Ryan Swanson: Hello and welcome back to the Satisfied podcast. This is Ryan Swanson, and I’m excited you’ve chosen to join us again on the Thee Generation Network. We have some important content today, but I’ll admit at the beginning, what was intended to be all in one episode I’ve now split into two.

I guess that often happens—or should happen—when one episode starts getting a little bit too long. This episode should be relatively brief as we look at a couple of practical helps in this area of sourced, or we may say predictable, temptations. We’re contrasting this with last month, dealing with unsourced temptations, which we received very good feedback on, and it seems like that was a helpful discussion.

I’m glad to hear that. I want to read to you, as we get started, an email that I received back after that podcast, which I really think provides a valuable insight and illustration that will lead us into today’s episode as well. So this man wrote in, and here’s what he said.

He said, “When you mention the fiery darts and the shield against them, I thought of a guided missile destroyer that is equipped with the Aegis radar system. They scan the sky in 4,096 directions at once for threats, and once identified and marked as hostile incoming, we engage with ship-launched surface-to-air interceptor missiles moving at Mach 4 or faster.

It’s the ultimate shield, and over the last year we have used it again and again and again with 90 percent effectiveness in the Red Sea, day and night.

It’s an incredible sight to see the interceptor launch and obliterate the enemy aircraft, drones, or cruise missiles.” To “consider,” like we talked about in that last episode, he says, “would be like sitting in the combat information center and watching a green dot blinking across the screen, closing in to kill you, and wondering if you should shoot it down.” What a great insight and helpful illustration there, because it brings out another side of this, actually.

We discussed the danger of taking time to consider because we are, in part, already entering into the temptation. You have a hostile missile bearing down on you. How much time do you actually have to try to decide whether or not you’re going to utilize the shield of faith and obliterate this thing out of the sky?

There is no time to consider. Not only would that be a compromise, because we are, in part, entering into the temptation to consider something we ought not to and have no business considering, but we’re also taking valuable time, delaying our counterattack, which in turn is giving the enemy those few brief seconds he needs to reach us. So that picture of the imminent threat—the time that’s wasting away—helps us understand and get this idea of urgency.

But honestly, I think many of us aren’t there when it comes to dealing with this area of thoughts. We do not take it seriously. There is no urgency.

And the reason I’ve used the word predictable as a focus for this episode is not just because the thoughts are predictable or the source is predictable, but also the end is predictable.

When we think we can get away with an impure thought here or there—a thought about this person we know, or maybe fantasizing about this person we don’t, or perhaps dwelling in our mind on a jogger that we saw, or a billboard, or an impure conversation that we overheard—and entertaining occasional impure thoughts, in this way, somehow many of us are okay with that and think that we can control and have a manageable issue with our thought life.

Second Corinthians 10:5 says, “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Now, of course, that verse could be applied in many different ways beyond just purity, but it’s stressing the importance of every single thought: taking control, taking into captivity every thought, taking ownership of every thought. Have you noticed that sin patterns and addictions all have some sort of progression?

They don’t start in destruction and despair. They end there. It starts with being content with or trying to manage a problem.

On a smaller level, we might say something like, “Though I struggle with thinking about porn, I would never look at it.” And then later we’re saying, “Though I have now looked at pornography, I would never get involved physically in adultery.” And I can tell you predictably, yes, you will. You absolutely will. And you actually are proving it to yourself.

When you’re saying or thinking those things, you’re saying, “I know that pornography is a predictable end of impure thoughts, but surely I will never go there.” But you’re admitting that is what it leads to when someone feels the need to clarify that. Though I struggle with pornography, I would never act out in adultery. You are proving that you know adultery is a predictable end from pornography, but you’re living in denial.

You’re looking at the radar screen, seeing that blinking dot, knowing that destruction is imminent, and refusing to respond in urgency. The temptation is predictable, but so is the outcome. And it’s time we take each thought captive.

Don’t allow any of them to slip by. Don’t excuse any of them. It’s time to take this area seriously.

Now I will say dogmatically, from Ecclesiastes 4 and James 5:16, principles of accountability—and also from personal experience derived from those principles—that you absolutely need accountability in this area of thoughts. Don’t just stay with accountability in the area of pornography, or say you don’t need accountability because you’re not struggling currently with the actual viewing. If you are struggling at all in your thoughts, you need to stay accountable on that level.

And this is another unapologetic plug for the Chord app here, because that’s how we designed this thing: to take the small compromises seriously so it doesn’t lead to relapse.

Having an opportunity to check in at the end of the day, rate yourself in thoughts, viewing, and self-gratification, each on a scale of one to ten, to take every thought into captivity—this is so, so helpful as you’re going throughout your day, or laying in bed at night, or whatever, and the thought pattern comes. Whereas before it would seem almost inconsequential to have a momentary indulgence in that area, but not anymore, because I am giving an account.

And so if I choose to even briefly give in, I’m going to have to rate that when I check in this evening. I would strongly encourage you to get accountable on that first level of the thoughts. If you have not yet joined the Chord, you can find that at thechord.app.

That’s our URL, thechord.app. You’ll find our website there with links to download on both the Apple and Android stores. You can sign up with people you know in a group, and that is what is highly recommended.

But if that’s not possible for you, then you can select, and we’ll do our best to find a group for you. But once again, you’ll find that at thechord.app. Now, I told you this was going to be a shorter episode because we’re splitting it into two, and I’m using all the self-discipline I can to hold back from getting into the second part of this discussion.

It is a more recent study of mine, and I’m excited to share some things with you here that I think will be helpful moving forward. So that’s it for this episode. Take the action steps that God’s leading you to.

Ask Him to give you the urgency that you need for taking each thought into captivity. And don’t miss the freedom that comes by getting accountable on that level, as we continue this journey to be less gratified and more satisfied with Jesus Christ.