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The Book of Second Timothy:
Message Twenty Four
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
The other day
I read an old fable about a dog that boasted of his
ability to run. But the next day a rabbit outran him.
This made the other dogs howl for joy. But he said,
"You must remember that the rabbit was running
for his life, while I was only running for my
dinner." The reason why many people are overcome
by temptation is because they're not running for
their lives. They have the spirit of that dog, not of
the rabbit. But it's written in 2nd
Timothy 2:22, "Flee also youthful lusts: but
follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with
them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
It's a good
thing to remember that you're going to be tempted.
There's nothing abnormal about that. Christ was, and
every Christian will be. Don't think that the devil
will leave you alone just because you became a
Christian. He'll tempt you all the more now that you
are a Christian.
But it's
essential that you learn to recognize temptation when
it comes. Now temptation is based upon desire, for
the Bible says, "Every man is tempted, when he
is drawn away of his own lust" (that is,
desire). You and I have natural desires. Everyone has
them. We desire food, fun, fellowship, fortune,
furnishings and fame. But, because we're born in sin,
we have desires that are wrong. We have desires to
abuse, befool, cheat, deceive, lie, steal and a lot
of other bad things. These good desires and bad
desires are mixed together in our hearts. The devil
uses what you want to lead you into doing what's
wrong. So if you have a wrong desire, it will lead
you to a wrong deed.
Therefore
don't go with anyone and don't go anywhere that will
excite the wrong desire. "You can't get over
drinking," D. L. Moody used to say, "if you
tie your horse in front of the saloon." That's
running into sin.
To overcome
sin, you must run away from sin. I remember hearing a
preacher say to his congregation a long time ago,
"When you see your neighbor's ripe melon patch,
brother, you can't keep your mouth from watering, but
you can run!" That's Scriptural. For the Bible
says, "Flee fornication!" "Flee from
idolatry!" "Flee youthful lusts!"
"But,"
you wonder, "in which direction shall I
run?" The Bible answers, "Follow
righteousness." I read of a circus that was
breaking up and the owners advertised a big pile of
straw for sale. This straw had been used to bed down
the wild beasts. A farmer needed the straw for his
stable, and he bought it at a bargain price and
hauled it to his barn. But when he scattered the
straw in the stalls, the horses became restless and
tried to run away. Why? That straw was used for
lions, and the horses are born with a dread of that
enemy. Now, if you've been born again, you have a
God-given instinct that will warn you of that which
is wrong. Then you must pursue that which is right.
The Bible
says, "Follow after faith." That means
because you have faith in God, be faithful to God.
Joseph was. When he was tempted to transgress by a
wicked woman, he ran from that wicked person and that
wrong pleasure; he followed righteousness, and was
faithful to God! Joshua was. When the children of
Israel were debating whether to worship the God of
heaven or the gods of the heathen, Joshua said,
"Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether
the gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord!"
The Bible
says, "Follow after love." It wasn't
heathendom that lied about our Lord and called for
His crucifixion. It was religion without the Lord and
His love. It wasn't paganism that stoned Stephen. It
was religion without the Lord and His love.
"Religion without love," said one,
"has claimed more victims than drink, lust or
war."
"Follow
peace," says the Bible. The one who has the
peace of Christ must be at peace with the Christians.
No one can live peaceably with man who doesn't have
peace with God.
"I
thought peace was a shining thing of loveliness and
light,
Of sunlit days
and smiling flowers, all beautiful and bright."
"But once
when tears were on my cheeks and darkness on my road,
One touched me
. . . and I learned that he finds peace who walks
with God."
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
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the book of Second Timothy.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
