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  • 7/12/2025
Transcript
00:00You've heard Dr. David Jeremiah teach Bible prophecy.
00:04Now experience those truths in his first ever novel,
00:08Vanished, in Dr. Jeremiah's new end times thriller.
00:12John Haggerty is trained to stop global threats,
00:15but nothing could prepare him for what's coming.
00:18The end is near, and he's running out of time.
00:22Request your copy of Vanished for a gift of any amount
00:25in support of Turning Point.
00:27Contact us today.
00:30He had a dream.
00:44A dream that shook kingdoms.
00:48Favored above his brothers.
00:52But favor cast a dangerous shadow.
00:56Betrayal had a price.
00:59But so did survival.
01:03From a father's embrace, to a slave master's house.
01:09From the depths of a forgotten prison, to the heights of power.
01:15From the pit, to the prison, to the palace.
01:19His suffering would save nations.
01:23And his broken life, the very instrument of deliverance.
01:29Because while others meant it for evil, God meant it for good.
01:41Coming up on Turning Point.
01:43You beat temptation by building the character of your heart.
01:49Falling in love with God anew.
01:51Making sure that you treasure your relationship with Jesus Christ.
01:55And committing yourself to the fact that you'll never do anything to violate your relationship with Him.
02:01Prayer.
02:02Keep it simple.
02:03Keep it specific.
02:04Everything to God in prayer.
02:05Guided prayers for your deepest needs and biggest dreams by Dr. David Jeremiah.
02:19One hundred carefully crafted prayers to guide you through life's challenges and celebrations.
02:23When words fail you during times of grief.
02:25When your heart is filled with gratitude, but you can't express it.
02:29When you're facing decisions that seem impossible.
02:31Dr. Jeremiah helps you bring everything to God.
02:35The Bible tells us to go to God in prayer for all things.
02:38But sometimes we need guidance on how to pray effectively and specifically.
02:42Reading and praying these guided prayers by Dr. Jeremiah will help you learn to pray with confidence and clarity.
02:48And with a renewed passion and purpose.
02:51Request everything to God in prayer.
02:54New from Dr. Jeremiah when you give a gift of any amount in support of Turning Point.
02:58Everything to God in prayer.
03:01The perfect companion for your prayer life.
03:03And a thoughtful gift for anyone in your Bible study or prayer group.
03:06And you can request two copies for a gift of $60 or more.
03:09Your deepest needs and biggest dreams deserve the right words.
03:13Request everything to God in prayer by Dr. Jeremiah from Turning Point today.
03:19Thank you for watching Turning Point.
03:21Here is Dr. Jeremiah with his message.
03:24Temptation.
03:28Oscar Wilde, the Irish wit of the past century, was often quoted as saying,
03:37I can resist anything but temptation.
03:41I know a lot of people like that, don't you?
03:45And yet the fact is, every one of us will face temptation.
03:49You know what the Bible says about temptation?
03:51It says it is common to man.
03:54What does that mean?
03:55It means everybody has.
03:56It's not something.
03:57You think God is picking on you.
03:58He's not picking on you.
04:00The Bible says,
04:01There is no temptation taken, but such as is common to man.
04:05But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able,
04:10but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
04:16Underline in 1 Corinthians 10, 13, these words,
04:20It is common to man.
04:22We all need to know how to deal with temptation.
04:27Even the saints of the Scripture had problems with temptation.
04:31For instance, there's Noah's drunkenness, and Abraham's deception, and Moses' temper,
04:37and Elijah's murmuring, and David's sexual sin, and Jonah's rebellious spirit.
04:43And then you come to the New Testament, and you see people defecting, like John Mark.
04:49You see Peter denying.
04:50You see Judas betraying.
04:53A lot of temptation.
04:56Every single person who has ever walked the face of the earth has been tempted.
05:01Even Jesus.
05:02Did you know that?
05:03Here's what it says in Hebrews 4, 15.
05:06We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
05:11but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
05:16Did you ever read that?
05:18You say, well, I was tempted.
05:20Temptation's not sin.
05:22If it were, Jesus would be disqualified, because the Bible says Jesus was tempted.
05:27And if you go to Matthew chapter 4, you can watch him being tempted by the enemy.
05:32Temptation is not sin.
05:34Yielding to temptation is sin.
05:37So, the Bible does not give us hope that we will ever be free of temptation.
05:41There's not one verse in the Bible that says when you get to this point in your spiritual
05:45walk, temptation will go away.
05:48In fact, the very opposite is true.
05:50So, no matter how old or young you are, we all need to hear what God has to say to us on
05:56this important issue.
05:57When we were last together, we discussed the issues of betrayal in Joseph's life.
06:02We followed his story as he tried to be faithful to his father's instructions, only to be taken
06:09by his brothers and sold to a group of Midianite traders who took him to Egypt.
06:15As we open our Bibles today to the 39th chapter of Genesis, almost ten years have passed since
06:22that fateful event.
06:24The best estimate based on Scripture is that Joseph is now about 27 years old.
06:32In Egypt, Joseph was brought to the center of town where he was auctioned off.
06:39At this auction, Potiphar, a well-connected figure in the Egyptian government, sees Joseph
06:47and recognizes his potential as a good servant.
06:51Potiphar acquires Joseph, and suddenly Joseph transitions from being his father's favorite
06:58son to being a slave in a foreign land.
07:03But the unexpected turn of events sets the stage for Joseph's remarkable rise to success.
07:10Potiphar appoints Joseph as his personal attendant.
07:14He entrusts him with the management of his entire household and all of his possessions.
07:20And from the moment that Joseph assumes this role, every aspect of Potiphar's house just
07:26explodes into prosperity and success.
07:29His crops, his livestock, thrive under Joseph's stewardship.
07:34Joseph's lives through the house of Potiphar and into the ranks of Egyptian society is
07:39one of the greatest testimonies to an individual's prosperity in all of the Bible.
07:45In the first six verses of Genesis, chapter 39, the text uses the word prosperity, success,
07:53favor, and blessing five times to describe Joseph's situation.
08:00Another noteworthy aspect of Joseph's life was his looks, his appearance.
08:06Genesis 39, 6 describes him as handsome in form and appearance.
08:13Now, this trait seems to have been inherited from his mother, which is what most people say
08:19about anybody.
08:22And in the Bible, there's actually a verse to prove that.
08:26It says in Genesis 29, 17 that Rachel, Joseph's mother, was beautiful in form and appearance.
08:35Almost the exact same phrase.
08:37It is this last characteristic that we read about Joseph that puts him into harm's way.
08:44He is about to be in serious trouble.
08:47What follows in this record sounds like a modern-day soap opera that you would watch some afternoon
08:54when you thought nobody was looking.
08:57But it is in the Bible.
08:59We began with the power of temptation.
09:02Here is the record.
09:04And it came to pass after these things that Joseph's master's wife cast longing eyes on
09:12Joseph and said, Lie with me.
09:15But he refused and said to his master's wife, Look, my master does not know what is with
09:21me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.
09:25There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but
09:31that he did not heed her to lie with her, to be with her.
09:47But it happened about this time when Joseph went in the house to do his work, and none
09:52of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with
09:58me.
09:59And he left his garment in her hand and fled and ran outside.
10:05That's in the Bible.
10:10I want you to notice some very specific things about the power of this temptation over Joseph.
10:17First of all, it was a surprise temptation.
10:21The Bible just says that Joseph experienced this temptation after these things.
10:28In other words, it was sudden.
10:31The temptation was unexpected, striking when everything seemed to be going well for Joseph.
10:38He had just been elevated to a position of respect and prominence, and out of nowhere,
10:44this temptation came.
10:46This was a surprise temptation.
10:48It was a sustained temptation.
10:50This is so accurately described.
10:53And so it was as she spoke to Joseph day by day.
10:59Oh, my.
11:00It's one thing to be tempted once, but to be tempted day by day?
11:05I mean, just think about this for a moment.
11:07Every time Joseph showed up in the master's house and he saw her, she was coming on to him.
11:13She was flirting with him.
11:14She was reminding him that she was available.
11:18She kept her temptation before Joseph day after day after day.
11:23And no matter where she was when she touched Joseph's life, she tried to get him to fulfill her tempted offers.
11:33I need to say to you that temptation once and temptation daily are two very different experiences,
11:40are they not?
11:42The first temptation could have come as a great shock.
11:45But what happens when you're tempted over and over and over again is the impact of your
11:52ability to withstand the temptation is weakened.
11:55You become accustomed to it.
11:57You become used to it.
11:58It becomes a normal kind of thing, and you are setting yourself up for failure.
12:04And number three, it was a secret temptation.
12:07Watch this.
12:08Watch this.
12:09It happened about this time when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of
12:14the men of the house was inside.
12:18This story tells us that on that particular day, when Joseph went to work in Potiphar's
12:23house, all of the other male servants were gone.
12:27It sounds like it was Joseph and Potiphar's wife in the house by themselves.
12:34And Potiphar's wife made her move.
12:37She thought privacy would ensure her success.
12:40She'd get him today, if never before.
12:42And let me just tell you something that you need to write down in your notes if you don't
12:47get anything else.
12:48The test of a person's character is what they would do if they were absolutely certain nobody
12:55would find out.
12:57What you are is what you would do if you're absolutely certain nobody would ever know.
13:03I often think that some righteousness, in fact, a lot more righteousness than we would like
13:08to admit to, is not due to our love for God, but it's born out of our fear of getting caught.
13:15We are not righteous because we want to be righteous for God.
13:18We just don't want to get in trouble.
13:20But Joseph knew there was little chance of him getting caught, and so it was a secret temptation
13:27that made it even more powerful in his life.
13:30Are you building the case for Joseph?
13:33Watch this.
13:34A surprise temptation?
13:36A sustained temptation?
13:38A secret temptation?
13:40Here's the fourth one.
13:41It was a sensible temptation.
13:43You say, how can temptation ever be sensible?
13:46Well, if it didn't make a little bit of sense, you'd never do it at all.
13:49This was a sensible temptation.
13:52Listen, from worldly perspective, giving in to the temptation might have seemed advantageous
13:58for Joseph.
13:59He wouldn't have been the first, certainly not the last, to sleep his way to the top.
14:05He could have gained a powerful ally in Potiphar's wife, and it could have been a means of coping
14:11with his past trauma.
14:14Joseph had been through a lot.
14:16He came from a dysfunctional family.
14:20His brothers turned on him and sold him into slavery.
14:25He obviously had some things going on in his heart.
14:28Maybe he thought this was a way for him to enjoy some pleasure at the expense of his own situation.
14:38And then finally, his temptation was a subtle temptation.
14:44It played on emotional and psychological aspects like the need for recognition and admiration.
14:51Over the years, I've had the unfortunate experience of talking to numerous people who have gone through affairs
14:59and have committed adultery and ruined their lives and their homes.
15:05At the beginning, they have said, it really was nothing to do with the physical.
15:11She just listened to me.
15:14She seemed to respect me.
15:16She had time for me.
15:18She showed me honor.
15:19She showed me honor.
15:20And all of a sudden, we were spending more and more time together.
15:23And then, before we knew it, we were involved.
15:27Charles Swindoll said,
15:29Marital infidelity is not a blowout.
15:33It's a slow leak.
15:35He's right about that.
15:40It happens over a period of time as we let down our guard,
15:44as we begin to think about the fact that maybe at home,
15:47we don't get an audience like we're getting from this person.
15:50And so, what happened as Joseph was exposed to all of this,
15:54he knew what the temptation was, but he didn't yield.
15:59And now, I want to give you the positive part of this story.
16:02How did Joseph win over this temptation?
16:06Number one, he had convictions before the crisis.
16:11The Bible says that when she made this pitch to Joseph,
16:16Genesis 39, verse 8, it just says this,
16:20but he refused.
16:22Notice the Bible says that Joseph refused.
16:26It doesn't say he prayed over it.
16:29It doesn't say he called his small group leader
16:32to see what he thought he should do.
16:35And I promise you he didn't call his pastor.
16:38It just says he refused.
16:41Why would it say that?
16:43Here's the reason.
16:44Because he had already determined,
16:46long before this event ever happened,
16:49what he would do if such a thing ever happened to him.
16:52The conviction was in his heart before the crisis was in his life.
16:59But you understand, Joseph succeeded because he already knew
17:03what he was going to do when the temptation came.
17:06My friend, if you don't know that,
17:08you better make sure you figure it out and make a covenant with God
17:11and with your partner about your own sexual purity.
17:17Number two, Joseph succeeded because he knew that love involved loyalty.
17:24Verse 8, but he refused and said to his master's wife,
17:29Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house,
17:33and he has committed all that he has to my hand.
17:36There is no one greater in this house than I,
17:39nor has he kept back anything from me but you,
17:42because you are his wife.
17:44How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
17:49Sin with Potiphar's wife would not only be a sin against Potiphar,
17:55but Joseph said it was a sin against God.
17:58He reminds us that the best way to overcome a negative habit
18:02is not through sheer willpower,
18:04but by replacing it with a stronger, more positive passion.
18:09And if we're loved by God and we know what Jesus has done for us,
18:13in our heart is a passion never to do anything to grieve his heart
18:17or to break his rules or to do what he has told us not to do.
18:22So, Joseph had convictions before his crisis.
18:26He knew love involved loyalty.
18:29He was still shocked by sin, number three.
18:34He said to her,
18:38how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
18:44Joseph was still shocked by sin.
18:47He labeled it as great wickedness.
18:49He maintained a clear understanding of the grievous nature
18:52of the sin he was being tempted to commit.
18:57If you want to stay pure,
18:59you need to concentrate on the holiness of God
19:02and remember who he is
19:04and stay under the umbrella of that holiness.
19:08And then Joseph had enough sense to avoid the source.
19:13This is number four.
19:15And so it was as she spoke to Joseph day by day
19:19that he did not heed her to lie with her or to be with her.
19:24That's the thing I've underlined in my Bible,
19:27or to be with her.
19:29Joseph avoided Potiphar's wife entirely.
19:31When he saw her coming in his direction,
19:33he got out of the way.
19:35He knew that the best thing he could do
19:37was to stay away from that temptation.
19:41The book of Proverbs says this,
19:43Do not enter the path of the wicked,
19:46and do not walk in the way of evil.
19:48Avoid it.
19:49Do not travel on it.
19:51Turn away from it and pass on.
19:53And Romans 13, 14 says,
19:56But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
19:58and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.
20:02Instead of setting ourselves up for failure,
20:05we should get rid of the things in our lives
20:08that cause us to be defeated.
20:10When you remove sin far from you,
20:13you will be amazed at how much greater will be your victory.
20:16It's so interesting to me how rational,
20:20straight-thinking, objective people find themselves being irrational
20:26and non-objective when it comes to things like this.
20:29Use your head.
20:31That's the reason God gave you a brain.
20:35Finally, here's the last point.
20:39He had convictions before a crisis.
20:42He knew love involved loyalty.
20:45He was still shocked by sin.
20:47He had sense to avoid the source.
20:49And number five,
20:52he knew that retreat was better than defeat.
20:56I love this one.
20:58And it happened about this time,
21:00when Joseph went into the house to do his work,
21:03and none of the men of the house was inside,
21:06that she caught him by his garment, saying,
21:08Lie with me.
21:09But he left his garment in her hand and fled and ran outside.
21:15When Potiphar's wife grabbed Joseph's garment,
21:20he fled, it says, leaving his garment behind
21:24to maintain his character and integrity.
21:26And as you know, it was the garment in her hand
21:30that allowed her to get him thrown into prison
21:33for something he never did.
21:35But Joseph knew something we ought to know.
21:37You're better without your garment than your character.
21:40And he left his garment in her hand.
21:43Mark Twain once said,
21:45there's several good protections against temptation,
21:48but the best one is cowardice.
21:51And he was right.
21:52We're told in the Word of God to stand for many things,
21:55but not against sexual temptation.
21:58The Bible tells us we're to run away from it.
22:02Did you know that?
22:041 Corinthians 6, 18,
22:06flee sexual immorality.
22:102 Timothy 2, 22,
22:12flee also youthful lusts,
22:15but pursue righteousness and faith and love and peace
22:18with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
22:21I used to tell my young people,
22:23the best piece of equipment you can have for avoiding temptation
22:27is the fastest pair of Adidas money can buy.
22:31In his book,
22:33Unhappy Secrets of the Christian Life,
22:36Tim Stafford tells how the nuclear submarine Thresher
22:41went too deep into the sea
22:43and collapsed under the weight of the water.
22:46The sub was crushed into such tiny bits
22:49that almost nothing could be later identified.
22:54You see, a sub needs thick steel bulkheads
22:57to withstand the pressure of the water as it dives,
23:01but there are few walls we can build
23:03to withstand the pressure of the deepest oceans.
23:07Even steel gives way,
23:09as the crew of the Thresher found out tragically.
23:12And yet, here's an interesting fact.
23:16In those same deep waters
23:18where that steel submarine had been crushed,
23:21little fish swim without a care in the world.
23:27What is their secret?
23:29Why aren't they crushed?
23:31Are they made of some new indestructible iron?
23:35Of course not.
23:37They possess only the thinnest layer of skin
23:40measured in micrometers.
23:43The little fish have an internal pressure
23:46that perfectly corresponds to the pressure from the outside.
23:50God gave them what they need to swim in deep places.
23:54And you and I can spend our lives building walls
23:58to block out the temptation.
24:00We can make walls of steel, but they'll never be strong enough.
24:03The pressure comes from inside.
24:06Listen carefully.
24:07What happens when we have a power inside of us
24:10that corresponds to the pressure outside of us, the inner man?
24:15Paul tells us to renew that inner man every day.
24:19When we give ourselves wholly to God,
24:22we have the inner answer to the outer pressure.
24:26So build the inner man.
24:28Build the inner woman.
24:30Let Christ renew your heart.
24:32Let him renew your mind.
24:34Cultivate the ministry of the Holy Spirit every day.
24:37Read the Word of God.
24:38Be strong in the Lord so that the pressure within you
24:42will be able to combat the pressure outside of you.
24:46You will never beat temptation by saying,
24:49I will not, I will not, I will not,
24:51because on the fourth will not, you will.
24:54But you beat temptation by building the character of your heart,
25:01falling in love with God anew,
25:04making sure that you treasure your relationship with Jesus Christ,
25:07and committing yourself to the fact that you'll never do anything
25:11to violate your relationship with him.
25:14Work on the inner man,
25:17and you will do the greatest thing possible
25:20to find victory over temptation.
25:23Thank you for watching Turning Point.
25:32Dr. Jeremiah would like to offer you his new book,
25:35Everything to God in Prayer,
25:37guided prayers for your deepest needs and biggest dreams,
25:40containing 100 carefully crafted prayers
25:42for life's challenges and celebrations.
25:45These guided prayers will help you pray with confidence
25:47and renewed purpose as Dr. Jeremiah helps you bring everything to God.
25:52Request Everything to God in Prayer,
25:54new from Dr. Jeremiah,
25:56with your gift of any amount to Turning Point,
25:58or receive two copies for a gift of $60 or more,
26:01perfect for your prayer life,
26:03and a thoughtful gift for loved ones.
26:05Your deepest needs and biggest dreams deserve the right words.
26:09Request Everything to God in Prayer by Dr. Jeremiah,
26:13from Turning Point today.
26:16If you have never taken the step to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,
26:24you can do that today.
26:26If you will allow us,
26:28Dr. Jeremiah would like to send you two resources that will help you.
26:32The first is a booklet called,
26:33Your Greatest Turning Point,
26:35which will help you as you begin your relationship with Christ.
26:38And the second is our monthly devotional magazine,
26:41Turning Points,
26:42to give you encouragement and inspiration throughout the year.
26:45These resources are yours completely free
26:48when you contact Turning Point today.
26:50If you enjoyed today's message,
26:56watch the entire God Meant It For Good series on Turning Point Plus.
27:00Start streaming this series today,
27:02along with more than 1,200 messages from Dr. Jeremiah's
27:05four decades of broadcast ministry.
27:07On Turning Point Plus,
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27:12plus special collections and playlists,
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27:17Visit turningpointplus.org to get started today.
27:22Next time on Turning Point.
27:25What you don't understand,
27:27this little happening,
27:28that little happening,
27:29that circumstances,
27:30why am I here?
27:31Why am I here now?
27:33God has got it under control.
27:35He's working all things together.
27:38And it's like He's stirring the pot.
27:40And when it's all done,
27:42it will be the perfect will of God.
27:45Thank you for being with us today.
27:48Join Dr. Jeremiah next time for his message,
27:51From Prison to Palace,
27:53here on Turning Point.
28:00Enjoy a Bible conference on the water
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28:05to New England and Canada.
28:06Enjoy the region's natural beauty,
28:08colonial history,
28:09and the quiet pace of coastal life
28:11as you refresh your faith
28:13with a week of uplifting Bible teaching
28:15from Dr. Jeremiah,
28:16worship with Michael Sanchez and Uriel Vega,
28:19and fellowship with like-minded believers.
28:21Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
28:24Call or go online for more information.
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