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2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee Temptation to Jesus!

2 Timothy 2:22 (NKJV) Flee also youthful 
lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace 
with those who call on the Lord out of a pure 
heart.  

2 Timothy 2:22 (NLT) Run from anything that 
stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous 
living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the 
companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure 
hearts.  

COMMENTARY PEARLS

When Temptation Calls, Just Hang Up
   Its common sense that if you dont 
want to get stung, stay away from the bees! If 
you dont want to get burned, dont get 
close to the fire! If you dont want to fall off 
the cliff, dont hang off the ledge! 
   The goal is not to see how close you can 
get to temptation but rather how far away from 
it you can stay. 
   Proverbs 14:16 says, A wise man is 
cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is 
arrogant and careless (NASB). You might think you 
can handle temptation, but who are we kidding? 
You need to do a frank assessment. You need to 
analyze when and where you are most tempted and 
vulnerable. Then you need to stay away from those 
situations as much as you can. 
   The Bible says to run from temptation: 
I pondered the direction of my life, and I 
turned to follow your laws (Psalm 119:59 NLT). 
If you have to physically remove yourself, do 
it! When Potiphars wife tempted Joseph, he 
left his coat and split. Sometimes you may have 
to leave your coat. Get out of the situation. 
Run from it. Dont stick around. 
   When youre tempted, get up and change 
the channel. Or turn on music. Go for a walk. 
Read the Bible. Call a Christian friend in your 
small group. Do something to break the spell. 
   Here is some practical advice: Dont 
ever try to argue with the Devil. Youll lose 
every time. Hes had thousands of years to think 
up lines to counter anything you could come up 
with. Dont rationalize it. Dont justify it. 
Dont argue it. The key thing to do is break the 
focus. Dont look at the cookies and repeat, I 
dont want them! I dont want them! Turn 
around! The more you fight a feeling, the more it 
grows in intensity. 
   When temptation calls you on the phone, 
dont try to argue. Just hang up, and go do 
something else. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

The Best Way to Flee
   Our culture is a pushover when it comes 
to letting passions prevail. Especially 
Christians. It's not at the banquet of the wicked where 
we stuff ourselves on evil deeds; we've become 
voyeurs, sampling what we've convinced ourselves is a 
safe, nibbling-at-an-arms-length distance from the 
table of the wicked. It's not pagans who have a 
problem with the world, the flesh, and the devil; 
it's believers. 
   I'm included. My spiritual battleground 
is not over a torrid love affair or the x-rated 
shelves in the video store. My paralysis prevents me 
from reaching for common temptations. My fight of 
faith is played out on the field of my thoughts. 
What my body can't have, my mind will shift into 
overdrive to deliver. But daydreams and fantasies only 
frustrate, bringing feelings of restlessness and 
dissatisfaction with the way things are. 
   The way you fight fire is with fire. To 
combat powerful passions, you need something far 
more powerful in your arsenal. In fact, the fire 
of enticing thoughts must be fought with the 
fire of the pleasures God offers. If you try to 
fight lust with a bunch of threats and warnings 
alone, you're going to fail. The fight of our faith 
against wrong thinking is the fight to stay 
satisfied with God. The battle involves more than 
rejecting evil; it's pursuing God. It all comes down 
to knowing Jesus better. When faith has the 
upper hand in your heart, you are satisfied with 
Christ. He's enough. He is sufficient. This is what 
Jesus means when he says, He who believes in me 
shall never thirst." 
   If you satisfy your thirst for joy and 
passion by the presence and the promises of Christ, 
then the power of sin in your life is broken. 
That's real passion. 
   Draw me deeper, Lord, into your presence, 
and draw me higher into your great joy. Let the 
star-bright radiance of your life within me chase away 
the shadows of lesser desires. [Joni Eareckson 
Tada Daily Devotional: 
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE


http://www.abible.com/devotions/2012/20121026-2138.html 

EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF 
JESUS 

1st of 28: Divine Dining: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY 
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ 
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4 
4th of 28: Cared For: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds 
5th of 28: Saved: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI 
6th of 28: You Can Change: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo 
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc 
8th of 28 Our Holy Father: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabXLEXsxbY 
9th of 28 Gifts of Service: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuGZviodkA 
10th of 28 The Holy Spirit: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in89XVs4cGo 
11th of 28 The Law of God: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Q601HjogI 
12th of 28 The Sabbath: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakgnKoTzZI 
Live ongoing series in progress.

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs