Men are always walking on one of two different paths - the path to life, and the path to death. The path to death promises immediate pleasure and instant gratification. The path to life is available to all who will walk it, but it requires you to reject the more popular path. If you want to break free from the empty pursuit of pleasure, you must set your direction on the path of life. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. Consider these four steps to walking on the path of life.

Step 1: Choose The Narrow Path - The way of Jesus is never easy, nor popular. If you want to walk the path of life, you are choosing a path that will make you different from nearly everyone else. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” - Matthew 7:13- 14

Step 2: Abide In Christ - When we make Jesus our source of strength and the very center of our lives, we “abide in Christ.” Orienting your life towards being deeply connected to Christ is key. "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." - John 15:4, ESV

Step 3: Walk In the Spirit - The path of life is one where we are led by the Holy Spirit, discerning His guidance in every step and resisting the pull of the flesh. “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16, ESV

Step 4: Live In Total Freedom - One of the greatest promises that Jesus makes to His disciples is that they can be set free. While freedom from a dopamine, porn, or substance addiction may seem impossible, Jesus promised that we can be “free indeed” (John 8:36). "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1, ESV

What path are you walking right now? Are you frequently rejecting immediate pleasure and instant gratification in order to choose the way of freedom instead?

Stepping Off The Crazy Train: Loving & Leading A Counter-Cultural Life is a new IMPACT Cohort study for men who want to grow as husbands, fathers, and leaders. If you are a man seeking sanity in the pace and priorities of your life, family and career, we encourage you to join or start an IMPACT Cohort and participate in this 7 week study. Take action here.