The Pun
The Prayer
When engaging in spiritual warfare, remember that retreat is at times an advantageous tactic. In the obsession with victory, we can forget that some temptations are not worth fighting. Perhaps there are times to engage with an enemy, but locking swords with a ticking bomb is folly. The advisable strategy is to flee. That is a full-on run with every ounce of strength.
It was not out of cowardice that Joseph fled the advances of Potipher's wife (Genesis 39:12). Nor was Paul suggesting that the Corinthian church raise a white flag of surrender when he admonished them to "Flee from sexual immorality." (1 Corinthians 6:18). It is not a faithless fear of battle but rather a holy avoidance of danger: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11).
Does such fleeing mean accountability? Avoiding certain situations? Eliminating sources of enticement? YES! All of the above! Fleeing means expending all energy in flight from the atom bomb of temptation. Even so, we must not relegate ourselves to a life of fearful retreat. As we strain to outrun a deadly danger, our strides are strengthened all the more when we begin to be drawn by the pursuit of life:
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)