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BREAKING FREE FROM THE BEAST: ESCAPING THE MATRIX OF STRIVING AND SURVIVAL

Where are you going? No, really—where is your life leading you? And when you get there, how will you know you’ve arrived?

Have you ever stopped to consider it? We push forward, chasing goals, striving for more, but to what end? If we never define our destination, we risk wandering aimlessly, mistaking movement for progress. If we never ask what it means to arrive, we may find ourselves exhausted at a finish line that was never worth crossing.

So pause. Lift your eyes. Ask yourself: Is the path I’m on leading me somewhere meaningful? And more importantly—who is guiding my steps?

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of fasting, reflection, and returning to God. Yet, this call to repentance and renewal is not meant to be a fleeting, seasonal observance—it is a way of life.

Repentance, in its deepest sense, is the reorientation of our hearts—the turning away from fleeting sources of fulfillment, life, and joy, and the recognition that our true and lasting satisfaction is found in God alone. In short, it is changing where we look for happiness.

Too often, we compartmentalise our spiritual devotion, setting aside moments for God while the rest of our days are dictated by the rhythms of the world. But Jesus did not call us to temporary surrender. He called us to a life of abiding in Him, of continual dying to self and awakening to His presence. True fasting is not just about giving something up for a few weeks; it is about a fundamental reordering of our desires. It is about recognising that we were never meant to be sustained by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

This Lent, let us not merely observe a ritual—let us embrace a transformation. Let us cease from our endless striving, lift our eyes to heaven, and step into the fullness of life that comes not from what we can grasp, but from what we surrender.

We live in a world where we are conditioned to keep our heads down, to work tirelessly, to build, to accumulate, and to secure our futures. We are taught that survival is paramount and that success is measured in tangible wealth, achievements, and self-sufficiency. Yet, in this relentless pursuit, we often lose sight of something far greater: the Giver Himself.

The Beast Within: When We Forget the Giver

Scripture warns us about the dangers of forgetting God when we are full of His gifts:

“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

Nebuchadnezzar serves as the perfect biblical example of what happens when humans operate from a place of self-sufficiency and pride rather than submission to God. At the height of his power, he declared:

“Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30).

At that moment, his sanity was stripped away, and he was driven from his kingdom, reduced to the existence of a beast, eating grass like an ox, his hair growing like an eagle’s feathers, and his nails like bird’s claws. He had all but forgotten his humanity because he had forgotten the One who gave it to him.

The Distinction Between Man and Beast

What truly separates humans from animals? Both eat, sleep, seek shelter, and reproduce. Yet, humans were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), with the capacity for reason, moral discernment, and—most importantly—communion with God. When we live only to fulfil our base needs, we function no differently from animals, chasing after security, food, and comfort without ever stopping to ask: What is the purpose of all this striving?

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

The modern world operates in a beastly rhythm, keeping us in a cycle of productivity, exhaustion, and endless consumption. We set arbitrary goals, thinking we are “doing something,” yet we are merely running on the wheel of perpetual striving, never truly arriving.

But there is a way out.

Lift Your Eyes: The Return to Sanity

Nebuchadnezzar remained in his beast-like state until he lifted his eyes to heaven.

“At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.” (Daniel 4:34)

Only then was his reason restored. The same is true for us—as long as we keep our heads down, consumed by earthly striving, we remain spiritually blind. But when we lift our eyes to God, recognising His rule and surrendering to His will, we are restored to the fullness of what it means to be human.

God does not call us to reject this world entirely, but rather to enter into a holy partnership with Him. He invites us to stop wearing ourselves out chasing things that do not satisfy and instead to walk in alignment with His purposes.

THE SACRED WORK OF OUR HANDS

“He who made all things took on the trade of a tekton, symbolising the divine craftsmanship of the whole creation.” (Origen, 3rd century)

As people we are easily hypnotised (distracted) by physical reality and forget that we are more than flesh and blood. Likewise, our work is more than just a worldly obligation or a means of survival. Jesus’ earthly work as a tekton—a builder or craftsman—was a reflection of His divine role as the Creator of all things. Origen’s insight blurs the line between human labour and divine creation, suggesting that all work is worship, and all worship is work.

Fasting offers us a sacred pause—a break from the relentless cycle of striving that so often consumes us. It is more than mere deprivation; it is an invitation to step away from the noise, to quiet the restless hunger of our souls, and to realign our hearts with the One who sustains us. In fasting, we cease our endless pursuit of control and provision, allowing ourselves to rest in the truth that God alone is our source. It is a call to be still, to refocus, and to know, in the depths of our being, that He is God, and God is good.

When we focus solely on the tangible and the immediate, we risk missing deeper spiritual truths. But when we recognise that our labour is a sacred partnership with God, even the simplest task gains eternal significance. Our hands may build the physical, but it is the unseen that remains. That is why we are called not just to work, but to work alongside the Master Craftsman, so that our labour is not merely a chasing after the wind, but a participation in the eternal creative purpose of God.

Fasting is a declaration that we choose partnership with God over self-sufficiency. It is a conscious turning away from the illusion that we sustain ourselves and a turning toward the One who truly provides. In fasting, we relinquish our grip on earthly comforts to affirm that our deepest need is not bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It is an act of trust, a surrender of control, and a tangible expression of our desire to walk in step with Him.

The Invitation: Cease, Rest, and Seek First the Kingdom

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

We are not meant to live like animals, blindly fighting for survival, slaves to our appetites and ambitions. We are called to cease, to rest, to look up, and to return to sanity. Even a small act of fasting—a widow’s mite of devotion—breaks the cycle of constant consumption and realigns our hearts with God.

A Prayer for Ash Wednesday:

Heavenly Father,

As I enter this season of Lent, help me to cease my endless striving and turn my heart back to You. I confess that I have often chased after the things of this world, forgetting the One who gives them. Teach me to lift my eyes to heaven, to seek first Your kingdom, and to rest in Your provision. Strip away all that is beast-like within me—pride, self-sufficiency, and anxious toil—and restore to me the peace of walking in Your will. May this fast, however small, be a sign of my surrender to You.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. In what ways have I been caught up in striving instead of trusting in God’s provision?
2. Have I been guilty of forgetting the Giver while enjoying His gifts?
3. What “beast-like” patterns—whether pride, anxiety, or excessive busyness—do I need to surrender to God?
4. How can I practice lifting my eyes to heaven today?
5. What small sacrifice, even if just a widow’s mite, can I offer in fasting and devotion during this season of Lent?