1 Corinthians 10:14-15
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
Many of the Corinthians came out of pagan, idolatrous worship. It would be easy to slip back into this unless they mature in their new Christian faith. There are two key ways to gain victory over temptation. The best option for temptation is to get away from whatever is tempting us. Paul tells the Corinthians to flee from their temptation, which was idolatry. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you will be tempted. Sometimes we cannot help fleeing a situation because of another responsibility, but most of us most of the time can flee. The other route to victory is to grow in our relationship with Christ. We can develop more sensitivity to “judge for yourselves.” We can gain in our knowledge so that we know the better path to take when we do face temptation. We can mature in our faith in Christ and develop more a mindset in his likeness. The responsibility lies with us. We must make the choice. We must take the step to run away. What gets many of us in trouble is when we linger, take a second look, begin to think that the temptation may bring happiness or pleasure. Time is of the essence when it comes to the need to flee. Get away. Don’t linger!
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