The wrong place, at the wrong time

“He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.” Proverbs 7:8-9
In Proverbs 7 we see a word picture of a foolish young man who is enticed by a prostitute into sin. She uses her powers of persuasion to seduce him (Prov. 7:21), but the simple truth is that if he had not gone there at all, he would not have been tempted. He willingly went to the wrong place – the street where she lived – at the wrong time – in the evening, as night was falling. It was no wonder he fell into sin.
We all have certain things that we are more prone to be tempted about than others. For one person, it might be the temptation to get drunk; for another, pornography; for another, sexual sin. As Christians, we need to learn that there are places we should not go at certain times, because nothing good can come of it. We shouldn’t be in a red light district. We shouldn’t put ourselves in a situation where we might be easily tempted.
Joseph understood this well. He knew that Potiphar’s wife was trying to tempt him to sin, so he tried his hardest never to be in the same room as her (Gen. 39:10). It is foolishness to put ourselves in a position where we might be tempted by something. It is wise to remove ourselves from that situation.
Some will say, ‘But who is going to minister to the prostitutes, or the people in bars? We should go there so we can share the Gospel with them.’ But that is naive and foolish thinking. The Bible tells us not to give the devil a foothold (Eph. 4:27). We are told, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23). Don’t put yourself in a situation where you could be easily tempted. It’s not worth the risk.