Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. (1 Cor. 6:18)
I'm sure you have heard the saying “You are your own worst enemy,” applying to situations where our own decisions hurt us more than the people around us. But what if we could be our own best ally? What if we chose not to make selfish decisions and instead embody righteousness by fleeing from the sin that is against our own body?
To flee in this context means to run continually—to run from sin of any kind, run from temptation, run from the enemy. To quote Forrest Gump, “If I was goin’ somewhere I was runnin’!” We embody righteousness by making the decision to flee from situations that could lead to sin we will later regret.
When we choose to sin against our own bodies, then we can only blame ourselves. The opportunity to sin sexually may be present in your life whether that be physically or through a screen. If so, we can follow the instructions for the Corinthians and flee by removing ourselves from the room or opening up to a counselor or accountability partner about our struggles.
This is not to say the other sins outside the body do not affect us, but this sin that happens inside the body affects us on a deep emotional level, potentially making us our own worst enemy, but when we flee, we become our own best ally.
Run continually from sinning against yourself.
Rachel Reigard is a NextGen Pastor at Bethany Wesleyan Church’s Palmerton Campus (PA). She serves alongside her worship and youth pastor-husband, Josh.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
