Message
The Bible says that a man cannot take fire in his bosom and not be burnt (). Fire in this context is sin. If a believer is allowing sin or an appearance of sin around him or her, he or she is taking fire in his or her bosom and will eventually be burned.
I learned from Joseph's story that when the devil is determined to bring a man down, he will position temptation around him such that he will keep seeing it continually. He knows that if the temptation is right in front of the fellow every day, it is only a matter of time before he falls. This is why I have always told my children that they must not have a secretary or personal assistant who is of the opposite sex. It is better not to bring the temptation anywhere near you than to believe that you can resist it.
A common adage in Yoruba land says, if you will not eat it, don't smell it. If a man has been asking you for a relationship that you know will lead to sin, why are you still answering his calls? If you are always tempted to steal, why will you agree to help your group or department keep the money they have contributed? You must stay far from whatever you know can lead you to sin because the devil is described as a serpent. A serpent is very subtle and cunning. As dangerous as it is, it can crawl right beside you without you realising it. You may have sworn that you will never do something, but if you allow that thing around you, the devil will cunningly get you to do it.
The elders say that it is through an opening in a wall that the lizard gains entrance into the house. When you give room to temptation around you, you have opened up the wall of your soul, and it is only a matter of time before sin creeps in. Unfriend that friend who always suggests sinful things, relocate from that area where you are more susceptible to committing sin, delete whatever is on your phone that can lead you to sin, and just do whatever it takes to get sin far away from you. It is better to lose these things and make it to heaven than to retain them and go to hell.