How Close Is To Close?

As a single man, I sometimes wrestle with the the thought of being close to a woman. I mean really how close is to close? I want to be close but at the same time I want to be pure. I definitely do not want to open up doors before they should be open or even open up a door that was never meant to be open. For me this is difficult because I am naturally friendly and enjoy being around people.
So I pose this question, how close is to close???
Now I could sit here all day long and write out a whole lot of do’s and dont’s and give you all the guidelines and boundaries but the reality is when there are rules in place, we usually find ways around them or even to break them. I can say all day long do not kiss a girl while you are single but that would probably make you want to do it more. It’s always the forbidden fruit that we desire the most.
I joke often about a defense mechanism that I once heard somebody say. If a girl gets close enough to kiss me, I’m just going to punch her. It would kill the mood, the vibe, and the moment. Before you throw any stones, I am just kidding. However, when I think about somebody being that close to me, I think about what happened for them to get to that place. As well as what did I do to make them feel comfortable enough to do something of the sort.
Here is a real situation. I was planning on going to a bible study one night. Earlier in the day I had a meeting with a female friend of mine to discuss some ministry events. After the meeting I simply invited her to the Bible study. She politely asked if she could ride with me to the Bible study. Since I didn’t really see an issue with it, I agreed.
That night as we were on our way to the bible study, we were having regular conversations (nothing inappropriate) when suddenly, I got this feeling. It was a feeling of conviction. As I thought to myself why do I feel this way. The thought that came immediately after was WHO ARE YOU ACCOUNTABLE TO? I knew right at that moment that I was too close. Maybe not too close to a person but to close to temptation.
Close is not about the physical boundaries because you can set rules and regulations all day for that. Too close is simply being in a place where you are not held accountable for your actions. that night I realized that I jeopardized my purity. I put to much trust in my own flesh.

James 1: 14-15NLT says “temptation comes from our own desires which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow it gives birth to death.”

How close is too close? Too close is the moment you stop being accountable to someone stronger than you are and trust your flesh more than you trust accountability.