Bible Reading: Jeremiah 15, 16 & 17; 2Timothy 2
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, Charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” – 2 Tim. 2:22 (KJV).
In order to remain pure and set apart for God’s highest purposes, a follower of Christ must avoid the ungodly desires and behaviours that our human nature craves and follows (Rom. 6:11). This requires a constant and clear determination (i.e., a definite and personal choice) to stay away from situations, people or things that would tempt us to defy God and his standards of character and purity. We cannot flirt with temptation, moral compromise or selfishness and expect to escape its consequences.
Many believers are repeatedly frustrated because they keep giving in to the same temptations. They wonder why they do not seem to have the spiritual strength to resist and overcome compromising situations. The problem comes from putting oneself in tempting or morally compromising situations in the first place. Such foolish choices sets a person up for spiritual failure. God’s word tells us to flee evil desires. If we make unwise choices to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, we have already made a critical mistake. By doing so, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We must make wise and godly choices from the start and avoid certain situations all together (1Cor. 6:18).
The key, however, is not simply to focus on what we must avoid; instead, we must consider what we must actually do. This means that we don’t just flee from bad things, but we run towards and pursue God’s good things. We will not have to worry as much about staying out of trouble spiritually, if we go after the things that are right and get actively involved in God’s purposes for our lives. By concerning ourselves with all the positive things that God has for us to do, we will not be preoccupied with negative things God tells us to avoid (Prov. 1:10).
Good morning
Pastor Lawrence Chiazor