Daily Devotions
Insulation & Isolation
Reading for January 11th: Genesis 36-38
But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
Genesis 39:11-12
There are two ways to battle temptation: Insulation & Isolation.
Joseph first insulated his heart against sin. When first confronted with the sinful invitation from Potiphar's wife, he replied, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Gen 39:9) He didn't sin because he feared the Lord and didn't want to do anything that would be against God's will. Insulation is where we remove the desire for sin.
Joseph also used isolation. There came a day when insulation was not enough. There came a day when Joseph knew he needed to run. Isolation is where we remove the opportunity to sin.
If you are losing in your struggle against sin, ask yourself these two questions:
1. Have I properly INSULATED my heart from sin? Do I need to work on my relationship with God and try to change my desires through reading and studying God's word more, praying more consistently, and associating with godly people who will encourage me and help my faith to grow?
2. Have I done enough to ISOLATE myself from sin? Do I continue to struggle with sin because I continue to go to places I shouldn't go, watch and listen to things I shouldn't, or hang out with people who will tempt me to fall into sin?
Father, help us to learn from Joseph's example!
