Tim Arrigo talks to men about secret vices and self-destructive habits, urging them to be honest about what they're hiding. He argues that relying on God and the Holy Spirit can help you move past shame and numbness to live authentically and find your real purpose.
Vices, the secret battle that so many men face. My brother, I know life's been hard, and I know you've had to face adversity and emotional challenges that have tested you to the core, but you don't have to run towards vices to manage that. And I'm speaking from experience because I was riddled with vices and self-destructive behaviors, and so many brothers that I talk to are battling these vices in secret. You You're not alone. This does not have to be a solo mission. The vices that we engage in, they, they prevent us from living in alignment with our calling and our purpose. We know these things on the inside are not right for us, but we run towards them because of how they make us feel. It's the desire for a feeling or the avoidance of a feeling. And see, these vices drive our self-destruction. They promote shame and guilt, and they keep us in a cycle because they promote negative consequences in our life that only fuel the inadequacy that we feel inside. You are so much more than your behavior, and God has called you to such a higher calling than acting and behaving in ways that prevent you from being of service to everybody around you. The vices are the things in our life that are driven by escape. They're driven by avoidance. They're driven by our inability to face what is in front of us. We feel that we need to run towards a vice for comfort, for self-soothing, to self-medicate, to self-regulate. But my brother, you are so much more than that. Who are you when you're truly vice-free? When you can live a life where you know that you don't have to operate in secret? When you can live a life of transparency and brutal honesty with the world around you? And see, The vices that you struggle with, when you overcome them, become your calling and another brother's gateway to healing, growth, and transformation in his life. You struggle with the vices because you feel as though you have to, that there is no other way to manage what you're facing. But my brother, the vices keep us bound. They keep us in emotional incarceration. They prevent us from living in alignment with the will of God. They prevent us from experiencing the fullness, the fullness of a life that is so much more than a temporary feeling? Is it really worth it at the end of the day if all these behaviors do is promote negative consequences, shame and guilt, promote more inadequacy, and, and really are driven by our own, our own pain? Are these things that really serve a better version of us? In this season of your life, I think that God is calling you to something greater. I think he's calling you to rid yourself of the vices so you can walk in your truth. And by truth, I mean who you really are inside, the most authentic version of you. The most authentic version of you does not need vices. The most authentic version of you can be present with himself in the moment and not need to escape. You are so much more than what you do, brother. So if you're right now struggling with a vice, which so many men are in secret, I want you to know that number one, you're not alone. That number two, you can overcome this. And number three, that everything you need to succeed is on the inside. Once you're not numb, once you're not anesthetized, intoxicated, and inhibited from really feeling the fullness of God. We know God cannot commune with sin, so when we have habitual vices in our life, it prevents us from feeling the Holy Spirit. It prevents us from feeling the greatness that's inside of us. And brother, greatness is in you because greatness made you. Let's be great today.
