If we are trying to live righteously, there are some places that we just do not go. For instance, we have no business in a "crack house" if we are not looking for drugs. We have no business in a pornography store if we do not wish to pollute and pervert our mind. Neither do Christians have any reason to be at a party with dancing and drinking if they seek to use their lives as examples of purity. There is a harmful influence exerted by even being in the wrong place.
The book of Proverbs speaks of this fact repeatedly (see Proverbs 2). It depicts life as being a journey upon one of two distinct paths. On either path, we are said to be in distinct associations which influence our actions.
The "way of goodness" is the road traveled by those seeking righteousness. It is also referred to as "the paths of life" or "the paths of righteousness." Those who walk in this way are said to be seeking wisdom and finding it. This is the path commended throughout the book of Proverbs.
The "way of evil" is traveled by those who turn away from the right way revealed by God. In the book of Proverbs, other terms like "the ways of darkness" and "the paths of death" are used to describe that environment of sin. Those who walk in that way bring themselves to spiritual death and aid others towards the same end. Much of the Bible reaffirms the horrible influence of being in the wrong place with the wrong surroundings.
Might we be guilty of allowing ourselves to be in a place where lusting eyes could bring us to sin and shame? With the state of undress common in modern "swim wear," can we say modern beaches and pools are much different than David's view of Bathsheba? She could not have been more exposed than those we now see in the typical swimming suits of our day. Yet, some claim not to see the problem with going to beaches, public pools, pool parties, water parks and other places where such attire is common. The same principle applies to dry places where scanty attire is common. Whether it the prom with its dresses baring too much of the top, or the havens of shorts and miniskirts baring too much of the bottom, or the Mardi Gras and Gasparilla parades baring too much of everything, a Christian has no business attending such places. Is it any wonder that we have a growing rate of promiscuity with such increasingly immodest dress?
When we allow our families to be influenced by the entertainment industry which seeks to reshape our thinking about moral issues like homosexuality, are we far behind the situation of Lot's time? Is it any wonder that our society has a growing rate of other moral perversions when we are told to accept the perversion of homosexuality? If we wonder whether such action is perverted, God answers the question plainly (Romans 1:26-27).
Though the moral depravity of our society can well be illustrated by a growing acceptance of homosexuality, the problem does not end there. Some may feel themselves to be morally pure simply because they oppose homosexuality, though they have compromised with other forms of evil. Being surrounded by extreme wickedness tends to increase one's tolerance for other forms of sin not deemed to be as bad. After all, when our definition of evil to be opposed is homosexuality in all of its sordid display, how bad does a little dancing, social drinking, immodest dress or petting seem? Such is the deceptive nature of sin. Might it be that this effect has worked in a silent way on our perception of evil?
We must instruct our children to stay away from the drug houses, drinking parties, situations associated with sexual lust and other places of evil repute. We must teach them to flee from ungodly surroundings, rather than making compromise possible by their continued presence. Failure to flee from the evil will lead to a greater acceptance of the evil and ultimately to participation in it. If they think it will not affect them, let us remind them, "Be not deceived."
At the same time we urge our children about these things, let us remember the same is true about the influence of evil within our homes. The child who hears about the evils of drug abuse going on in a crack house will not be persuaded when the lecture comes from a mom or dad who uses alcohol or is constantly taking tranquilizers or Valium. They will see the inconsistency.
The child who hears about the need to stay away from the places where fornication and immorality take place will not view the advice too seriously if the parent giving the advice has a television program on which parades such evils into the living room. Filth from the streets is still filth when it is dressed up, glamorized, and broadcast on the screen.
Instead of heeding the influence of the evils around us, we need to separate ourselves from them and let God's will influence our thinking. Our efforts to do that will be aided by turning away from the influence of the wrong place and letting our minds be filled with God's word (Colossians 3:16).