No Spiritual Vacations

Years ago when I was speaking in Hawaii, I met someone who told me he was on a spiritual vacation. He said he was taking some time off from his Christian life.

I told him that was no vacation, and we had a long talk. He ended up recommitting his life to Christ, and I’m glad to say that he is still serving the Lord today.

The moment we back off in the spiritual battle, we will be vulnerable. The moment we fall asleep, we will be weak. That is what happened to King David. He was plucked from obscurity as a shepherd to become the great king of Israel, leading his troops into battle. He was a powerful and godly man. But after years of walking with the Lord, David put his spiritual life on cruise control. We read in 2 Samuel 11:2 that "late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath."

What was David doing? He was kicking back. Interestingly, his troops were out on the battlefields. And David, the warrior king, should have been leading them as he always did. Instead, he was taking some time off.

That is why the apostle Paul told Timothy, "Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts" (2 Timothy 2:22). These words are not merely directed to young people. You can be an older man or an older woman and still chase after youthful lusts.

You don’t feed lust; you starve it. Stay away from anything that would encourage immoral living.