Porn & Masturbation: Harmless Habit or Spiritual Stronghold?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Porn & Masturbation: Harmless Habit or Spiritual Stronghold?"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt
• Host: Madison Prewett Troutt
• Episode: Porn & Masturbation: Harmless Habit or Spiritual Stronghold?
• Release Date: June 23, 2025

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Introduction to the Topic

In this powerful solo episode, host Madison Prewett Troutt delves deep into the sensitive and often stigmatized subjects of pornography and masturbation. She sets the stage by acknowledging the difficulty of discussing such personal struggles, even within the faith community, and emphasizes the universal applicability of the conversation, regardless of one's relationship status or gender.

Notable Quote:

"This is a topic that can be hard to talk about, even for me... it's a topic that has been a heavy topic for me throughout my life."
[00:40]

Personal Testimony

Madison candidly shares her long-term struggle with sexual sin, beginning in middle school. She recounts how early exposure to inappropriate content led her into a cycle of temptation, shame, and secrecy. Madison highlights the internal conflict between her love for Jesus and her inability to break free from these habits, emphasizing the emotional and spiritual toll it took on her.

Notable Quote:

"Since middle school, and thankfully, by the grace of God and by the power of godly community and people around me, I have been free from porn and masturbation for, I don't even know, 10 years."
[09:00]

Theological Perspective on Purity

Madison explores the biblical foundation for purity, arguing that it's not merely about abstaining from physical acts but about maintaining a pure heart. She underscores that God values the condition of one's heart over external actions, referencing scriptures to illustrate that purity is integral to one's identity and relationship with God.

Notable Quote:

"God cares about the purity of our heart. It's not about just sex. It's anytime you orgasm, it's anytime you get worked up, it's anytime you lust."
[11:30]

Confession and Repentance

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the importance of confession and repentance in overcoming sexual sin. Madison emphasizes that acknowledging one's struggles and seeking forgiveness are crucial steps toward liberation. She shares her personal journey of moving from secret shame to open confession, illustrating how vulnerability and honesty can lead to spiritual freedom.

Notable Quote:

"Confession was what led to my freedom from sexual sin. Confession led to freedom from sexual sin."
[35:15]

Practical Steps for Overcoming Sexual Sin

Madison provides actionable advice for listeners battling similar struggles. She outlines steps such as identifying personal triggers, setting clear boundaries, and actively pursuing holiness. Madison stresses the necessity of both divine assistance and community support in maintaining purity.

Notable Quote:

"Identify your triggers and then cut them off. What are your temptation triggers? Cut off whatever triggers the temptation for you."
[60:45]

The Role of Community and Accountability

Highlighting the significance of surrounding oneself with supportive and accountable peers, Madison discusses how community plays a vital role in sustaining a life of purity. She shares experiences of how sharing her struggles with trusted friends provided the necessary support and accountability to stay committed to her values.

Notable Quote:

"It takes both the spirit of God and the people of God to experience the freedom of God."
[50:30]

Promotion of "Dare to Be True"

Madison introduces her upcoming book, "Dare to Be True," which expands on the themes discussed in the episode. She explains that the book offers deeper insights and practical guidance on escaping the entanglements of sin and embracing a life of truth and freedom through Jesus.

Notable Quote:

"This book is all about tackling the lies that often entangle us and bind us and finding the truth that sets us free."
[19:48]

Conclusion and Encouragement

Wrapping up the episode, Madison offers a heartfelt prayer for listeners struggling with sexual sin. She reinforces the message that no one is too far gone to seek redemption and that with God's help and the support of a loving community, true freedom is attainable. Madison encourages listeners to take immediate action in their journey toward purity and assures them of God's unconditional love and grace.

Notable Quote:

"Purity is possible. Holiness is possible. If I was able to break free, you can break free. It can be your story."
[75:50]

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Key Takeaways:

• Acknowledgment of Struggle: Recognizing and admitting one's battle with sexual sin is the first critical step toward healing.
• Heart-Centered Purity: Authentic purity stems from the heart and aligns with God's desire for a holy and honorable life.
• Importance of Confession: Openly confessing struggles to God and trusted individuals fosters accountability and support.
• Practical Boundaries: Identifying and eliminating triggers is essential in preventing relapse into sinful habits.
• Community Support: Building a network of supportive believers provides strength and encouragement in maintaining purity.
• Divine Assistance: Ultimately, overcoming sin is a collaborative effort between personal will, community support, and divine intervention.
• Encouragement and Hope: No matter the depth of one's struggle, hope and freedom are attainable through faith and commitment.

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Final Thoughts: Madison Prewett Troutt's episode on pornography and masturbation is a raw and honest exploration of personal struggle, spiritual warfare, and the journey toward purity. Her blend of personal testimony, theological insight, and practical advice offers a comprehensive guide for listeners seeking to overcome similar challenges. By fostering an environment of honesty and support, Madison empowers her audience to "stay true" to their values and embrace the freedom that comes from a pure heart.

Transcript

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

The global phenomenon, the Chosen, the series that has captured audiences around the world has arrived. I have to take a second to talk about Grant and I's favorite TV show, the Chosen. We've been obsessed with the Chosen since season one. And I just have to tell you guys about it because if you haven't seen it, you have to watch it. Every single time. Grant, I watch an episode, we walk away moved, we feel closer to Jesus. It brings to life the scriptures that we've read and. And we just want to come back for more. And now season five is here. And you guys, it is so powerful. This season brings us into the final hours of Jesus's life, starting with the Last Supper. Every moment, every miracle, every hard conversation, it's all been building up to this. I'm telling you guys, I cry every single time. It is one of the most powerful portrayals of the gospel I've ever seen on tv. So whether you've been following Jesus your whole life or you're curious about who Jesus is, I'm telling you guys, this show is for you. The end is just the beginning of this epic, incredible true story. Don't miss the exciting new season, the Chosen Last Supper. Now streaming season five on Prime Video.

[Grant Trout]

When the Moore family ditched cable Internet and switched to Siddly Fiber, they got so much more. Mr. Moore got more upload speed for next level gaming and live streaming to the masses. With reliable service, Mrs. Moore is no longer her family's IT guru, leaving her more time to stream games into overtime.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Let's go.

[Grant Trout]

And young Mason Moore got more done quickly uploading HD product demos and video conferencing. Without freesafe, the numbers look good.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Brad, you're on mute.

[Grant Trout]

Switch from cable Internet to Ziply Fiber and get more of what you love. For $65 less per month than cable@ziply.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Fiverr.Com we are going to be talking about porn and masturbation. Dun dun dun. This has been a struggle for me. This has been a huge part of my testimony. Something I've struggled with since. Since middle school. If sexual sin has been a struggle for you, the first thing that you need to do is you need to repent and confess to God. You mean I'm not the only one? You mean that this is actually something other girls struggle with too? I couldn't believe it. It's not about just sex. It's anytime you orgasm. It's anytime you get worked up. It's anytime you lust. Any time I gave into sexual sin, it never ever, ever gave me what I was looking for. But every single time, I resisted sexual sin, and I pursued with all of my heart, it always delivered everything my heart desired. Sin is sin, and the enemy is crafty, and he wants to destroy your life, and so he will use whatever he has to to take your soul. So many of us are stuck in sexual sin because we're dealing with the fruit and not the root. He's not keeping you from pleasure. He is protecting you from the things that want to rob you of the life that he died to give you. What's up, guys? Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I'm your host, Madison Pruitt Trout, and we are back for a solo episode. It's been a minute, so it was about time. And I'm so excited, honestly, for a solo episode. And what we're talking about today. I'm actually a little nervous because this is a topic that can be hard to talk about, even for me. It's. It's a topic that is, I think, shied away from for a lot of people, even in the church, and really just all over. And so I'm excited. I'm nervous all the things. And I believe that this is also a topic that whether you are single, dating, married, like, no matter what phase of life you're in, or if you are a woman or a man, it does not matter who you are, where you are, where you come from. Like you. This is a topic that is applicable to you, and it's a topic that has been a heavy topic for me throughout my life. And so I'm excited to kind of just get to share some more of my story, even in today's podcast. But, you know, let's start with some updates because let's just. Let's flow into this. First of all, I love being a mom, you guys. Okay? I love it so much. I literally was talking about. I used to laugh kind of at the people that when they talked about their kids, they, like, cried and got emotional. I am now that person, and I am fully the person that is showing everyone they see pictures of their daughter. That's where I've. I've hit that. My Instagram page is now a Hosanna fan page. I've realized this is just where we're at, and I love it for me, because she's truly, like, the greatest gift. And honestly, I got so convicted this week. I was sitting with the Lord, and. Or, no, I wasn't sitting with the Lord. I was sitting with Hosanna. And I was staring at Hosanna. And I just was having the best time, and I was, like, looking at her and got lost just in time with her. I, like, hours passed by and I looked at the clock and I was like, wow, how's it already been? 2 hours? And then I looked at Hosanna and I was like, mommy could just stare at you all day long. I could literally just spend all day with you and not move from this spot. And it just convicted me because I was like, how often do I view my relationship with the Lord like that? And the sad reality is not often enough. Like, it's very rare that I can sit in the presence of the Lord for hours, lose track of time, get lost with him and gaze upon his beauty and not think about all the things that I need to do, not think about what I got going on and what I need to get and how I need to and just, like, sit with him and genuinely be so moved by his beauty and by his presence and just lose, lose track of time. Like, when was the last time that was your reality? Because it was convicting for me. I'm like, I need to make that a reality in my life to where I can spend time with Jesus, and I am not thinking about anything else other than Him. Like, I get lost in his presence. I marvel at his presence. I'm moved by his presence. And it is just. I had to share that with you guys because that's just something that has been convicting for me this week. And I just love being a mom. It really is the greatest gift. We're starting to get a little bit more sleep, and so we're thankful for that. You know, every day's hit or miss. I never know what I'm gonna get. Some nights, sister sleeps through the night. Other nights, sister wakes up three or four times. So we're figuring it out, but I am thankful. I'm starting to get a little bit more sleep. I'm like, oh, I actually can remember things now. Everyone laughed about mom brain. It is a real thing. For those of you who don't have kids, I didn't know what that was. And now I have a child, and I'm like, I know exactly what that is. Remembering things is hard. And so if I just have a little. I don't really like the word fart, but if I have a brain fart in the middle of this episode, that is. That's mom brain. And you can think that. But anyways, today, guys, we are going to be talking about porn and masturbation. It sounds so intense. It's Honestly, even like, it's like, oh, the P word. Oh. Oh, no, guys, this is something that is needed to be talked about. And even it. I want to go ahead and say this at the beginning because some of you listening might be like, oh, I don't watch porn, so maybe this doesn't apply to me. Some of you guys struggle not with porn, but you struggle with fantasies. You struggle with movies, you struggle with music, you struggle with steamy romance novels. You struggle with, you know, same sex attraction. You struggle with, you know, going too far with your. Your person you're dating, your boyfriend, or if you're a guy listening to this, your girlfriend, you know, so wherever you fall into that category, the main thing we're going to be covering is sexual sin focused on porn and masturbation. And we're going to tie in. Why purity matters to God, why holiness matters to God, why that's a call for the children of God. Because I think so often we're like, why? It's not that big of a deal. Like, it's really not that big of a deal. Or, I'm doing this, but at least I'm not doing this. Like, we weigh some sins as heavier than others. When God cares so much more about our heart than what we're doing on the or what our outside, you know, sins might be. He cares about the posture of our heart. And so if our heart is corrupt, it's going to lead to a life of corruption. It's going to lead to us making decisions that are not honoring to him. And so we're going to get to the root of it in this podcast. And I just want to first start by saying this is not wherever you're at in your journey with Jesus, and wherever you're at pertaining to this topic, I want you to know that everyone is welcome. And there is no room for shame here. There is no room for shame here. It says in Romans 8:1. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you are a believer, condemnation does not mark your life, it cannot mark your life. And if you are a believer, neither can sin. We are not called to be slaves to sin. We are no longer mastered by our flesh. If we are children of God, we are led by the Spirit. Spirit of God. And so this is to highlight the seriousness of sin. This is to bring a weight to the way that we live our life into how we view our bodies, how we view the opposite sex, how we view our alone time, how we view purity and holiness and all of it is what we're going to cover in this conversation. And I also want to start by saying I will be the first person to raise my hand and say, this has been a struggle for me. This has been a huge part of my testimony, Something I've struggled with since middle school. Since middle school, and thankfully, by the grace of God and by the power of godly community and people around me, I have been free from porn and masturbation for, I don't even know, 10 years. But that was something that enslaved me and marked me for so long. That was something I felt like I could not break free from. No matter how much I love Jesus, I could not shake that sin. I could not break free from porn and masturbation. That was something that was so hard for me for so long. And I would beat myself up and I would be bound by shame because I knew I loved Jesus and I wanted to live a life for Jesus, But I didn't know how to get unstuck. I didn't know how to break free from that sin. And so I want to share a little bit of my story with you guys. And then I really want to end with some practicals of how I was able to break free from sin and how I believe God wants you to break free from sin and how you can break free from this addiction that seeks to literally destroy your life. Because that's what Satan does. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy John 10:10. And Jesus says, but I have come to give you life and life to the fullest. And so everything that is of this world, everything that is not of God or from God, will destroy your life. It'll destroy your peace. It'll destroy your purpose. It'll destroy your relationships. And that is exactly what I saw. Every time I gave into sexual sin. Every time I gave into sexual sin, I was robbed of confidence. I questioned my worth and my identity. Every time I gave into sexual sin, I didn't know my purpose. I felt confused. I didn't have clarity. I wasn't led by conviction. Every time I fell into sexual sin and gave into sexual sin, my relationship not only with God, but with other believers felt divided, felt tense. I didn't know how to engage in those conversations because I was so bound by shame. And so if that's where you're at, I just. Just say, I've been there. And even though that's something that I have been set free from, I still have to daily choose a life of purity. It's still a daily choice. And so whether you're single or dating or married. Even if you're married, it's still a daily decision. And this topic still applies to you because it applies to me. And so I kind of mentioned this, but, you know, middle school is kind of when this whole thing started happening for me. You know, your body's changing, you're curious. You're like, what's going on? You know, I'm super attracted to guys. I'm now all of a sudden, boy crazy. I want to know how the body works. I want to know how the things, you know, and you're just. You're curious. And you also are at a very vulnerable age where so much is being developed and where so much is starting to happen around you. You know, more conversations about guys and girls hooking up are happening. And, you know, you're starting to listen to some more music that maybe has, like, some different things in it that maybe not be how your parents raised you and what they told you was good and what was right. And so that was my story. I started listening to, you know, music that was talking about girls and guys getting together and all the things. And wow, I sounded like such a mom right there. Girls and guys getting together. I'm like, okay, let's say it for what it is. Girls and guys having sex and hooking up and all the things. And it started with music, and it started with shows for me. And so I remember. And friendships. So I remember being at this friend's house, and, you know, I had already kind of had moments of, you know, being curious about things and having certain feelings or wondering certain things or fantasizing about certain things. I had not told that to anyone. I had not pursued to do anything about that. But I was curious. And I was about 13 years old. I went over to a friend's house, and her parents weren't around, and she turned on this show that was extremely inappropriate. I don't even know how this show was accessible on a tv. Like, I. I really don't. I don't know how this was, like, a show, and I don't even remember what the show was called, but all I remember was literally everyone was naked, and it was like the Bachelor, but, like, way worse. And everyone was naked, and everyone was trying to, like, fight for this, like, one person's attention. And. And it was all about, like, sex and sexual relationships, and, you know, who she was going to choose based off of who she was attracted to. And it was a whole crazy thing. But I just remember I never watched anything like that before. And my Body started feeling things that I had never felt before. And I started, you know, wondering things that I'd never wondered before and then desiring it and then wanting it. And, and so I left that time with my friend, like genuinely so curious about that and wanting it more. Like I'm like, okay, now I desire this thing and I want, I want to see, see it and I want to, I want to experience it and I need to know more. And not even that I'm having these thoughts rationally, but I'm, I'm feeling it, you know. And so I remember leaving there and I don't know when it was a week, two weeks later, that's when I kind of started searching some things on the Internet and I started looking some things up and I was curious and then it led to some YouTube videos and then it led to then masturbating and you know, taking it even further. And, and here's what's crazy you guys, about sin and about especially sexual sin is the enemy will dangle it in front of you, saying that it's going to bring you pleasure, that it's going to bring you freedom, that it's going to bring you satisfaction. But every single time you fall for it, all that it leads to is bondage and shame. Every single time. I would have this rush of desire to, you know, see, see something or do something that I knew wasn't of God or from God, that I knew was impure, that I knew was unholy. And every time I did it, it didn't give what it promised, which was satisfaction and pleasure. Maybe it did for a moment, but then as soon as the moment ended, I felt so much shame and I was living in secret shame. I didn't know how to tell anybody about it. So that happened to me in middle school and I was again 13, 14 years old. Well, I didn't know how to talk to anybody about it. I had, you know, God fearing, Jesus loving parents who raised me to, to be holy, who raised me to love Jesus, who raised me to go and make disciples. And I didn't know how to talk about something that I felt like was only a dude's problem. I was like, oh, only guys struggle with this thing. And so I can't tell anybody this, this is so embarrassing. This is so not something a girl should struggle with. And so then it created even more shame. And it also created even more sin because I was living in secret. And anytime you live secret, it's only going to create more sin and it's only going to create more shame, because that's where the enemy thrives. The Enemy thrives in secrecy. The Enemy thrives in isolation. Anytime you are doing life alone and you are struggling with something that you're not confessing to anybody else, that you're not having other people hold you accountable in, it is going to continue to be a cycle of sin in your life. And it is going to almost be impossible to break free from it. I don't want to say totally impossible. God can do anything. But for me personally, I was not able to break free until I brought other people into it, until I stopped letting the enemy run my life. With living in secrecy and living in isolation, the global phenomenon, the Chosen, the series that has captured audiences around the world has arrived. I have to take a second to talk about Grant and I's favorite TV show, the Chosen. We've been obsessed with the Chosen since season one. And I just have to tell you guys about it because if you haven't seen it, you have to watch it every single time. Grant, I watch an episode, we walk away moved. We feel closer to Jesus. It brings to life the scriptures that we've read, and we just want to come back for more. And now season five is here. And, you guys, it is so powerful. This season brings us into the final hours of Jesus's life, starting with the Last Supper. Every moment, every miracle, every hard conversation, it's all been building up to this. I'm telling you guys, I cry every single time. It is one of the most powerful portrayals of the gospel I've ever seen on tv. So whether you've been following Jesus your whole life or you're curious about who Jesus is, I'm telling you guys, this show is for you. The end is just the beginning of this epic, incredible true story. Don't miss the exciting new season, the Chosen Last Supper. Now streaming season five on Prime Video. And this continued for a long time. And then this bled into relationships. This bled into. Then when I would start dating someone, I pushed so many boundaries physically. And I knew because I had, you know, I was raised, my parents told me, like, the importance of keeping your body for God and for your spouse and the importance of pursuing purity. Like that had been modeled and that had been, you know, briefly talked about. I was raised in Assemblies of God church, and sex was a big no, no, do not have sex. Do not have sex, do not have sex. But the question marks was around everything else. So what about all the other stuff? What about going to second base? What about going to third base? Wait, no. Third base? Is third base sex? Or is third or is home run sex? I don't really know. Okay, but what about all the other stuff? What about, you know, porn? And what about, you know, just crossing a little bit of lines with your. Your boyfriend? Or what about just, you know, dressing this way or looking at this or sending these pictures? What about that stuff? Like, that's where I didn't have clarity. Those were the gray areas of this whole purity thing that I was not clear on, that I was not certain about. And so because of that, I found myself continuing to push boundaries and continuing to go further than I knew deep down in my heart that I wanted to go or that I knew I should go because I didn't have clarity. And I would excuse it with, well, I'm not having sex. Like, I'm not having sex. So, like, I can still do all these other things because I'm not having sex. And I just want to say.

[Unknown]

Okay, guys, I'm taking a short break from this podcast to tell you about some exciting news.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

My new book, Dare to be True. Stay true. Dare to be True. It just makes sense.

[Unknown]

When God laid this podcast on my.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Heart, I actually had already started working.

[Unknown]

On my next book, Dare to be True. And the whole point of this podcast and the whole point of this book is we were all designed and made for truth, and everyone in this world is searching for it. Yet so many of us are searching for the right things in all of the wrong places. And this book is all about tackling the lies that often entangle us and bind us and finding the truth that sets us free. And so in this book, we're gonna be tackling all the things from sin and shame and. And the lies around eternity and the lies around your identity and the lies around your purpose and how to find the truth and live free. Because the reality is, it says in Proverbs 14:12 that there is a way that appears to be right, but in.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

The end, it leads to death. There is a way that the world.

[Unknown]

Preaches that we should go, that we should follow, that we should conform to.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That we should look like. And in the end, it leads to death.

[Unknown]

Yet what God's word says is, Jesus says in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So he is saying, the truth you.

[Unknown]

Are looking for can only be found in me. I am the truth. And I'm not only the truth, I'm the truth that leads to life and life abundantly. And then it says in John 8. 32, when you know the truth. It's the truth that will set you free. And so if you have ever felt bound by lies, if you have ever questioned your worth, your confidence, your purpose, if you've ever wondered how you can break free from feeling weighed down, exhausted, overwhelmed, or even insecure about who you truly are and what your purpose is on this earth, this book is for you. I have often said I just want to be free. I have looked at my husband many a times and said, I just want to be free. I'm tired of feeling weighed down. I'm tired of feeling not enough. I'm tired of being on this endless cycle of striving and performing and never feeling like I can reach what I need to reach and be who I need to be. And when I go back to the truth, when I go back to who God is and who God says I am, that is when I experience true freedom. And so this book is for you. And I am so excited True crew for you to go and get your copy of Dare to Be True.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You can pre order it now.

[Unknown]

I will be including the link in this episode and so you can go and pre order it. It will be coming out this fall. I'm so, so excited and I can't. We're going to be doing some really fun series all about some of the content in this book. But you're going to want to get your hands on it because there's some really, really fun special pieces in this book that you can't get in this podcast. So you guys can go and pre order Dare to Be True now. If you want to break free from.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

What is breaking you, for those of you who are listening, who maybe fall into one of these two categories and maybe not. Maybe you don't. Maybe you have a pure, pure heart and you don't struggle with any of these things. And thank God because is that's awesome. That's not been my story, but I. I am thankful if that's yours. That's a. That's the grace of God. If it is something you have struggled with, whether you fall into the category of you have been pushing boundaries, you have been struggling with secret sin, you have been, whether it be on your own time or whether it be with someone that you're dating or talking to, hooking up with and you're pushing boundaries but you haven't had sex and you've been hanging it your hat on but I haven't had sex, so I'm okay, right? Because I haven't had sex. Like that's What I was told is, don't have sex. Or you fall into the category of you have had sex. And now you're like, well, well, darn, I've already had sex. So, like, what's the point? I've already. I've already given that to somebody. I've already done that. So, like, what's the big deal now? Like, I. Isn't. Hasn't already happened? Like, haven't I ruined this for myself? And I want to speak to both people because I fell into this category. Grant fell into this category. If you're not watching the video, I fell into, you know, the camp of, well, at least I haven't had sex. I've done the other stuff. I've done other things, but I haven't had sex, so I'm fine, right? Grant fell into the category of I've had sex. And so, you know, what's the big deal now? And so whichever category you fall into, if you fall into one of those two camps, I want to speak to both of you. One, the Holy Spirit, the word of God talks about. It's so much more about the heart than it is about the body. And so many of us are focused on our bodily cleanliness that we're missing the purity of the heart. Like God cares about the purity of our heart. It's not about, hey, come to me with a clean and perfect resume. Hey, get your life together and come to me. God says, come as you are, but when you come into my presence, know that you will not leave the same. You will not leave the same. You will not continue to walk in that life of sin. You will not continue to be enslaved and addicted to those things that have kept you bound. You will be set free. Because that's what my spirit does, is my spirit sets free. It says that in John 8, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And so if you are a child of God and you have experienced the spirit of God, you will not stay enslaved to those things. That doesn't mean you will never fall into them again. That means you won't be enslaved by them. And so I want to say first and foremost that purity is so much more about the heart than it is about you saying you have had sex or not have had sex, or, you know, you're. You're doing this and you're not doing that. It's not about what you do or don't do. It's a posture of your heart. It's who you are. God's word says, be holy because I am Holy. We pursue holiness because he is holy. It says in Ephesians 1:4, before the creation of the world, I created you to be holy and blameless in my sight. It's who we are. It's who we were created to be. And so it's a part of our identity. And as a believer, it's who we were called to be. And so what I had to realize, because I will raise my hand and say, I am the person who thought it was all about reputation. I thought it was all about having a clean resume. I thought it was all about bodily cleanliness. That's what I focused on. Right? You know, I mean, if the outside of the car looks good, then who cares about the inside? Everyone else saw that I was saving myself for marriage. Everyone else saw that I said I was a virgin. Everyone else saw that I was this goody two shoes girl who went to Christian camp and went to church and said I loved God and knew a few verses and wore a cross necklace. Everyone else saw those things. What they didn't see was the secret sin that I was struggling with that I wasn't telling anyone. And it was keeping me from the presence of God. It was keeping me from living a life of holiness. It was keeping me from walking in my true God given identity and from walking in my true God given purpose. Because I was enslaved to sin and I wasn't confessing it to God or to other people. It was mastering my life, it was keeping me bound. I couldn't experience the freedom that God had for me because I wasn't confessing it. I wasn't living in the truth. I wasn't living in the light. And so I want to speak to that because I think that there's such a false teaching out there and even the church does such a. A focus on bodily cleanliness. The church focuses so much on fleeing from sex. And it talks a lot about the that. And because of that, it turns a lot of people away or it gives a lot of people, you know, the permission maybe to then go and do other sexual acts. As long as it's not sex. And I want to speak to that because it's not about just sex. It's not about just sex. It's. It's anytime you orgasm, it's anytime you get worked up, it's anytime you lust. The Bible is so clear about lust. And it says, flee from all sexual immorality. Every bit of it, everything that gets your body going, flee from it. Don't tolerate it, don't flirt with it, don't think about it. Flee from it. You look at the life of Joseph in Scripture, okay? In. In the book of Genesis, you look at the life of Joseph, and he's having this moment where he's tempted, okay? This beautiful woman who is the queen, she's got status, she's got power, she's got beauty. And she finds Joseph in this moment, and she wants to pull him away to sleep with him, okay? I imagine that is the ultimate temptation that Joseph is faced with. With. And it literally says, in that moment, he ran. He ran. He ran so quick that literally, she tore off a piece of his garment. And I. I think that's such a picture for you and me of. It's not something to tolerate. It's not something to even try and fight with all your strength. That's not something to try and figure out. It's something that we are called to flee from and run from and cut off in our life. It's not something to be messed with. And I just think that that's. We need to talk about that more like, it's. It's all sexual morality. It's not. Let me dabble in this a little bit, okay? I can read steamy romance novels because I'm not at least watching porn. Okay? I can watch these movies because at least I'm not watching porn or having sex with my boyfriend. Okay? I can at least do these things with, you know, the person that I'm dating, because I'm not having sex. And I think that that is where I felt I was in that category. And I struggled, and I believed that lie, and that l. To a life of bondage, that lie led to even consequences that I've had to deal with even in my own marriage. And so, yes, you experience freedom, and when you experience the. The spirit of God, like, the spirit of God will set you free from those things, and those things will no longer mark your life, but you still deal with the consequences of sin. And I want all of you to be spared from the consequences of sin. All of you. And I fell into that category. Grant fell into the other category that, you know, kind of felt like, well, I've already had sex, and so what's the big deal? Like, it's already a part of my story. It's already a part of my life. And so that continued to be something he struggled with. He continued to have sex with people, and he shared that on this podcast. So I feel that as his wife, I can share that as part of his story. And so that's where he felt. And I. And I also want to speak to that because it talks about in Scripture that if anyone is in Christ, the old is gone, the new is here. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus. So if you make a decision to follow Jesus, to give him your everything, that part of your story does not have to mark your life anymore. Who you used to be is not who you have to be. You can choose from this day forward to choose a life of purity. You can choose from this moment on to not let that be your story continued. But it can be a part of your testimony where you testify to how God rescued you, for how God redeemed you, for how God purified you. And so even if that's a decision that you've made in your past, I just want to speak to the person and I want to say you are not damaged goods. You can choose from this day, right now, right here, to save yourself for marriage. You can choose right now to let that be a part of your story. And I promise you, your spouse and God will be so grateful, so proud, and I am so thankful. I am so thankful that when Grant had a radical transformation with Jesus and when he started bringing accountability into his life and he choose to pursue a lifestyle of purity, he wasn't perfect. Did he have moments of falling short? He did, but he choose to pursue purity. And because of that, we were able to then at the altar, when we gave ourselves to each other into God, body, soul, and spirit, we had such a joy and such a peace because we knew that was something we had pursued individually and together. And so I just. I want to speak that to the person. Because you're not too far gone to start this purity journey. You're not too far gone. No matter which camp you fall into, whether you're the person who has been living in secret sin and no one knows about it, whether you're the person that's been pushing boundaries with someone that you're dating, whether you're the person who's addicted to pornography, whether you're the person that's had sex with multiple people and you feel like it's too for far gone. And what's the use? Wherever you're at in this journey, I just want to say God wants your heart. God wants your heart. And when you get the heart right, when the heart becomes pure, everything else falls into place. Everything else falls into place. And that's what I had to learn, is that when I was beating myself up, God was like, maddie, I'm not. I'm not looking for you to be perfect. I'm looking for your heart to be pure, and I want to help purify it. Like, you can't do it without me. You need my Holy Spirit, but you also need my people. And so to continue on with my story, that was something that marked my life for a long time. And you know what it was that helped me break free? Confession. Confession was what led to my freedom from sexual sin. Confession led to freedom from sexual sin. For me, confessing to God and confessing to other believers, that set me free from the addiction to sexual sin and from the spirit of lust that was on my life. As soon as I confessed to God. Honestly, this is me being real with you guys. Nothing really happened, okay? I confessed to God and I said, God, I don't want this to mark my life. God, I am struggling with this, and I hate that I'm struggling with this, and I hate that I. I keep falling back into it. And I tell you I'm not going to do it again, and then I do it again. And I don't know why. I don't know why I can't break it free from this. I'm so sorry, Lord. And every single time, I would feel the Lord's embrace, every single time, I would feel the Lord come around me and remind me of Romans 8:1 and meet me where I'm at. But the problem was, because no one else was brought in on, continued to stay this constant secret battle, okay, this. This secret battle with me and sin and this secret situation where, like, I really wanted God to be. To be proud of me. And I really wanted God to be pleased with me. And I. I wanted to make God proud. And I. I wanted to love God well, and. And I struggled with it all in secret, all in secret. And I wondered why I couldn't break free. And I wondered why I couldn't let go of this sin that's so easily entangled in my life. And truly, when I confessed to other believers, that was when I started experiencing and tasting the freedom that it talks about in Scripture. And I believe that the two go hand in hand because you see it all throughout Scripture in different people's stories. But just like David prayed in Psalm 51, Lord created me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. I had to have a heart posture of repentance. Repentance says, lord, I want to turn to you, and I want to turn away from that sin. That's what repentance means. And I had that heart posture. I wanted that And I was truly sorrowful and grieving over my sin. I hated the sin that I continued to fall into. It wasn't like I loved it and didn't want to give it to God. I genuinely started to hate it and be disgusted by it. And I would repent and I would say, lord, I don't want this. Help me. Please help me. But it wasn't until I brought other people in and I had them pray for me, and I had them hear me out, and I had them speak scripture over me, and then I had them hold me accountable that then I was able to then genuinely walk in freedom. And so it takes both the spirit of God and the people of God to experience the freedom of God. It takes both. You can't have it without that. You can't do it on your own, no matter how strong you think you are. Okay, it's fine. Like, I struggle with this spirit of lust, but it's okay. I can lay on the couch with. With my boyfriend. It's not that big video. Okay, I struggle with the spirit of lust. It's okay. Like, I can be out past midnight at the bars. Like, I. I won't give in to that. I won't go home with this person. Okay, Like, I. I struggle with this, but, like, I can still, you know, watch these shows on Netflix. It's not gonna. It's not gonna trigger anything for me. But then we fall into the sin, and we wonder why we keep falling into the sin. And for me, it took me becoming disgusted with my sin, me repenting to God and inviting the Holy Spirit to help me. Holy Spirit, I can't do this without you. I don't have the strength. I do not have the strength to break free from this sin. I need your help, Lord. And then it took me humbling myself, because, honestly, you guys, it is so scary. It is so scary to go up to a person and say, hi, I'm struggling with porn. Okay, that is not an easy thing to say. And especially, I think, for women, for whatever reason, the enemy has really made us women feel like it's not. It's not something we should struggle with, and that it's only. And maybe that's the church. Maybe the church is only focused on for so long it being a man's problem, that lust is only a man's problem. And I want to be the first to say that it is not only a man's problem. And I also want to say I go to all of these Christian conferences as. As a speaker, and. And I I have people come forward of. Of all gender, female and males come forward and confess. Like, hey, what is it that you're struggling with? Write it down on a piece of paper. Let us pray over it. And what I see so often is that legit 80% is females that are struggling and stuck in sexual sin and have not told anyone almost almost every single time. The biggest struggle for so many female Christians is sexual sin. And so I just, again, I want to say this is the lie of the enemy, is that you can't tell anyone. The lie of the enemy is that it's a man's problem. The lie of the enemy is that you're all alone in it. And I want to be the first to say you're not alone. It's not just a man's problem. Whether you're a male or female listening to this, it's both. Sin is sin, and the enemy is crafty. And he wants to destroy your life. And so he will use whatever he has to to take your soul. Like, he will use whatever he has to. And he knows that there's something. There's something set apart about sexual sin. It just. There is. And Scripture talks about it. It says in First Corinthians 16, it talks about it how every other sin is outside of a person's body, but one who sins sexually does it to themselves. Like you're sinning against your own body when you fall into sexual sin. And so it does specify. I'm not saying that sexual sin is way worse than all these other sins, but. But the Bible is clear that there is something about sexual sin that is different. It just. It is. It's different. And so it does something to us. It creates soul ties, it creates bondage that it seems like other sins don't. And so whether it is something you're doing in private or whether it's something you're doing with another person, either way, you're creating these. As you're, you know, experiencing an orgasm, as you're experiencing. Experiencing a release, as you're experiencing these things you're attaching yourself to. Whatever it is, whether it's a computer screen, whether it's a book, whether it's yourself, whether it's a person you're dating or interested in or a random person that you found at a bar, whatever, whoever, whatever, you're creating these soul ties, you're creating these things that are going to be really, really, really hard to break free from. And I want. And it's not impossible, because I. I did, but I just. I Want to speak to the seriousness of it too, because scripture is clear that all other sins. And I'll. I'll even read the verse verbatim because I don't want to. I don't want to butcher it. It says in First Corinthians 6:18, Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside of the body. But whoever sins sexually sins against their own body. Whoever sins sexually sins against their own body. Again, not. Whoever sins when they have sex with another person. Okay, Whoever sins sexually, that covers all sexual acts. You sin against your own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. So one of the biggest lies that the enemy has infiltrated in our minds today in 2025 is you. This is your body. Do with it what you want. This is your body. If that's what brings you pleasure, if that's what you want to do with your body, go do it. You scripture is clear. You are not your own. You are not your own. It's not your body. It's God's body. You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. It's not your body. This is not my body. This is a body that has the presence of God in it. This is a body that belongs to the Lord. So for me, when I finally confessed to friends and I brought them into what I was struggling with, you know what was absolutely crazy because I was terrified to say it. I was. I was so scared to say it. Okay, I have to talk about my favorite thing in our kitchen right now. If you know me, then you have definitely heard me talk about my caraway cook set. You guys, it's literally the best. And you have to get their ceramic coated fry pan. Truly, since we moved to Nashville, I have loved having people over for dinner and I just throw everything in the pan. Chicken, eggs, vegetables, you name the food doesn't stick, it cooks evenly. The cleanup so easy, you'll be obsessed with it. I promise. Anything from Caraway is non toxic, super safe and totally free of all the hidden junk that is in a lot of cookware out there today. And if you have been eyeing their Internet famous 12 piece cookware set, now is the perfect time to buy. You can shop Caraway risk free, enjoy fast free shipping, easy returns and and a 30 day trial. Plus, if you visit carawayhome.com staytrue you can take an additional 10% off your next purchase. This deal is exclusive for our listeners. So visit carawayhome.com staytrue or use code stay true at checkout Caraway Non Toxic Cookware made modern. You know what was crazy was as soon as I said the thing that I was so scared to say, I immediately felt free. Immediately. Like, immediately something shifted. Something happened when I spoke what was in the dark, and I brought it into the light. Something shifted. Something happened. Now, obviously, that doesn't mean I went from that moment and never struggled again. Absolutely not. I continued to struggle. But as I brought it into the light and I brought other people into it, I then created an atmosphere where my sin was brought into the light. People were aware of it, and they then could. Could hold me accountable. And so I just remember, like, as soon as I confessed that and my friend looked at me and she was like, maddie, that is something I've struggled with for so long. And I was like, you mean I'm not the only one? You mean that this is actually something other girls struggle with too? I couldn't believe it. And I immediately felt freer. I immediately felt there's hope. Like, I can. I can break free from this. Because for the longest time, I really felt like it was something I was always going to have to struggle with. I felt like for the longest time, it was going to be shame that was going to mark my life forever. And when I confess and I brought this other female friend into it, and I do want to say, like, who you confess to matters to who you confess to really, really matters. I didn't go to my. My boyfriend. I didn't go to even a male pastor. I found another female who believed in Jesus, who loved Jesus and who loved me that I knew wouldn't go and gossip about my sin, but that would care about me enough to also not let me live in my sin. And I knew I could confess to that friend and say, hey, I'm struggling with this sin. And I want to tell you because I need you to help me. The global phenomenon, the Chosen, the series that has captured audiences around the world, has arrived. I have to take a second to talk about Grant and I's favorite TV show, the Chosen. We've been obsessed with the Chosen since season one. And I just have to tell you guys about it because if you haven't seen it, you have to watch it every single time. Grant, I watch an episode, we walk away moved. We feel closer to Jesus. It brings to life the scriptures that we've read, and we just want to come back for more. And now season five is here. And you guys, it is so powerful. This season brings us into the final, the final hours of Jesus's life, starting with the Last Supper. Every moment, every miracle, every hard conversation, it's all been building up to this. I'm telling you guys, I cry every single time. It is one of the most powerful portrayals of the gospel I've ever seen on tv. So whether you've been following Jesus your whole life or you're curious about who Jesus is, I'm telling you guys, this show is for you. The end is just the beginning of this, this epic, incredible true story. Don't miss the exciting new season, the Chosen Last Supper, now streaming season five on Prime Video. And when I confessed and she empathized with me and said, I see you, I've done that too. And that is something that's been hard for me, I immediately felt lighter and freer. And then I said, will you help me? You see, the thing about sin is, is it shouldn't turn into this. Like, you know, we're, we're now bonding over this sin that we always struggle with. Like it shouldn't be like, okay, I'm confessing this sin to you and now you're confessing this into me. And so like, woohoo. We're not alone, we struggle in it together. That's not the point. The point is you confess the sin to each other, you pray for each other so that you may be healed like it talks about in the book of James. And then you hold each other accountable so that you don't keep falling back into the bondage that enslaves you. You hold each other accountable so that you can experience the freedom that Christ created for you. And that was what was game changer for me, was putting community in my life that loved God, that loved me, that had the spirit of God and that could hold me accountable again. It was not a one time freedom thing. I never fell for it again. I did fall back into it. I fell back into it when I radically loved Jesus. I fell back into it when I was sold out for Jesus, when I was telling other people about Jesus, I fell back into it. And it still created that, that same shame and that pit in my stomach of who are you to say you're a child of God? Who are you to pretend like you know, you, you represent Jesus when you struggle with this sin, when you're not even totally free from it. And so if that's been your story, I just want to say I've been there and I felt so dirty because of It. But I just, I continued to repent. I continued to confess to other people and I continued to have people hold me accountable and thank God, God, I am free. Like I am free. And I still have to make the choice every day. Like it says in Galatians 5:1, it is for freedom that Christ has set you free. But do not return back to the bondage of your past. It's still a choice for me every single day, you guys, even as a married woman, to not return back to the past of my sexual sin addictions. It's still a choice every single day for me not to choose to lust after things that I see online or to give in to. Maybe when I have a feeling that arises where I just want to escape or I just want to numb or I just want to feel something, I still have to choose every single day. No. I am a child of God. I will not be mastered by my cravings. I am going to die to myself and die to to those cravings and desires that are of the flesh, that are not of God. I'm going to choose to crucify those and I'm going to choose to pursue God. And it is a daily decision. And so wherever you're at on this journey, you are not alone. You can break free. There is hope for you. You're not too far gone. And God has a huge plan and a purpose for your life. And part of that is walking in purity. Part of that is walking in purity. And it actually talks about that in the Bible. And I wanna read this to you because I had never heard this passage until recently as one of my pastors, Pastor Jonathan Pacluto, was talking about this, as he was, he was speaking at one of these college campuses that we go to with Unite. And I was like, man, that's such a powerful, profound view of this because I had not heard it presented in this way. And he was talking about how everyone wants to know the mysterious will of God. Everyone wants to know, God, what is your will for my life? What have you called me to? What do you want me to do? Who have you called me to marry? God, what do you have for me? We want to know these things. Question mark. Things we want God to reveal. God, give me clarity. God, show me the way. God, bring me this person. God, what is your will? What is your will? What is my purpose in life? We want to know these mysterious things of God. When we're totally abandoning and neglecting the revealed will of God. And it says it in 1st Thessalonians 4 verse 3. It is God's will. What is God's will? For my life. It is God's will that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality, that you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable. Not in passionate lust like the pagans, AKA not in passionate lust like the rest of the world. You believers should be set apart. Not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God. For you know God. Therefore, that should not be your story. It goes on to say in verse seven, for God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being, but God, the very God who gives you his holy spirit. And so just know this is not instruction from Maddie. And Maddie saying, hey, go live a pure life. Go live a holy life. I really think you should. I really think you should do it. I. I'm trying to do it. You should do it. If you choose to reject what I'm telling you, just know you're not rejecting a human being. You're rejecting the God of this universe who created you, who has a plan and a purpose for your life that you cannot fulfill, that you cannot walk into the fullest if you stay bound and enslaved to the things of this world and to the things of your flesh. It says in Romans 8, you cannot live in the realm of the flesh and please God, you cannot. You cannot continue to pursue the things that your flesh desires and live a holy life that honors and pleases God. And so I really want to get practical. I've talked a lot about how, you know, confession was so huge for me. I've talked a lot about how repentance is so important. I've talked a lot about how God cares so much more about the purity of our hearts. And I want to get really, really practical for us as we kind of start wrapping up this. This episode. Because I know that some of you are like, but, Maddie, you just. You don't get it. I've tried. I've tried. I've tried. I tried everything. And this is, like, still a part of my story. No matter. You don't get it. Like, I lead in this way. I could never tell people that. This is something I struggle with. No, Maddie, you don't get it. Like, this is something that all of my friends would. Would shame me. Like, they would see me so differently if I. If I confess this. And if that's true, then I would say, those aren't real. Friends. Those aren't good friends. Because any, Any Christian who is sold out and in love with Jesus knows that no one is above sin. No one. All of us. All of us. It says in God's word, we all have fallen short. Every single one of us. We've all fallen short. And it is only by God's grace that we are redeemed, that we are saved, and that we can continue to stay set free. It is only by his grace and only by his spirit and the power of his spirit. And so if you have godly community in your life and you choose to go to them and confess to them and maybe don't just, like, drop the bomb on them, okay, Maybe. Maybe be like, hey, I really want to talk to you about something. You know, there's something that I've been really struggling with, and I really need your prayer and I need. I need your wisdom. And, And. And I just. I want to be really honest. Like, this is. This has been holding me back. This has been keeping me, you know, from. From having a life of freedom and from having a life that, that God intends for me. And I really need to share it with you and, and ask them, like, hey, can we. Can we keep this between us? I really don't want this to, you know, become a hot topic in the friend group. I don't want this to, like, leave this conversation. I. I really am entrusting this to you, but I know that the enemy is using this sin to keep me separated from God. And I know that the enemy is having a heyday with my life right now, as long as I keep it in secret. And so I need to confess this to you. And, And I think if you start with a conversation like that, they understand the weightiness of it. They're also not caught off guard. You know, if you just come up and you're like, hey, I'm struggling with porn. What do you think about it? So it's like, hey, let's set the scene. I wouldn't just tell everyone. I would pick a friend that you really trust. You trust them because of their love for you, but you also trust. Trust their relationship with Jesus. You trust the spirit inside of them. And maybe it's a friend, maybe it's a mentor. I personally would make sure it's not someone you're dating. I would make sure it's not someone of the opposite sex. And I would also even say it's not someone that's a family member. Like, I would say it's not a parent. It's Not. And I'm not saying you can't go on to tell then your parents or tell your siblings, but I do think that there's something powerful about finding a friend who can really, really hold you accountable in this and where you're not going to feel any sort of, like, judgment or like you're going to withhold certain pieces of information, but that you feel like you can tell the whole thing, you can tell every bit of it, and they can hold you accountable. And so, yeah, just getting practical. I would say if sexual sin has been a struggle for you, the first thing that you need to do is you need to repent and confess to God. The very first thing that you need to do is hit your knees and you need to weep, weep before the Lord and say, father, forgive me. I am sorry that I have hurt you. I am sorry that I have been stuck in this sin that I haven't known how to get free from. I repent. I say I'm a sinner. I declare you as my Savior, and I am asking you to save me from this sin. Will you please help me? I can't do this apart from your spirit. So I am asking you, Holy Spirit, to help me break free from this sin. And so have a moment of repentance, but also have a moment of confession where you were genuinely so broken over your sin sin. You're so disgusted by your sin. You know, it's. It talks about in Scripture, it talks about in the Proverbs how the fear of the Lord is what keeps us from sin, the fear of the Lord keeps us from sin. And so when we have a fear of God, when we understand the sovereignty of God, when we understand the power of God, it should bring us to our knees and we should be so broken over our sinfulness and say, you are God, you are good. And I am broken over how much I am not good and over how bad I really am and how. How much I am desperate for your good spirit to come and dwell in me and to lead me along your paths of righteousness. Because I. I can't walk in the way of righteousness on my own. I. I need your help. And it, it takes that moment of, of being broken over your sin. If you're not genuinely broken over your sin, you're never going to be free from your sin. That sin is going to continue to entangle itself in your life again and again and again. You're going to find yourself in the same cycle of sin again and again and again until you come to a point where you're so disgusted by sin, you see sin as evil. You see sin as ultimately separating you from the most important person in the whole entire world, which is Jesus, and you're so broken over it that you're brought to tears. You look at the life of David, who is described as a man after God's own heart, who did not live a perfect life and who was not always pure, who lived a life where he. He. He not lived a life, but he had a moment where he gave into sexual sin. He slept with someone that was not his wife. And because of that, there was multiple consequences. But you see him have this heart posture of confession and repentance where he is so broken over his sin, he comes to God. He comes to God, so broken over his sin, and he. He asked him, lord, create in me, created me a pure heart. And. And he. He's so. He's so desperate for the Lord to wash him clean. He knows that nothing he does can make him clean. And I want to speak that over someone. Nothing you do can make you clean. Baptism doesn't make you clean. Having a relationship with someone who's better than the person you were just in a relationship with doesn't make you clean. You know, doing all the right things, going to church, whatever, that does not make you clean. Only the blood of Jesus can wash you clean. Only the spirit of God can keep you clean. And so the only way you and I can break free, the only way you and I can become clean is by the blood of Jesus. And. And David recognized that. And he says, lord created me a pure heart, like, purify me. Cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Cleanse me of all ungodliness. Cleanse me of all the things that are not of you, and purify my heart. And you see, God does that. Like God begins to purify him. But it started with that. And so I would say it starts with repentance and confession to God. Like, take it to God and confess and repent and be broken over your sin. The second thing is confess to a godly friend. Confess to a godly friend. And like I said, confess to someone who is of the same gender who you trust and you trust the relationship with Jesus. And how do you confess? You confess fast. So right now, literally, as soon as you get off this podcast, don't put it off. Don't say, I'll wait till tomorrow. Don't say, I'll wait till next week. Don't say, I'll wait till. Do it immediately. Confess Fast. Confess fully. Tell all of it. Don't hold any of it back. Don't say, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say the, the 80%. That kind of keeps me in this category of still being like a good Christian girl or a good Christian guy. Confess all of it. Do not hold any of it back. What you keep in the dark, the devil will continue to keep as a stronghold in your life, and you will continue to struggle with that thing if you do not confess it fully, if you do not confess all of it. And the small sins don't stay small, they will get bigger. They will get bigger. They will lead to bigger things and bigger problems and bigger consequences. So confess even the smallest of things, even if your sin struggle is, hey, I, I, I lusted after, you know, this person that I saw at the gym. You know, I had this ungodly thought when I watched this movie, or I had this ungodly feeling, or I'm idolizing marriage and I really, really, really, really want to be married, or I'm lust, lusting after this thing or whatever it is. Confessing at the thought level is so important. Don't wait till it's like this big sin. Small sins don't stay small. So confess it as soon as you feel it and confess it fully. It talks about when we confess, there is. So when we confess, he is, he is faithful and just to purify us from all unrighteousness. So just know, like, there is so much power in confession. And I just, I really want to harp on those two things because you again, I said this earlier, but you can't do it without the spirit of God, and you can't do it without the people of God. And so you need both in order to experience the freedom of God that he has for you. And then I would even say, just to get super, super practical, what are your triggers? Like, what are your temptation triggers? Cut off whatever triggers the temptation for you. It talks about in scripture, in Matthew 5, or I don't know if it's Matthew 5, maybe Matthew. It's somewhere in Matthew, the book of Matthew, it talks about the importance of cutting off temptation triggers. And Jesus is saying, he's saying, hey, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eyes cause you to sin, gouge it out. Now that's obviously real intense. I'm not telling you to literally go cut off your arm and to literally go gouge out your eye. And I don't think that's what Jesus was trying to say either. I think What Jesus was trying to say is, sin is intense with you, so you have to be intense with sin. You can't let sin just continue to linger in your life. You can't just tolerate sin. You can't just see what's going to happen. You have to cut it out. You have to cut it off. And so because of that, cutting off, temptation triggers. What is that for you, is that you're dating someone and every time you're on the couch, you find yourself falling into sexual sin. Every time you're hanging out past, past 10pm with someone that you like, you're falling into sexual sin. Maybe it's every time you're alone past a certain time, you're falling into sexual sin. Maybe it's your computer, maybe it's your Xbox, maybe it's Instagram. I don't Netflix steamy romance novels. Whatever the hand is or the eye is for you, identify it and then cut it off, okay? Identify it and then bring in accountability and then take the steps that you need to take in order to cut it off. You have to be intense with sin. Sin is not going to just go away on its own. You're not going to graduate, I promise, you're not going to graduate from sin. It's going to continue in your life to be a temptation. And so you have to be intense with it. You have to set up boundaries, you have to set up guardrails, you have to bring people in in order for it to no longer have a grip on your life anymore. And so for me, identifying, okay, computer, phone, certain times past, past, like, the night is when I would get tempted. And so what I would even go as far to say, and some people might think I'm crazy for saying this, delete your social media if you need to delete your social media. Throw out your Xbox if you need to throw out your Xbox, get rid of any books that you need to get rid of. Unsubscribe from Netflix if you need to unsubscribe. And I would even go as far to say is, don't have time alone. Like, if you're single and you struggle with this, like, or if you're dating and you struggle with this, this alone time can be really dangerous, especially past a certain time. And so if that's your struggle, then I would encourage you to constantly be around people and literally only go into your room when it's time for you to sleep. And as soon as you wake up, turn on all your lights and go out into the living room, in the living Space. If you live alone, invite people over, like, just know what it is that is your trigger. And when you continue to fall into temptation. For me, it was alone time, and it was when I was in my bedroom. Like, those were the big temptation triggers. And the sad thing was, was I didn't even always have to watch something because I'd already watched enough to have it replaying in my mind. And so if that's you and you're like, hey, I'm not struggling with porn. Maybe you've already seen enough or you've read enough to. Then it can now become a fantasy that you can replay in your mind to get to where you need to get in order to masturbate or to feel the things you want to feel. And so if that is also your struggle, I just want to say that that is also a sin and that that is also just as bad and fantasizing about it and lusting after it and thinking about it and then letting it lead to masturbation. All of it is sin. And, you know, people say, like, masturbation is not talked about in Scripture. Like, where is it talked about in. In the Bible about masturbation? Again, it says, flee from all sexual immorality. It is still a sexual thing. It's still a sexual act, even if it's just with yourself. You're still orgasming. You're still, you know, bringing yourself to this, like, feeling that you're only supposed to be experiencing with your spouse. You're only supposed to be experiencing with your significant other. And why? Why? Why? Because God created sex to be in all sexual acts, all orgasms experience, to be done in the confinement of marriage, to be unifying, you know, that sex is actually worship. Like, how crazy is it to think about it like that? Sex is actually worship because God created it. And there is nothing more unifying in the physical realm than when we have an orgasm and when we experiencing these sexual acts with someone else or even with our. Like, if you're doing it with yourself, there's. It's. We're not supposed to be experiencing that outside of the confinement of marriage. And so it's so, so important for us to understand that. And so even if it's not porn for you, like, what is it for you? And I also want to say too, like, I don't want to miss this part because I touched on this earlier. That. And I could. We literally could talk about this, you guys, and I'll just have to do another episode later on, more about this because there's so Many things we could cover. And I want to know more of what you guys specifically maybe want me to talk about in this topic. And I would love to know any questions that you have or struggles that you're feeling particular to you. But, but I do want to say, I mentioned this earlier, that purity is so much more about the heart. God cares about the heart. And so many of us are stuck in sin, so many of us are stuck in sexual sin because we're dealing with the fruit and not the root. So many of us are trying to pick off the fruit. Gosh, I just need to stop sinning. I need to stop sinning. I need to stop sinning. And we're not getting to the root issue, which is a heart problem. It's a heart problem. We're allowing things to entangle our hearts. We're allowing things to corrupt our hearts. And we're not dealing with that, that. And when we're only dealing with the surface level things and we're not getting to the actual deep rooted issue, we're never going to experience real freedom. And so we have to get to the core problem. We have to get to the core issue and say, okay, I, I am addicted to something that is outside of God's will. I am addicted to something that is impure and not holy. I'm addicted to something that is not of God and from God. Therefore, I need to cut it off, I need to confess it, I need to repent from it, I need to turn from it, it. And that is so, so important because you know, at the end of the day, like if you're just focused on, you know, the, the cleanliness of your body and what other people see and you have a corrupt heart. Like Jesus rebuked that in the Pharisees. Jesus talked about that so much in Matthew 23. And I want to read a little bit of that. We're coming to a close. I, again, I could talk about this, you guys, for literally hours. And I actually like, I, I wrote about this in my book, book that is coming out soon. And I'm so excited for it to come out because my book covers so much about the entanglements of sin, the entanglements of the weights that we carry and the shame that it brings, the seriousness of sin, the consequences of sin and how to break free from it all. Because I know so many of us are just like, I just want to be free, but I don't know how to get free. I feel so bound. I feel like I just want a breath of fresh air. But I don't know how. I don't know how to get that. I don't know how to do that. I just. I don't know how to get free. And my book talks about it so much, and I have a whole chapter just dedicated to this topic. I have a whole chapter just dedicated to the idea of a life of purity and holiness. And why that's God's command for our life, why God commands us to be holy and pure. Because the world says that that means he's withholding something from us. Like, why would God call you to give all that up? Like, isn't that good? Like, isn't it good for you to experience this. This, like, level of high and this level of pleasure? Why would God want to keep you from pleasure? He's not keeping you from pleasure. He is protecting you. He is protecting you from the things that want to rob you of the life that he died to give you. He is protecting you from the things that will keep you bound and enslaved, that will keep you from his very best. I promise you that any time I gave into sexual sin, it never, ever, ever gave me what I was looking for. But every single time I resisted sexual sin and I pursued God with all of my heart, it. It always delivered everything my heart desired. Every single time. Every time. And it didn't always look pretty. Sometimes it was like, okay, I'm struggling with a sexual sin, and I really, really want to give in. I really want to give into this temptation. But instead, I'm going to get on my knees and I'm going to say, God, I really want this sin right now, but I actually want you more. And so will you help me? Will you help me? Will you help me? Will you help me? And then I would, like, run into my roommate's room and be like, I'm having this thought. Or I would literally go on a run outside because I just needed to, like, get my mind off of it. Or I would call a friend, or I would turn on a worship song, and I would just do whatever it took to get my mind off of it and to say, I want this sin. But, Jesus, I want you more. I want you more. And we have to get to the point where we want Jesus more than we want our sin. But it's all about a heart of purity. And you can't just focus on. On what you're doing or what you're not doing. You have to focus on what's in your heart. And that's what God cares about. And you know, Jesus is Having this moment in Matthew 23 where he's rebuking the, the Pharisees, who on the outside were these people who had everything together, right? Like they were the teachers of the word of God. Like they were the ones that people quite literally worshiped because they had, they had access to the very words of God that other people didn't have to access. Have access to. And so they would read the word of God, they would teach the word of God. And in that time, they didn't have Bibles, they didn't have, like, not just the common person had access to the scriptures. And so the Pharisees were very high level, they were important people. And Jesus is literally rebuking them because their hearts weren't pure. And he says in Matthew 23, verse 25 to the Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but the inside you are full of greed and self indulgence, you blind Pharisee. First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. And so as I've talked about, you know, repent and confess and flee and cut off the temptation triggers. I want to end with this. A lot of us are stuck in sin because we're focused so much on defense and not enough on offense. It is so important, 100% to flee from sexual sin. But it is just, if not more important to pursue righteousness, to pursue purity, to pursue holiness. It's not enough to just say, okay, okay, don't send, Maddie, Maddie, don't send today. Don't send, don't send. More than anything, my heart, posture, my mindset is Jesus, I love you. I want you. I want all of you. I want less of me and I want more of you. Body, soul and spirit. I'm yours. Purify my heart. Remove any offensive way in me, Lord, I want you. I want the things of God. I want the will of God in my life. I want to honor God with my life and with my body. And I have that mindset. And when I have that mindset and I pursue purity with all of my heart, it becomes so much easier to then flee from sexual sin. It becomes so much easier to then flee from the things that are not of God or from God. And so I want to end with that. Is there is an offensive approach in this as well, not just defense. We don't have to just be on our heels. We can also be on our toes and say, hey, I am going to run after the things of God. I'm going to chase after Jesus with all of my heart and know that it is a both. And it talks about in the Scriptures that we should flee from sexual sins and youthful lusts. But also it says, but pursue love and faith and righteousness with the people of God. It talks about that in the scripture. And so I want to end with. It's so important that we pursue purity. The true root of our purity and the way we're able to stay pure is the presence of God. We have to be in the presence of God. We have to be in the Word of God. It talks about in Psalm 119. How can a young person stay pure? By living according to your Word. By live. By living according to the Word. We have to be in the Word of God. We have to be in the presence of God to be able to. To pursue purity that pleases God. We have to. We have to. We can't do it without him, and we can't do it without people. And we can't do it without his presence. And we can't do without His Word. And it is possible. I just want to end with that. It is possible. Purity is possible. Holiness is possible. If I was able to break free, you can break free. It can be your story, even if it hasn't been up until this point. It can be your story. And I want to end with prayer as I just pray for you guys. And I want to know like. Like I really do. I want to know what it is that you particularly have been struggling with when it comes to purity. And maybe, truly, maybe it's not something sexual. Like maybe it is just a lust after something or someone or idolizing something or someone. And your heart is impure, not for sexual sin reasons, but just impure in different ways. Maybe it's impure because of pride. Maybe it's impure because of self righteousness. Maybe it's impure because of other reasons. Or maybe sexual sin has been a huge struggle for you for so long and you haven't known how to get free. And I pray that this episode has helped you so much. But more than anything, I pray that God meets you right now, right now, in this moment. And I want you to close your eyes with me. Because there's this moment in John chapter 8 where Jesus meets this woman who's caught in the act of adultery. She's caught in the act of sexual sin. And he doesn't come up to her and condemn her. He doesn't come up to her and say, how could you? How dare you. Instead, he meets her where she's at. But then he goes on to say, okay, now go and live a life of no more sin. Go and sin no more. So he calls her out of her sin not to humiliate her, but to help her. And so I want you to know right now, God is meeting you where you're at, and he's calling you to confess. Not to humiliate you, but to help you and so you can live a life of freedom that he died for you to experience and for you to have. And so, Lord, I pray for every single person under the sound of my voice that has felt enslaved by the things of this world, that has felt mastered by the. The things of their flesh and the desires of their flesh that has continued to be living this life of secret sin. And they don't know how to break free. And they feel so bound by their own brokenness. I pray right now in the mighty name of Jesus, that your love would just. Just come around them and fill them, that you would comfort them, that you would show them that you were not looking at them with this long judge, you know, stick ready to hit them every time they mess up, that you are coming to them with open arms, that you are embracing them with grace and with love. But because you care about them so much, you say to them, you look at them with loving eyes, I have so much more for you, daughter. I have so much more for you, daughter. I have so much more for you, son. I want a life of freedom for you. And so, Lord, I pray that by the power of your Holy Spirit that you would set them free from the sin that so easily entangles, that you would set them free from the weights that weigh them down. And that. That by your spirit they would be cleansed. That by your blood they would be cleansed and they would be set free. But I also pray. I pray for people of God to come around them, for they. For them to invite in the people of God to confess to. And that. And. And that would hold them accountable and that would help them live this life of freedom. Because it's one thing, Lord, to get set free, but it's a whole nother thing to stay free. And so, Lord, I pray that you would give them people around them that would help them walk out this freedom every single day. And Lord, I pray that this would no longer mark their lives, that they would not experience shame. They would not feel shame right now, after everything we've talked about, they would not, not feel a weight of shame. For shame is not from you. Conviction is from you and there is a huge difference. I pray that they would experience conviction, but that they would not experience shame. And any shame right now would be shattered in your name and that conviction would take over and that you would lead them by a spirit of conviction closer to you and closer to the life that you have for them. Thank you, Lord, that your way is better. That your way is so much better. That a life of purity actually leads to a life of purpose. That a life of purity actually leads to a life of peace. That a life of purity actually leads to a life of freedom and joy. And so I pray over my friends right now that they would be drawn to and excited to live this life of purity because it's. It's the best and it's your will. And because it's your will, it's the best. And so, Lord, I thank you for my friends and I thank you that purity is a possible pursuit because it's by your spirit and through your spirit and not our own strength. Lord, we love you and we thank you. We thank you for what you've done for us and we thank you for what you continue to do in us and through us. And I thank you for my friends. I pray that they feel seen, loved and known right now in this moment. In Jesus name, amen. Guys, this was much longer than I expected. And like I said, I still couldn't cover everything. And I wish I could. I wish that I could also be sitting across from all of you and just hug you and love you and let you know that you're not alone. But I do want to talk about this more. And I also want to say I talk about so much more practicals in my book that I can't talk about it all in an hour, hour and a half episode. But in my book I really talk about how you can break free from sin, how you really can break free from the addiction of impurity and all the things. And so if that's been your struggle, if that's been a part of your story, dare to be true. You can pre order it now and I'll include the link so that you guys can go and check it out there. This is not a pitch to go and buy my book. This is literally my story. I wrote this book from a place of saying, I just want to be free. I just want to experience more of Jesus. I just want to live a life of freedom and I. I want to stay true to it and I want to. I want to stay free. And so if that is you, I do believe that this book will really, really help you. So love you guys. Let me know how this episode encouraged you, what you want to hear more of for when we talk about more of it later. And as always, be sure to stay you and stay true. I love you.

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