Whatever It Takes
The question was simple and direct, and it exposed my excessive rambling — which had been going on for the last 15 minutes — as pointless.
“Are you willing to do whatever it takes?”
My counselor was staring at me with a seriousness i had not experienced in my four years’ worth of visits with him. We talked about serious things, of course, but his demeanor was often more that of a kindly uncle than that of a stern father.
His stare was clearly locked on me.
“Are you willing to do whatever it takes?”
This time he said it with what would best be called a slight anger. i had been living a double life as a porn addict and i even lied to him about it. Him, a trained counselor who specialized in dealing with sexual addiction. Now, it was all coming out.
His question became a guiding theme for me in the early years of my journey out of addiction. i needed to be willing to do whatever it took to pursue freedom.
This is really what Jesus was getting to with His whole “if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you” section of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:27-29 [NASB]) . He used drastic language to arrest His audience and make the point that when dealing with sin, half measures will not do.
Until a man can say with honesty and a commitment to follow through: “i will do whatever it takes,” real change will remain elusive.
The hope of real change, and a commitment to a life of real freedom undergird the stories of men who have left a lifestyle of compulsive sexual behavior.
However, many times we give up of the hope of real change. Partly it’s because we try things — sometimes lots of things — and they don’t work. Partly it’s because finding the resources we need, the firepower — if you will — needed in this battle is difficult.
So then, here’s some real firepower: The Surfing for God Intensive. It’s worth every effort to attend.
Will it cost you? Yes. However, what you get from the intensive will far outweigh any cost you pay. Is there any way to put a price tag on the treasure that is your life? How do you calculate that value of getting your life back from bondage to sexual addiction?
The last one sold out. Let’s do whatever it takes.
Intentional Warriors 
2 Responses to “Whatever It Takes”
Thanks for posting such an honest blog! Self-control isn’t about what we say “no” to, it’s what we say “yes” to. Saying “yes” to Jesus and laying it all down for him makes the sacrifice sweet rather than painful.
All the best,
Myu @ The Steadfast Family
Thanks for reading. Sorry i have been so delayed in responding. When we speak honestly about our shame, it allows us to receive true and deep healing. Without taking the risk inherent in transparency, we can never know real freedom because we are still clinging to self righteousness, which is false. Admitting our brokenness paves the way for our redemption, and then we truly live in the abundance Jesus promised. thanks so much for reading. God bless you.