If We Play with Fire, We’re Gonna Get Burned! A Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: If We Play with Fire, We’re Gonna Get Burned! Keywords: "forgiveness" "lust" "temptation" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Today's and tomorrow's 3-minute Bible Studies take us to the book of 1 Timothy. The apostle Paul had a lot to say about sexual temptation and sexual purity. In many of the letters he wrote to churches he addressed the importance of abstaining from sexual immorality. In one of his letters to a personal friend, Timothy, he spoke practically and passionately about sexual issues. Passage: Timothy 2:22* Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Question What does it mean to "flee from youthful lusts"?   Practical help At the time Paul wrote to him, Timothy was pastoring a church. We don't know if Paul's words hint at a problem Timothy had in the sexual arena or not. But, his words certainly do show one thing: Being a Christian or being a Christian leader doesn't mean that one is immune to either sexual temptation or the possibility of sexual stumbling! Perhaps you think that your experience with sexual temptation means that you are not a Christian. Perhaps you think that because you struggle and sometimes fail in the struggle to avoid Internet pornography you are not a Christian. Don't jump to that conclusion! Being a Christian means that you have placed your trust in Jesus for forgiveness, not that you never fail in your struggle with sin! Grace — the idea that God forgives us when we sin — is central to what Christianity is all about. Why don't you stop right now and give thanks to God for the forgiveness Jesus offers you through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Now, look at Paul's practical advice to Timothy regarding sexual purity. In a nutshell, he says, when tempted to indulge "youthful lusts," run away! One Bible scholar defines "lust" as an "anxious seeking for self-gratification." What practical steps might you take to apply Paul's exhortation to "flee" the second you are tempted to zero in on a Web site that features sexually explicit images or text? Suggestions: click on "Back"; disconnect; walk away to get a drink of water. Come up with three more ideas on your own right now! 1. 2. 3. The words "flee youthful lusts" picture lust as a person seeking to trip us up. Lust destroys men's lives. Lust is an enemy. Involving ourselves with lust through our interaction with pornography is playing with fire. We will get burned. The only way to deal with lust is to run away from it as fast as we can! eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 1998, 2004 by eXXit *Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. ----