The Sunday Mail
Apostle Paul wrote a significant portion of the New Testament.
Pastor Tinashe Zinyemba
In 2 Timothy 2:22, he said something that we should all pay significant attention to: “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
I would like to focus on the first part of this verse where Paul says, “Flee youthful lusts.”
We will spend a few weeks on this topic and hopefully it will help someone.
The word lust is defined as a craving, hunger, thirst, appetite or great desire.
Another definition is an unlawful desire, a yearning/craving for the proverbial “forbidden fruit”.
Have you ever wanted something that you know you are not allowed to or goes against your values/ principles?
That is the lustful nature we all suffer from at one point or so in our lives.
Lust thus becomes an unhealthy desire for something forbidden which can be destructive.
Paul specifically mentions “youthful lusts”.
This implies that there are lusts that particularly or generally target the youth. However, there is more to the “youthful” aspect.
I would like to believe that we all suffer from a youthful lust in one or more areas of our lives despite age.
What do I mean? Some of us, even though we might look like we have grown up, have areas in our lives where we have not yet matured.
In those areas you still behave like a baby. In that area you are still youthful.
For instance, you could be in high school but still act like a primary school pupil. Or you could be a young adult and actually working or living by yourself yet you behave like a teenager in some respects.
I am sure you have come across reports of elderly and respectable people we know who are caught in very compromising and embarrassing situations.
And you are disappointed because you would think that people of their calibre would conduct themselves in a better manner.
These individuals are still youths in that area of their life.
My desire is to help you identify areas where you are still weak; that is areas in which you are still a youth, and hopefully you can start addressing them before you destroy your destiny.
You have a destiny in this life and even though you might not know this, it is a powerful future that is settled in God.
In 1 Peter 5:8, Apostle Peter advises us to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, waling about, seeking whom he may devour”.
The devil will try to ensnare you through those “youthful lusts”.
In 2 Samuel 11, David was caught up in a “youthful lust” snare even though he was an old man.
He saw a woman bathing and even though he knew her husband, he slept with her and tried to cover it up to the extent of getting the husband killed.
From there, David’s reign as king became challenging. His children became wild, there was drought in the land and there was a coup in the kingdom because he was still a youth in areas of sexual discipline.
I encourage you to be honest with yourself: what are your areas of weakness? Lying? Stealing? Sex? Drugs? Alcohol? Pride? Anger? Talking too much? Eating too much? Laziness? Crowd pleasing? Peer pressure? Swearing? Watching too much television? Not listening to authority? Cheating? Pornography?
Be honest with yourself. There is no way that you can progress without dealing with these issues.
After identifying your area of immaturity, you have to work on it.
First you must ask God to help you. Trust me, He is faithful, He will give you the strength to prevail.
Second you have to find someone to be accountable to, who will be honest with you and help you along the way.
Finally put boundaries in your life that will ensure you maintain the course that you have set. I know you will succeed.
I pray this helps. That is all for now. Till next week. God bless.
Tinashe Zinyemba is a pastor with New Life Covenant Church. Email feedback at [email protected]
