|  Mark Edward  |

 ShorTTake™

ShorTTakes™ can be read in 3 minutes.  Or less.

Guys talk to me every week about their struggles. 

What they perceive as their weaknesses.

Often, it has something to do with testosterone.  

Few have anyone to talk to about it.  But I go there with them.  No judgement. 

Mark, I keep trying, but it catches me off guard when I least expect it.  I try to stop doing _________ (fill in the blank).  I think I’ve conquered.  Then – crap (or other choice words, haha).  It hits me again.

We all have this thing hanging between our legs which – at times – seems more powerful than our will.

Yet, sexuality is a gift from God.  It does not have to rule you.

You should rule it.

You can rule it.

Even if you try and fail repeatedly.

The simple principle of Never Give Up – Never Stop Trying works in any area of your life.  Not just testosterone temptations.

Thomas Edison With One of His First Light Bulbs

After testing more than 1600 materials for the right filament, Thomas Edison finally figured out how to keep the light bulb burning.

1600 attempts.

Without those first sixteen hundred attempts, there would have been no successful 1601st attempt.  The Sixteen Hundred and First Attempt is why your world lights up every evening.

Edison died in 1931.  Yet his persistence affects generations after him.  Is there a light bulb in the room where you are now?

It’s the same for us.

Our persistence today affects generations to come.

Your (future) wife.  Your children.  Their spouses.  Your grandchildren.  Their spouses.  Your great-grand children.  Their spouses.

Those you mentor (um, you are mentoring someone, right?).

Their wives.  Their children.  Their grandchildren.

That’s why it’s vitally important we conquer.

Maybe you’re discouraged about your progress.

“My demons,” one guy recently said.

BTW, it’s doubtful you are possessed!  And… it’s probably not an “addiction” unless you are continually missing school, work, losing relationships, wasting money, constantly isolating, and risking your health to feed the behaviors.

Sometimes guys – it’s just being 20 (or 30) something –  and having testosterone.

If you keep missing it —  now is not the time to give up.

One fundamental key to success is this:

Never Give Up.  Never Stop Trying.

Three steps forward.  Two steps back.

You still get there.

The guys I talk to who struggle the most have not (yet) learned to forgive themselves for their mistakes.

It’s time to stop self loathing.

If you don’t love yourself, you won’t be able to love anyone else.

Read HERE About 5 Things You Can Do When You Miss It.

Your 1601st attempt may be the one where you experience success.

Victory.

Light.

Success Tip:  Don’t journey alone!  

Your Mentors – Your Peers – Those You Mentor…  

Conquer Together!

Isolation brings Devastation.

 

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. — Ecclesiastes 4:12 NIV

 

What Can You Do Differently?

It’s been said that the essence of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

With that in mind, our progress often depends on what we are thinking about.  What we dwell on is what we become.

• What are you listening too?
• What are you looking at?
• What do you spend your time thinking about?
• Does the buddy or girl you hang with enhance your progress – or set you back?
• What gets most of your energy?

Fight Back!

There are many great weapons for conquering found in the Word of God.

Keep building your Word Arsenal guys.  Yes, it takes time and discipline.  How badly do you want victory?

It’s simple:  Find a verse that means something to you.  That helps you.  Speak it out loud – meditate on it – until it becomes a part of you.

You now have a weapon that never leaves you.  That no one and nothing – including temptation – can take from you.

Meditating on Truth – and lifting your hands in worship when temptation strikes – will get you through it.

Read HERE About What Really Works in the Heat of the Moment.

Making it Real.

I’ll say it again:  The simple principle of Never Give Up – Never Stop Trying works in any area of your life.  Not just sexual temptation.  It applies to your:

• Pursuit of God
• Friendships
• Marriage / Husbanding
• Parenting
• Work Goals
• Financial Goals
• Dreams – What You Do When Money is No Object

Do. Not. Stop. Trying.

Go for 1601.

Who Can You Connect With Today to Help You Move Forward?

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