HEY MIKE! I'm a senior in high school, and this year has been the hardest to get through. First, I’ve been struggling to keep my grades up. Second, I’ve been defeated by lust. Even worse, I feel distant from God. Prayer can make me feel better temporarily, but I can’t seem to get out of a spiritual rut. Can you tell me how to get my life back on track?
—Name Withheld
I get letters from Christian guys who struggle with all kinds of stuff: lustful thought lives, sexual addictions, problems with anger, mouths that won’t stop lying or cussing. Each Breakaway reader often echoes the same desperate plea: “It’s like my problem is controlling me! I beg God to forgive me, and I even promise to stop doing what I don’t want to do. But then I fail—again and again. HELP!”
In each case, the real problem usually isn’t what a teen guy thinks it is. (Struggles with drugs or lust are almost always just the symptoms.) The real problem is actually a heart problem. And the only way to fix a mixed-up, sin-filled heart is by having a daily truth encounter. That means spending time in the Word and in prayer. You said you pray and that it helps you “feel better temporarily.” Stick with it, OK? And understand that it’s not about feelings. Again, it’s all about truth.
You see, the Bible is more than just a bunch of letters printed on paper. Scripture is living and active. Above all, it’s God-breathed. There is a supernatural component to the Bible that saturates our hearts and shapes our lives into what God wants it to be.
Combine Bible reading with prayer and you’ve got a powerful weapon—an invisible sword, so to speak—that can fend off any deception and defeat ANY struggle that threatens to trap us.
I promise you this: In the days ahead, you’ll be enticed by all kinds of temptations. But you can be a strong Christian who has the muscle to escape the lies and overcome struggles. Follow this faith-building workout:
1. Commit to spending time every day reading Scripture and praying. Consider getting a devotional book that will guide you through the Bible.
2. Confess your struggles to Jesus as many times as you need to. (He won’t give up on you. See 1 John 1:9.) Tell Jesus that you want to stop struggling silently and privately. Ask Him to go deep into your heart and to heal the real wounds inside.
3. Seek a spiritually mature accountability partner. Choose someone with whom you can share your deepest struggles; someone who will help you build strength through Christ. 
