The 5 Hidden Enemies Killing Your Calling (And How Biblical Diligence Is the Cure)
Discipline.
For kingdom-driven men, it’s a constant conversation. We know nothing is accomplished without it.
Discipline in the gym changes your body.
Discipline in business changes your career. It’s a biblical mandate—a fruit of the Spirit we call self-control.
But what if there’s a better word? A concept that fuels transformation not just through sheer willpower, but from a deeper, more powerful source?
This year, I’m filtering every decision and action through a single word. It’s a battle cry issued by the Apostle Peter, a blueprint for men who are done with passive resolutions and fizzling out by February. This is a framework to lead, fight, and win.
If you’re ready for real transformation, let’s lock in!
Confronting the Willpower Myth
Every January, men muster their willpower, determined to crush new goals and forge new habits. But the science behind willpower isn’t encouraging. Researcher Dr. Baumeister found that willpower is a limited resource. It functions like your phone battery—strong after a charge, but depleted by the end of the day.
If you’ve ever started strong only to fizzle out, you’ve experienced this firsthand. Relying on a finite resource for an infinite battle is a losing strategy. Willpower alone is not enough to carry you through. Transformation requires a more durable fuel source.
The Unbreakable Framework for Transformation
Before we advance, you must build on the right foundation. Any true change process requires a clear, sequential progression. This isn't an exhaustive list, but these steps are non-negotiable.
- Desire: It starts here. The Lord asked the man at the pool of Bethesda, “What do you want?” You must be able to articulate what you’re going after—both in conforming to Christ and in the unique vision God has given you.
- Willingness: After clarity comes the critical question: Am I willing to do what it takes? Jesus tells us to count the cost. This is where you wrestle with the intention behind the desire.
- Decision: The word decide means to cut off all other options. When you say yes to your calling, you are inherently saying no to every competitor for that calling. Make a decisive choice.
- Commitment: This is your resolve. After the decision, you commit. You honor your word to yourself, to your family, and to God. You will not waver.
- Diligence and Discipline: These are the final action steps that bring the framework to life.
Discipline is doing something despite how you feel. On days you lack motivation, discipline drives you forward. But diligence… diligence is different.
Diligence: The Engine of Kingdom Momentum
While discipline is essential, it can carry negative connotations of punishment or mechanical routine. Diligence, however, operates from a place of passion. The word comes from a root meaning “to value something highly” and “to do something out of love.”
Diligence is a constant and earnest effort fueled by what you love. It’s persistent exertion of your mind, body, and spirit because a fire is driving you. Think of it not as a mechanical habit, but as a motivation born from passion. It’s you showing up to what matters and giving real, earnest effort.
The Apostle Peter makes this the cornerstone of spiritual growth. In 2 Peter chapter one, he unleashes a battle cry:
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.”
Peter gives us the recipe for a fruitful life. Diligence isn’t vague effort; it’s the earnest application that fuels this ladder of virtues, confirming your calling and rendering you effective. This year, I’m applying diligence to confront five key enemies that keep men stagnant.
The Battlegrounds: Five Enemies Diligence Will Conquer
1. Diligence vs. Passivity
A passive man is the first target diligence confronts. Many men confuse passivity with trusting God. They think “it’s in God’s hands” means they can check out. But scripture commands partnership, not abdication. The writer of Hebrews declares, “Let us therefore labor to enter into rest” (Hebrews 4:11). There is a fight required to enter God’s rest. Diligence is energetic and intentional. It rolls anxiety onto the Lord deliberately. It makes and keeps the appointment with God every morning. It destroys the “Mr. Christian Nice Guy” who waits for God to move without taking action himself.
2. Diligence vs. False Contentment
Paul calls us to be content in all things, a genuine fruit of the Spirit. But there is a false contentment that settles too soon and accepts “good enough.” It’s the attitude that says, “We’re fine here. We have enough.” This robs you of your edge and your hunger. It’s the mindset of the two and a half tribes who settled in the lowlands, refusing to cross into the fullness of the Promised Land where the giants were. They chose comfort over calling. Diligence presses in for the highest call and refuses to settle for less than what God has promised.
3. Diligence vs. Distraction
Multinational companies are working around the clock to hijack your focus. The algorithm is a trap, designed to pull you into mindless scrolling and consumerism. Diligence cuts through the noise. It locks your heart and mind onto your one thing—your calling. Diligence resists the dopamine drip by making everything else line up with God’s primary will for your life. If it’s pulling you away from the main thing, it’s a distraction. Eliminate it.
4. Diligence vs. Superficiality
Superficiality is skimming the surface. It’s reading a verse and moving on. It’s nodding at a teaching but never applying it. It’s going through the motions. Jesus repeatedly said, “If you have ears to hear…” He wasn’t talking about passive listening; He was commanding active, intentional application. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the honor of kings is to search it out.” Kings go deeper. Diligence fights superficiality by taking notes, rewriting scripture, and saturating your spirit in the Word of God. Go deeper this year.
5. Diligence vs. Procrastination
Procrastination is perhaps the greatest thief of potential. So many men know what they need to do but are waiting for “someday.” But someday never comes. It’s a myth. Your only asset is today. You will never feel 100% ready, because that would nullify the need for faith. You break procrastination by taking action now. When you stop waiting and start moving, things shift. You discover you are more capable than you thought. Diligence says, “Let’s do this now.” Turn your one day into day one.
Your Next Move
Passivity, false contentment, distraction, superficiality, and procrastination—these are the enemies working against your growth, effectiveness, and calling. Diligence is the antidote.
This isn’t about becoming a productivity robot or embracing a “rise and grind” culture. It’s about being intentional with the purpose God has given you. It’s about respecting your calling enough to actually pursue it with earnest, focused application.
If you are done with a surface-level approach and ready to build a life of impact, it’s time to get serious. It’s time to employ diligence.
For those ready to go deeper, I’ve created a tool that guided me through the entire last year. It’s called The Discipline Codex. It provides an even more in-depth framework for how to construct your life and employ both discipline and diligence in every area.
If you’re ready to advance, this is your blueprint.
