The Unmet Longings That Drive Us to Sin

About The Podcast

Like many young people who’ve grown up in physically and emotionally abusive households, Ben Bennett turned to self-destructive methods to find the acceptance and fulfillment he’d never received from his parents—from overconsumption of food and alcohol to pornography. After trying unsuccessfully to shake his porn addiction on his own, Ben connected with Dr. Ted Roberts and Pure Desire Ministries, who taught him about the neuroscience of his sinful behaviors. For the past 10 years, Ben has worked with ministry leaders and therapists alike to help others kick their destructive behaviors by digging into the “unmet longings” behind them. Ben talks with Nate Dewberry this week about his struggles as a young man and how he finally broke free of them, and offers encouragement to other struggling men who believe—wrongly, as he once did—that their sins have caused God to turn His back.

Show Notes

Additional Resources:

• Free to Thrive by Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett

• Pure Desire Ministries 

• American Association of Christian Counselors 

Timestamps: 

0:00—Intro

1:37—Ben’s struggles and how he overcame them

11:01—What does redemption mean to you?/Keeping your sins from defining you

21:07—To stop undesirable behaviors, we must understand the “unmet longings” behind them

30:22—Finding a counselor with a Biblical worldview

36:16—Keeping important people consistently involved in your life

42:26—The importance of authenticity