The flesh is a lot like a toddler. Left to have its own way, it will chase what feels good until it hurts itself. It needs the discipline of a mature mind, and that is where self-control comes in, saying no to the heart's sweet but unprofitable desires. That is hard work. Scripture shows an easier way to overcome temptation: avoid the situations that make temptation possible. Before temptation arrives, warning signs usually appear, and we often ignore them. We brush off the sparks until we face the dragon itself, and by then we are looking for an escape route when it is almost too late. "Flee from sexual immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:18) is a command to run away, not to stand and fight.

Imagine a dangerous place you know you should avoid. Turning down an offer once you are inside the room takes enormous strength. It would have been easier never to enter the room, easier still never to go through the door, and easiest of all never to take the road that leads there. Every step closer gives the enemy more ground. "Do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:27). When you give him none, he has nowhere to stand. If you have already stepped too far, grace is still here. Sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14), and God is faithful to provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). Turn back early, and keep your distance.