseph was tempted to perpetrate sexual wickedness with Mrs. Potiphar, he knew if He gave in, there would be a monetary value to pay. Joseph told Mrs. Potiphar why he was n’t traveling to hold sex with her.

First, he refused because of trueness to his maestro.

Potiphar had entrusted him with all of his family duties. He would be go againsting the trust of his maestro if he had sex with her. In other words, he knew if he gave in to enticement and Potiphar found out about it, he would lose his occupation. But the chief ground he resisted was because he knew God was watching.

This is n’t in the text, but there is a Judaic fable about Joseph and Mrs. Potiphar. In this fable, when Joseph talked to Potiphar ‘s married woman about God, the enchantress removed her skirt and flung it over a statue stand foring the Sun God of Egypt. She said, “ See, God will non see us! ” But Joseph answered, “ But my God sees all things. ”

Before you give in to any enticement you need to inquire yourself this inquiry: How much is this traveling to be? How much is this traveling to be me? How much is this traveling to be those around me?

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Remember:

Sin will take you farther than you of all time wanted to travel ;

Sin will maintain you longer than you of all time wanted to remain ;

and Sin will be you more than you of all time wanted to pay.

You are listening to Word Alive with Derek Stringer.

Dr. Stringer is learning from the life of Joseph and the enticements he needed to manage good for Successful Living.

Here once more is Derek.

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Can you believe of another Bible character who did n’t defy sexual enticement? There are plenty to take from, but King David can be compared to Joseph. He was tempted to hold sex with a married adult female, Bathsheba. He fell into the enticement, and it cost him more than he would hold of all time imagined. When it comes to adultery, you may believe the grass is greener on the other side of the fence-but you ca n’t afford the H2O measure!

As a consequence of David ‘s wickedness, Bathsheba became pregnant, and David murdered her hubby, Uriah. If you study the following few old ages of David ‘s life, it was a sad narrative of household colza, force, and slaying. One act of wickedness is like a pebble dropped in a pool. It sends out ripplings that touch everyone around you. But it ‘s worse than a pebble and ripplings. You should believe of the effects of wickedness like a immense tsunami that wrecks and destroys those around you.

A immense halt mark to transgress should do you halt and inquire yourself, “ How much is this traveling to be me? How much is this traveling to be my household? ” But when you face enticement, one other of import consideration: What does my wickedness cost Jesus? You may believe that inquiry should be posed in the past tense, “ What did my wickedness cost Jesus. ” No, go forth it in the present tense.

Because when it comes to Jesus ‘ forfeit for wickedness, there truly is no clip restriction.

Do you believe Jesus died for your wickednesss 2,000 old ages ago? He did, but besides the Bible says He is the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the universe.

Past tense, my wickednesss cost Jesus His really lifeblood.

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The Bible says, “ He himself bore our wickednesss in his organic structure on the tree, so that we might decease

wickednesss and live for righteousness. ”

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When Jesus died on the cross, He provided forgiveness for all my wickednesss, yesteryear, nowadays, and hereafter. Because of the dateless nature of the cross, I believe that if I sin today, somehow that adds to the agony of Jesus 2,000 old ages ago. I know it adds enduring to His bosom today because He is doing intercession for me with the Father, and it is His desire that I be pure and blameless.

Make you necessitate a good Bible poetry when you ‘re tempted? Try this one, “ Jesus wept. ” It ‘s a short poetry in the Bible. It ‘s from John 11 when Jesus was standing at the grave of His

friend Lazarus.

But there was another clip Jesus wept. As He stood looking over Jerusalem, Jesus burst into shortness of breath because of the wickedness of the people. In other words, Jesus weeps over wickedness. He wept over their wickedness, and He weeps over my wickedness and your wickedness.

Whenever you face enticement, you should listen to hear what Jesus is seeking to state you through His Spirit.

He ‘ll be stating something like, “ I ne’er sinned, but I know about the hurting of wickedness. I know how awful it is. I felt your wickedness when they lashed my dorsum with a cat-of-nine dress suit. I felt your wickedness when they smashed that Crown of irritants on my scalp. I felt your wickednesss when they pounded those spikes into my custodies and pess. I felt your wickedness when they gambled for my lone ownership. I felt your wickedness when I asked for a drink and all they gave me was acetum. I felt your wickedness when my Heavenly Father hid His face from me. I felt your wickedness when they plunged that lance into my side. ”

Jesus says, “ Before you take that measure, believe me, I know about the hurting of wickedness. ”

Let me set it another manner. Whenever I sin, it ‘s as if I am taking that spear and force outing it in the side of Jesus. Whenever I give in to enticement, it ‘s as if I ‘m taking the cock and thumping the nails into the custodies of Jesus.

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So, retrieve, on God ‘s route to success, there are plentifulness of enticements.

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And whenever you face one, God reveals a stop mark. If you want to see the best of God ‘s approvals, do n’t run his halt marks!

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Thank you Derek.

We invite you now to pick up the phone and give us a call. If it ‘s outside of office hours, merely go forth a message on our reply phone. We ‘re ever encouraged by your calls.

We ‘ll pray for you.

We ‘ll give you inside informations of how you can acquire this set of 6 messages on Successful Living, based on Joseph ‘s life on cassette or Cadmium. We will direct transcript to an electronic mail reference.

Our FREE PHONE here in the UK is 08,000 92 78 92. That figure one time once more is 08,000 92 78 92.

Remember the lessons from Word Alive for today:

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EVERYONE FACES TEMPTATION

Temptation CAN ( and should ) Be RESISTED

GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES A WAY TO ESCAPE FROM TEMPTATION

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Temptation Escape Route Number 1:

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Quote Bible!

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Temptation Escape Route Number 2:

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Run off and remain off from alluring people and topographic points!

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Temptation Escape Route Number 3:

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See the high cost of wickedness!

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“ He himself bore our wickednesss in his organic structure on the tree, so that we might decease to wickednesss and live for

righteousness. ”

Dr. Derek Stringer has been our Bible Teacher on Word Alive today.

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In our following Word Alive we ‘ll maintain looking at what we can larn from Joseph. I call the following episode in his life God ‘s Detours.

If you find times when you do n’t hold the direct path to acquire what you want. Well. . . God has something to learn us during such times.

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Good-bye and God bless you.

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