A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident. (Proverbs 14:16)(NKJV)
One mark of the fool is overconfidence about being able to avoid evil. "It can't happen to me" is his motto. "And if it does, I can handle it," he boasts. But the Bible says he is tragically mistaken.
"Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall," the New Testament warns (1 Cor. 10:12). And Jesus told his disciples, who insisted that they would never deny their Lord even if it cost them their lives, "Watch and pray, lest you enter temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt. 26:35,41).
Overconfidence about one's own moral and spiritual strength is perilous. It shows that one has no appreciation of the nature and power of evil. If people such as Moses, Samson, David, and Peter were tempted and fell into sin (Num. 20:2-13; Judg. 16; 2 Sam. 11; Matt. 26:69-75), what chance do the rest of us have if we fail to respect sin's power?
For that reason, Proverbs counsels that we depart from evil (Prov. 14:16), that we turn our backs on temptation and refuse to toy with sin. For one person that might mean finding a new set of friends; for another, changing jobs; and for someone else, canceling a magazine subscription.
Whatever tempts you to sin, you are wise if you do whatever it takes to turn your back on it, and turn toward "righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart"
(2 Tim. 2:22).
--from the Word In Life Study Bible Nelson Publishers