Progressive Desires

(Lessons from Potiphar's wife)

“And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

But he refused,..

And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.

And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” Genesis 39:7-12

 

The desire Potiphar's wife had was wrong—obviously wrong. Because she didn't deal with that wrong desire, it became more and more intense until eventually it controlled her.

*Wrong desire are like weeds. They're easier to deal with when they're small. If you don't get onto them quickly, they completely take over.

*Wrong desires are like a leak in a dam that grows until the whole thing floods.

*Wrong desires are like fire.The more you stoke it, the bigger and hotter it becomes.

 

*Wrong desires have a snowball effect.

When my husband and I were visiting a palace in Holland, it started snowing while we were looking at the enormous gardens. Johan started making a snowball by rolling snow along the ground. It picked up the snow as it went and it became a giant snowball within a few minutes!
 

There are other examples of people in the Bible with wrong desires that progressed because they weren’t dealt with in the beginning.

Think of Cain. He became angry at Abel, his brother. He started to hate him and as a result he committed murder.

Then there's Haman; his problem was pride. Throughout the story his pride grows until it controls his actions—which resulted in his death.

Sometimes we hear of people who have done something that shocks us. We think, “How could they do such a thing?” But it doesn't just suddenly happen. As one person said, “Sin is first incubated in the mind.” It's a process—progressive desires. Marriages don't just suddenly break up. Young people don't just suddenly go the wrong way.

The Bible teaches us to confess and forsake our sins. It's best to do it straight away before they start to control us.