Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. {1 Peter 1:16}
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. {Hebrews 12:14}
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. {Romans 12:1}
Holiness is an integral part of who God is. He told Moses during their time in the wilderness:
Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. {Leviticus 19:2}
We may never be holy and perfect like God is. Nevertheless, if we want to see Him and belong to Him and please Him, we must strive to be holy like Him. Through the Holy Spirit that He’s given to us, we definitely have it in our power to be holy like Him. We can certainly live the life that Jesus Christ wants us to live, if we allow Him to have His way in us. We can live the life of holiness and purity that is pleasing to God through the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ shows us the way to do it. He tells us,
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. {Luke 9:23}
I know it’s not easy, especially in this wicked world we live in today where the pressure to be like everybody else is upon us. But if we desire it, the Lord will help us live it.
It is so important to be holy before the Lord, because it is the way to salvation. Believing in Jesus alone is not enough. The Bible tells us the devils also believe and tremble before God. {James 2:19} Anyone can believe in God, but living the holy life that is according to God’s will is another task altogether. Calling on the Lord alone is not going to save us either. We have to repent. Jesus tells us to repent or we will all perish. He said,
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. {Luke 13:3}
The Lord tells us that not everyone that calls on Him will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but those that do the will of the Father. Acts 2:21 might tells us to call on the Lord to be saved, but if we don’t repent it will not matter. Jesus Himself tells us,
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. {Matthew 7:22-23}
Holiness is so key in our successful walk with Jesus Christ. We have to be holy, because He is holy. If we sin, lie, hurt people, if we fornicate and defile our bodies and do things that are not pleasing to the Lord (and we do not repent), we will not be saved. Jesus tells us in Revelation,
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. {Revelation 21:7-8}
It doesn’t matter how much we know the Lord or we talk and preach about Him, or even if we’ve been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and have been filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost and have spoken in tongues. If we have sins in our lives that are un-confessed to the Lord and un-repented of, we are not saved. This is why again and again it is so important to bring ourselves before the Lord and clear ourselves before Him, and ask for His grace and forgiveness. This is why everyday, morning and night and even throughout the day I say to the Lord, “Father, cleanse me, forgive me, make me pure and holy before You, Jesus.” Before I go to bed I talk to Him and ask for His grace and forgiveness, and ask Him to show me if there is any sin in my life I need to confess before Him. He alone knows me in and out and knows anything I have entertained in my heart during the day that might not have been pleasing before the Lord. This doesn’t take forever. This only takes few seconds or minutes. The Lord will show it to me if there is anything I have not repented of. I myself even am often aware of stupid things I’ve done that I know were not pleasing before Him, and I would go ahead and tell Him, “Father, I’ve been foolish today and have done this and that. Please forgive me, Jesus. I ask for Your grace and mercy upon my soul and forgiveness. I repent of it. Please take my sins away and make me pure and holy before You.” The Bible tells us that He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and unrighteousness if we would just confess them to Him.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {1 John 1:9}
There has not been a moment in my confessions to the Lord and in my asking for His grace and forgiveness that He has said “No” to me. Always, again and again, I have heard the Lord say to me, “I forgive you” or “It is well.” He tells me even, “Move on.” He doesn’t want me to dwell on my sins and get discouraged and get hopeless about myself. He wants me to receive His forgiveness and forget about them and be happy. He has paid the price for me at the cross for this very reason after all. I must receive it, I must embrace His love and mercy and forgiveness upon my life, so this way His sacrifice was not for nothing.
Being holy is possible with Jesus Christ. Do not be discouraged and get overwhelmed with all God’s commandments that we have to follow, or else – God forbid we are lost. The key thing to holiness is always going to Jesus Christ for it. That means, always talking to Him. No one else came and died for our sins. No one else gave His life at the cross so that He can cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness. Jesus Christ alone did. Don’t try to be holy without His help. Don’t become like the Pharisees who went around with their holy garments on, praying in public and paying their tithes and offering for men to see them, but in private they can’t even confess their true selves to God. True holiness is having Jesus Christ work in us, step-by-step, line-by-line, little by little, day by day. We don’t save ourselves, Jesus Christ does. He is our holiness. He is our righteousness. That means we go to Him for everything. It means if we’re failing at overcoming the same sin day after day after day, we continue to confess to Him and talk to Him. We say to Him, “Father, my desire is to overcome this sin in my life, please Jesus save me, deliver me, I want to be set free.” Sometimes I say to the Lord, “Lord I can’t do it! You have to take the desire away from my heart to stop doing this thing that is sin before You. You have to take it away, I can’t do it.” And you know something else? I have heard Him say to me, “It is well. I will deliver you.” And I believe Him, even when I continue to fail I believe Him. I know that one of these days this thing that is sin in my life He will take from me. He has done it in times’ past I know He will do it again.
The key thing is never ever stopping to talk to Jesus Christ about our sins. That is our key to holiness. Jesus Christ – talking to Him. Confessing everything to Him. Being truthful to Him and being open and honest with Him. He will help us. We have to trust Him in His love for us, to come through and save us. The Lord will show us what to do and He will help us to overcome, and be holy like Him.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. {John 15:4-11}
Prayer
Father, thank You for Your grace and compassion upon my soul. Thank You that You never ever change. You remain the same yesterday, today and forever.
Lord Jesus, please Savior, cleanse me from all of my unrighteousness. Cleanse me and purify me with Your precious blood. I call upon You Father and confess my sins before You. I am lost without You Lord. Only You can save me. Only You can forgive me and take my sins away. Please Father make me truly Yours and make me pure and holy before You. Forgive me.
I love You, Jesus. I thank You with all of my heart for Your grace and kindness upon me in this life, to help me to live a holy and pure life before You. Please help me to be holy like You. Please help me to live the life that is pleasing before You. You alone complete me. You alone can make me whole. I look to You Jesus, for You alone can save me.
Thank You Father. I pray this in Your most wonderful and precious name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
#repost2019
