August 19, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode, we unpack the simple but not easy formula to truly defeat lust and addiction. Drawing from scripture, we explore why lust promises freedom but delivers slavery, and how to go beyond just removing sin by replacing it with purpose, calling, and godly ambition. Ruslan shares his personal journey of breaking free and the biblical blueprint that can lead to real transformation. Subscribe and leave a review!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The simple but not easy formula to kill and overcome lust.
Now that's to be clear, this isn't any sort of software, dumb
phone or white knuckle restriction.
This is a formula pulling from ancient scripture that's worked
for thousands of years to break all sorts of addiction.
And here's why this is important.
You see, lust is often quietly destroying marriages, dating
(00:21):
relationships, even the spiritual vitality of believers.
Lust promises freedom, but it delivers slavery.
It it looks harmless on the surface, it even looks alluring
and fun and friendly. But just a click leads to a
glance, then a moment, then a pattern.
But what starts as curiosity often becomes a cage, and
(00:45):
millions of us know exactly whatI'm talking about.
The question is, why does something that feels so
pleasureful and private leave usso powerless?
And more importantly, how do we actually get free?
But before we get into that, guys, my name is this is a topic
that's near and dear to my heart.
I grew up experiencing essay wasexposed to adult content very
(01:07):
early, sexually active early on all throughout my high school
years, and the allure of lust and adult content is something
that followed me way too deep into my adult years.
But the good news is there's hope.
The good news is there is freedom.
The good news is there is not just a possibility, but when
you're walking in the principlesof scripture that we're going to
(01:30):
discussed today, I'd say the probability to free yourself
from all of these patterns that we know are not good for us and
that's why this channel exists is to encourage, empower,
inspire people to live a life that blesses God.
So if you're new here, let me know.
I like peeking into the commentssection.
I'd love to say hello to you. But either way, if you enjoy
this video, if you find it helpful, make sure you hit that
(01:51):
like and subscribe button. We found out a huge percentage
of the regulars that watch this channel, unfortunately, are not
subscribed, and we're on the verge of reaching 800,000 Subs.
I'd love to celebrate that with you.
All right, let's jump into the video.
All right, so in this video, I'mgoing to cover these three
points that are massively going to help you not just overcome
lust, but really any addiction you may be dealing with #1.
We got to understand the root #2.
(02:12):
We got to learn how to kill sin,and #3 how to permanently defeat
this struggle once and for all. So let's start with point #1 War
inside. In Romans 7, Paul is writing the
church in Rome and he says that I do not understand what I do
for what I want to do. I do not do, but what I hate, I
(02:32):
do. Now some scholars say, oh, this
is Paul reminiscing about his past life.
But I don't think that's true. I think the reality is that
Christians, we still face this tension between new desires and
the new person that were createdin old patterns.
The idea that you may be wrestling with something,
struggling with something does not mean that you're not saved.
(02:55):
It means that the fight is real.And how do we know that the
fight is real? Is can you continue doing the
things you used to do before youknow Jesus without any of the
conviction now that you know Jesus, meaning that I believe
you know you're in Christ because you have the desires to
please Him and you also hate thethings you used to love.
(03:15):
Let me drive this point home even more.
Paul writes a church in Corinth and in that letter he is
pointing out that they're still dealing with sin and they're
still tolerating sin in their myths, meaning that.
And 1st Corinthians 3 he says that there's worldliness among
them. And 1st Corinthians 5 he says
that there is someone in the church even that is sleeping
(03:37):
with their stepmom. In First Corinthians 6, Paul
lays out all of the things that you shouldn't be doing and
practicing as a Christian. And then in First Corinthians 7,
he's telling them to not partakein temple prostitutes and all
the crazy wickedness that is happening in their city.
So it's clear that Corinth was achurch that was dealing with
sin, sin of epic proportions. Yet in the entire book, he
(03:59):
doesn't tell them that they're not saved for wrestling with.
He tells him that if you keep practicing this flippantly,
well, you are on a dark path now.
I think the deeper question is why do some of us stay stuck in
certain patterns and others seemto find breakthrough faster?
I think this is the core in terms of getting to the root of
these issues. This is what I'm saying.
(04:21):
In my life, I knew that because of some of the issues in my
childhood, specifically being exposed to adult media very
young, being essayed, dealing with losing my virginity at a
very early age, that this was a stronghold that set up decades
of habits and patterns that I didn't really understand were
habits and patterns until I became an adult and discovered
(04:43):
Jesus personally, but also discovered the functional,
healthy life that God wants me to live in.
Meaning is often times we're approaching this conversation by
just dealing with the fruit of our sins instead of going to the
root of why we are exhibiting certain sinful patterns in our
lives. Is it because of something that
happened to you when you were a kid?
Is it because you were S8? Is it because you were exposed
(05:05):
to something at a very early agewithout any oversight?
Why and how did you get here? I think we go to two extremes in
society. 1 extreme is we over pontificate everything and make
everything a mental health thingand the others we just stuff it
down and act like mental health isn't a reality.
That trauma isn't a reality. And the truth is we shouldn't
over hyper fixate on the issues for my childhood or the times
(05:28):
we've been sin against but we also shouldn't ignore them.
That hey man oftentimes the things that have happened to us,
the times we've been sinned against can have a lasting
effect in our day-to-day life. There may be also times where
perhaps nothing did happen to you, but you started dabbling in
some weird occult like tendencies, maybe playing Ouija
(05:49):
towards opening yourself up to the spirit realm in a way that
is forbidden in scripture. And maybe there is a spiritual
layer to which you're dabbling in that it's not just in the
physical, that perhaps there's something in the spiritual that
you need prayer for, you need deliverance prayer for.
So we can't go to 1 extreme or the other.
It's not just that, well, I'm a Sinner.
Yes, we're all sinners, but someof us exhibit sin in different
(06:11):
ways and some of us stay stuck in patterns longer than we need
to. And it's because we didn't
address the root of the issue. We never examined how did we
become this way, but here's the cool part Scripture and the
apostle Paul doesn't leave us stuck in the struggle.
He actually points to a way out.We see this in the very next
chapter, Romans 8, where Paul points out in verse one that
(06:33):
therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus, the law of the
Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and
death. Meaning that because we're in
Jesus, we don't have to stay condemned.
We don't have to stay in the cycle of shame.
That there is a pathway forward that Jesus died for our sins
(06:54):
past, present and future. And now through that death,
through that atoning work, through the gospel, there is a
pathway forward that just startswith a mindset shift.
I think so many of us have bought in the lie that hey, this
is who I'm always going to be. This is what I'm always going to
struggle with. And the truth is, no, you don't.
You don't have to stay stuck in that cycle.
Now here Paul gives us some practical wisdom in verse 13
(07:17):
where he says if you live according to the flesh, you will
die. But if by the Spirit you put to
death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
So here he is saying, hey, you got to put to death the misdeeds
of the body through the Spirit. So the reality is none of us
just drift out of sin magically.We either kill it or it kills
(07:41):
US. Jesus also drove home this point
in a bit of a hyperbolic sense, but I think it holds true for
many of us today. Matthew chapter 5 verse 180
says. But I tell you that anyone who
looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with
her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to
stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose onepart of your body than for your
whole body to be thrown into hell.
(08:02):
And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and
throw it away. It is better for you to lose one
part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Jesus is saying that there's consequences to our actions.
And then Jesus is also saying, hey, you have to wage war on
this right now. Again, I don't think Jesus is
literally telling us to pluck out our eyes and cut off our
hands. But what I think he is saying is
(08:23):
we need to be intentional on waging war on our sin because if
we don't kill our sin, our sin will kill us.
That may happen literally. I know folks that have dabbled
in sexually immoral behavior only to catch a disease that
they will never be able to get rid of.
So the the goal is to eliminate those patterns before they grow
(08:43):
deeper roots and bigger trees inour lives.
Now, how does that practically look?
Well, there's all sorts of ways that we can wage war on our sin.
For some of you, yeah, that might require like getting rid
of your smartphone for a while. For others of us, that may look
like deleting apps, using the screen time feature on your
iPhone to eliminate the amount of access you have to certain
(09:05):
social media apps. That may also look like setting
a passcode that only your friends or family members
numbers have. That will limit the amount of
access you have on apps like Safari, apps like Instagram,
TikTok, if you even need those apps to begin with.
Meaning that if you are like super engulfed in lust and
flaming with lust, maybe you should take a break from
(09:27):
Instagram and TikTok as a whole.Maybe you should delete those
apps completely. Or if you can manage them and
you've created a healthy experience for yourself by
primarily following Christian sources and hitting not
recommended when something is put before you that essential,
maybe you limit the amount of time you spend consuming it.
So for me, I have approximately 30 minutes a day on Instagram
(09:48):
and then the only other way I can access it is if I'm on a
laptop or browser or a way bigger device, right?
So I limit my time on social media.
You could also set this up in the screen time feature where
you completely don't even have access to it once that time
limit runs out. Another thing that I've been
doing lately is just kind of building a better relationship
with my phone is limiting my phone so that it's not lit up.
(10:10):
All saying I got this big old shiny brick that if I tap the
action button three times and myphone goes to grayscale, which
makes it less pleasing to my eyes to keep going back to my
phone. And so oddly enough, it actually
makes me more productive and spend less time on my phone.
So I think limiting our interactions with these devices
is huge because sometimes you'rejust on a device, not thinking
about it late at night, you're tired, you're hungry, something
(10:33):
stressful happened and you slideinto these sorts of things not
even initially intending to. So be intentional with how you
do. Now, the second way to do this
is being in communities and in groups where you have a way to
properly confess your sin and tobe held accountable to the
restrictions that you're puttingon yourself.
(10:54):
This may look like joining a small accountability group, but
basically being in a place whereyou get to practice confessing
of sin. Because here's the deal, the
more you can confess those sins before they're full on adult
content and less the better you're going to be at
eliminating these things. Things meaning you have someone
in your life that you can confess to the desires of lust
(11:15):
or confess to hey, I saw an attractive person out in public
and I looked longer than I should have and I thought a
lustful thought like having the space to confess that will often
eliminate you going deeper. You see someone in public,
they're attractive, then you go on Instagram and then before you
know it you completely binged and are completely checked out
(11:35):
and engulfed and controlled by your sin.
Now .1 and two I think are superduper helpful, but all of the
this is not going to get you fully free because you're really
just white knuckling it and you could only do that for so long.
So just stopping sin isn't enough.
You can uproot those weeds, but what happens if you don't plant
anything better? This is where we get into Romans
(11:55):
chapter 12 verse one and two, which I believe is the actual
blueprint on how to move forwardin this area.
Romans 12/1 and two says this. Therefore, I urge you, brothers
and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy and police, pleasing to God.
This is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern ofthis world, but be transformed
(12:18):
by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect
will. So yes, we need to understand
the root of our sin. Yes, we need to remove the sin,
pull the weeds out of our life. But if we don't do this next
step, which is to replace our sin with something better, we
will stay stuck and coming back to that same cycle.
(12:41):
And so in Romans 12, it says that we are to offer our bodies
as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.
And this is a true and proper worship, which by the way, those
are guys that are like, what does it mean to bless God?
That's what this means. That's where it comes from, the
idea of living a life that blesses God, meaning this is our
true and proper worship. To bless God means to praise
(13:02):
God. That's all that language means.
Do not conform to the pattern ofthis world, but be transformed
by the renewing of our mind. If we go to our Logos Trustee
Bible software we had studied, this will take us to the
original Greek, which actually the word we discover is
metamorpho, to be changed, be transformed.
This is where we get the root word of metamorphosis.
And so the Greek is telling us that to be transformed is to be
(13:26):
transfigured to be changed to besomething new than we were
before. The word metamorphosis is where
you see a butterfly becoming a butterfly after it's been a
Caterpillar. We see that same word used when
Jesus was transfigured in Matthew chapter 17 verse 12.
It says there he was transfigured before them.
(13:46):
His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as
like this is the mountain of transfiguration where Jesus
takes as close as disciples and they see a transfiguration that
happens. By the way, not sure if you guys
know this, but Logos is also offering every single one of you
guys a free 60 day trial to their software, which I use
every single day. I use it on my iPhone.
I use it on the desktop, sometimes the iPad.
(14:08):
And so if you don't have Logos, hit the link in the pin, get
your 63 day trial. There's all kinds of other perks
involved. OK, so let's get back to the law
of replacement. And so the frustrating part for
me is I think in Christian circles, we often just emphasize
the removal of sin, the removal of devices.
We do not emphasize enough the replacing of the vices with
(14:29):
better virtues. And those virtues are
foundationally sometimes talked about specifically.
Hey, read your Bible, get plugged into a local church,
serve, give, be in a community where you can confess your sins.
But I actually think it has to go deeper than that.
I don't think we just stopped there.
I think we got to go deeper and replace the unhelpful habits
with purpose and service. We have to replace isolation
(14:53):
with healthy community. We have to replace our
aimlessness and our apathy with godly ambition.
Let me be even more specific. What I'm going to say next is
probably going to offend some ofyou guys, especially those of
you guys that are so heavily minded you have have no earthly
good. Let me be even more specific.
Some of you just need to start going to bed earlier.
Some of you need to wake up earlier and get your butt to the
(15:15):
gym. Some of you need to go outside
and touch grass. Some of you need to develop some
useful skills where you can be abigger asset to your current
employer. Some of you may need a new job.
Some of you may need a bit more education.
It can't just all be, I'm removing sin, I know this is
bad. I'm removing sin, I know this is
bad, but what are you replacing it with?
(15:35):
How are you going deeper? How are you aiming for God's
purpose, His assignment, and Hiscalling for your life if you're
just purging out the weeds but not plants and gardens?
I'm going to speak to the young men here right now.
So many young men that I meet inreal life at different events I
do are just so defeated. They're so tired.
They they, they, they lack hope and then they wonder why they're
(15:58):
staying stuck. Your body is raging with
testosterone. You're going through hormonal
changes. You're designed to do more than
just doom scroll on Instagram orTikTok and hang out with your
buddies and play video games allday working a Joe job with no
direction. You have to go deeper than just
the surface level of this conversation.
(16:18):
You have to remove the sin and replace it with purpose,
assignment, calling, and virtue.This is why physical fitness is
important for so many of us. But you you refuse it because
you think it's going to make youmore vain.
You think if you're going to go workout, you're going to get too
buff and then you get too much attention from the ladies and
you're going to be too jacked. Let me tell you something.
There is a chasm of a differencebetween what you look like at
(16:40):
$1.40. Who's soaking wet and looking
like The Rock? Dwayne Johnson OK, there's a
chasm of a difference there. So many of us just need to start
moving our bodies, start puttingon some muscle, start channeling
that testosterone and those hormones to not just stay in the
cycle. Because you're naturally wired
as a young man to build something, to do something, to
(17:02):
work hard. You get dignity from that.
And fitness and health is honestly just a simple metaphor
that you can use to build the confidence that if you can
transform your body, you start thinking, I could, I could
transform anything. I could start becoming more
competent in my purpose. I can start becoming more
competent. And as an employer, I could
actually become a provider for family someday.
(17:24):
And that confidence compounds inthe same way that sin and vice
compounds confidence and virtue compounds when you do the things
that are hard because most people aren't willing to do the
things that are hard. And I get it.
We live in a rough time right now, man.
The deck may feel stacked against you.
The the wealth disparity is increasing.
Housing is getting crazier. Cost the living is getting
(17:46):
crazier. So here's the deal.
You're in a season of life rightnow where you have the optimal
window before you're married, before you have a career, before
you have kids, where you can optimize your life for the next
decade. Don't squander this season.
Don't squander it. Don't waste it because you just
are stuck and and can't find anybreakthrough.
Start taking a step right now bygetting to the root of your
(18:09):
issue, by creating some parameters to remove the
temptation, and by replacing it with something better.
In the book Power of Habits, they describe this as a keystone
habit or a cornerstone habit. Oddly enough, the scriptures
actually refer to Jesus as the cornerstone as well.
And so for me, I had to discoverwhat that one cornerstone habit
(18:30):
was for me when I was dealing with this stuff.
What did I look like? Well, I was a musician at the
time and I was staying up late working on music until 2345 in
the morning sometimes. So the practical way that I was
able to change something, as I said, you know what, I'm going
to start waking up earlier because if I wake up earlier,
I'm going to be tired and not going to bed late.
And if I wake up earlier, I'm going to be more likely to read
(18:51):
my Bible, more likely to get exercise, more likely to start
my day productively and aiming towards Jesus, then letting it
just fall apart based on what mywhims are and my lack of
willpower. So just to fully circle back,
lust looks like freedom, but we all know it enslaves.
And at this point many of us know the true freedom is not
found in cliques or secret moments, but in Christ.
(19:14):
So don't just tear down the shrines of lust.
No, build altars of purpose. That's where real freedom is.
And and honestly, I'm tired of seeing this issue run ravaged on
so many men. And This is why I wrote my very
first book, Godly Ambition. I know, I know.
Shameless plug. Ruslan's trying to sell us a
book. Yeah, I am.
(19:34):
Because I've traveled enough andI've talked to enough of you to
know that so many of you are staying stuck because you don't
have a framework on how to buildthe life that you know Jesus
wants you to walk in. And I'm not talking about just
material success. I'm talking about a piece, I'm
talking about a joy, I'm talkingabout a fruit of the Spirit
that's only found in living out God's ways.
(19:56):
And so godly ambition gives you the framework on how to walk out
the law of replacement long term.
Because so many people, they tear down their idols, but they
never replace them with purpose.And so in the first few
chapters, I walk you through identity calling, why godly
ambition, the law of replacement.
And if you pre-order it right now, it doesn't come out till
September 9th, but those who pre-ordered will get bonus
(20:18):
content. You'll get the 1st 4 chapters in
ebook. You'll get the 1st 4 chapters of
audio and video of me sitting onthis set reading it to you,
giving you some of the back story.
You'll get an exclusive podcast with me and Jonathan precluded.
You'll get 25% off to the Blessed God shop and you'll get
a Discover your Ambition and Calling worksheet that you could
do right on the spot. So hit the link in the pin
(20:40):
comment below, pick it up at your favorite retailer and go to
mygodlyambition.com to redeem those perks.
Alright, I'll see you over there.
The simple but not easy formula to kill and overcome lust.
Now that's to be clear, this isn't any sort of software, dumb
phone or white knuckle restriction.
This is a formula pulling from ancient scripture that's worked
for thousands of years to break all sorts of addiction.
And here's why this is important.
You see, lust is often quietly destroying marriages, dating
(00:21):
relationships, even the spiritual vitality of believers.
Lust promises freedom, but it delivers slavery.
It it looks harmless on the surface, it even looks alluring
and fun and friendly. But just a click leads to a
glance, then a moment, then a pattern.
But what starts as curiosity often becomes a cage, and
(00:45):
millions of us know exactly whatI'm talking about.
The question is, why does something that feels so
pleasureful and private leave usso powerless?
And more importantly, how do we actually get free?
But before we get into that, guys, my name is this is a topic
that's near and dear to my heart.
I grew up experiencing essay wasexposed to adult content very
(01:07):
early, sexually active early on all throughout my high school
years, and the allure of lust and adult content is something
that followed me way too deep into my adult years.
But the good news is there's hope.
The good news is there is freedom.
The good news is there is not just a possibility, but when
you're walking in the principlesof scripture that we're going to
(01:30):
discussed today, I'd say the probability to free yourself
from all of these patterns that we know are not good for us and
that's why this channel exists is to encourage, empower,
inspire people to live a life that blesses God.
So if you're new here, let me know.
I like peeking into the commentssection.
I'd love to say hello to you. But either way, if you enjoy
this video, if you find it helpful, make sure you hit that
(01:51):
like and subscribe button. We found out a huge percentage
of the regulars that watch this channel, unfortunately, are not
subscribed, and we're on the verge of reaching 800,000 Subs.
I'd love to celebrate that with you.
All right, let's jump into the video.
All right, so in this video, I'mgoing to cover these three
points that are massively going to help you not just overcome
lust, but really any addiction you may be dealing with #1.
We got to understand the root #2.
(02:12):
We got to learn how to kill sin,and #3 how to permanently defeat
this struggle once and for all. So let's start with point #1 War
inside. In Romans 7, Paul is writing the
church in Rome and he says that I do not understand what I do
for what I want to do. I do not do, but what I hate, I
(02:32):
do. Now some scholars say, oh, this
is Paul reminiscing about his past life.
But I don't think that's true. I think the reality is that
Christians, we still face this tension between new desires and
the new person that were createdin old patterns.
The idea that you may be wrestling with something,
struggling with something does not mean that you're not saved.
(02:55):
It means that the fight is real.And how do we know that the
fight is real? Is can you continue doing the
things you used to do before youknow Jesus without any of the
conviction now that you know Jesus, meaning that I believe
you know you're in Christ because you have the desires to
please Him and you also hate thethings you used to love.
(03:15):
Let me drive this point home even more.
Paul writes a church in Corinth and in that letter he is
pointing out that they're still dealing with sin and they're
still tolerating sin in their myths, meaning that.
And 1st Corinthians 3 he says that there's worldliness among
them. And 1st Corinthians 5 he says
that there is someone in the church even that is sleeping
(03:37):
with their stepmom. In First Corinthians 6, Paul
lays out all of the things that you shouldn't be doing and
practicing as a Christian. And then in First Corinthians 7,
he's telling them to not partakein temple prostitutes and all
the crazy wickedness that is happening in their city.
So it's clear that Corinth was achurch that was dealing with
sin, sin of epic proportions. Yet in the entire book, he
(03:59):
doesn't tell them that they're not saved for wrestling with.
He tells him that if you keep practicing this flippantly,
well, you are on a dark path now.
I think the deeper question is why do some of us stay stuck in
certain patterns and others seemto find breakthrough faster?
I think this is the core in terms of getting to the root of
these issues. This is what I'm saying.
(04:21):
In my life, I knew that because of some of the issues in my
childhood, specifically being exposed to adult media very
young, being essayed, dealing with losing my virginity at a
very early age, that this was a stronghold that set up decades
of habits and patterns that I didn't really understand were
habits and patterns until I became an adult and discovered
(04:43):
Jesus personally, but also discovered the functional,
healthy life that God wants me to live in.
Meaning is often times we're approaching this conversation by
just dealing with the fruit of our sins instead of going to the
root of why we are exhibiting certain sinful patterns in our
lives. Is it because of something that
happened to you when you were a kid?
Is it because you were S8? Is it because you were exposed
(05:05):
to something at a very early agewithout any oversight?
Why and how did you get here? I think we go to two extremes in
society. 1 extreme is we over pontificate everything and make
everything a mental health thingand the others we just stuff it
down and act like mental health isn't a reality.
That trauma isn't a reality. And the truth is we shouldn't
over hyper fixate on the issues for my childhood or the times
(05:28):
we've been sin against but we also shouldn't ignore them.
That hey man oftentimes the things that have happened to us,
the times we've been sinned against can have a lasting
effect in our day-to-day life. There may be also times where
perhaps nothing did happen to you, but you started dabbling in
some weird occult like tendencies, maybe playing Ouija
(05:49):
towards opening yourself up to the spirit realm in a way that
is forbidden in scripture. And maybe there is a spiritual
layer to which you're dabbling in that it's not just in the
physical, that perhaps there's something in the spiritual that
you need prayer for, you need deliverance prayer for.
So we can't go to 1 extreme or the other.
It's not just that, well, I'm a Sinner.
Yes, we're all sinners, but someof us exhibit sin in different
(06:11):
ways and some of us stay stuck in patterns longer than we need
to. And it's because we didn't
address the root of the issue. We never examined how did we
become this way, but here's the cool part Scripture and the
apostle Paul doesn't leave us stuck in the struggle.
He actually points to a way out.We see this in the very next
chapter, Romans 8, where Paul points out in verse one that
(06:33):
therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus, the law of the
Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and
death. Meaning that because we're in
Jesus, we don't have to stay condemned.
We don't have to stay in the cycle of shame.
That there is a pathway forward that Jesus died for our sins
(06:54):
past, present and future. And now through that death,
through that atoning work, through the gospel, there is a
pathway forward that just startswith a mindset shift.
I think so many of us have bought in the lie that hey, this
is who I'm always going to be. This is what I'm always going to
struggle with. And the truth is, no, you don't.
You don't have to stay stuck in that cycle.
Now here Paul gives us some practical wisdom in verse 13
(07:17):
where he says if you live according to the flesh, you will
die. But if by the Spirit you put to
death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
So here he is saying, hey, you got to put to death the misdeeds
of the body through the Spirit. So the reality is none of us
just drift out of sin magically.We either kill it or it kills
(07:41):
US. Jesus also drove home this point
in a bit of a hyperbolic sense, but I think it holds true for
many of us today. Matthew chapter 5 verse 180
says. But I tell you that anyone who
looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with
her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to
stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose onepart of your body than for your
whole body to be thrown into hell.
(08:02):
And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and
throw it away. It is better for you to lose one
part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Jesus is saying that there's consequences to our actions.
And then Jesus is also saying, hey, you have to wage war on
this right now. Again, I don't think Jesus is
literally telling us to pluck out our eyes and cut off our
hands. But what I think he is saying is
(08:23):
we need to be intentional on waging war on our sin because if
we don't kill our sin, our sin will kill us.
That may happen literally. I know folks that have dabbled
in sexually immoral behavior only to catch a disease that
they will never be able to get rid of.
So the the goal is to eliminate those patterns before they grow
(08:43):
deeper roots and bigger trees inour lives.
Now, how does that practically look?
Well, there's all sorts of ways that we can wage war on our sin.
For some of you, yeah, that might require like getting rid
of your smartphone for a while. For others of us, that may look
like deleting apps, using the screen time feature on your
iPhone to eliminate the amount of access you have to certain
(09:05):
social media apps. That may also look like setting
a passcode that only your friends or family members
numbers have. That will limit the amount of
access you have on apps like Safari, apps like Instagram,
TikTok, if you even need those apps to begin with.
Meaning that if you are like super engulfed in lust and
flaming with lust, maybe you should take a break from
(09:27):
Instagram and TikTok as a whole.Maybe you should delete those
apps completely. Or if you can manage them and
you've created a healthy experience for yourself by
primarily following Christian sources and hitting not
recommended when something is put before you that essential,
maybe you limit the amount of time you spend consuming it.
So for me, I have approximately 30 minutes a day on Instagram
(09:48):
and then the only other way I can access it is if I'm on a
laptop or browser or a way bigger device, right?
So I limit my time on social media.
You could also set this up in the screen time feature where
you completely don't even have access to it once that time
limit runs out. Another thing that I've been
doing lately is just kind of building a better relationship
with my phone is limiting my phone so that it's not lit up.
(10:10):
All saying I got this big old shiny brick that if I tap the
action button three times and myphone goes to grayscale, which
makes it less pleasing to my eyes to keep going back to my
phone. And so oddly enough, it actually
makes me more productive and spend less time on my phone.
So I think limiting our interactions with these devices
is huge because sometimes you'rejust on a device, not thinking
about it late at night, you're tired, you're hungry, something
(10:33):
stressful happened and you slideinto these sorts of things not
even initially intending to. So be intentional with how you
do. Now, the second way to do this
is being in communities and in groups where you have a way to
properly confess your sin and tobe held accountable to the
restrictions that you're puttingon yourself.
(10:54):
This may look like joining a small accountability group, but
basically being in a place whereyou get to practice confessing
of sin. Because here's the deal, the
more you can confess those sins before they're full on adult
content and less the better you're going to be at
eliminating these things. Things meaning you have someone
in your life that you can confess to the desires of lust
(11:15):
or confess to hey, I saw an attractive person out in public
and I looked longer than I should have and I thought a
lustful thought like having the space to confess that will often
eliminate you going deeper. You see someone in public,
they're attractive, then you go on Instagram and then before you
know it you completely binged and are completely checked out
(11:35):
and engulfed and controlled by your sin.
Now .1 and two I think are superduper helpful, but all of the
this is not going to get you fully free because you're really
just white knuckling it and you could only do that for so long.
So just stopping sin isn't enough.
You can uproot those weeds, but what happens if you don't plant
anything better? This is where we get into Romans
(11:55):
chapter 12 verse one and two, which I believe is the actual
blueprint on how to move forwardin this area.
Romans 12/1 and two says this. Therefore, I urge you, brothers
and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy and police, pleasing to God.
This is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern ofthis world, but be transformed
(12:18):
by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect
will. So yes, we need to understand
the root of our sin. Yes, we need to remove the sin,
pull the weeds out of our life. But if we don't do this next
step, which is to replace our sin with something better, we
will stay stuck and coming back to that same cycle.
(12:41):
And so in Romans 12, it says that we are to offer our bodies
as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.
And this is a true and proper worship, which by the way, those
are guys that are like, what does it mean to bless God?
That's what this means. That's where it comes from, the
idea of living a life that blesses God, meaning this is our
true and proper worship. To bless God means to praise
(13:02):
God. That's all that language means.
Do not conform to the pattern ofthis world, but be transformed
by the renewing of our mind. If we go to our Logos Trustee
Bible software we had studied, this will take us to the
original Greek, which actually the word we discover is
metamorpho, to be changed, be transformed.
This is where we get the root word of metamorphosis.
And so the Greek is telling us that to be transformed is to be
(13:26):
transfigured to be changed to besomething new than we were
before. The word metamorphosis is where
you see a butterfly becoming a butterfly after it's been a
Caterpillar. We see that same word used when
Jesus was transfigured in Matthew chapter 17 verse 12.
It says there he was transfigured before them.
(13:46):
His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as
like this is the mountain of transfiguration where Jesus
takes as close as disciples and they see a transfiguration that
happens. By the way, not sure if you guys
know this, but Logos is also offering every single one of you
guys a free 60 day trial to their software, which I use
every single day. I use it on my iPhone.
I use it on the desktop, sometimes the iPad.
(14:08):
And so if you don't have Logos, hit the link in the pin, get
your 63 day trial. There's all kinds of other perks
involved. OK, so let's get back to the law
of replacement. And so the frustrating part for
me is I think in Christian circles, we often just emphasize
the removal of sin, the removal of devices.
We do not emphasize enough the replacing of the vices with
(14:29):
better virtues. And those virtues are
foundationally sometimes talked about specifically.
Hey, read your Bible, get plugged into a local church,
serve, give, be in a community where you can confess your sins.
But I actually think it has to go deeper than that.
I don't think we just stopped there.
I think we got to go deeper and replace the unhelpful habits
with purpose and service. We have to replace isolation
(14:53):
with healthy community. We have to replace our
aimlessness and our apathy with godly ambition.
Let me be even more specific. What I'm going to say next is
probably going to offend some ofyou guys, especially those of
you guys that are so heavily minded you have have no earthly
good. Let me be even more specific.
Some of you just need to start going to bed earlier.
Some of you need to wake up earlier and get your butt to the
(15:15):
gym. Some of you need to go outside
and touch grass. Some of you need to develop some
useful skills where you can be abigger asset to your current
employer. Some of you may need a new job.
Some of you may need a bit more education.
It can't just all be, I'm removing sin, I know this is
bad. I'm removing sin, I know this is
bad, but what are you replacing it with?
(15:35):
How are you going deeper? How are you aiming for God's
purpose, His assignment, and Hiscalling for your life if you're
just purging out the weeds but not plants and gardens?
I'm going to speak to the young men here right now.
So many young men that I meet inreal life at different events I
do are just so defeated. They're so tired.
They they, they, they lack hope and then they wonder why they're
(15:58):
staying stuck. Your body is raging with
testosterone. You're going through hormonal
changes. You're designed to do more than
just doom scroll on Instagram orTikTok and hang out with your
buddies and play video games allday working a Joe job with no
direction. You have to go deeper than just
the surface level of this conversation.
(16:18):
You have to remove the sin and replace it with purpose,
assignment, calling, and virtue.This is why physical fitness is
important for so many of us. But you you refuse it because
you think it's going to make youmore vain.
You think if you're going to go workout, you're going to get too
buff and then you get too much attention from the ladies and
you're going to be too jacked. Let me tell you something.
There is a chasm of a differencebetween what you look like at
(16:40):
$1.40. Who's soaking wet and looking
like The Rock? Dwayne Johnson OK, there's a
chasm of a difference there. So many of us just need to start
moving our bodies, start puttingon some muscle, start channeling
that testosterone and those hormones to not just stay in the
cycle. Because you're naturally wired
as a young man to build something, to do something, to
(17:02):
work hard. You get dignity from that.
And fitness and health is honestly just a simple metaphor
that you can use to build the confidence that if you can
transform your body, you start thinking, I could, I could
transform anything. I could start becoming more
competent in my purpose. I can start becoming more
competent. And as an employer, I could
actually become a provider for family someday.
(17:24):
And that confidence compounds inthe same way that sin and vice
compounds confidence and virtue compounds when you do the things
that are hard because most people aren't willing to do the
things that are hard. And I get it.
We live in a rough time right now, man.
The deck may feel stacked against you.
The the wealth disparity is increasing.
Housing is getting crazier. Cost the living is getting
(17:46):
crazier. So here's the deal.
You're in a season of life rightnow where you have the optimal
window before you're married, before you have a career, before
you have kids, where you can optimize your life for the next
decade. Don't squander this season.
Don't squander it. Don't waste it because you just
are stuck and and can't find anybreakthrough.
Start taking a step right now bygetting to the root of your
(18:09):
issue, by creating some parameters to remove the
temptation, and by replacing it with something better.
In the book Power of Habits, they describe this as a keystone
habit or a cornerstone habit. Oddly enough, the scriptures
actually refer to Jesus as the cornerstone as well.
And so for me, I had to discoverwhat that one cornerstone habit
(18:30):
was for me when I was dealing with this stuff.
What did I look like? Well, I was a musician at the
time and I was staying up late working on music until 2345 in
the morning sometimes. So the practical way that I was
able to change something, as I said, you know what, I'm going
to start waking up earlier because if I wake up earlier,
I'm going to be tired and not going to bed late.
And if I wake up earlier, I'm going to be more likely to read
(18:51):
my Bible, more likely to get exercise, more likely to start
my day productively and aiming towards Jesus, then letting it
just fall apart based on what mywhims are and my lack of
willpower. So just to fully circle back,
lust looks like freedom, but we all know it enslaves.
And at this point many of us know the true freedom is not
found in cliques or secret moments, but in Christ.
(19:14):
So don't just tear down the shrines of lust.
No, build altars of purpose. That's where real freedom is.
And and honestly, I'm tired of seeing this issue run ravaged on
so many men. And This is why I wrote my very
first book, Godly Ambition. I know, I know.
Shameless plug. Ruslan's trying to sell us a
book. Yeah, I am.
(19:34):
Because I've traveled enough andI've talked to enough of you to
know that so many of you are staying stuck because you don't
have a framework on how to buildthe life that you know Jesus
wants you to walk in. And I'm not talking about just
material success. I'm talking about a piece, I'm
talking about a joy, I'm talkingabout a fruit of the Spirit
that's only found in living out God's ways.
(19:56):
And so godly ambition gives you the framework on how to walk out
the law of replacement long term.
Because so many people, they tear down their idols, but they
never replace them with purpose.And so in the first few
chapters, I walk you through identity calling, why godly
ambition, the law of replacement.
And if you pre-order it right now, it doesn't come out till
September 9th, but those who pre-ordered will get bonus
(20:18):
content. You'll get the 1st 4 chapters in
ebook. You'll get the 1st 4 chapters of
audio and video of me sitting onthis set reading it to you,
giving you some of the back story.
You'll get an exclusive podcast with me and Jonathan precluded.
You'll get 25% off to the Blessed God shop and you'll get
a Discover your Ambition and Calling worksheet that you could
do right on the spot. So hit the link in the pin
(20:40):
comment below, pick it up at your favorite retailer and go to
mygodlyambition.com to redeem those perks.
Alright, I'll see you over there.
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