Circumvent negative influences, circumstances and people.

To ‘pretend’ is to say that I’m willing to waste the precious energy that it takes to pretend, and I’m unwilling to cultivate the bravery that it takes to be real. And I am at a complete loss to pretend that either of these aren’t true.

Driving your car through deep pools of flood water is a great way of making your car unreliable. Smart people turn around and avoid it.

If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.

Failure to put the relationship on a slower timetable may result in an act that was never intended in the first place. Another important principle is to avoid the circumstances where compromise is likely. A girl who wants to preserve her virginity should not find herself in a house or dorm room alone with someone to whom she is attracted. Nor should she single-date with someone she has reason not to trust. A guy who wants to be moral should stay away from the girl he knows would go to bed with him. Remember the words of Solomon to his son, “Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house” (Proverbs 5:8). I know this advice sounds very narrow in a day when virginity is mocked and chastity is considered old-fashioned. But I don’t apologize for it. The Scriptures are eternal, and God’s standards of right and wrong do not change with the whims of culture. He will honor and help those who are trying to follow His commandments. In fact, the apostle Paul said, “He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1Corinthians 10:13). Hold that promise and continue to use your head. You’ll be glad you did.

You have it in your God-given power, the willingness to make the years ahead of you to become a brighter one. Avoid things that will not make you a success in the nearby future!

Avoid the penalties of the blame game. You were born to be boss player, not a blame giver. Stop the blame!

Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone - except God.

Comfort is a stance of avoidance rather than the pursuit of excellence.

We want to 'write in' our plan and 'write out' the consequence. When we do that, we're headed 'right back' to what we foolishly thought we could 'write out.