“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 ESV

It is in this setting where we see Joseph choosing to honor God and not pausing to consider otherwise. I don’t know about you, but the moment I pause to consider any temptation, I’ve given in. I’m not proud of myself. My mind knows the better way is always God's way. And yet my flesh can really scream. Goodness, is this what Paul was talking about in Romans 7? “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15 ESV

What tempts one person may not tempt the next. I’ve lived many decades and when I was a child, a trip to the library was necessary to get a peek at naked women. National Geographic would occasionally do stories about remote tribal communities. Playboy magazine featured topless models. I’m sure depravity went far beyond those examples, but the point is this. We do not have to go anywhere or look for sexual temptation. Dark places, dead ends and back alleys are at our fingertips should we choose to go there. It can happen to anyone. 

I am not saying I would be immune to various temptations. I know I could fall into anything that’s out there. If we are human, we experience temptations. It is, as they say, what it is. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon declares there is nothing new under the sun. Nothing at all.

We are in a battle and the battlefield is in the mind. What I focus on is what I am enslaved to. That may seem like an exaggeration or extreme, yet it really “is what it is”!

What do you focus on habitually? I find myself focusing on some of the daily challenges that are outside of my control. My chronic pain is probably here to stay and there are things I can do in managing it. Having wine or other alcohol is something I basically had no interest in for most of my adult years…until I did. A battle in my mind began and I really didn’t see it coming. So I will be transparent and tell you that I focus on if I will choose to indulge or not. Either way, I am focusing on something that consumes too much head space. I am a work in progress and if you love and follow Jesus, so are you.

Today, I will choose to take my thoughts captive and give God my focus. What about you? Do you consider your mind to be the battlefield or do you run on autopilot? 

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