Week 1: Victory in Flight

Six hours ago, I shared this reflection in my Facebook profile. I am thinking of publishing this type of post on a weekly basis. The idea I have in mind is about resisting particular sins, specifically with the traditionally understood Catholic conception of it—the 7 deadly sins.

My goal is to meditate on the biblical warnings against these sins and how Scripture tells us to deal with them. Lust, or sexual immorality, is the first in my list.

Interestingly, the Bible’s instruction regarding sexual temptation is unique. Scripture never says to ‘resist’ it, only to flee from it (1 Cor. 6:18; 2 Tim. 2:22).

As often we hear our brothers and sisters say in counseling sessions, "I pray daily, I read the Scriptures, and I love God. But why can't I say no to my body?" It is because in most sins, we are told to stand firm, resist, endure, or fight. However, when it comes to sexual immorality, God’s command is different: create distance immediately. Not to argue. Not to negotiate. Not even to pray your way through the moment. But to remove yourself physically from whatever is triggering the temptation.

Many who struggle with sexual temptation try to fight it using willpower, thoughts, or debating with it internally. Yet these are the very capacities that temptation weakens the most. Because the will is compromised, the mind is invaded, and the flesh hungers, internal resistance then becomes unreliable.

And perhaps that is why: even prayerful men fall into this sin. Even the man described as having a heart after God’s own fell at this point. David fell because he lingered, because he was not supposed to be there; he was supposed to be leading Israel in war.

A truth regarding this specific sin sobered me: the longer you stay in the proximity of sexual temptation, the weaker you become. This is why, historically, teachers have called this sin the enemy’s most common and most effective trap.

For Paul even tells us about its uniqueness:

Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body (1 Cor. 6:18).

For our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and sexual sin defiles what God indwells. You are not your own to be doing what you please.

Even more interestingly, 1 Corinthians 6:18 has been simpler than it is. When it says to run or flee, do so literally. Physically relocate yourself. Move. Leave. Run. Creating physical separation breaks the temptation cycle instantly.

This is why I look at Joseph the Dreamer as to why he ran from Potiphar's wife quickly and frantically, for it was a dangerous situation that could not be solved with a reasonable conversation, since it required immediate action.

It is said, “Depression hates a moving target.” So too in sexual immorality, for in idleness, in loneliness, and in the darkness of night, such temptations are at their peak. Waiting or lingering gives it leverage; moving away robs it of power.

Literally, you can run or jog. That would be wise. Sometimes for a kilometer or ten. Involve yourself in a task immediately. Call someone. Leave your room; step outside. Listen to a sermon or read God’s Word. Take action and do not wait for the feeling to pass. In doing so, you remove yourself from the enemy’s trap and give God room to strengthen you.

Run, my brothers and sisters, for we live in such times where fornication and promiscuity are normative.

What Scripture commanded in one word—flee—turns out to be one of God’s simplest and wisest strategies.

Sometimes victory is not found in fighting harder, but in leaving faster.