Greetings, my friend,

Welcome to The Arsenal, your bi-monthly resource designed to train and equip you for living a set-apart lifestyle.

⚔️ Today’s Training: Patterns of Life

Read Time: 9 minutes, 20 seconds

Whether you realize it or not, your life is always following a pattern. And it’s important to understand what that pattern is, and where it’s ultimately leading you…

It’s not hard to see that we humans have very many varying opinions on how to live out our temporary lives in this physical realm. The cultures and religions of the hundreds of nations on the planet are one clear example of this. And all of them impose a varying degree of pressure on the people that find themselves surrounded by these ideas and lifestyles to conform to whatever standards their culture or religion sets.

And despite America being a “melting pot” of cultures, with our freedoms of religion, speech, and to domestically travel and assemble wherever we like, this fact almost intensifies this pressure: Here, there are many different ways and opinions people argue are the way to live, spend their time and money, and achieve happiness and fulfillment. Additionally, the rise and widespread adoption of the Internet and social media platforms has only concentrated this very pressure onto hundreds of millions of people.

But what does this “pressure” look like exactly?

Chances are, you’ve experienced it quite often in your life, perhaps even when you were super young. Ever been bullied or peer-pressured to do something everyone else is doing, like wearing certain clothes, buying a certain smartphone, or engaging in certain hobbies/activities, just to name a few examples? That’s societal pressure in its most raw form.

What does this look like as you age and mature? Here’s some areas you may experience this in:

• Choosing a career path (society, government, and the public school system often pressure teens to go to college/university)

• Political views/who to vote for (Big tech, the entertainment industry, social media users, and major news outlets tend to lean toward the Left while demonizing the Right)

• Determining family size (having more than 2-4 children can often be viewed as irresponsible or unrealistic by many)

• Educating your children (fear mongering surrounding the possibility of social setbacks or other concerns with homeschooling)

• Making preemptive medical decisions (i.e. doctors, friends, and family members encouraging you to vaccinate yourself, your children, or others)

• And much more…

Here’s the bottom line: You are always going to feel this pressure your entire life. Remember: wherever someone takes action, there are always critics. No matter how hard you try to plan ahead, weigh your options, and make an informed decision to do or don’t do something, someone is always going to think they have it more figured out than you: that they have the more-educated opinion, the higher-paying job, the healthier body, etc.

And here’s another hard truth for you: Whether we like to admit it or not, there will always be people smarter than us, wealthier than us, healthier than us, more talented than us, and with more life experience than us that will take the time to throw their hat into the ring. They’ll share their opinions online, to you in-person, or whatever the case may be. And their credentials can give them influence in the eyes of the world, whether they’re right or wrong, and further add to the pressure you may be feeling.

So, do you succumb to the everlasting pressures/opinions of the world around you (even if you don’t fully agree with them) to “make things easier,” to “fit in,” and to try to please everyone? Or do you reject ALL opinions besides your own and just try to do what makes you happy without anyone else’s help? Surely there must be a happy medium, right?

📖 A word from the Word

If this type of pressure has been getting to you in your life recently with a variety of different issues, I want you to do the following first and foremost:

Stop. Take a slow, deep breath. This isn’t what Yeshua wants for you. Invite our good Father into your struggles. Sit with Him and seek out His perfect shalom from the ramblings of the world.

Feeling better? Let’s continue:

Worrying about adapting to the world view of how we should be living out our lives and seeking approval from those around us can not only be unhealthy and stressful, but also unbiblical.

Many of us know this famous Bible verse from the Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans:

When we analyze it in this context, we begin to see how freeing this idea can become: We’re not supposed to care about what the world says of us or what we’re supposed to do by their faulty standards! And the reason the influence of the world is faulty is because at the end of the day, there’s a selfish intent behind whoever or whatever’s pressuring you:

• Very many people who post on social media, famous or not, often seek personal validation for their lifestyle choices or opinions. And seeing them receive support for it can have an effect on how you view your lifestyle and the choices you make.

• Brands will often create flashy, trendy, or relatable ads for their products to help boost sales and make themselves more money, even if the product isn’t good for society in the long run.

• Similarly, the entertainment industry (i.e. Hollywood) will make movies or TV shows that intentionally or unintentionally make specific aspects of life look normal, even if you don’t agree with them on those areas. It doesn’t help many filmmakers often push particular opinions on their audiences as well in order to gain favor with specific groups, hoping to make more money that way.

Patterning your life around these constantly changing trends and opinions is not only stressful, but futile. Wouldn’t living with an agenda from someone who genuinely loves you be so much better? Here are a few things our God says about you:

Do you see any worldly influences around you willing to lay down their lives for you? I don’t think so. Let’s spend some time paying attention to the One who cares about our well-being so deeply that He gave Himself up for us! He desires for us to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind (Deuteronomy 6:5).

The crux of today’s message can be summed up in this passage, in which Yeshua is referring to believers in Him as the prophesied Messiah:

If there’s any influence we should be striving to conform to or anyone we should be trying to please, it’s Almighty God! He’s already set us apart through belief in His Son, in order to sanctify us and reconcile us to Him.

And here’s what’s truly amazing: Through the blood of Messiah, Yah has already given us everything we need to obey Him and pattern our lives after Him! Here’s how:

• He’s written His Torah, His lifestyle for us, on our hearts through His renewed covenant with us (Jeremiah 31:32, Hebrews 8:10)

• He’s poured His Spirit out upon us (Acts 2:38, Romans 8:9, 1 John 4:13)

• He’s given us a mission (Matthew 28:18-20, Galatians 5:16-17, Ephesians 5:2, Philippians 3:12-21)

So without further ado, I challenge you to stop wasting time trying to find new ways to change your lifestyle to conform to the world around you or what others say you should do. Pursue the path your faith in Messiah Yeshua has already laid out for you! Walk in His ways; Listen to His voice; And follow the bidding of the Spirit and the calling our Messiah’s placed on your life! And through doing that, you’ll find a new level of fulfillment and peace in your life that surpasses all understanding.

💪 Your Action Steps: Patterning Your Life

1. Recognize when you feel pressured to conform to something. Is it because you wish to fit in with the world around you? Or are you making an effort to create a godly lifestyle?

2. Identify any wordly desires or mindsets you might have, and purge them from your life! And after that, replace them with things that Scripture says about you and how we ought to live as believers.

3. Remember the pattern for our lives that The Father has already laid out for us in the Scriptures. Do you choose to pursue what makes you happy through living like the world and listening to their voice? Or do you choose to pursue your Lord and Savior with all your heart and what He says?

4. Focus each and every day on walking out that pattern of life! Learn to embrace your set-apart identity in Messiah Yeshua; learn how to walk in His ways He’s written on your heart; and listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit inside you and pursue whatever He commands you to do!

Until we meet again,

Shalom in Yeshua Messiah.