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Spencer Sutton
March 07, 2024
The Biggest Mistake
Flee passions…pursue righteousness
This is a mistake
One of the biggest mistakes I see men make regularly is seeking massive change without changing anything.
What I mean is that when they’re down in the pit of porn and drowning in shame, they make all kinds of promises about being done forever.
How do I know?
Because that was me, and it is the story I hear repeatedly from brothers I speak to.
What happens is that directly after making those promises, they feel good about their resolve. The temptations subside. They feel as though they must be in the clear. And so they go on with life as if nothing happened.
They don’t realize that this false security is setting them up for another massive pit. They return to what I call the ‘status quo’ and feel as if they’re safe.
So what do you do?
There are two sides to a life of purity.
One side is a desperate fight against sinful influence in our lives. The reality is that our flesh has over-desires and seeks to meet them daily.
This is why Paul says, “So flee youthful passions…”
But that’s not all.
The other side is our pursuit. Paul instructs Timothy (and us) to “…pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on God from a pure heart.”
If we attempt to flee passions and put our sinful life to death without simultaneously pursuing godliness, then we will not grow into the men God designed us to be.
There is no neutral ground
We either are growing in godliness or worldliness.
The life of freedom is both fighting against sin and running towards Christ.
If you’re putting blockers on your phone and setting up accountability, this is good…but it’s incomplete. Most importantly, it doesn’t make much of Christ. Any man can put a blocker on his phone. But only God’s children can be changed by His love as we think deeply about the gospel.
The pure desire for holiness springs from knowing God in His Word.
That’s why this March, the brothers I meet with weekly have challenged each other to spend just 15 minutes a day humbly meditating on a passage of Scripture.
We desire to be changed by the Spirit of God, not just lock out any access to porn.
