Adultery begins by developing an emotional attachment with a person who is not your spouse. That attachment can most easily develop in the workplace, where people often share conversations, crises, and successes with one another. Those activities can create intimacy, making the workplace a virtual warehouse of vulnerable situations.

In his book, Strategies to Keep From Falling, Randy Alcorn offers three questions that will identify when you are approaching an improper relationship:

* Do I look forward in a special way to my appointments with this person?
* Do I seek to meet her away from the office in a more casual environment?
* Do I prefer that my co-workers not know that I’m meeting with her again?

We are living in a real danger zone if we answer yes to any of those questions.

How can you avoid having necessary business relationships cross into that danger zone? Use the “Barney Fife” rule. If I would be embarrassed in any way for my wife to witness the way I’m talking or interacting with another woman, then it is time to Nip it! Nip it in the bud! If we can immediately nip it in the bud, we don’t have to worry about falling into actual sexual sin; and that will save us and our spouses from a ton of heartache.