Becoming Whole

Send us a textLent invites you to take a longer look at Jesus on the Cross. This season, we invite you take time to consider Confession as a way to fully understand the choices you are making. Naming and owning your sin is uncomfortable (and that’s putting it lightly). But as you’ll hear, confessing sin plays a vital role to your relationship with God.  Before we get started, let’s pray: “Lord, I confess I can’t fully see the death and destruction that come from my sin. Many times, I don’t want to see it. Have mercy on my body and on my impulses. Change me through the resurrection of Jesus. Make me a new creation.”Let’s begin.Highlights:Sin is a violation of who we are and who we are in relationship with God.By avoiding our sin, we have forgotten the reality of what sin does to us, how quickly it moves into us and through us.“Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” -James 4:4Act of Contrition (Inspired by the Gospels, from the Vatican)Father of mercy, like the prodigal son I return to you and say: “I have sinned against you and am no longer worthy to be called your child.”Christ Jesus, Savior of the world, I pray with the repentant thief to whom you promised Paradise: “Lord, remember me in your kingdom.”Holy Spirit, fountain of love, I call on you with trust: “Purify my heart, and help me to walk as a child of light.”If you want to learn more, check out Josh’s latest writing on this topic at, If You Don’t Need MercyTranscription:Full Transcription Available hereSupport Becoming WholeFree Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textFriends, this is our 200th episode!That’s 200 conversations and teachings we hope have accompanied, encouraged, and equipped you on your journey to Becoming Whole.At Regeneration Ministries, we believe the trial you’re struggling with can serve as a holy invitation from God to know Him more deeply.  While these episodes aren’t meant to be substitutes for coaching, they can certainly be a first step to understanding the invitation more fully. Often, we go wide together here, covering a multitude of topics on sexual integrity. Today, we are going deep together through a prayerful meditation. Ask the Holy Spirit to open and guide your imagination. Allow yourself to hit pause on the activity around you so you can shift more fully into a posture of prayer. Together, let’s take a deep breath as we enter more deeply into the mystery of choice and suffering and Jesus. Let’s begin.(We humbly ask that you take a moment to Review, Rate and Subscribe to let others know what you think of the podcast.)Transcription:Full Transcription Available hereSupport Becoming WholeFree Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textIf you accept the invitation, Lent can be so much more than a countdown to Easter. It is a season steeped in rich tradition.Fasting is one way to observe Jesus’ walk to the cross. But this tradition goes beyond depriving yourself of food or alcohol. Specifically, for you, as you journey to sexual integrity, fasting can be a powerful way to grow in self-control. What initially feels like denying yourself can become, with diligence and dedication, a chance to free yourself.In this episode, we’ll turn to the Gospel to hear how Matthew gives voice to our hunger and how Jesus gives voice to our satisfaction.Highlights:Fasting helps you grow in self-control. Strengthens you to say ‘no’ to what you don’t need.Matthew 9:9 “As Jesus walked on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. And Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me and be my disciple.’ And Matthew got up and followed him.”In this verse, as the author, Matthew is acknowledging he is sick. He identifies himself as the one Jesus came to seek and to save.Our hunger is not the problem, it is part of the solution. Once we recognize that we are hungry for something more than food, more than sin, more than likes, more than distraction and comfort - then we’ll be able to recognize who we are and whose we are. And we, like Matthew, can stand up and say, that’s me. I’m one of the hungry ones and I need the bridegroom.Homework:As you practice Fasting, when you feel the lack, pray these defiant words “Lord, I feel hunger in my body, but I am more hungry and more thirsty for you.”Transcription:Full Transcription Available hereSupport Becoming WholeFree Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textAs we step into the season of Lent, maybe you’re feeling a sense of somberness. That’s understandable considering Lent walks us through Jesus’ journey to the cross. It also walks us to a confrontation with our own sin. On this episode of “Becoming Whole”, listen in as Josh juxtaposes Simon’s first meeting with Jesus and his last.  There’s an invitation within this season and the two stories of Simon Peter to understand who we are and who God is.Maybe your unwanted sexual habit or past trauma drops you to your knees making you want to push the Lord away.  We pray you’ll allow this Lent to be a season where you spend time acknowledging your sinful nature while making time with your savior Jesus.Let’s jump in.Highlights:In Luke 5:7 “Simon said, ‘Depart from me because I am a sinful man.’”This Lent we are invited to a space of facing two realities: First, that Jesus is God in the flesh. And that Jesus came to earth and suffered for us on the cross. Second, we face the reality of our depravity.Give us hearts that would jump out of the boat and scramble to you Lord. Amen.If you want to learn more, check out Josh's latest musing on this topic at, Could You Be Avoiding God?Transcription:Full Transcription Available hereSupport Becoming WholeFree Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textWe’re taking your battle with sexual addiction deep into a familiar story and see The Father's Response!While you may have heard the parable of the Prodigal Son before, this time try listening with your eyes closed and heart open to see where you fit in. As the story highlights the different paths two sons will take, allow it to draw a picture of how you may be relating to God the Father in your battle against sexual sin. Where do you see yourself? Are you the one pushing away or the one pressing in to earn approval? Listen for your role in your own story and listen for how God’s heart is revealed in the father’s voice.Highlights:Younger Brother - Posture of Rebellion:Believes truest satisfaction found in sin.Older brother - Posture of Earning:Believes working hard to do the right thing, abstaining from desires almost acting like this is what I need to do in order to have God’s blessings.Father’s Response:The father’s first focus is not on what the son has done but that the son has been with him.Not in response to what the son has done, the father responds, “all that is mine is yours.”Bask in these words and actions of the father: Welcome & Celebrationv20 “He was filled with compassion and ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”Grace & Lovev31 “My Son (My Daughter) You are always with me and everything I have is yours.”Be Aware:The enemy wants us to leave, to believe God is a kill joy.The enemy wants to convince you that you need to work harder for your Father to notice.If you want to learn more, check out Josh's latest musing on this topic at, What If You Forget You Have an Enemy?Transcription:Full Transcription Available hereSupport Becoming WholeFree Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textWhen you hear the word “imagination,” chances are you’ll put it in one of two boxes- it’s either child’s play or a path to deviance. For a moment, let’s re-imagine imagination. There is great power in this tool. What if we view our mind’s ability to be creative as a positive not a negative?  This episode will challenge you to push past the idea that your imagination is a mere tool for daydreaming and that it is much more than an avenue to unwanted sexual behaviors.  By inviting the Holy Spirit into your imagination, you can begin to bring the Jesus of the Gospels alive in your day to day. This will take time and practice. Make sure you check out Josh’s blog for more ideas and practices. Begin challenging yourself to use this gift as a way to connect to a Hope beyond your imagination.Highlights:The power of our imaginations is God given. And God wants to use our imaginations to move us away from the domain of darkness and toward the kingdom of light.Satan wants you to believe your imagination only leads to what’s imaginary as opposed to what’s true and real and hidden.J.R.R. Tolkien  “At its best the fairy story or fantasy is far from being a flight from reality; it is rather a flight to reality.”If you want to learn more, check out Josh's latest musing on this topic at, How Imagination Helps Break the Grip of PornTranscription:Full Transcription Available hereSupport Becoming WholeFree Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textWe’re weighing in on a continuing conversation of language because the words matter.Join us as Josh unpacks the terms “Gay Christian” and “Christian with Same Sex Attraction.” Followers of Jesus who hold a traditional view of God’s design for sexuality, can split when it comes to the wording. We’ll explore how language elevates orientation to the same status as belief in Jesus. We are beloved, image-bearers of God and need to be aware of labels that can limit our core identity. While this may not be a personal issue for you, we encourage you to stay as this is a “person” issue. And we want to care for the full body of Christ together with dignity and honor.Highlights:Our bodies, our maleness and femaleness make VISIBLE something of God’s invisible attributes.Wording can de-emphasize the biological, heterosexual design of your body.Be aware of how language elevates orientation to the same status as belief in Jesus.If you want to learn more, check out Josh’s latest musing on this topic at, Gay Christian or Same-Sex Attracted?Transcription:Full Transcription Available hereSupport Becoming WholeFree Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textYou’ve probably heard it said here before that breaking a habit of unwanted sexual behaviors goes beyond “Behavior Management.”Setting up filters or throwing away devices might eliminate the cues to your addiction, but it still leaves you exposed. There’s deeper work to be done.Ultimately, to change your behavior you need to understand the why’s to your behavior. The actions you choose are connected to your emotions, to your thoughts and to your beliefs. You are wonderfully complex. In this episode, we’ll be looking at the design of a Tree to illustrate how you work and why you need to go deeper. (Be sure to look to the Homework section for ways to make the Tree model work for you.)Highlights: FRUIT (Our Behavior)The fruit of the tree, the leaves of the tree represent the behavior, the outward sign.BRANCHES (Our Emotions)When we experience some type of emotional pain or discomfort in our bodies, that serves as a trigger to move us towards these other behaviors to either medicate the pain or to get away from it.TRUNK (Our Thoughts)Your thoughts are more expansive than just a sentence, it holds with it some sort of image that connects to an idea.ROOTS (Our Story)This is where our Core beliefs lie. For example: What we learned about family based on our experience, about ourselves as kids, what God is like, about the world around us, what men are like, what women are like.SOIL (Our Influences)Things that influence our beliefs: Family of Origin, Abuses we’ve experienced, great disappointments, losses, etc.The things we choose to think can be soil around our beliefs. What we choose to do can also serve as soil that nourishes the soil of what we believe.Homework:We are praying you choose to do the harder work of uncovering. You hold a powerful opportunity to change the trajectory of your life.  If, along the way you find yourself needing extra help, consider reaching out to us and we will set you up with a Spiritual Coach to come alongside you in your important work.Branch Questions:When you struggle with an unwanted behavior, begin by asking yourself, “What was I feeling before I started moving in that direction?”If you’re feeling tempted right now, begin to notice and understand “What am I feeling in my body right now? What are the emotions I’m experiencing in my body right now?”Trunk Questions:What am I thinking that’s producing the kinds of emotions I’m experiencing now?Take some guesses: What was going on for you that day? What’s coming up for you?Root Work:Take some time to write out what you think about the idea of Family (for example). Write the word Family on a piece of paper and then start brainstorming all that comes to mind about what a family looks like, who’s there, what they do, what does a week look like, what happens on the weekends, what does home look like to you, what role do you play. Taking time to write out the construct of what Family looks like to you can deconstruct some of the feelings you have attached to it.Soil Work:Free Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textThe term “Accountability Partner” can carry a high cringe factor.  Yes, they are meant for good - offering space to confess to one another, to pray with one another, to hope for the best for each other. But, if not handled well, Accountability Partners can cause more harm than good. The enemy would love nothing more than for you and your partner to focus on your behavior, smother you in shame and isolate you. Brothers and sisters, moving towards sexual wholeness begs for more than behavior management. Follow along as we work through some tips on how not to have an effective partnership. And then, get your pen and paper ready for 5 tips to a powerful partnership. Highlights: Making Accountability Partnerships Work:1. Frame up thinking with these questions: What do you want to do? What are you looking for? What do you desire?2. Focus on the positive so you can begin to see your progress.3. Celebrate, discuss, spend time on BOTH the good and the bad.4. Dive into the deep matters: What were you feeling? What was happening under the surface? What were you really looking for? Were you lonely? Feeling ashamed? 5. Invite the Cross of Jesus into the center of your journey. Transcription:Full Transcription Available hereSupport Becoming WholeFree Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)

Send us a textYour life tells a story. And you are the main character. But what if you’re battling an ongoing porn addiction, unwanted same sex attraction or can’t stop hooking up?This is where an understanding of who you are meant to be and the story your life can tell is powerful. If Satan has taken over as the role of co-author, you are believing a false storyline. Don’t let his whispers sabotage the purpose you are meant to live out.Dig deep into the story you’ve been living to discover where the lies are. God wrote your story with love and friendship and honor and dignity in the details.Begin your next chapter with the truth as “it is written.”Highlights:Growing in sexual integrity includes: 1. Unearthing those subtle stories we are living. 2. Unearthing the faulty role we believe we have in that story.A person who sees themself living a bigger story, playing a more important character sees alone time as different kind of opportunity. Alone time becomes an opportunity for advancement, for rest, for self-nurturing, for connection with others, for aspiring to reflect God.Scripture pulls down the veil to reveal a reveal a bigger story of what God has for us.  The choice for us is whether we’ll dare to believe this narrative, that we have a better part to play and that we are actually in a better, bigger story than what we’ve been living.Homework:Where you have sexual sin in your life, is it possible you’ve allowed the serpent to rewrite your story and the role you play? What is the story you are living? What is your role? What does your Heart say about you in your challenging moments?After reflection, try using scripture to combat Satan’s whispers and affirm God’s design for you:1 Corinthians 3:16 I, myself, am God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in my midst.Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for me to do.2 Corinthians 10:5 I demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.2 Timothy 1:7 The Spirit God gave me does not make me timid, but gives me power, love and self-discipline.Resources:“A Million Miles in A Thousand Years: How I learned to live a better story.” By Donald MillerMake sure you check out Becoming a Woman of Sexual Integrity and Free Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole 👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)