If sinners entice you, do not consent.
—Proverbs 1:10
Temptation can’t be escaped, but it can be resisted.
James timelines the progression from the initial temptation to spiritual death this way: temptation, enticement, conception, sin, death (Jas 1:14–15).
God doesn’t provide a way of escape from temptation but provides a way of escape out of temptation (1 Cor 10:13).
The first line of defense is to repel temptation at its initial appearance—reject it at the first knock at your door: “Go away! You’re unwelcome here.” Temptation can do you no harm if you refuse its company. So, your surest way out of temptation is to exert your power of saying, “No!” at its first showing.
Once you allow the camel to get its nose in the tent, your vulnerability escalates.
Temptation looks for an open door.