"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." - 2 Timothy 2:22

Erica Harold was crowned Miss America in 2003. Part of her platform for the beauty contest is sexual abstinence before marriage--a message Erika advocated among thousands of teens during her run for Miss Illinois. Erika related one speaking engagement: "I was invited to speak to young women at a correctional facility. When I told friends and family members that this invitation had been extended, many told me to decline. They said the young people in this facility were too far gone to be receptive to the abstinence message.

However, I have always believed it is arrogant to think you can determine which young people will and will not respond to this message. Furthermore, it's dangerous to decide that some people are deserving of this message of empowerment, while others should be deprived. Therefore, I accepted the invitation. Not only did the young people at the correctional facility listen to this message, but many of them thanked me for coming. They said they knew they had made some poor choices in the past and appreciated hearing how they could make better choices in the future. One young woman even spoke of her desire to speak about abstinence to other young people."

You are never too young or too old to experience and need to flee youthful lusts. Today in prayer, give every temptation to the Lord and flee from any evil desires.

"Flee youthful lusts. It is an imperative. It is a command, not a choice. The force of the commandment is this: 'Flee, and keep on fleeing youthful lusts.' Run and don't look back. And for the rest of your life, keep on running away from youthful lusts." - Dr. Jeffrey Khoo

God's Word: "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." - 1 Peter 2:11

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2003, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN 2 TIMOTHY pkennedy@devotional.com

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