Setting boundaries further back from the edge of sin

1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

A Christian friend in USA pointed out that there is a scandal with megachurch pastor Andy Savage right now.

20 years ago, he was a youth pastor, and he was supposed to take this pretty teenager home, and ended up molesting her.

The girl testified, "After what I believe to have been about 5 minutes of this going on, he suddenly stopped, got out of the truck and ran around the back and to my side before falling to his knees. I quickly buttoned my shirt back up and got out of the truck. Now I was terrified and ashamed. I remember him pleading, while he was on his knees with his hands up on his head, ‘Oh my god, oh my god. What have I done? Oh my god, I’m so sorry. You can’t tell anyone Jules, please. You have to take this to the grave with you.’  He said that several times. My fear and shame quickly turned to anger. I had just been manipulated and used. I swore to him I wouldn’t tell anyone just to get him to stop. We both got back in the truck. As he drove me home, I don’t remember there being any conversation. I was in shock."

Clearly, he was remorseful immediately. But unfortunately, when the girl went to the senior pastor, they chose to hide it instead of dealing with it and the girl dropped out of church.

Now, 20 years later, it is a major scandal and a police case.

I don't know about you, but I can so much understand Andy Savage's actions. While I have never even come close to doing anything like that, I have struggled with pornography and I can totally understand that craziness of giving in to temptation and immediately feeling remorse.

But we "good Christian men" must remind ourselves that Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. We must be on guard, and avoid any such situation.

When the secular media found out that Vice President Mike Pence would never dine alone with a woman who is not his wife, they went to town making fun of him.

I am no fan of Donald Trump, and I have my doubts about his vice president, but in this matter, I can totally understand his caution.

Mike Pence will never be in the position Andy Savage is in if he keeps to rules like that.

I'm not quite as absolutist as Mike Pence, but I think setting boundaries is very important. Not that if you cross those boundaries, it's sin -- but the idea is that the boundaries are far away enough from sin that if you slip up, you still haven't sinned.