Your Struggle to Overcome

Looking back to one of the topics of this past Sunday's sermon, here are some thoughts from Colin Smith:

"How could I do such a wicked thing, and sin against God?" Genesis 39:9

Here is this young guy (Joseph) in a foreign country, and this woman (Potiphar's wife) is trying to entice him! Look at what Joseph did: He called the temptation sin, and he saw the wound that it would bring to the heart of God.

If you are going to overcome the power of temptation, the first step is to see the connection between your sin and the cross of Jesus. You have been redeemed from sin by the blood of Jesus. How then can you do this to Him? That was Joseph's secret. He made it a spiritual issue. It was not just between him and Potiphar's wife. It was a sin against God.

The great American preacher Jonathan Edwards used to speak about "the expulsive power of a new affection." I have found that phrase very helpful. A new love can be stronger than an old habit. And the first step in overcoming the power of temptation is to cultivate your love for Christ.

You can't deal with your struggles in isolation. Your ability to prevail will depend on your love for Christ. When you begin to see what your sin did to Him, you will think about it in a different way. That's why Paul says "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). That's where it begins.

As long as you're saying "This is no big deal!" you will never change. But once you come to the place of saying "This matters to God and so it matters to me!" then you are within sight of victory.