If you’re struggling with addiction, God wants you to hear this.

Summary

Elliott Hulse in his enlightening discussion tackles the topic of addiction, suggesting that struggles with addiction might actually be a divine tool for building virtue. Drawing from biblical references, particularly a passage from Corinthians, Hulse emphasizes that the thorn of addiction, much like the thorn in Paul's flesh, can be God's way of instilling resilience. He inspires viewers to view their struggles as opportunities to grow stronger, highlighting that through divine grace and by embracing vulnerability, they can discover a deeper strength within themselves. Hulse pairs spiritual wisdom with personal stories, offering a raw, compassionate perspective on confronting addiction.

Highlights

• Elliott Hulse suggests God uses addiction for growth. 🌱
• Reference to Paul's thorn: strength through struggle! 📖
• The power of Christ manifests in our weaknesses. 👇

Key Takeaways

• Addiction might be a divine tool for virtue. 💪
• Divine grace is sufficient; embrace your weaknesses. 🌟
• Confessing struggles illuminates and heals. 💬

Overview

Elliott Hulse dives deep into the concept of battling addiction with a spiritual twist. Drawing from his own experiences and biblical teachings, he shares that struggles, like addiction, might be God's method of shaping us into stronger individuals. He uses the example of Apostle Paul, who also grappled with a ‘thorn’ in his flesh, seeing it as a divine trial rather than a mere burden.

In this illuminating video, Hulse stresses the importance of grace over self-reliance. He points out that sometimes our addictions and weaknesses are there to teach us humility and to lean into divine grace. Using the metaphor of strength training, he describes how resistance builds physical and spiritual muscle, urging viewers to embrace their struggles as opportunities for growth.

Hulse also brings in personal anecdotes, mentioning how his own struggles with pride were countered by divine interventions. This honest testimony aims to connect with viewers personally, encouraging them to find community, confess their vulnerabilities, and recognize that admitting weakness is the first step towards being imbued with the strength of character and faith.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction and Question from a Viewer The chapter introduces the topic of struggling with addiction and how it might be perceived as a potential path to building virtue in one's life. The speaker, presumably Elliot, offers support to those seeking clarity or direction, suggesting they book a call for personal guidance. The chapter also includes a question from a viewer, expressing a feeling of losing control over life.
• 01:00 - 04:00: Biblical Reference: Paul's Thorn in the Flesh The individual is struggling with a porn addiction for over ten years, which is affecting various facets of his life, including his confidence, relationships, and self-discipline. Despite attempts to quit, he feels overwhelmed by urges that seem stronger than his willpower, causing him to feel trapped and unable to become the person he aspires to be. He seeks advice on breaking free from this cycle and rebuilding himself into someone he can respect.
• 04:00 - 07:00: Understanding Weakness and Strength The chapter 'Understanding Weakness and Strength' explores the theme of breaking free from cycles that hinder personal growth. It questions how individuals can rebuild themselves into someone they respect. The text draws on spiritual discernment and maturity, suggesting that viewing one's situation objectively can help gain insights. A biblical passage is mentioned to provide context and guidance for overcoming these challenges.
• 07:00 - 10:00: The Role of Addiction in Personal Growth The chapter explores the concept of addiction as a potential catalyst for personal development. It suggests that struggles with addiction, which often lead to self-loathing and loss of self-respect, might be a tool used by a higher power to shape individuals. This process can contribute to developing virtues and ultimately help individuals become the strongest versions of themselves. The narrative draws parallels to strength training, implying that growth requires resistance and adversity.
• 10:00 - 13:00: Personal Testimony and Reflection The chapter "Personal Testimony and Reflection" discusses the idea that challenges or adversities in life could be a means used by God to strengthen individuals. The author emphasizes the importance of perspective in navigating life's difficulties and introduces a biblical passage from 1 Corinthians. Here, St. Paul addresses the Corinthians in a letter, attempting to clarify aspects of their faith and guide them through their understanding. The passage from Corinthians is central to understanding how perspective plays a crucial role in spiritual growth and reflection.
• 13:00 - 16:00: The Importance of Confession and Communion This chapter explores the concept of a 'thorn in the flesh' as described by the speaker, which is identified as a discomfort or challenge given by an 'Angel of Satan'. The term signifies a persistent problem or difficulty that prevents the individual from feeling overly elated or proud. The exact nature of this thorn is unknown, but it symbolizes a form of suffering or hindrance that serves to humble the individual, preventing excessive self-pride. The discussion underscores the spiritual aspect of dealing with personal challenges and the potential purpose they serve in personal growth.
• 16:00 - 19:00: Conclusion and Encouragement The chapter 'Conclusion and Encouragement' discusses the concept of accepting personal flaws or challenges as a means to prevent excessive pride. It centers around the idea that sometimes hardships or 'thorns' are given to individuals as a form of humility, to prevent them from becoming too self-satisfied or prideful. The chapter references the notion of an angel of Satan providing such challenges to maintain balance and humility. The speaker reflects on their own experiences and the necessity of these obstacles in keeping one's pride and elation in check.

If you’re struggling with addiction, God wants you to hear this. Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 if you are struggling with addiction it may be a good thing God may be using it to help you build virtue in your life I'll tell you what I mean in a moment but before we get started if you're looking for some clarity or direction or just another brother the whole space for you while you work through your situation and come up with real solutions click the link down below and book a call Mono imano with your old Uncle yo so today we got a question from a bro who says yo Elliot I feel like I'm losing control of my life life I've been
• 00:30 - 01:00 battling porn addiction for over a decade now no matter how many times I try to quit I keep falling back into it it's wrecked my confidence my relationships my ability to stay disciplined in other areas of my life I know it's holding me back from becoming the man I want to be but the urges feel stronger than my willpower how do I break free from this cycle and rebuild myself into someone I can respect great question man and I am just going to kind of latch on to the
• 01:00 - 01:30 last part of your question where the real question actually is which is how do I break free from the cycle Break Free get free and then rebuild myself into somebody that I can respect so your question reminded me of a often obscure phrase or passage in the Bible that I want to share with you today because it shows how with spiritual discernment with maturity with an objective point of view about you and your situation that
• 01:30 - 02:00 you're very the very thing that you're struggling with the very addiction that is dragging you down and making you hate yourself beat yourself up and have no self-respect may actually be the very thing that God is using to Chisel you to mold you and to give you the virtue that he wants you to have so that you can actually become the strongest version of yourself I mean I'm a strength coach so I understand that there is no strength without resistance you don't go stronger unless there's something that you have
• 02:00 - 02:30 to push against and with the right perspective you may notice that God is possibly using this as a means for strengthening you and your perspective is everything so let's dive into the passage it's actually Corinthians 1 Corinthians uh 127 through1 this is going to make a lot of sense to you guys when you hear this so listen up uh St Paul is speaking to the Corinthians he's writing a letter to them they're trying to understand the faith and he shares something with them he says there's a
• 02:30 - 03:00 thorn in my flesh he says it was given to me by an Angel Of Satan to beat me to keep me from being too elated now we don't know exactly what that thorn in the flesh is but it's something that doesn't feel good it's something that's uncomfortable it's something that's making him feel less than his best right and he's saying it's an angel that was given that gave it to him an angel from Satan I'm not sure what that means but he says that it was there to beat him and to keep him from from being too
• 03:00 - 03:30 elated and so he kind of recognizes that this Thorn that's been given to him from an angel of Satan is there to beat him he's like accepted that he says it's there to beat me and to keep me check it out from being too elated and what does he mean by that so I'm not a Bible scholar but that thing that whole idea of being too elated like what is somebody who's elated somebody who's excited somebody who's prideful somebody who feels really good about themselves he's saying here that this was given to me so that I don't feel too much pride
• 03:30 - 04:00 so I don't get too excited or inflated or grandiose about myself he goes on he says three times I beg the Lord about this right like you like you're you're asking the Lord to take this away from you you're trying your best in fact to use your will to take this away from you he says three times and in the Bible three is often represented as Divine wholeness right father son Holy Ghost so it's like you might say to yourself like oh he's only three times Paul couldn't be that bad but what he say is like with
• 04:00 - 04:30 Divine wholeness with his whole being he's asked the Lord to take this Thorn away from me take this addiction away from me take this problem away from me and he says that but the Lord then says to him my grace is sufficient unto you right so he goes on he says three times I begged the Lord about this that it might leave me but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you for power is made perfect in weakness so like God
• 04:30 - 05:00 answered to him saying to himh I ain't taking this away from you my grace is sufficient for you why because power is made perfect in weakness like God is basically saying dude I'm trying to make you stronger I want you to have power and the only way you're going to have power is if you wrestle with this and understand your weakness like he's got to confront his weakness in order to have that power he says Paul goes on and say he says I will rather boast most
• 05:00 - 05:30 gladly in my weakness in order that the power of Christ May dwell within me he says check this out like put yourself in his situation right like look at you in your situation he says I would rather boast right like boast right being proud proud but check it out most gladly in my weakness so rather than you where you're saying I have low self-esteem Paul is boasting he's saying check it out I got this weakness I got this Thorn I got this addiction I got this thing that won't go away from me and God said keep it
• 05:30 - 06:00 and Paul in his all wisdom says cool I'd rather keep this most gladly I rather keep this weakness most gladly in order that the power of Christ May dwell Within Me In order so he keeps it he maintains it he's boasting about it so that the power of Christ May dwell within him what does he mean by that we could look at that in many different ways but the power of Christ is often found in virtue right like that's what Christ is doing in US he's molding us
• 06:00 - 06:30 he's turning us into the strongest version of ourselves he's helping us see the weak parts of ourselves so that they can be confronted and Scattered right shine that's why they say the Light of Christ like the right the Light of Christ is shining itself upon the shadows in your Consciousness so that it can be dealt with and destroyed right so the power of Christ is doing something in him therefore he says check this out Paul's kind of nuts he says therefore I'm content with weakness I'm content with weakness be content with your
• 06:30 - 07:00 addiction check it out we're going to come full circle he says therefore I'm content with weakness insults hardship persecution and constraints what are what are these these are all things that attack us right my weakness I I can't stop turning on that pornography video I can't stop jerking off I can't stop smoking weed I can't stop getting drunk I can't stop looking at girls I can't stop scrolling through the screen right my weakness he says I'm content with my weakness insults right like insults from Satan insults from yourself insults from other people the the the shame that you feel
• 07:00 - 07:30 associated with the addiction hardships trying to get over it trying to will myself not to do it over and over again using my own ego to beat this persecutions persecuting yourself you called yourself low self-esteem and constraints well it's a constraint if every time you want to watch porn or beat off uh it holds you back from like you said doing the things that you want to do in your life it's constraining you you even said it you said is holding me back in my
• 07:30 - 08:00 confidence my relationships my ability to say disciplined in other areas of my life Paul's saying therefore I'm content with these constraints for the sake of Christ final mic drop from St Paul for when I am weak then I am strong man so that puts some things into perspective from you know one of the writers of the Bible and it makes us kind of stop and think about our situation right like this is this is a holy man this is a man who saw Christ This is a man who you
• 08:00 - 08:30 know a good third of the Bible or maybe even more I mean of the New Testament is written by but yet he confesses to us he confesses to the Corinthians he makes known that he's weak he makes known that there's a thorn now he's not very specific about that thorn it could be lust nobody really knows there's a lot of ideas about what that might be it could be lust it could be something that he's physically struggling with in terms of an addiction or it could be something that somebody else is uh pressing upon him but the bottom line
• 08:30 - 09:00 is that Paul is struggling and he's struggling just like you struggling and rather than using what ego using will using his own strength to say oh I'm no good oh I'm bad oh I need to stop this oh poor me bad me sinful me L self-esteem rather than all that which actually comes from Satan right I don't even want to get into the part where he says that this comes from Satan but the reaction action to it or
• 09:00 - 09:30 the conversation about it is you responding to it in the way that Satan says yeah yeah you are bad you you are nasty look at you playing with yourself right he doesn't allow that to beat him up what he goes on to say is he says I am I am boastful in my weakness in order that Christ May dwell within me so let's back up for a moment and talk about this grace that God like God answered him he asked three times and God answered him you ask God if you did because like I
• 09:30 - 10:00 need to make make a distinction between your own willful desire to make this happen beating yourself up and what Paul does was he asked God three times he asked him in the wholeness of divinity three times and God says no no why would God not want to take this away from him why after 10 years has God not asked taken this away from you if you've asked him with humility and compassion or passion why has he not taken this away from you he goes on and say because my
• 10:00 - 10:30 grace is sufficient whoa what so I'm not going to take it away from you because why I want you to rely on my grace not the grace to take it away from you right because if I took it away from you the power of Christ wouldn't reside within you he's like telling you no no no no no no I ain't taking away from you because like with a athlete oh man I don't want to run more gassers oh man I don't want to do more more squats coach I'm going to
• 10:30 - 11:00 give you more squats I'm going to make you run more gases why because I want the power of cardiovascular strength to reside within you I want you to be a better version of yourself so I'm not take I'm not giving you an easy workout that's how much I love you that's how much I believe in you that's how much I want you to trust in me as your coach to give you the type of workout that's going to make you the strongest version of you so what does this look like man
• 11:00 - 11:30 let me stop by saying first of all I can relate I can relate I'm not just a preacher I ain't just preaching to you right I'm not just preaching the word uh I am a fallen man I have a thorn in my side a very significant thorn in my side that I've been wrestling with uh for a long time God gave it to me an angel of Satan gave it to me and God has shown me his grace and why it's sufficient and why he's given it to me so that
• 11:30 - 12:00 I can be who I need to be for you so that I can be humble ooh that's a lot of what Paul is saying right here he says I don't want to get elated I don't want to be excited I don't want to be inflated he says he's been gifted a lot like before he even says that he says because of the abundance of Revelations therefore I might not become too elated he says look God has given me a lot of gifts God has given this guy a lot of gifts God has may have given you a lot of gifts but so that you don't feel too elated so you
• 12:00 - 12:30 don't feel too uh proud of yourself God saying but like here I need you to have this so that you can settle down and be a little humble be a little humble for me that's weed weird I'm 45 years old like that's something for kids and when I was a kid I didn't smoke I didn't use weed I didn't use drugs when I was in high school college most of my Adult Career but at some point when I started becoming famous when at some point when my pride started to rise at some point when a million people started follow me on YouTube on my strength
• 12:30 - 13:00 Channel and then then this Channel and then a whole lot of people are commenting about how much I changed their life how much I help their life how much I Sav their life my pride was inflated and it was right about that same time a little over 10 years ago the guy was like hey Angel Of Satan take this guy some weed settle his ass down let him be a little bit more humble and deal with that Pride that's coming up and man I got to tell you the thorn in my side that particular
• 13:00 - 13:30 thorn in my side has set my ass down a lot of people watch my channel for many years and they Wonder like yo Elliot what's this inconsistency been about why haven't you been here the whole time you know why because there have been Seasons where I was just getting high just getting high I can't make videos when I'm high God's grace what does that actually mean in my case I'll tell you I'm Catholic as a Catholic we believe in sacraments we believe that God's grace
• 13:30 - 14:00 is poured out into the world through physical tangible sacred objects this is what we believe we believe that uh because God became man God incarnated that physical objects like the body of Christ can actually help us like God comes in through the flesh so there are certain sacraments in the faith two of which have been very humbling for me
• 14:00 - 14:30 I'm not telling you what to do but I'm showing you how God's grace Works through his church confession and communion Holy Communion Catholics believe that if you're in a state of mortal sin meaning like you've been jerking off or smoking weed you are not fit at that moment like like sit down when the priest calls people up to receive Jesus Christ on the tongue eat we eat Jesus Christ we believe that the body and blood is in the bread make of it what you will it doesn't matter if
• 14:30 - 15:00 you believe that or not I'm just telling you what I do and what I like and I think it's cool because what it does is it makes you reflect upon your own conscience it makes you be honest with yourself it makes you uh do a review of the way you've been showing up and say hm am I in a state to receive the Perfection of Christ in my body to be honest no and so what it the very first thing that does is is exposes the weakness
• 15:00 - 15:30 like how many of your friends how many people in your life how many people in your church have know that you are struggling maybe none maybe n this is an anonymous question maybe nobody knows and you haven't shared it with anybody you haven't been honest especially with the people in your life but if you use the grace of God that comes in through his sacraments by receiving our Lord in your body and you recognize oh man like my family's here my friends are here the whole church is here I'm a state of sin I'm not going to rece deceive him everybody kind of knows hey my man is
• 15:30 - 16:00 struggling my man is struggling my priest he knows he sees when I come up and I put my hands across my chest or I say seated in the chair he's like oh man I bet Elliott's struggling Elliott's struggling when when when a wound is exposed to the light when his wound is exposed to the wind that's when it starts to heal that's first that's the first part but but but The Graces of God goes a little bit further hear me out whether you're Catholic or not or you believe what I'm saying this is what's
• 16:00 - 16:30 important confession confession you confess to me but what about confessing to your friends what about confessing to your brothers what about confessing to your priest or your pastor you may not believe in Absolution it doesn't matter but the fact that you verbalize it is a part of God's grace God is saying hey hey you're not alone hey you don't have to suffer alone hey you don't have to hide this from anybody come speak to me in cisto in personal chisto that's what
• 16:30 - 17:00 Catholics call the the priest when he's showing up as Christ right in personal Christi in personal Christi come to Christ sure you could come to Christ in yourself right sure you could you could talk to God yourself but then it's not sacred it's because when it's just a secret right it could be secret or it could be sacred and if you hold our secrets sacred in ourselves they begin to fester and happening in you cuz you're beating yourself up get it out go speak it out and get
• 17:00 - 17:30 into a state of grace that's using God's grace so now man to come full circle long video here you beating yourself up as a result of your addiction is exactly what Satan wants you to do he wants you to hate yourself he wants you to beat yourself up because he knows that it's your pride that's keeping you stuck you think you can fix it but you can't that's basically what God's saying to Paul he saying you can't fix it
• 17:30 - 18:00 yourself you need me you need my grace what does that Grace look like confession and communion what else does God want from us he wants us to be honest and to commune with him whatever that looks like for you that's that's just consider that those are means of Grace to what humble you so that Pride can be squashed humility is the virtue pride is the vice the addiction is just a tool it's just a tool it's like a shovel that
• 18:00 - 18:30 God's using to dig out your deeper sin right like the seven deadly sins it doesn't say jerking off well I guess lust is in there so it might be yeah it's in there but pride is always the overriding sin and so he's using maybe this lesser sin right to really get to the to the to the to the root sin which is always Pride that was Satan's first that was the first that was what it's always what it is it's the first one Pride it's the hard thing pride and you
• 18:30 - 19:00 beating yourself up that's even more Pride beat yourself up and call yourself names and why didn't complain so much pride so much pride so my man perspective first of all recognize the grace recognize that God wants you to be stronger just like a strength coach and that's why he's giving you this resistance so that you can not just overcome it but so that you can rely on him to keep you in check you're not alone my dude none of us are
• 19:00 - 19:30 alone God wants you to be your strongest self and he wants you to trust in him rely in him and in his means of Grace confess and commune done