OVERCOMING PRESSURE:
Genesis 39:6-10 NLT
[6] So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, [7] and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. [8] But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. [9] No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” [10] She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.
The only way to overcome in life is to resist and overcome negative pressure. One of the tricks of the enemy is to torment people with repetitive suggestions, demands, and emotional feelings. If we don’t learn to resist the enemy by strengthening our minds through the power of the HolySpirit, he will cause us to break down, give up, become frustrated, or compromise.
Friends, the greatest battles in life are fought in the mind and internally. We must therefore arm ourselves with the mental fortitude to withstand such attacks. The Bible says in……
1 Peter 5:8-11 NLT
[8] Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. [9] Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. [10] In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. [11] All power to him forever! Amen.
Friends, we resist the enemy by staying out of harm’s way, declaring God’s word and the victory Christ has won for us on the cross of Calvary, and yes, by fleeing from danger. Moses was overcome with anger by the repetitive Complaints of the Isrealites (Numbers 20:9-13) and Delilah wore down Samson with repeated demands for the secret of his power until he gave in (Judges 16). Please take note of these verses…..
Judges 16:15-17 NLT
[15] Then Delilah pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!” [16] She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. [17] Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.”
Friends, this is how the enemy operates. Never think he is your friend because he joins you in your pity party. Run away from him and his suggestions! When he brings negative suggestions to your mind, shift your mind to focus on the good things God has done for you. If we resist him steadfast in the faith, and in the name of Jesus Christ, not in our own might, he will flee from us, and we will have the victory.