Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
In view of our status we should refuse the appeal of our desire to indulge in things that are contrary to God’s will for us. "Fleshly lusts" are selfish natural appetites that appeal to our sinful nature (cf. 1 John 2:16). We experience temptation to satisfy bodily desires in ways contrary to God’s will.