“But flee youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22 RV).
In additional to physical lusts, we can identify several other areas that may reveal the presence of lustful tendencies within our lives. For instance, God identified some of those potential vulnerabilities through Paul the Apostle’s New Testament letters. Some of those areas might include…
Money: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:10-11).
Various Forms OF Idolatry: An “idol” represents anything that takes precedence over God within our lives. Unfortunately, it is not unusual to encounter those whose lives are dedicated to the pursuit of something over Someone. In light of this, 1 Corinthians 10:14 tells us, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
Pride: “not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).
Contentiousness, Jealousy, Selfish Ambition, And Other Similar Characteristics: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
One commentary summarizes these potential areas of concern with the following observation…
“Youthful lusts may refer not only to physical appetites but also to the lust for money, fame, and pleasure. They may also include self-will, impatience, pride, and levity. As we have mentioned, Timothy was probably about thirty-five years of age at this time. Therefore, youthful lusts do not necessarily mean such lusts as would be particularly characteristic of a teenager but would include all the unholy desires that would present themselves to a young servant of the Lord and seek to divert him from the path of purity and righteousness.” (1)
Since bad company corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33) we would do well to seek the company of like-minded others who pursue “…goodness, faith, love and peace in company with all those who approach God in sincerity” (Phillips).
(1) Believer’s Bible Commentary William Macdonald, Edited by Arthur Farstad, Thomas Nelson Publishers [pg.2187]