Every January there is the common theme of “New Year’s Resolutions” that pops up across the land. Gym memberships go up and people pledge to lose weight, pay off their debt, eat healthier, stop biting their fingernails, or whatever.

There is a good chance almost all of us have at least once ushered in a New Year with some sort of a promise to fulfill over the next 12 months. Then, come about March, most of us have fallen off the wagon and given up on the endeavor, dismissing it as a silly idea to begin with.

Why is that?

More importantly, why do we make New Year’s Resolutions?
What compels us to make such changes in our lives?

Is it perhaps that somewhere deep down we recognize there are areas of dysfunction within our lives? Is it that we understand there are better things we are cheating ourselves out of experiencing? Clearly we see the need for changes in our lives or we wouldn’t be making resolutions to begin with.

But we do, because in our heart we feel we should.

One of the things I’ve discovered in my short time on this Earth is that there is a tension between what we feel we SHOULD do and what we actually WANT to do. And it is that exact tension that will ultimately determine our level of success with any changes we attempt. When we truly want something, we will stop at almost nothing to get it, but if we just kind of like the idea of something, then, well… the motivation just isn’t quite the same.

This is why we say in our 10 Day Freedom from Porn Action Plan… you need to start with brutal honesty and decide if you really want to experience real change in your life, or if you are just going though the motions.

My life was revolutionized when I realized I have the freedom to do whatever I want in this life and God wasn’t going to come after me for it. If I made bad decisions and bad things happened, they were not God punishing me as much as they were simply the natural result of those bad decisions.

What truly grabbed my attention was the realization that the poor decisions I was making could have severe consequences on my life. Despite being aware of the potential harm, I continued to make these choices, signaling a problem. It became clear that I was no longer in control but had become enslaved by my habits. Recognizing this, my longing for freedom became a fervent pursuit.

Once I addressed this issue, positive changes began to unfold.

So if you make a resolution this year, make it something to pursue. Instead of resolving NOT to look at porn, resolve to live in freedom! Give yourself something to be passionate about and you’ll increase your chances of seeing real change in 2024.