[PART 1] Fundamentals of Bible-Based Self-Improvement

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Greetings my friend,

Welcome to The Arsenal, your weekly newsletter designed to train and equip you for a set-apart lifestyle.

Before we begin, I wanted to add a short disclaimer for sake of clarity (and because I forgot to mention it in last week): you may see me use Yahweh/Yah/God and Yeshua/Jesus interchangeably, since I personally prefer to use the most direct transliterations as possible of the Name of God, יהוה, and the Messiah, יהושע, found in the original Hebrew texts in order to honor Them as best as possible. 

As for my preferred translation of God’s Word, I lean more on the literal side, meaning I read and use translations like the KJV, NJKV, ESV, or ISR’s “The Scriptures.” As such, and for sake of clarity, all Bible references used in every issue of this newsletter will be from the NKJV.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into this week’s message.

It’s not hard to deduce that each one of us are unique: Each person has their own set of strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams, personality traits, and life experiences that shape us into someone distinctly different from the next.

But no matter what kind of person The Father has helped you become, there are some fundamental things you must do if you’re looking to make a real difference in the way you live. I strongly believe doing these things will help you become more aware of the world around you, especially in clearing up and realigning your mental space towards your God-given purpose and serving and obeying Him in even the most insignificant moments.

In addition, major parts of the Bible, including Yahweh’s Law/Torah, past and future prophecy, the psalms of David, the proverbs of Solomon, the parables and teachings of Yeshua, and the letters of Paul to the early church found in the Scriptures all directly or indirectly point to The Father desiring a higher standard of morality and way of life for those who believe in Him.

Also, adding these habits to my daily routine personally helps me live out one of my foundational passages of Scripture for biblical self-improvement, and it’s a pretty famous verse Paul writes to the Romans:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” ~ Romans 12:2

In this first issue of a five part series, we’ll be covering the first and arguably most important fundamental habit that also plugs right into this verse super well. So without further ado, let’s begin.

Habit #1 - Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God.

For an individual who’s striving to be more like our Messiah and become the best version of themselves, there’s nothing more important than prioritizing talking with Him and reading His Word at the start of each day. But compared to getting up right away and getting in a run/work out, working your job/running your business, or cleaning your home to name a few, why does prayer and Bible study take the cake?

As Christians, we should be striving to live like our Messiah and follow his example to the best of our ability. And from the gospel account of Mark, we know that Yeshua prioritized an intimate relationship with His Father first and foremost, even while actively pursuing His Father’s will. Mark’s gospel account says the following:

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for You.’ But He said to them,‘Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.’ And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.” ~ Mark 1:35-38 

It’s interesting to note how in these specific Scripture passages (as well as all the gospel accounts), we can see just how passionate and understanding Yeshua was of His purpose and fulfilling His Father’s will for Him, but yet still took the time to spend time with His Father first and foremost.

This is a great example of how we should be living: While remaining purpose driven and goal-oriented is critical, remembering and giving honor, praise, and glory to the source of all things is the least we can do to thank Yahweh for the opportunities we’re presented with each day we wake up. As summed up by Paul,

“For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” ~ Romans 11:36

Speaking of Yeshua’s example, another great point is that His actions I just mentioned in Mark aligned perfectly with His own teaching during His Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew’s account:

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” ~ Matthew 6:31-33

Yeshua’s example of spending time with the Father and seeking to advance His kingdom before trying to advance our own in exchange for His promise of providing for our needs is also a great example of the relationship Yahweh strives to have with us. And I don’t know about you, but I would be honored to serve a God like that.

So, all of this begs the question: what does this all look like for us today? If you feel a little confused as to how to seek and advance Yahweh’s kingdom and what that truly means for you, here are some basic things you can do during your time with the Creator every morning to help guide you toward understanding what role you play in advancing the Kingdom on this earth:

· Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) – How can you ever expect to truly know what your purpose Yahweh has for you if you don’t talk to Him about it? By truly following Yeshua’s example of praying first thing in the morning, continually giving credit to Yahweh for all the great things (miracles) He performed and following His outline for prayer mentioned in Matthew 6:8-13, known as The Lord’s Prayer, you’ll eventually begin to continually reach a point of humble submission to whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to say and do. And to add the cherry on top, Paul, possibly alluding to Yeshua’s comments on seeking Yahweh’s Kingdom first, wrote the following to the Philippians:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” ~ Philippians 4:6

· Light your path with the Word (Psalms 119:105) – During a conversation with a friend and fellow believer I had recently, he made a really good point that I don’t think some take seriously enough: What’s another reason for why we serve Yahweh, the King of Kings and the Redeemer of mankind over other gods of this world? He literally wrote us a book!! The Bible we know today, written over the course 1,500 years by over 40 different people Yahweh used throughout human history, continues to prove itself true more and more as time goes on, through things like archeological discoveries, geopolitical events, and the noticeably steady decline of mankind’s morality.

So in addition to communing directly with our God, it’s crucial to read all of what’s He’s already done for and through humanity (and what He still plans to do) and apply the lessons and instructions we can learn from it to our own lives in order that we might learn more about His character and serve Yahweh better. After all, He’s allowed His Word to survive for millennia to the present day and be translated into our own language through the effort and martyrdom of many, many people. So it must be pretty important to our faith, right?

This is certainly a personal conviction of mine at least, and as someone trying to honor Yahweh through my lifestyle and imitate my Messiah (1 Corinthians 1:11) as closely as possible, it's a no-brainer. After all, Yeshua Himself commands us to keep His (Yahweh’s) commandments if we truly love Him (John 14:15), and all of them can be found in His Word. And hey, I’m sure we all want to hear “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) at the end of the age, don’t we? Therefore, it only makes sense to heed the wisdom and expectations of Yahweh through the commandments, proverbs, teachings, and the life of Yeshua all recorded in the Bible you may have sitting on your shelf collecting dust.

· Repent, for the Kingdom is near (Matthew 4:17) – This is a huge step that I think a lot of people miss: In the time you set aside to make room for the Father each morning, remember that repentance is a lifelong commitment, even after putting your faith in Yeshua.

He says that we would receive eternal life through belief in Him as the Messiah (John 3:16), the apostle Peter affirms this by saying there is no other name by which we’re saved (Acts 4:12), and Paul is a third witness to this idea stating we must confess with our mouths Yeshua is Lord and believing on Him for salvation (Romans 10:9). And that’s all very true and the Good News does indeed save us from eternal punishment. But don’t miss this concept: in Revelation, Yeshua warns one of the seven churches:

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” ~ Revelation 3:14-21

Need I say more? It’s important to note Yeshua is addressing a church here, those who believe in Him as the Messiah. The church of the Laodiceans here is making a crucial mistake: Remember Yeshua’s teaching on seeking the Kingdom first, and everything you have need of will be added to you? How the Laodiceans became wealthy is unclear, but they forgot Who their provider is through focusing too much on what they gained in conjunction with their own works. As a consequence of this, we see that pride ran amuck in that church, which Yeshua addresses as a people He will spit out of His mouth.

This perfectly explains why we should be spending time with Him every single day and constantly returning back to the source of our salvation while reevaluating ourselves daily by fundamentals of our faith in Messiah and His teachings. Too often, we get so caught up in what we do every day that we forget to return credit to Who allowed us to even do those things in the first place. We need to stay tuned in to the Holy Spirit’s voice to help humble us and remain focused on seeking Yahweh’s Kingdom first as previously mentioned. And giving credit to Yahweh as Yeshua did and thanking Him for the blessings we do have, even if we feel like we alone earned them, is never a bad idea either.

As the final nail in the coffin for those who walk the line between humbly serving Yahweh and pursuing personal glory through their own works, the apostle James calls out all of Israel (the church) in his epistle, stating, 

“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’” ~ James 4:4-6

“Enemy of God”? That’s a tough pill to swallow. And I don’t know about you, but I want to do everything I can to get out of that spot. From these passages, the core message remains clear: You can’t be saved through Messiah but not live like He commands us to. To quote Yeshua Himself: 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” ~ Matthew 6:24

So how do we avoid doing this? Simple. Let’s call on our good buddy Paul one last time to wrap up this section in a neat little bow:

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22

Remember what Yahweh did for you through His Son. Think about your new eternal future and how glorious it is. Thank Him for what He atoned for in your life, and do that by being a doer of the Word and taking action to seek and advance His Kingdom first with the guidance of the Holy Spirit humbly leading you. For,

“A man’s heart plans his way,

But the LORD directs his steps.” ~ Proverbs 16:9

Be blessed, my brother and sisters.