Flee Youthful Lust and Follow Righteousness...

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22

You have to be careful about what motivates you and the people you hang around… Motivation is inventive, inspiration, drive or impetus as to why you do something… We are called to “Flee also youthful lusts” because our motives eventually lead to and define our character… For example, if you are motivated by money it is impossible for you to be the beacon light you have been called to be or extend and show love to your fellow man… These tasks will never be completed because your motivation will have you focused on personal prosperity with cut-throat intentions… You will step on the backs of others to get ahead when you are fueled by the desire of money… This same principle applies to what Paul is saying in today’s focus verse; in order to reach the levels we can reach in Christ, we must flee the desires of the flesh and surround ourselves with people “that call on the Lord out of a pure heart…” There are so many people who have done one or the other, but have not completed both steps and therefore are a lacking fulfillment… You may have turned away from the fleshly desires, but you still haven’t surrounded yourself with the right kind if people; you may have left the crowd behind, but you haven’t turned from your evil desires… As I’ve stated time and time again, this journey of Christianity isn’t a (n) easy journey to make… It’s hard and a very difficult task when you are dealing with change… We are reminded through today’s passage that a child of God is identified not by mere words, but by the maturity that they display daily… Paul writes this letter to Timothy encouraging him in his faith and challenging him not to give up… Timothy was a minister that had fled the challenge of the gospel when things got rough, he withdrew from the kitchen when it started to get hot and Paul is reminding him today of what his focus must be… It’s the status quo to accept the easy road and avoid conflict, but this is the exact opposite of what a child of God is called to do… Jesus was all about change, all about redirection and transformation… Moses was in the wilderness for 40 years as was the Israelites, David had to face Goliath, Daniel was thrown in a Lion’s Den and Shadarach Messhach and Abendengo were thrown into a furnace… All were powerful witnesses to God’s grace and mercy, but the kicker is they didn’t worry about pleasing men or focusing on the sinful nature… David didn’t listen to his brothers, Daniel didn’t stop praying and Shadarach Messhach and Abendengo would not worship false idols (do you get the point)… As a child of God, one of the biggest changes we should see daily in our lives is growth… Everyday of your life should be a day that you develop a more intimate relationship with God! This passage reminds us to flee youthful lusts, I am sure that there was a time when you listened to the worldly views and popularity mattered! There were days when your focus revolved around what was the up and coming trend or where the party was… 

These are the areas in our lives that we should see growth, we cannot allow ourselves to be of the same mindset that we were in the past and try to call ourselves a Christian and say that we are advancing God’s kingdom each and every day of our lives... That’s why the passage tells us to flee youthful lust (things we did when we were young, which simply means immature, easily persuaded and unknowing), but then it goes on to say that we should follow righteousness, faith charity and peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. A believer in God will chase after the qualities that Paul lists in this verse… Righteousness, faith, charity (love) and peace are all qualities that we must obtain while we live on this earth… To be righteous means that we stay focused on God not matter what comes our way, faith means that we never give up and never give in, love takes form in our lives when we don’t care about our personal feelings or stature but turn our attention to others, peace is a quality that we all strive to have not only in us but also in every environment that we enter… Peace allows us to be in unity with others, have a harmonic balance and open up to one another in truth and sincerity… We must follow after these things and in order to catch them we can’t carry the burden of youthful lust on our backs… Jesus said that we must take up our cross and by doing that we will find our lives… In order to take up your cross you must put down some things, you must sacrifice some things, you must get rid of some things… Even fleeing those things, you provide room for Jesus to take up residence in your heart and this is then how you can call out of a pure heart, we must be sincere in our call and desire to have a relationship with God! I often tell people that prayer is non-effective if the person praying or being prayed for doesn’t want to change… This Christian journey is a two-fold attack, first we must abstain from the fleshly desires, and then we must follow a solid foundation built upon faith and reverence for God! The key note in following Jesus Christ is repentance, before you do any work in His vineyard you must acknowledge where you are (youthful lust) and where you desire to be… The bible says “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” God is waiting for you to put down the desires of the flesh, He’s waiting for you to give up trying to please mankind, He’s waiting for you to turn to Him and He will indeed hear your cry and answer your prayer… We entered this world as sinners headed to hell, but the choice is up to you if that remains your course for your life and hell becomes your eternal resting place... Paul said it best, “Forgetting those things which are behind, I press toward the mark…” Let us forget the past (learn from it, but don’t let it hinder you) and PRESS (fight, stay encouraged, and endure) to the end knowing that your faith will move mountains and allow Jesus to truly prepare a place for you in His eternal rest…

BE BLESSED!!!