2 Timothy 2:22
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
I hate working out, but I have to do it. The doctor says so, my wife says so, and every time I look in the mirror my body screams so! This morning I headed to the gym and upon arrival I realized I had forgotten my headphones. Bad news! Working out without being able to watch one of the TV screens or listen to music makes it almost unbearable.
To pass the time I decided to pray (hmmm…maybe not having my headphones all the time would be far better!). Lately I have been struggling with some things in my life and I decided it was time to turn them over to God. Somewhere along the way we Christians get the idea that once we accept Christ the struggles of sin will simply disappear. This simply isn’t the case.
As I was working out on the elliptical and praying I began to imagine myself literally running from those sins that plague me. The harder I worked out, the farther from those sins I felt myself growing.
Now I know as well as you that my working out has nothing to do with my flight from sin. As we allow Jesus Christ to enter into our lives and take control, it is He who guides us and directs us as we flee the temptations of life. First, we have to turn control over to Him. Second, we have to continually pray for strength to make it through those struggles. And finally we must do our level best to steer clear of that which tempts us.
Just like working out, fleeing from the evil desires of life is not easy. Doing so, though, will create a far healthier spiritual life for you!