The walk
Flee
You already know some of the places where you lose.
Flee from youthful lusts.
Genesis 39:6-12 · 2 Timothy 2:22 · 1 Corinthians 6:18
The scene
Joseph had been sold into slavery in Egypt. His master's wife had been asking him to sleep with her day after day, and he kept refusing.
Then one day she grabbed his clothes and said:
"Lie with me!"Genesis 39:7
Joseph didn't stay to prove how strong he was. He left his garment in her hand and ran out of the house.
Sometimes that's the answer.
Paul tells Timothy:
"Flee from youthful lusts."2 Timothy 2:22
Elsewhere he says:
"Flee sexual immorality!"1 Corinthians 6:18
There are things you resist, and there are things you get away from. You don't have to prove how close you can get without falling.
If you already know where a road takes you, stop walking down it.
Maybe it's a place you keep going, a person you keep finding reasons to be around, something you keep buying or something you keep telling yourself you'll handle differently this time.
Put some distance between you and the thing that keeps defeating you.
Sometimes that thing is the machine in your pocket.
Your phone is a tool, and it can be used for good or evil. But many of the apps on it use algorithms designed to learn what holds your attention and keep putting similar things in front of you.
If you need limits, set them. Use a blocker. Have times when the phone isn't with you. If you genuinely struggle to moderate a smartphone, there's nothing wrong with using a simpler phone for a while.
None of that makes you more holy. It means you're taking seriously what you already know about yourself.
Joseph didn't negotiate with temptation. He ran.
Sometimes you should too.
The point
You don't have to prove how close you can get without falling.
Sit with this
Flee.