2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Withstand and stand:
Paul tells us when we engage in battle against the enemy of our soul we are to withstand and then stand. We are not to run from the enemy in the battles Paul is speaking of but stand against him in the power of God and with His armor upon us. Then after we have withstood the assault then we are to remain in the position of victory. However, there are certain things that Paul and others urge us to flee from; perhaps they are so fearful and deadly that it would be foolish to face them. The only recourse is then to flee.
Wrath of God Matt 3:7
John came preaching and baptizing and along with his message of repentance was a warning to the religious leaders to flee from the wrath to come. John said that the wrath of God abides on all those who do not believe in Jesus (Jn 3:36). In the book of Revelation, it says that men and women hid in the caves and rocks of the mountains in order to hide from the wrath of the Lamb (Rev 6:15-17).
The deception of wealth: 1 Tim 6:9-11
It is wise to refrain from all sin, but there are some that carry a warning to flee from. In the context of these verses, Paul is addressing the issue of money. The love of money is the root of all evil. He says that those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which can drown men in destruction and perdition. Jesus mentioned the deceitfulness of riches in the parable of the sower and seed and its effect upon us (Mk 4:19). Along with the desire to be rich and love of money, Paul speaks of those who have equated wealth with godliness which then leads to the “wealth and prosperity” preaching of today and the “name-it-claim-it” gospel that many fall into.
Idolatry 1 Cor 10:14
We are to flee from any type of worship or service that replaces God. Anything that is exalted or lifted up above honor and worship of the Creator is to be vanquished and fled from. In a society that worships and exalts man’s supposed knowledge and wisdom above God and His word, this warning is especially necessary. Paul also says that covetousness is idolatry (Col 3:5). John also warns of idols (1 Jn 5:21). It is apparent that Paul desires us to flee from certain things rather than attempting to stand against them. He is not saying we avoid declaring them as wrong but not trying to be strong in the midst of their fullness.
Fornication 1 Cor 6:18
God has made us all with natural affections and they can be led into sinful actions if they are not guarded against. Joseph is a great example of fleeing from this sin (Gen 39:12; Prov 7:10-23). We should not think that we cannot fall prey to the enemy’s attacks – especially in a world that has made sex and immorality their god.