Increasing Willpower

Willpower is resisting short-term temptation in order to achieve long-term goals. When the teacher says: quit porn and you will be happier, everybody lines up to quit. When he says: memorize these verses to prepare for your great future – the line gets a lot shorter.

Willpower is being prepared for temptation. Write your top 3-5 reasons for quitting on a 3 by 5 card and read them constantly all day long.

APA.org noted the following regarding willpower depletion:

“Some of the earliest evidence of this effect came from the lab of Roy Baumeister. In one early study, he brought subjects into a room filled with the aroma of fresh-baked cookies. The table before them held a plate of cookies and a bowl of radishes. Some subjects were asked to sample the cookies, while others were asked to eat the radishes. Afterward, they were given 30 minutes to complete a difficult geometric puzzle.

Baumeister and his colleagues found that people who ate radishes (and therefore resisted the enticing cookies) gave up on the puzzle after about eight minutes, while the lucky cookie-eaters persevered for nearly 19 minutes, on average. Drawing on willpower to resist the cookies, it seemed, drained the subjects’ self-control for subsequent situations.”
Resisting drained their willpower.
“In another study, he (Muraven) found that smokers who practiced self-control for two weeks by avoiding sweets or regularly squeezing a handgrip were more successful at quitting smoking than control subjects who performed two weeks of regular tasks that required no self-control, such as writing in a diary.”

Practicing self-control increased their willpower.

Avoiding sweets and fatty foods has two positive effects. #1 practicing self-control will give you a tiny edge towards the self-control you really want. # 2 When we feel better, and when our bodies are a bit healthier, we have less willpower depletion.”

Willpower depletion is real and what that means is... we need to win fast.

3 verses to memorize to win faster:

Matthew 6:22-23
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Galatians 5:1 ESV
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Lastly, willpower is sometimes just deciding to be tough. Check out this highly recommended thread https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/learn-from-a-4-year-old.325017/

 

The first article indicates that fatigue from fighting against addiction is likely real. So we need to develop the habit of resisting immediately, then working to think about something else. Today, consider printing out some of the promises of God and read a couple every time you are tempted.

Psalm 37:4 ESV
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Isaiah 40:31 ESV
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

James 1:5 ESV
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Consider praying:

“Father, give me wisdom on how to quit.”

Psalm 84:11 ESV
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Always think about ways of escape from temptation.

2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Consider praying:
“Father, take away this spirit of lust and show me Your plans.”

Fighting lust is vitally needed. But it is very wise to make it a goal to spend more time filling your mind up with good than you spend fighting bad. That is how we quit for good.

 

Henry Blackaby wrote in his book Experiencing God: “God is love, His will is always best. As you follow and obey Him, He will always direct you in ways that are best for you and for the world into which He calls you. Because God is all-knowing, you will never have to question the righteousness of His directions – even though they don't make sense. His directions are always right. Because God is all-powerful, you don't have to doubt your ability, strength, or resources to complete His assignments for you. He will enable you to accomplish all that He calls you to do.”
Consider praying: “Father, Your will is best for my life. Please show me Your will.”
Today, write out a 2-day plan and a 4-day quitting plan for how you will take more time to study the articles here as well as scriptures that will give you freedom.

Second, today, consider taking time to plan about praying more to know God's will.

Doing God's will leads to joy.