In the Jewish creation narrative, God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence. In the Biblical Proverbs, words are said to have the power of life and death. In Christianity, Jesus is introduced as the Word that God sent to manifest his power on the earth. Ancient cultures keenly understood the connection between words and the events that took place in the material world. The words of the Creator were of the utmost important. Kings, generals, and commoners sought out divine oracles by which to govern their lives. They labored in temples, churches, mosques, and prayer rooms expressly to persuade God to utter a word in their favor. It was also said that man was created in the image of the Creator. The belief was widespread that a man’s destiny would in some measure be determined by his own words.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:3-4

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18:21

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1-2

The truth is that your life and my life up until this point are the manifestation of words that we have spoken and words that have been spoken over us by others. The seed of every word is a thought. A dumb person may go an entire lifetime without speaking a syllable, but the power of words operates in his own mind. And not all words have equal power. A man may think 70,000 thoughts in a day. But only the thoughts he believes take up root in his mind, reproduce themselves, and have a powerful effect on his material reality. This is something that Jesus Christ understood.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

The thoughts we believe are the source of everything else that happens in our life. They are the prism through which we interpret reality. In every moment, the brain is flooded with far more information than it can possibly make sense of. The brain has what’s called a reticular activating system, whose job is to filter information from the environment by only holding on to information that confirms existing beliefs. This is why someone who believes, “I am successful,” constantly finds evidence to support their belief in the same manner as someone who believes, “I am not good enough.” There is a famous sequence that captures the powerful impact thoughts (and the beliefs that empower them) have on our lives.

Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Character is everything.

Experts estimate that human beings think between 60-80,000 thoughts and speak between 10-25,000 words in day. If words are the building blocks of life, it follows that every human being is constantly creating their life. And they are doing so at an incredibly prolific rate. We often don’t see it this way because our brains are on auto-pilot and many of our thoughts are repetitive. The bottom line is that the key to all self-improvement is changing the way we think.

Abracadabra. We’ve all heard this word before. It’s what magician’s say when they perform a trick. It’s from Aramaic and means “I create as I speak.” Abracadabra is the main takeaway of this article. And the main takeaway of this website. Remember it if you remember nothing else.

On July 4, 1776, representatives from the 13 American colonies declared their independence from the British crown. That declaration took place during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) through which freedom was officially secured for the fledgling nation. July 4 is a day of family, fireworks, and fun. It is one of my favorite days of the year, and is intended to celebrate not only American history but America’s highest ideal: freedom.

Freedom is something that every human being desires, but few ever stop to define. In public discourse, freedom often gets reduced to democracy, religion, speech, and entrepreneurship. These things are important, yet millions live in societies that guarantee all of these things yet haven’t even scratched the surface of freedom. While certain external provisions factor into the freedom equation, freedom is ultimately a matter of internal processes. It involves things like material contentment, emotional health, strong relationships, and life purpose. Yet the prerequisite for each of these provisions is one and the same: discipline.

Discipline is required to achieve anything in life, and freedom is no exception. The fact is that freedom is hard work. It takes work to become emotionally healthy, fulfill one’s material goals, and build relationships with people. Discipline is the decision to put the work in whether we feel like it or not, with faith that it will benefit us in the long run. We often take for granted that everybody acts in their best interest, but a casual look around indicates otherwise. How many people engage in self-destructive behaviors or miss out on life blessings due to a lack of discipline? Discipline, it seems to follow, is a key to personal freedom.

Jocko Willink is a man who knows something about freedom and discipline. Willink is a US Navy SEAL, the most exclusive and prestigious branch of the US military, and current Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner. Willink is co-author of Extreme Ownership: How US Navy Seals Lead and Win and Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual. Below I present 10 of my favorite quotes from Discipline Equals Freedom that are worth meditating on.

What is your ideal of freedom? And, more importantly, how does one go about achieving it?

Quotes:

–> Don’t expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen. You won’t be. Don’t count on motivation. Count on Discipline.

–> NO MORE. No more excuses. No more: “I’ll start tomorrow.” No more: “Just this once.” No more accepting the shortfalls of my own will. No more taking the easy road. No more bowing down to whatever unhealthy or unproductive thoughts float through my mind.

–> Stop researching every aspect of it and reading all about it and debating the pros and cons of it â€¦ Start doing it.

–> Don’t fight stress. Embrace it. Turn it on itself. Use it to make yourself sharper and more alert. Use it to make you think and learn and get better and smarter and more effective. Use the stress to make you a better you.

–> With myself, I have to hold the line. There are areas within myself where I CANNOT compromise. I am going to work hard. I am going to train hard. I am going to improve myself. I am not going to rest on my laurels. I am going to own my mistakes and confront them. I am going to face my demons. I’m not going to give up, or give out, or give in. I’m going to stand. I am going to maintain my self-discipline. And on those points there will be No Compromise. NOT NOW.  NOT EVER.

–> Faster. Stronger. Smarter. More humble. Less ego

–> You have to BE VIGILANT. You have to be ON GUARD. You have to HOLD THE LINE on the seemingly insignificant little things— things that shouldn’t matter—but that do.

–> Humans can withstand almost inconceivable stress—and you can too. So that is your first step: Gain perspective. And to do that you must do something critical in many situations: Detach. Whatever problems or stress you are experiencing, detach from them. Stress is generally caused by what you can’t control.

–> Is this what I want to be? This? Is this all I’ve got—is this everything I can give? Is this going to be my life? Do I accept that?

–> Motivation is fickle. It comes and goes. It is unreliable and when you are counting on motivation to get your goals accomplished—you will likely fall short.

Many cultures across time and space practiced ancestral worship. Some still do today, as we see manifest in African tribal religions and Japanese Shintoism. These cultures hold that ancestral spirits continue to exist and exercise influence over human affairs. There is also typically a reverence for ancestors that transcends immediate self-interest. This reverence is based on the recognition that ancestors, in general, and one’s ancestors, in particular, were in large part responsible for creating the world that their descendants inherited. Ancestors also deserve credit for having completed the universal challenge that is life. As a result, descendants owe ancestors a debt of gratitude and honor.

American society today places little emphasis on ancestors. Our society is founded on the enlightenment value of individualism–the idea that the individual is supreme. In theory, the individual has the power to create their destiny and bears sole responsibility for their success or failure. An individualistic worldview diminishes the role of parents, grandparents, siblings, and relatives, and pays even less attention to ancestors.

However, even in a country as individualistic as the US with the least theoretical underpinning for ancestral reverence, I see it all the time. Millions of Americans use the services of Ancestry and 23andMe and are greatly eager to discover information about their relatives (especially if any one of them was the least bit famous).

I always remember the instance when a friend in grade school told me that his ancestors were kings and queens. I had no reason to doubt his story. I have heard my own family members make similar claims. The only difference is my family members tend to go further back in time since the more recent evidence on our family lineage suggests otherwise.

Human beings seem to have a need for a strong self-image–call it identity. In individualistic societies like the US that have relatively weak family networks, many people find their self-image lacking in meaningful ways. People turn to sports teams, political parties, musical groups, and social causes as a source of identity. Some resurrect nationalism, nativism, and xenophobia. And yet others swear allegiance to gangs and mafias. When people find these avenues deficient, they may even go further back in time like my friend, my family members, and the countless Americans suddenly fascinated by their ancestry.

The myriad ways people craft their identity betrays the fact that identity is socially constructed. If identity is individualistic, it is so in the sense that every individual ultimately chooses how to self-define. Some people even lie or delude themselves in the process, as I alluded to earlier, but their misconceptions may form as strong a foundation for their lives as someone who only operates with cold hard facts. For me, the truth is important. I have a hard time ignoring evidence or believing something in the absence of it. And when people realize the truth they built their life around was actually a lie, then a second-order identity crisis is usually the end result.

When I first started writing this article, I wasn’t sure where I was going with it. But now I think I do. It all goes back to the power of the mind. Just as words have the power to create, they also have the power to change. Somebody who lacks identity has the power to develop a positive one that situates them as a meaningful, contributing member of a community. Similarly, someone with an identity built on resentment, exclusivity, or lies has the power to radically reform it. But there is only one captain on every ship. I can’t do it for you the same way you can’t do it for me.

Telling somebody it’s possible may sound like cold consolation. But the biggest obstacle to change is the belief that the way things are is the way things will always be.

[You can follow me on Twitter @creatorvilla.] The sequence in the title comes from a famous Bedouin proverb. The jBedouin were militarized Arab nomads who inhabited the deserts of Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia prior to the development and sedentarization of the early 20th century. The proverb captured how human beings have conducted themselves for the great majority of recorded history. Human beings are tribal, and the basic unit of the tribe is the immediate family. Beyond the immediate family, people form loyalty ties based on kinship. However, there is a problem with this system. First of all, it implies people are always in conflict with others. And second, it implies that every human being will have an enemy in the great majority of people on earth. Indian-American novelist and author of The Sweetness of Tears, Nafisa Haji, captures some of this tension.

There is an old Arab Bedouin saying: I, against my brothers. I and my brothers against my cousins. I my brothers and my cousins against the world. That is jungle law. It is the way of the world when the world is thrown into chaos. It is our job to avert that chaos, to fight against it, to resist the urge to become savage. Because the problem with such law is that if you follow it, you are always fighting against someone.

Nafisa Haji, The Sweetness of Tears

Fortunately, most of us live in ordered societies where our immediate survival is not at stake. We don’t have to walk around with the same level of distrust as the ancients, knowing that the probability of us losing our lives or our livelihood is meager. But the remnants of old ways of evolved thinking die hard. And the seed of distrust is still strong within the human race. This seed manifests as anger, hatred, selfishness, and a desire to harm the person of others even using all non-physical means possible. It is this internally driven chaos that can wreak havoc in even the most ordered external environments.

The way to overcome the law of the jungle isn’t simply to create better government. That will only limit the scope for internal chaos to manifest as outright violence. The way to overcome the law of the jungle is to cultivate an inner love for other people. This is much easier said than done. What reason does anyone have to love others? There are multiple ways of answering this question.

Spirituality—my faith is a powerful anchor in my life. I believe that all people were created in the image of God. This gives me a reason to strive to love everyone, even if I fall short the majority of the time. Spirituality is an anchor for a lot of people. But there are non-spiritual approaches that work toward the same end.

A sense of universal connection—The consciousness that all living things are connected such that the well-being of each of us affects other people. Every instance of an innocent person being victimized by crime is a reminder of this principle. But universal connection works in an opposite manner as well. People who follow good laws, innovate solutions to problems, and show kindness make the world a better place for others. There are myriad philosophical and material goods that we take for granted in the world, like the belief of universal equality and the opportunity to live a much better material life relative to the rest of the world. These were gifted to us by others.

Humanism—a theoretical framework a core belief of which is that human beings are capable of great good when placed in the right environment. Each individual has fundamental value and can learn to behave in a way that maximizes the overall welfare of the species. Humanism works best the more people that are on board—it is a mutual decision to further collective interests and is more specific than a universal sense of connection. Its focus on humanity and optimism about the potential of the human species distinguish it from other approaches.

Karma, sowing and reaping, or the law of reciprocity—These concepts share the idea that how people treat others sooner or later has an effect on their own life. Sometimes the concept has religious overtones, but it can be understood purely through a secular lens. The law of reciprocity holds that people tend to treat others the same way that others treat them. But there is a way of understanding the psychological benefit of showing love independent of whether said love is returned. A Biblical Proverb illustrates my point:

A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself

Proverbs 11:17

The Arab proverb cited above is the diagnosis of a problem. A problem at the level of ideas and norms that is responsible for the currently fractured state of human affairs. Surely, there must be a better way of interfacing with the world.

[You can follow me on Twitter @creatorvilla.] Today Americans celebrate the triumphant legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr, who lived and died in the cause of civil rights. On August 18, 1963, on the occasion of the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” MLK delivered a legendary speech whose famous title–I have a dream– would become synonymous with his legacy. I like the introduction to the speech supplied by AOL’s Morgan Whitaker (here). You can find the introduction italicized and the full transcript of the speech below. I have also embedded a video of the speech at the bottom of the page. The best way we can honor MLK’s legacy is by striving to embody the values of love, justice, and equality for which he sacrificed his life.

On a hot summer day in 1963, more than 200,000 demonstrators calling for civil rights joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

The days event’s included speeches from the likes of John Lewis, a civil rights activist who currently serves as a U.S. congressman more than 50 years later, Mrs. Medgar Evers, whose husband had been slain by a segregationist only two months prior, union leader Walter Reuther — and a performance by the great gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. But it was Dr. King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech that immediately took its place as one of the greatest in U.S. history.

But August 28 was not the first time King had uttered the most famous four words from his remarks that day. He had spoken about his dream during speeches in Birmingham and Detroit earlier that year. His initial drafts did not contain any references to a dream at all, according to his closest advisers.

Before the speech, King allegedly told an aide that he wanted the remarks to be “a Gettysburg Address” of sorts.

“I Have a Dream” Transcript:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

The phoenix in Greek mythology is a bird that periodically died and came back to life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor. The symbol of the phoenix is synonymous with personal rebirth and revival. We all go through seasons of change. Either changes pursues us with circumstances, or we pursue change with determination. All change is an opportunity to do better and be better.

This is the time of year when most of us are finalizing our New Year’s resolutions. We all have areas we want to improve in. Getting it done in 2020 is going to require letting go of old thoughts, habits, and ways of being that are not resourceful for meeting the challenges of tomorrow.

Today, I’ve transcribed an inspiring vlog published by a YouTuber named Elliott Hulse in the wake of the New Year. The vlog is entitled “Die before you die,” and centers on the necessity of change.

Transcript:

I got a question here from our friend. I can’t pronounce his name, but he says “Elliott, I do not expect you to look at this, but if you read it, what do you think about this quote: ‘The secret of life is to die before you die to find out there’s no death.'” Brother, that has been–I resonate deeply with that. My experience has been over the past several years, I’ve died to myself. And when I speak of dying I’m talking about an ego death. I’m still the same Elliott, but many of you can probably recognize that I’m not the same person. It has been a process of ego deconstruction. When the phoenix burns down or when Jesus says “You have to die to yourself to be accepted into the kingdom. You’ve got to let go of your old self in order to embrace the new.”

One thing he also says is you can’t put new wine in an old wineskin. I think that’s a perfect example of the benefit and the value of getting rid of your old container. Your own way of containing yourself and interfacing with the world. That really requires a throwing away. It requires a breaking down. It requires a dissolving. It requires a dying to an ego construct that is no longer resourceful for who you are to become in the next phase of your life.

This is an area where people get stuck all the time. We develop an ego construct. When I say ego construct, I’m literally talking about the interface by which we work with the world. If you can imagine your self, the outside world, which is really a figment of our imagination, but we work with it. We work with our experiences. We work with our circumstances as well as working with out internal processes. And then the ego being in between it. How do I bring myself to my circumstances? When you’re 14, there’s a way to be that allows you to interface with the world in a resourceful manner. It works for you when you’re 14. The problem is when you’re 21, and you’re still approaching life with the same ego construct that you had when you were 14, you don’t evolve. You remain the same old version of yourself even though you’re being called to change.

This is where you end up with men in their late 30s and 40s who have a mid-life crisis. And we’re lost because we’re still interfacing with the world with an old version of ourselves that’s no longer resourceful for the physiological and biological changes happening in our body. Oftentimes they’ll begin to make decisions that they would have made when they were 21. Because there’s a feeling of unease, right. You become 40, and there’s a feeling of unease. Things are not the way I think they should have been. And then in that anxiety, you go back and you begin bringing up all the old things that are associated with an ego that is no longer resourceful.

For the process of becoming a stronger version of yourself to be allowed, you have to die to those old desires. Die to the old fears, hopes, and dreams such that there is a complete obliteration, right. Old wineskins. If you’re wanting to be new, you can’t pour in new goals in the old you. You can’t pour inspiration into an old you. You can’t pour old wine into an old wineskin because you’ll ruin the wine. The wine won’t stay fresh and the wineskin will disintegrate. It can’t hold it. The container can’t hold it.

So you’re needing to reconstruct yourself in a new way so that you can take on the challenges and approach the truth about who you are in the next phase of your life. What this requires is not only a conscious and deliberate going-down process. A conscious and deliberate catabasis [going-down] period. It also requires that while you’re down there, while you’re in the belly of the beast, while you’re dying to your old self so that you can be reborn again, you begin to look at those things that are actually true. You begin to look at the things that you’ve ignored. You begin to look at the things that are truly resourceful for you and what your legacy will be in your life.

There’s a process of death and dying to those things that are no longer resourceful, and a bringing forward of those things that you’ve either forgotten about, that were in the shadows, that need to be resolved, that need to be brought forward, because they’re gifts. Shedding light on things that have been in the shadow allows you to process them. So that’s that. . . I have more to say about it, but I need a break. . . .

I’ll leave you with this last analogy. By the way, I refer to Biblical stories and what not because a lot of people know them. I don’t refer to it because I’m Bible-thumping or hoping that you’ll become a Christian. I am not a Christian myself. But I am a lover of wisdom. I am a lover of wisdom literature. I am a lover of religion because it is my experience and my belief that the manifestations of God–be it Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna, Zoroaster, Bahaullah–come to earth at a particular time. They’re all imbued with the spirit of God to teach us things that we need to know. So I truly believe that the pure essence of these teachers’ teachings are loaded with value. And can bring value into anyone’s life. So I advise you to open yourself up to reading the parables in the Bible and reading other wisdom literature.

That being said, Jonah in the whale is a wonderful story about what happens when it’s time to die to yourself and be born again. Jonah was a blessed dude. Jonah was doing well. He was well-off. He was wealthy. He was well-liked in his city and he was winning. God, your intuition, the universe–however you’d like to relate to the omnipotent, to the unknown, to the ever-present, to the Creator–will tap you on your shoulder. It happens not by a deep voice coming from a cloud. That’s a figment of our imagination, those are vain imaging and idle fancies, as Bahaullah called it. But it comes in the form of a sense within. For me it comes from a sense within.

Why I quit YouTube videos is because God had been kind of asking me to do this thing, and you can watch my videos leading up to my choosing to quit, where I’m like something’s not right. I don’t know what’s going on. Really I was resisting, but essentially God was saying, “Hey E. I need you to give up the things of the world for the moment because I have another job for you.” Jonah was doing well, God tapped him on his shoulder sand said ,”Jonah! I need you to help me out with something. I have another mission for you but you’re going to need to detach yourself from the things of this world. I know you’re a successful guy, I know that you’re doing well–Elliott–I know that you’re doing well. You got a million subscribers on YouTube. But I have greater things for you, I have a need for you.”

Jonah, like all of us, like myself, resists. “Ah, I can’t do that. I can’t give up all of this fame. I can’t give up all of this fortune. I can’t give up everyone loving me.” And so what happens is when you get that tap on the shoulder and if you ignore it, you end up like Jonah. Jonah went out on a boat with his boys not too long thereafter. A storm came, right, and he ended up getting tipped off over the boat into the deep dark watery unconscious. And not only did he dive deep into the waters, right. Into the darkness. Into the shadows because that’s where the work happens. The work always happens down deep below in those watery unconscious areas. But he was swallowed by a f**king whale. In the belly of the whale.

Now what happens in the belly of a whale down deep below in the unconscious. Digestion happens. And what is digestion? Jonah was being worked on in that belly. What is digestion? Digestion breaks things down. And when it breaks it down, it pulls out those things that are most resourceful. It pulls out those things that are needed. It pulls out those things that are nourishing. And it gets rid of the s**t. There are times when you will be digested in order to get rid of the s**t, so that your nourishing self can rise to the top. Done. I think I’m going to finish there.

[You can follow me on Twitter @creatorvilla.] I admittedly don’t know a lot about TD Jakes, but I do know he is one of the most famous pastors in the US. He has written countless best-selling books, and many people look up to him for spiritual leadership. His most recent book is Crushing: God Turns Pressure into Power. I recently saw a clip on YouTube in which he shared some of the challenges that almost led him to quit ministry. Jake’s testimony is emotionally impactful and illustrates the importance of knowing your why, or the purpose that drives you in life. There is only so much people will do for themselves, but when they have a purpose larger than themselves there is no telling the lengths they will go and the adversity they will overcome to achieve it. Check out the video and transcript below!

Transcript:

I almost quit. I’m a country boy. I’m from West Virginia. I don’t know nothing about this big time stuff. I never even asked to be big. I wanted to be effective, not famous. Famous is the consequence of being effective. I didn’t know nothing about being famous, and I didn’t like it. And so there I was, and when you’re first new everybody attacks you first, and figures you out later.

The first time I was in the Washington Post, the article was so vicious it made me nauseous. I was so shocked that you could say that stuff about somebody you didn’t even know based on assumptions and a little bit of this and a little bit of that and they piece it all together. And you don’t get to say anything back.

So I decided I don’t want this. I was preaching for Pastor Bishop Donny Mears, and nobody knew it because preachers can override their feelings and function. I preached, the place was on fire, but inside I wanted to quit. I told God that I’m through with this. I’m not going through this, I don’t need this. See, I don’t need that. I’m a guy who likes to go get his own chicken wings, I don’t have to have all of that stuff to be happy.

So I said, “I’m not doing this anymore. I’m not doing this because I don’t need this, and I didn’t ask for this. I’m only doing this because of what happened in my life, the circumstances that happened in my life.” He put me on stage, I didn’t ask for it. And when I saw how much it cost, I said “You can have that right back up in here, I don’t need it.”

I was mad inside. I was hurt. And I stayed up in the fellowship with the pastors because I didn’t want to go back to my room and sulk in my own sorrows. And they said this lady downstairs is waiting to see you, the service was over, and the fellowship was over, and the pastors started to leave and I was trying to out-wait her. I thought she’d give up and leave.

And when I finally came down the steps, she was there and she was just a wee little bit of a woman. And she said “Bishop Jakes.” She said “I’ve been in the hospital.” She said “I was pregnant in my fallopian tubes, and the baby died in my tubes, and I was carrying around a dead baby, and the toxicity from the baby almost killed me.” She said “The only thing that kept me alive was you preaching.” She said “if you had never been preaching to me everyday, I swear I would have died.”

And then she looked at me and she said, “It’s for us. It’s not for them. It’s for us.” It hit me so hard. I didn’t even get her name. I got in the car and cried all the way back to my room. Because she reminded me why I was there. Last week when I texted you, I was up in Baltimore and DC. And I was doing a book signing, and then she only came up to the table to buy Soar! She said, “You don’t remember me, do you?” I said “No.”

She didn’t even look like the same person. She’s all dressed up, she gained weight, she looked like she wasn’t sick. She said “I met you in the bottom of Donny Mears’ church, years ago.” And I burst into tears. I lost it. I stopped the signing. And I jumped up and hugged her. If it were not for that woman. . . 

Dr. Martin Luther King, a civil rights icon and prolific intellectual, addressed the topic of disappointment in a sermon he preached in 1962 entitled “Shattered Dreams.” The main takeaway is that it’s that how we respond to life’s inevitable setbacks that makes all the difference in the world. You can find the complete transcript at the King Institute (here). Below are a few highlights from the sermon that I found particularly compelling. I’ve designed it such that if you read from top to bottom you will come away with a solid grasp of the entire sermon. Dr. King undoubtedly had a way with words, but his ideas resonate even more powerfully.

Our sermon today brings us face to face with one of the most agonizing problems of human experience. Very few, if any, of us are able to see all of our hopes fulfilled. So many of the hopes and promises of our mortal days are unrealized. Each of us, like Shubert, begins composing a symphony that is never finished. There is much truth in George Frederick Watts’ imaginative portrayal of Hope in his picture entitled Hope. He depicts Hope as seated atop our planet, but her head is sadly bowed and her fingers are plucking one unbroken harp string. Who has not had to face the agony of blasted hopes and shattered dreams?

It is quite possible for one to seek to deal with this problem by distilling all his frustrations into a core of bitterness and resentment of spirit. The persons who follow this path develop a hardness of attitude and a coldness of heart. They develop a bitter hatred for life itself. In fact, hate becomes the dominant force in their lives. They hate God, they hate the people around them, and they hate themselves. Since they can’t corner God or life, they take out their vengeance on other people. If they are married they are extremely cruel to their mate. If they have children, they treat them in the most inhuman manner. When they are not beating them, they are screaming at them; and when they are not screaming at them, they are cursing them. In short, they are mean. They love nobody and they demand no love. They trust no one and do not expect anyone to trust them. They find fault in everything and everybody. They always complain. You have seen people like this. They are cruel, vindictive and merciless.

Another possible reaction to the experience of blasted hopes is for the individuals to withdraw completely into themselves. They become absolute introverts. They allow no one to come into their lives and they refuse to go out to others. Such persons give up in the struggle of life. They lose the zest for living. They attempt to escape the disappointments of life by lifting their minds to a transcendent realm of cold indifference. Detachment is the word that may describe them. They are too unconcerned to love and they are too passionless to hate. They are too detached to be selfish and too lifeless to be unselfish. They are too indifferent to experience moments of joy and they are too cold to experience moments of sorrow.16 In short, such people are neither dead nor alive; they merely exist. Their eyes behold the beauties of nature, and yet they do not see them. Their ears are subjected to the majestic sounds of great music, and yet they do not hear it. Their hands gently touch a charming little baby, and yet they do not feel him. There is nothing of the aliveness of life left in them; there is only the dull motion of bare existence. Their disappointed hope leads them to a crippling cynicism.

Another way that people respond to life’s disappointments is to adopt a philosophy of fatalism. This is the idea that whatever happens must happen, and that all events are determined by necessity. Fatalism implies something foreordained and inescapable. The people who subscribe to The this philosophy follow a course of absolute resignation. They resign themselves to what they consider their fate. They see themselves as little more than helpless orphans thrown out in the terrifying immensities of space. Since they believe that man has no freedom, they seek neither to deliberate nor to make decisions. They wait passively for external forces to deliberate and decide for them. They never actively seek to change their circumstances, since they believe that all circumstances, like the Greek tragedies, are controlled by irresistible and foreordained forces. Often the fatalists are very religious people who see God as the determiner and controller of destiny. Everything, they feel, is God’s will, however evil it happens to be.

For one to sink in the quicksands of this type of fatalism is both intellectually and psychologically stifling. Since freedom is a part of the essence of man, the fatalist, in his denial of freedom, becomes a puppet and not a person. He is right in his conviction that there is no absolute freedom, and that freedom always operates within the framework of predestined structure. Thus a man is free to go north from Atlanta to Washington or South from Atlanta to Miami. But he is not free to go north to Miami or South to Washington. Freedom is always within destiny. But there is freedom. We are both free and destined. Freedom is the act of deliberating, deciding and responding within our destined nature.

But even more, fatalism is based on a terrible conception of God. It sees everything that happens, evil and good alike, as the will of God. Any healthy religion will rise above the idea that God wills evil. It is true that God has to permit evil in order to preserve the freedom of man. But this does not mean that he causes it. That which is willed is intended, and the idea that God intends for a child to be born blind, or that God gives cancer to this person and inflicts insanity upon another is rank heresy. Such a false idea makes God into a devil rather than a loving Father. So fatalism is a tragic and dangerous way to deal with the problem of unfulfilled dreams.

What, then, is the answer? We must accept our unwanted and unfortunate circumstance and yet cling to a radiant hope. The answer lies in developing the capacity to accept the finite disappointment and yet cling to the infinite hope. In speaking of acceptance, I do not mean the grim, bitter acceptance of those who are fatalistic. I mean the kind of acceptance that Jeremiah achieved as expressed in the words, “this is my grief and I must bear it.”

This means sitting down and honestly confronting your shattered dream. Don’t follow the escapist method of trying “to put it out of your mind.” This will lead to repression which is always psychologically injurious. Place it at the forefront of your mind and stare daringly at it. Then ask yourself, “how can I transform this liability into an asset?”. . . Almost anything that happens to us can be woven into the purposes of God. It may lengthen our cords of sympathy. It may break our self-centered pride. Even the cross, which was willed by wicked men, was woven by God into the redemption of the world.

Many of the world’s most influential characters have transformed their thorns into a crown. Charles Darwin was almost always physically ill. Robert Louis Stevenson was inflicted with tuberculosis. Helen Keller was blind and deaf. But they did not respond to these conditions with bitter resentment and grim fatalism. Rather they stood up to life, and, through the exercise of a dynamic will, transformed a negative into a positive. [George Frideric] Handel confronted the most difficult and trying circumstances in his life. Says his biographer: “His health and his fortunes had reached the lowest ebb. His right side had become paralyzed, and his money was all gone. His creditors seized him and threatened him with imprisonment. For a brief time he was tempted to give up the fight—but then he rebounded again to compose the greatest of his inspirations, the epic “Messiah.”

In the final analysis our ability to deal creatively with shattered dreams and blasted hopes will be determined by the extent of our faith in God. A genuine faith will imbue us with the conviction that there is a God beyond time and a Life beyond Life. Thus we know that we are not alone in any circumstance, however dismal and catastrophic it may be. God dwells with us in life’s confining and oppressive cells. And even if we die there having not received the earthly promise, he will walk with us down that mysterious road called death, and lead us at last to that indescribable city that he has prepared for us. Let us never feel that God’s creative power is exhausted by this earthly life, and his majestic love is locked within the limited walls of time and space. This would be a strongly irrational universe if God did not bring about an ultimate wedding of virtue and fulfillment. This would be an absurdly absurdly meaningless universe if death turned out to a blind alley leading the human race into a state of nothingness. God, through Christ has taken the sting from death, and it no longer has dominion over us. This earthly life is merely an embryonic prelude to a new awakening, and death is an open door that leads us into life eternal.

Per his Wikipedia page, Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. Most people know him as that brainy philosopher guy on YouTube. To be fair, Jordan Peterson is every bit the intellectual. His opinions are well-reasoned such that they demand to be heard, even by those who take a different view.

Today, I’ve transcribed a YouTube compilation of Peterson in his element expounding on the meaning of life. I think there is something here for everyone no matter where they fall on the political or philosophical spectrum. [Update: The video was removed, but you can still access the transcript below.]

Transcript:

Why do meaningful things? Well, first of all, what is meaning? But then why do meaningful things? And the answer is because life is suffering and malevolence. It’s ineradicable at it’s core. That will take you out. Make no mistake about it. You need something to–you need to be armed with virtue in order for that not to turn into hell. Really, you really need that. And it isn’t just your hell–that’s bad enough–that can be really bad, especially when you’re contributing to it, right. Because then not only are you suffering but you know you’re the agent that’s producing the suffering.

And then maybe that’s not just for you, it’s like you’re taking out your family. If you’re really good at it, you’re taking out large swaths of your community. That’s hell. And that’s real. And no one with any sense and any experience has any doubt that that’s real. And then they could all easily think of how, even though it’s already bad, you could make it way worse. Everyone knows that.

What’s the bulwark against that? Nobility of purpose. That’s it. You have that, then you have something to set against the suffering and the malevolence. It isn’t on option. That’s not optional. You cannot live without it. It’s an instinct meaning. It’s the instinct of life. “My life is meaningless.” The spirit has gone out of you. For modern people, it’s part of this process of criticism. We criticize the idea of meaning so much that we don’t really believe in it anymore. That’s fine, you cannot believe in it, but try living without it, see how far you get with that. And so the case I’ve been making to people, which they find entirely credible, it’s partly the hell case that I just laid out. You need a reason to get out of bed on a terrible day. What’s that reason going to be?

Well, let’s think it through. You know people who can get out of bed on a terrible day. Do you admire them? Yes, what are those people like? Are they taking responsibility for themselves? Definitely. Do they have excess capacity so they are taking responsibility for other people? Yeah. Are they doing difficult things? Yes, obviously. The more you respect them, the more you also see that they’re doing difficult things, and doing them well. So what does that mean? Do some difficult things. Do them well. And you justify your miserable existence.

You can lay that argument out to an audience of 3,000 people. A lot of them are there because they’re trying to set their houses in order philosophically and religiously and practically all at the same time. It’s what they want. Lay out that argument to people, they go “Yep. Right.” And so pick up your burden and walk up the hill. Accept the burdensome condition of suffering. Voluntarily. And you transcend it. . .

People are built for struggle and they’re built for a weight, and you want to take on a heavy burden voluntarily. See if you can put yourself together. See what you can do out in the world. While you’re waiting to die. It’s an all-in game. It better be worthwhile. And so there’s a right relationship between responsibility and aspiration and hierarchy. And when you criticize those things, you get rid of the aspiration. In some sense, it’s an eternal battle. I mean the story of Cain and Abel is a story about that. It’s about responsible, proper living, and the jealously that might be engendered while observing that. And so it’s a very very old problem.

Think about discussion of the 1%. It’s like all those evil 1%. Do you know how much money you have to make to be in the top 1%? In worldwide terms, if you make $32,000 a year you’re in the top 1%. Why do you draw the boundaries so that the top 1% are people that aren’t you? If it’s not envy, if you’re doing OK–I mean you’re doing OK with say an average working class salary. You’re doing OK, I’m not saying you’re doing great. You’re not starving. You’ve got heat. You’ve got air conditioning. You’ve got access to electronic technology. You’ve got some ability to move forward into the future. You’re doing alright and by historical standards, you’re doing fine.

So why all of the sudden is the 1% that you’re envious of only those people who are richer than you when you’re also part of the 1% worldwide? I know who the rich is, the rich is always someone who has more money than me. That’s who the rich is. I don’t put myself in that category, especially if I’m pursuing this victim mentality.

And then the other part of the victim mentality is–let’s say you can have a meaningful life by adopting responsibility. But it’s a heavy load, you have to be awake and alert and on your foot, and moving toward something difficult. You have to have some self-control. And you have to sacrifice something in the present so that the future is better. It’s complex, you have to integrate a lot. When you take on some responsibility, your life has meaning. You think I want a meaningful life. It’s like maybe you do. If you’re willing to take on the responsibility. What’s the alternative? To garner a lot of unearned sympathy for your victimization position. And to at the same time take down the people who are willing to take more responsibility than you. It’s a nasty game. . .

We have enough food for everyone. We’ve produced cultures, we’ve produced structures, hierarchies that certainly have oppressive elements because hierarchies do. But every human society is a hierarchy. And most hierarchies produce nothing but misery. Our hierarchies produce a certain amount of misery and a bunch of wealth. It’s like that’s something unless you’re a fan of starvation and misery. And so my sense is let’s temper the criticism with a little bit of open-eyed gratitude. Jesus, things are pretty good. Even though things are still terrible, they’re way better than they were. And not only that, and this is one of the things that’s so amazing and remarkable and that we really haven’t woken up to. Not only are they way better than they were, they’re getting better around the world for everyone at a rate that’s nothing short of miraculous. It’s absolutely beyond belief. . .

I see this, like everyone does, this unbelievably rapid process of technological transformation approaching us. We better be wise enough to handle it, because we can’t predict. And so to the degree that we have character flaws that can be rectified, the consequences of those are going to be magnified by our increased technological power, and so I’m hoping that everybody can try to get their act together a little bit more carefully. And that’s also been extraordinarily fun.

So I’ve been in 85 cities since March. It’s very heartening because every night I talk to about 2,000 people. Not every night but like 4 nights in a week. As far as I can tell, they’re all primarily coming there because they want to put their house together from a psychological perspective. They’re interested in developing a vision and taking on responsibility. And I have dozens of people every night who have told me that over the last couple of years they’re lives have been transformed. They’ve gone from a bad place when they were really lost and nihilistic– they’ve decided that they were going to do something with their life.

I tweeted out something today. Some kid wrote me he said two years ago he didn’t have any friends, he didn’t have an intimate relationship, he didn’t know where hew as going in life, he didn’t have a job. Nothing was going for him. He’s doing a philosophy degree, he’s in his second year, he has a good job, he’s got a girlfriend, he’s got friends that care for him. He’s put his life right together.

I hear this sort of story from people all the time. People stop me on the street and tell me this, which is lovely to go to a city you’ve never been to. This happens to me all the time. I’ll be walking down the street, someone will come up and say, I’m sorry that I’m bothering you. And they’re not because people are very polite. They’ve been very polite to me. They say I wasn’t in such a good place a year ago, two years ago. I’ve been trying to put my life together. I’ve been listening to your lectures, and here’s a bunch of things that are way better for me. Right on, man. The more of that, the better.

And I think that’s the right way forward. That’s why I don’t regard myself as a political person. I have political interests, but mostly I try to operate at the level of psychology. It’s better for people to put their lives together. It’s important, and I think each person is crucially important. And I think that’s a predicate of the democratic state. We wouldn’t let people vote. People wouldn’t have the responsibility to vote to determine the outcome of the state if there wasn’t a deep belief in our culture that each person is vital.

And I do believe that, I believe that the world is constructed so that each person plays a vital role. And so every time that someone gets their act together, it’s like “Great. Great.” That’s going to have way more positive effect than you think, and stave off an awful lot of trouble because someone who goes bad can do an unbelievable amount of damage. . .

You always want to look at what the consequence of a technological transformation is. This is a big transformation. There used to be flagship media sources that were basically attempting to give a balanced picture, and I think they did a pretty good job 30 years ago. Time magazine. even the mainstream news programs. They had a professionalism that was associated with their journalism that had some degree of objectivity, and that’s fragmented. And it’s fragmenting because there’s all these media sources. Innumerable media sources. And so it’s driving people who are trying to get attention to desperation, and they exaggerate the polarity.

On this blog, I’ve shared many insights drawn from a rigorous fasting discipline over the years. Fasting has myriad benefits and we have an entire section dedicated to it on this website. I initially began fasting to heal. I wanted to test whether this ancient prescription could give me better results than my health clinic. It did. However, there are a number of reasons why people fast that my experiences do not adequately capture. A big one of them is spirituality. Fasting is common in the Buddhist, Islamic, and Judeo-Christian traditions. Many of the great prophets– including Moses, Jesus, and Paul–fasted for extended periods of time in the interest of spiritual development. Last month, I interviewed John David Contreras to get his perspective on the issue. Contreras has been featured elsewhere on this site elaborating on his colorful experiences in the United States. Contreras is a University Professor of English in his native Colombia and a Christian Pastor. He has served in ministry for 13 years and has preached at numerous churches in Colombia as well as the US. The following is an account of a live 60-minutes interview on WhatsApp.

How did you first get involved in the fasting business?

I was raised in a Christian home with Christian principles and values. Christian activities were normal to me, and fasting was one of them. In my hometown church, we would fast every Saturday until noon. I participated at a young age and so fasting is something I’ve been familiar with for a long time, but it wasn’t a big thing in my life until much later. I used to do it only because it was a requirement of serving in the church. That changed when I turned 15 or 16 years old. God started using me in a big way and I learned the spiritual benefits of fasting. Spirituality has always been my only motivation for fasting. I didn’t know until later that people do it to improve athletic performance and for physical healing.

Is fasting a regular discipline in your life or more of an occasional thing?

I fasted every Saturday during the last few months because I was going through a tough time. I was also a season of spiritual change and I wanted to accelerate the process. Now with work on Saturdays I have to create a new routine, but the goal is that fasting will always be a regular thing in my life. I want more of the Lord always, not only on special occasions.

Do you fast for general spiritual growth or with particular aims in mind?

I’ve fasted to break generational curses, for an increase in spiritual perception, for family and friends, and in preparation for events. I also fast to better align myself with the will of the Lord. There are general and specific reasons, and I don’t always distinguish between the two.

There are a few types of fasts mentioned in the Bible. They involve not eating [water fast]; not eating and drinking [dry fast]; and eating mainly vegetables [the “Daniel fast” as it is commonly known]. Which kind or kinds of fasting do you practice?

Normally I do no food and water. Recently I did a fast lasting two days where I drank water, but I’ve never done a partial fast like the Daniel fast you mentioned. I’m not saying it’s not from God–it undoubtedly works for some people–but I haven’t been led to do one yet.

How do you spend your time while fasting?

Prayer. Worship. Reading the Bible. Meditation. Watching sermons that speak to my life. Sometimes I sleep. The Lord often uses my dreams to speak to me while I’m fasting. If you’re fasting for spiritual gain, and you don’t pray, read the Bible, or do some other activity, then at the end of the day you’re just starving. The idea is to trade your natural food for spiritual food. And seeking God is the only way to get spiritual food.

What spiritual benefits do you attribute to fasting?

Fasting, combined with prayer, increases the power of God in my life. It sharpens my spiritual awareness, and it empowers me to die. The Bible talks about killing the flesh. Everything that does not bring pleasure to the Lord. As I already said, the Lord often speaks to me in dreams while fasting. That doesn’t mean the Lord will speak to everyone this way. God can speak through prayer, worship, and the reading of the Word. These three things are the foundation of the Christian life. But to answer your question, overall I would say the opportunity to better hear from God whatever way he chooses to speak.

When I was in college, I would go to my hometown for vacation. I fasted until noon for three days and God moved powerfully. I remember ministering in a church and I could feel God’s presence during the sermon and in worship. A few months ago while fasting, God led me to read a chapter in Ezekiel–Ezekiel 1. All of a sudden God allowed me to experience the glory of the Lord in that chapter. My spiritual eyes were open, and I could see wheels within wheels like Ezekiel was describing. It was like an explosion of fire. I can visualize it in my mind right now. I had never seen anything like it. That experience increased my confidence in the Lord and the power of God in my life.

If there are so many spiritual benefits to fasting, then why do so few Christians fast? Many Christians seem to think that fasting isn’t that important or something that only prophets and superheroes of the faith are called to do. What would you say to these people?

First of all, there are many reasons why Christians don’t fast. The first is spiritual laziness. Christians don’t want to read the Bible, pray, meditate, or worship. They don’t even want to go to church. I think technology is good, it’s helped get the message of Christianity out to the world, but it’s also a problem. People think they can substitute church attendance with a sermon on a computer. And I think that’s a mistake. The Bible says we should go to church because there’s power when we come together as a people to seek the Lord, praise the Lord, and hear from the Lord. Spiritual laziness is a problem, and it affects all spiritual activity not just fasting.

Another thing is incorrect belief. Many people have been taught that we don’t need to fight because Jesus paid everything on the cross. We don’t need to fast, we don’t need spiritual warfare, we don’t need to make sacrifices because Jesus did everything for us. And that’s simply not true. Jesus was asked why his disciples didn’t fast. He said there would be a day when he (the bridegroom) would be taken from his disciples (the bride), and his disciples would fast in those days. Those days began a long time ago. Jesus also said “When you fast, when you pray,” not “if” [Matthew 6:5-18]. So it’s our duty as Jesus’s disciples to seek his face in prayer and in fasting. Many Christians haven’t been taught that fasting is a normal, necessary part of the Christian life.

And the third thing is spiritual ignorance. The Bible says that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [2 Corinthians 10:4]. They are spiritual. People who do not know how to use those weapons will fall. They will be destroyed by the enemy. So fasting is a spiritual weapon people have to learn how to use. I am a great believer. I believe in the power of fasting. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in the power of giving. But I also know that I won’t solve every problem with fasting. I would compare fasting to an atomic bomb. But if I fast but continue to live in sin, God will never answer. I am wasting my time. So there has to be a balance in everything. Fasting is one of a number of weapons at the Christian’s disposal.

What other Scriptures would you cite to encourage Christians to fast?

There are examples in the Bible where fasting changed the will of God. Take the story of Jonah. God said he was going to destroy the city of Nineveh. And the king of that city repented and declared a national fast [Jonah 3]. It was God’s will to destroy Nineveh. But when the people repented with fasting, God relented.

Moses is another great example. Moses fasted twice for 40 days. The Bible says he didn’t eat or drink on the mountain when he was receiving the commandments from God. And Moses had an amazing relationship with God. The Bible says he spoke to God face-to-face, like a man speaks with his friend [Exodus 33:11]. Not everyone has the same calling as Moses, but everyone can reap the benefits of fasting.

I always say two things are free in the kingdom of heaven–one, salvation, and two, the gift of the Holy Spirit. They are for free. But if you want to conquer, if you want to see God’s promises fulfilled in your life, you have to fight. And fasting is a big weapon on the journey. In the Bible, God promised Israel a land, but they had to fight to possess it. It’s true that Jesus paid for everything on the cross, but we have to fight to possess it. Christians have this idea that Jesus is going to come and solve all their problems, but the reality is he has given us the tools so that we can take action.

What are some of the biggest challenges of fasting for spiritual benefits?

When I normally fast, I isolate myself from the world. I try not to talk too much on my phone. It’s a big challenge because technology can be a distraction. I also try to fast when I am not working, so I can focus on things like praying, worshiping, and reading the Bible. I know many people don’t have that luxury, so what I recommend while fasting is to spend time with God before going to work. And spend time with God during your work breaks.

Talk to me about breaking the fast. What’s going through your mind in that moment?

I like to break my fast with communion and prayer. At the end, I always feel that there is more. I feel that this is something I should definitely do again. As the Bible says in Psalms, “Deep calls out to deep.” [Psalms 42:7] I also meditate on the things things I accomplished during the fast. Issues the Lord brought to my attention, sometimes issues of the heart. And if the Lord gives me homework, I do the homework. Aside from that, make sure you eat something light so you don’t upset your stomach.

What parting words of advice would you give to Christians new to the discipline of fasting?

Jesus had to fast. And you are not better than Jesus, so you have to fast, too. As I mentioned before, Jesus said “When you fast, when you pray,” not “if.” It’s God’s will for you to fast, but follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Many people get excited at first and make plans to fast for 3 days, 7 days or 3 weeks but are unable to finish. Let the Holy Spirit lead you to decide the right timing and length, and He will give you the grace to finish.

Be prepared physically. If you’re doing a long fast, it’s smart to eat healthy in the days leading up. Prepare your mind as well. Before I fast, I communicate with myself, “The fast you are doing is an opportunity. Be ready to receive.” Fasting is not about going through the motions. Our readiness and level of expectancy will determine how much we receive from it.

Someone once said something interesting in the context of fasting. He said “Notice the first sin man committed was a sin of consumption.” Eating can become an idol in people’s hearts. They resort to food for comfort and satisfaction instead of God. Fasting is one of the surest ways to destroy this idol.