It is easy to stay the same; changing in a godly way can be difficult. It is easy to be distracted by the agendas of other people and pulled by our inner desires. So Paul urged Timothy to keep thinking about how he needed to change; what he should run away from, and what he should run towards. Youth is a time of rapid social, physical, and emotional change – a time when many make mistakes. But they must not be allowed to become permanent: ‘Run away from those wrong desires, and foolish arguments’, wrote Paul.
 
By contrast, run after everything which is right in God’s sight; learn to keep trusting the Lord, loving people and being a person of peace. All these are difficult for sin-stained human beings, but people change when they let the Holy Spirit work in their lives (Galatians 5:22-26 ). He changes our hearts from the inside to enable us to behave in a Christ-like way. He gives us a new set of desires which lead to conviction of sin, repentance, and forgiveness. That is how our hearts become pure and useable by God.
 
How quickly can this happen? As quickly as we will allow! If we decide to run away from whatever displeases God and call on Him to change our hearts, He will help us to move. It does not have to take years, but it does need determination. We may need to break some habits and form new ones; to break some relationships and develop godly friendships. The Lord is on our side and He wants us to cooperate with Him. So if you know He wants you to move from what is wrong to what is right, agree with Him, decide that you will do it and call on Him to help you. Then move and keep moving until the godly change is a permanent part of your life.