2 Samuel 11

"In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.
Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, 'She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.' Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, 'I’m pregnant.'"v.1-5
In this episode with Bathsheba, David allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper into sin.

1.) He abandoned his purpose by staying home form war.
2.) He focused on his own desires
3.) When temptation came, he looked into it instead of turning from it.
4.) He sinned deliberately
5.) He tried to cover up his sin.
6.) He committed murder to continue the cover up
7.) The consequence of Davids sin affect others, costing someone their own life.

David could have chosen to stop and turn from evil at any stage along the way. But once sin gets started, it is difficult to stop. The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It's much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are half-way down. The best solution is to stop sin before it starts.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible