BID YOUTHFUL LUST GOODBYE

Dear young one, you're so full of life, so exuberant, adventurous, but with lots of impulses and inexperience.

But in as much as you possess much vigor and tendency to do much and explore, you are also vulnerable to a whole lot of passions and lust. Our hormones run (much more in younger folks than the old).

That is why young people are the most victimized in terms of decision making and what they do with their lives. 

A person who has left his youthful stage will live a more curtailed life because he has learned through experience and his vigorous youthful tendencies has dropped.

So, he sees a young person making wrong decisions and tries to impact his acquired wisdom through experience into that young folk so he doesn't repeat same mistake.

Don't want to digress much. Let's look right into what this youthful lust is all about.

YOUTHFUL LUST ISN'T SUBJECTED TO SEXUAL SINS ALONE.

I could literally tell the looks on Timothy's face when he got to the part of Paul's letter to him, which reads thus:

"Flee also youthful lust; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace...(2 Timothy 2:22). 

The context of that scripture wasn't just sexual sin. Paul understood what it meant to be young and all possible evil desires that accompanies it.

There is the hormonal activity, adrenaline rush, rash judgements and decisions due to lack of experience, impulses to anger, pridefulness, love for quick money, acceptance, popularity, personal pleasure, sexual sins and simply all short sighted cravings of youth.

So much of these desires drives young folks to their early doom and regrets.

Paul saw all these and warned Timothy about them as a young evangelist.

In his words, he says "flee". Meaning, you being in the presence of lust means danger. Flee means to run away; to escape. That should tell you that what bible is telling you to run away from is highly dangerous.

If unnecessary anger comes for you to fight back, FLEE!

You have friends and peers who encourage bad lifestyles. But then, you look for acceptance or want to feel 'among'. Please FLEE! You don't need them.

"Oh, I'm a big girl or a big boy now, no body can talk to me again," my dear, you're endangering yourself. 

Is it money? Looking for mediums to get quick money through scamming others, stealing or through hookups and unholy engagements? My dear, destruction lies at arms length for you, start looking for an escape route.

Or are you faced with sexual temptations, don't pamper it or reason it, don't even walk... FLEE! That's what Joseph did.

The devil is seeking destinies to devour. He doesn't joke. Your lusful cravings alone is enough door way to penetrate through your life.

I know you might be asking how you can flee from these lust especially when it happens in our everyday lives. Here's how:

PURSUE WHILE YOU FLEE

You ought to pursue something even while preserving your life against youthful lust. 2 Timothy 2:22b says: "but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

First, you have to be amongst those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. In other words, you should always be with the right company cause the world we live in is a morally perverse world that will only taint you if you don't have your friends and circle defined.

Secondly, you have to pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with them. These certain people live their lives in a certain course. They are disciplined, God fearing, kingdom minded people whose utmost priority is pleasing the Lord. These are TRUE CHRISTIANS. They should be your company.

2 Timothy 2:22 literally paints that your company and/or influence matters a lot when it comes to fleeing and pursuing.

It is impossible to stay pure and right with God when your friends depicts the opposite. They'll win you over if you remain with them. No wonder scripture says "do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers... For what communion has light with darkness." (2 Corinthians 6:14).

This brings me to the second but most important;

BE BORN AGAIN

The first point will have no effect until you make this first move. Being born again establishes you in God's family and amongst brethren. (John 1:12, Acts 2:44). It translates you from darkness to a light in this dark world. (Colossians 1:13, Matthew 5:14). It enables you partake of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Your deliverance and help starts with accepting Jesus into your life. And with these and the Word of God, you can win against any lust and sinful lifestyle.

Before I leave you to start practicing this, note this.

While pursuing;

• Set boundaries either as a young lady or man. Boundaries will save you a whole lot.

• Make right decisions over your emotions. If you let your emotions to always decide for you, you'll keep making mistakes all your life. The right thing is by right judgement not mere feelings. Read more about this topic > here .<

• Always be content. Greed, envy, love of money, etc has killed more people than you may realize. Be content.

• Cherish purity and decide to lead that life no matter what.

• Take godly counsel and wisdom especially from older/experienced people.

• Build confidence in God's Word and all God placed in you. You don't need to be accepted by anyone before understanding your worth.

• And like I earlier emphasized, mind your friends and circle.

This is how you bid youthful lust goodbye. It doesn't mean the temptations wouldn't surface. It will.

But you have the responsibility keep it away from you.

So, I think you telling it "goodbye" is a continuous act as long as you live on earth.

Recieve Jesus Christ today if you haven't. Only He can freed you and render you the help you need to remain victorious.

God bless you.