[PART 2] Fundamentals of Bible-Based Self-Improvement

Greetings my friend,

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

And I apologize for a late release! Independence Day weekend didn’t allow for quite as much free time to finish writing this as I had hoped. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

In part two of this five-part Fundamentals series, we pick up where we left with us discussing our second fundamental habit necessary for living a set apart and purpose-driven lifestyle that honors Almighty Yahweh.

To start off, I wanted to elaborate on a couple points I made in last week’s issue. First, I wanted to remind you of our primary motivation for living the way we do. And what was that you may ask? To imitate our Lord and Savior and walk as He walked. That’s number one. This flows into my second point, in which I mentioned how most of Yeshua’s actions during His first coming reflect the authority, purpose, and goals He had.

It’s incredible to think how despite how tempted He was by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) and how He experienced so many of the same emotions as us that often hold us back (John 11:33-35, Luke 22:44, Hebrews 4:15), yet He still managed to triumph and accomplish His Father’s Will for Him. While it’s difficult to fully wrap our heads around, Yeshua was human, too. And His bold confidence in challenging the status quo of the Pharisees’ pride and man-made additions to the Torah all while knowing He was fated to die a terrible death to atone for mankind’s wickedness is incredibly inspiring. It helps make Him a relatable example for us to follow in many ways. 

When I was meditating on all this, a natural question arose: If we’re striving to be more like Messiah, and He acted so boldly with a clear purpose for His life (which He stated multiple times), what can I do to replicate that as best as possible?

If you had those same questions, you’re in luck, because that’s what this week’s newsletter is all about. Let’s jump in.

Habit #2 – Pursuing Purpose Over Pleasure

Spring-boarding off of that foundational thought of acting boldly with a clear purpose, I want you to picture this motivational analogy: Imagine the enjoyment you feel from doing something, those happy dopamine releases in your brain, as interest deposits in a savings account. You can spend the interest payments as soon as you receive them, which is enjoying something/having fun in the moment, but you can only enjoy yourself so much with what you can afford at that point in time. Then, consider if you decide to save your money and allow those interest deposits to build up for months, years, or even decades as you strive to fulfill your purpose and reach your goal…

Once you get there and can finally relax and enjoy yourself, think about what you’ll be able to afford with all that money from interest deposits you saved up: Freedom from regrets and true happiness found in understanding your calling, fulfilling it, and reaping the rewards and blessings that come along with it, so long as you humble yourself, read and act upon Yah’s Word, and align your will with His.

What’s truly devastating is the realization and subsequent regrets many people have or will have later in life of how much time, money, and opportunities they wasted doing things that don’t contribute to their life goals and/or their higher calling. And for many, it’s often too late by that point to reconcile those years or opportunities they had to build something great, all because they wanted to keeping enjoying quick and easy pleasure in the moment versus working hard in those moments they had and delaying gratification to enjoy a way better and more meaningful result in the future.

The truth is that understanding your true calling and constantly toward fulfilling that purpose above all else is much more important than many people realize. Through the blood of Yeshua, each of us are a new creation, with the Holy Spirit inside of you granting a unique set of talents and abilities that can be used to glorify Yah and advance His kingdom. It’s amazing, isn’t it?

But at the same time, He also expects us to understand and use them to best of our ability for that purpose that He’s calling us to. Think about giving your best friend a birthday gift that they not only would enjoy using, but would also grow your relationship with them through their use of your gift. Now, let’s say you come to visit a few months later and find your gift still sealed in its packaging on the top shelf of their closet. How would that make you feel? You’d probably question if they truly valued your gift and their relationship with you, right?

The same goes for Yah and His relationship with us. He sent His own Son to die on that cross and atone for our sins we commit every single day so that we could spend eternity with Him and also enjoy the gift and the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. And He did this all while requiring nothing of us along the way. So, in line with the commandment to love Him with our entire being (Deuteronomy 6:5), it makes sense we should be doing our best to pursue His Will for us with the blessings and abilities He’s given us through the Spirit.

This idea is also back up by Scripture. Yeshua, who calls us His friends (John 15:15), taught an interesting parable during His walk on this earth that aligns with the idea of working hard with what the Father’s given you and receiving rewards and true fulfillment as a result. But He also alludes to the opposite of that in this same parable…Read on:

This entire parable is also recorded in the gospel of Luke, and interestingly, in that account, the man (Yeshua), now described as a nobleman, specifically gave a job, or purpose, to each of His three servants to fulfill:

The servants (we believers) who understood the value of fulfilling their master’s orders (which equates to our higher calling or purpose) received great blessings according to how well they filled out their master’s assignment with the money (gifts/abilities) He had given them. But the other servant is one Yeshua calls wicked and lazy for not thinking He’s just and merciful in combination with not acting on his assignment. And so, Yeshua not only gives that wicked servant’s talent to the one who earned the ten talents, but He also casts the wicked servant into outer darkness, with its description implying that it’s Hell itself. 

Talk about regretting your past! Would NOT want to be that servant. 

So all of this may find you begging the question: How do I know what my Master’s assignment is for me? And what can I do to fully discover and fulfill that mission?

Let me introduce you to a three-step process based on Scripture that help get you started in discovering more about the person Yahweh made you to be and how to use that in finding your higher calling.

STEP 1: Understand What Your Spiritual Gifts Are

As part of how Yahweh made each of us a unique creation, we were all given a different set of spiritual gifts that, through the Holy Spirit, allow us to reflect Yeshua and advance the Kingdom through them in our own unique way. Through his epistle to them, the apostle Paul explains the concept of spiritual gifts to the church of Corinth:

The apostle Peter also mentions spiritual gifts in his first epistle, stating:

So while Paul defines and explains what spiritual gifts are, Peter makes it clear that we’re to use them to glorify Yahweh. It’s also important to realize that, as Paul said, these gifts are administered through the Spirit, which means it’s important to be in tune with it and do what He says in order to maximize the fruit of your labors by using your gifts where Yah has called you.

To help you discover what your set of spiritual gifts are, there are several fantastic free resources out there. While I don’t treat these with the same authority as the Bible or revelation from the Holy Spirit, one resource that I highly recommend to help hone in on your unique set of gifts is this free, 15-20 minute assessment, which you can check out here.

But what are some other things we can do to help align ourselves more with Yahweh’s will for us and deepen our spiritual connection to Him in order to hear His voice more often? While prayer and reading Scripture is essential to our relationship with Him (which you can read about here in part one of this Fundamentals series), there’s a practice that I see heavily underutilized in many people’s faith walks today that helps further deepen that spiritual connection and also helps build discipline and focus for use in your self-improvement journey:

STEP 2: Fasting for Spiritual and Mental Discipline

When most people think of fasting, they immediately associate it with health, particularly with dieting as a detox and weight-loss method. And while fasting for those reasons is extremely beneficial, what people often forget is that fasting also helps us do those same things on a spiritual level too.

One of the earliest examples of fasting in the Bible is mentioned in the Torah, specifically in Exodus, when Moses is called up to Mount Sinai by Yahweh:

As we know, Moses spoke with Yahweh as one of us would speak to a friend, and it’s interesting to note how he fasted while in His presence. This denotes fasting as a way to honor Yah while seeking to fulfill our purpose. And Moses was a notable example of letting Yahweh use him to accomplish His Will here on earth. 

Another example of fasting as a sign of being devout is also found in the Torah, in Leviticus chapter 23, in the commands for observing The Day of Atonement, also known as Yom Kippur:

The people of Moses’ time most likely understood “afflicting themselves” to mean fasting, which to this day is still a major part of observing Yom Kippur. The core concept here is that Yah wants us to associate fasting with a deeper spiritual intimacy, especially on what’s considered the holiest day of the year. Other examples throughout the Old Testament support this idea of fasting as a method of helping consecrate ourselves to Yah, particularly in the context of people humbling themselves after sinning or when prayerfully relying on Him to make a move for the people:

In the New Testament, fasting is just as important, as shown by Yeshua and His disciples on numerous occasions throughout the gospels, in addition to Paul in the book of Acts. But today, I wanted to focus on one statement Yeshua makes in particular which features similar language to what His Father said regarding the command of “afflicting your soul” on Yom Kippur:

Not only does this stay consistent with the theme of afflicting ourselves to serve and obey Yahweh, but it also creates a mentality of discipline and self-evaluation that’s also incredibly valuable in our faith walk. And returning to the idea of delaying gratification, denying ourselves food (that we more often than not eat simply because we’re bored) in this scenario will yield a greater net result. And because we know Yeshua fasted from the gospel accounts, combined with the symbolism and practice behind fasting found in both the Old and New Testaments, it makes sense then that occasionally taking a day or two here and there to fast and really pursue Yah’s will for us during that time is an extremely beneficial exercise.

So, if you’re feeling like you have a lack of direction in your life, are unsure on what your spiritual gifts are, and are looking to reach a new level of intimacy with Yahweh and discipline in your daily life, combing periodic fasting with your daily prayer, worship, and Scripture reading routine can be an immensely powerful tool in reaching those goals.

But eventually, if you remain steadfast and faithful, the time will come when you finally discover what direction Yah is pointing you toward. What then?

STEP 3: Taking Action

Once you’ve taken some time to draw closer to Yahweh through prayer, fasting, and reading His Word, the natural final step is to act out what you’ve learned and do what that tiny voice of the Holy Spirit inside of you is commanding you to do.

But while this is the simplest step, it’s often the most difficult one to execute! Sometimes, we don’t always want to hear what the Spirit is telling us, sometimes we’re afraid of the potential consequences of it. Perhaps we feel we’re still incapable of doing what He’s asked of us. If you struggle with any of these thoughts, the epistle of James is for you. In it, the apostle James wrote some great passages concerning these ideas.

Concerning acting out Scripture, the contents of which contain the foundation of our faith, James writes:

Essentially, James tells us that if we neglect doing what Scripture commands us to do, we forget who we truly are, our identity. In your pursuit of your God-given purpose, that’s quite an important thing to understand, no? How can you expect to do anything impactful for Yahweh if you don’t understand or have that confidence in who you truly are? 

Elaborating on the idea of acting out our faith, James continues:

Paul, Peter, and John also get in on the action here by presenting their own iterations of the importance of works alongside faith:

While we’re saved through faith in Yeshua Messiah alone, it’s pretty apparent that if we long to be the best version of ourselves and to reap the benefits of full obedience to Yah, we can’t neglect doing what He’s commanded us to do in His Word and being a living example of that as we strive to do our best in whatever His Spirit is leading us to do.

As his trump card regarding this principle of works, James writes toward the end of his epistle:

Remember the parable of the servants we mentioned earlier? It’s also a pretty good example of this principle: Because the wicked servant didn’t act on what his Master told him to do, he was punished for it. Similarly, when you finally realize what talents the Lord has given you and where He’s calling you to use them, you better make sure you do!

But be encouraged my friend: While Yah holds those who believe in Him to a higher standard through His commandments and the teachings and warnings of His Messiah, He’s also a God of love, mercy, power, and wisdom. And for those truly seeking to live for Yah and do what He says, He’s faithful in showing you the way to go.

To quote some Scripture for a final time:

Whew, this one was a bit of doozy, I know. But I really wanted to drive home that pursuit of true purpose is rarely easy: It takes true motivation, discipline, and wisdom to achieve it. But as the Scriptures above point out, Almighty Yahweh, in His infinite wisdom and love for us, provides for His children who obey Him and ask of Him for whatever they have need of. Let His Holy Spirit inside of you be that motivation, discipline, and wisdom, so long as you make room for Him to move and change you. And by this true pursuit of purpose, you will naturally (and with His guidance) eliminate anything that stands in your way.

Be blessed, my brother and sisters.