A sailor on a fishing vessel in the Pacific Ocean found himself in a very precarious situation – he was swimming with the sharks! Of course this wasn’t by choice. He was hired to process fish, but the captain had a temper problem. One day, a school of sharks was following the ship, and in a fit of rage, the captain seized the slow-working crewman and threw him overboard. The poor man swam as fast as he could, caught up with the boat, and was pulled back on board.
Oftentimes, we are swimming in dangerous waters as Christians. Sometimes we are thrown into a situation where the ungodly are “swimming” all around us. It could be at a business meeting, convention, a college dorm, vacation, etc. – and the temptation seems overwhelming. We are in a lot of danger. Spiritually speaking, we are shark bait.
When that happens, our best option is do what the apostle Paul instructed Timothy to do. “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). We are to flee them! That may mean that we are to get up and walk away from the situation as fast as possible. This is what Joseph had to do. Notice what he did when confronted with temptation. “And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out” (Genesis 39:12). Whatever the situation, we need to reach out to the Lord, call on Him for our strength, help and protection. This way, we don’t become shark bait. You won’t fall into sin if you flee from it!
