“He took the path to her house.” Proverbs 7:8 NKJV

Solomon writes, “I perceived…a young man devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house” (vv. 7-8 NKJV). This guy’s mistake was being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong person. And the message is clear: If you don’t want to get burned, stay away from the fire! You can’t get hooked on cocaine if you never use it. You can’t become an alcoholic if you never drink. And you can’t commit sexual sin if you don’t allow yourself to get into the wrong situation. It’s impossible to escape completely from situations and people who may be potentially dangerous. But as Martin Luther said, “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair!” The story’s told of an elderly man who noticed a little boy riding around and around the block on his bike. This went on for hours, and finally the man asked him, “Son, aren’t you tired? You’ve been riding around this block all morning.” The little boy replied, “I’m running away from home.” The man replied, “But you’re not running away from home, you’re just riding around the block.” “No,” insisted the boy. “I’m running away from home—but my mom said I couldn’t cross the street.” We’re all prone to wander, so God has laid down certain boundaries we should never cross, certain places we should never go, and certain people we should never accompany. There’s never a right time to be in the wrong place with the wrong person. So don’t go there.