Posted on by intentional4christ · 1 Comment

Steadfast and Unfailing

As my husband and I celebrate another wedding anniversary, I think of one advice that I try to live by in my marriage.

To always keep my word no matter how small and mundane; this goes a long way to build trust

For instance, if I constantly promise to take out the trash and forget to do so, although it may seem insignificant, slowly my failure to keep my word will chip away at the foundation of trust that we have established; and soon my husband will start taking everything I say with a grain of salt.

I visualize trust like a long rope you give another person and with every time trust is broken, a piece of the rope is burned off  until there is nothing left and trust once lost and cannot be easily gained back.

Even with this visualization, I think how long the rope God has given me is! For the many times I have disappointed Him,  you’d think I’d have burnt through my rope years ago. However, a scripture comes to mind:

If we are not steadfast [trustworthy], he remaineth steadfast [trustworthy]; to deny himself he is not able. 2 Timothy 2:13 Young’s Literal Translation

God is steadfast, unwavering, and unfailing. Its His divine nature to never fail and to keep to His word. His thoughts and actions are consistent with His character which is to be steadfast and unfailing. He does not waver in His promises.

The greatest promise I made to my husband was in my wedding vows: to love him through everything. But even then, most times my love is conditional. On a day like today, when its our anniversary, I LOVE him! But who knows how I’ll feel tomorrow when it’s just an ordinary day! No wonder Micah said

Don’t trust anyone–not your best friend or even your wife! Micah 5:7 NLT (you need to read it in context though!)

I can be wishy-washy in my love. But not God! He is not wishy-washy about His love. He promised to love us with an everlasting love. A love that is steadfast and never fails. He promised this steadfast love will never cease and to guarantee this, He renews His love every morning so its fresh. He sees you like it’s the first time He is falling in love with you…. and then he loves on you all day… and in the morning His love resets and He starts all over again!  That’s my interpretation of this scripture:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness [trustworthiness, steadfastness] Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

Oh I remember how it was like when my husband and I were dating! how fresh… how sweet that love was… but I digress…

So dear reader, as you set out to be intentional, I encourage you with this song:

This we know
We will see the enemy run
This we know
We will see the victory come
We hold on to every promise You ever made
Jesus, You are unfailing (Vertical Worship)

Dedicated to my loving husband….

Posted on by intentional4christ · 1 Comment

His Perfect Strength

Picture this: you wake up in the morning determined to be the best christian you can be. You spend time praying and meditating on some scriptures. Your mind and heart are at peace. It is going to be a good day! Today is the day you go a full day being the perfect godly christian and then the phone rings. On the other end of the phone is one of God’s creation sent to test your patience. By the time you are done talking, you are seething with anger and resentment and the peace you had before has been replaced by a volatile emotional volcano. Amidst this feeling of anger, you feel discouraged and dismayed. You could not even make till lunch and already you are out of character and bent out of shape. You no longer feel so so godly because you’re so angry at the person and angry with yourself because you could not contain your anger and be the bigger person.

This is me….most of the time. As we grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we start to develop a certain degree of Christian character. We begin to grow in areas such as truthfulness, kindness, patience, humility, and purity. The Holy Spirit works actively on our conscience to help convict us of things that are not morally upright. The problem however is that we do not always act consistently with our character (Jerry Bridges). We tell a lie or allow ourselves to get caught up in juicy gossip. We get angry and in the moment, think or say unkind things to others. Then we get disappointed and dismayed with ourselves because our actions are inconsistent with the character that God is building in us.

Paul, the great apostle Paul, found himself in this conundrum on several occasions. In his despair he said,

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out… I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. […] So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s Law. But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:18-25 Berean study Bible

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord? Why does Paul say this? Does that mean there is hope for me to get out of this dilemma I constantly find myself in? The answer is YES!!!!

God knows that by myself I would never be able to get out of this destructive cycle so he helped me out by

…sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. Romans 8:3 Berean Study Bible

I am encouraged because I have a mediator who fully understands my struggles and so when He intercedes for me I know that he truly understands. Whats more, He offers guidance through His Word so I can break free of the cycle. He also gives me His strength in those times when I am powerless over my anger, over impure thoughts, over gossip and backbiting so I can overcome.

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me
No great success to show
No glory of my own
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know
His strength is perfect when our strength is gone
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on
Raised in His power, the weak become strong
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect
We can only know
The power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes
His strength in us begins
Where ours comes to an end
He hears our humble cry and proves again
                                    Steven Curtis Chapman

You can overcome. Don’t give up. His strength is perfect and available. Be intentional in asking for strength this week.

Posted on by intentional4christ · 2 Comments

Reckless Love of God

Over the past few months, I have come to love the song ‘Reckless Love’ and for the first time today I thought about the words in the song. Reckless love? To the songwriter and definitely to me, dying for people who are far from righteous is reckless. Dying for people who want to have nothing to do with you is reckless. Dying for people who go out of their way to diminish the significance of your death is reckless. Loving a world, a people who do not know you in hopes that in the future they will hear about what you did and perhaps love you for your sacrifice is reckless.

But Jesus wasn’t reckless at all when he chose to die for you and me. He was intentional in His love and in His death.

For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. It is rare indeed for anyone to die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 Berean Study Bible

For many people reading this post, this is common knowledge. Many of us have heard about, talked about, sang about, or maybe even preached about the love of God. And yet sometimes we question God’s love for us. Have you ever heard yourself say: “If only God would do this or that for me then I’ll know that He truly loves me” or some variation of this?

God does not have to prove His love to us over and over again. The CROSS is the ultimate proof of God’s love. So dear reader, next time you feel the need to question whether or not God loves you (and he does).. remember no one else would [by choice] be “reckless” enough to die for you.

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Cory Asbury, Reckless Love, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xx0d3R2LoU

Posted on by intentional4christ · 1 Comment

Discouraged… Defeated…

Have you ever been stuck in one of life’s ruts? Do you sometimes feel discouraged and then defeated because you just cannot shake the feeling of discouragement? Have you ever felt so sure God was leading you to step out into the unknown (a new city, a new career, a new church, plant a church, etc.) and yet things are not working out like you thought they would? Your bank statement, an exam score, an overdue unanswered prayer, a bad habit you are failing woefully at quitting, a wayward child, among others can leave you plenty discouraged.

Today I had an epiphany in church (shout out to Pastor Jori). God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand. At this point when the promise first came, Abraham was fertile. The problem with the promise being fulfilled was not an Abraham problem, it was a Sarah problem. Sarah could not have children. How discouraging! I am sure with each passing year, Sarah grew more and more discouraged knowing that she was the reason Abraham had not experienced the fulfillment of his promise. So she did what she thought she had to do… she asked Abraham to procreate with a servant in order that the promise would be fulfilled. We know how badly that turned out and how that decision made from a place of discouragement, continues to impact the world today.

Decisions I make when I am discouraged are seldom prayerfully considered. For the most part, I am trying to do all it takes in my power to shake the horrible feeling and move on. I think of people who resort to drugs and alcohol for a quick pick-me-up (and I pray for the peace of God to guard their hearts like an umpire right now and in this moment).

This was not where I was going with this topic but lets just roll with it. I am reminded of David: He had every reason to be discouraged and feel defeated. He had just come back from war to find his village pillaged; his wives and children and those of his men taken into captivity (1 Samuel 30 ESV). The bible says he wept till he had no strength to weep any more. Then he did something remarkable. Instead of rushing off to try and get the captives back, he prayed and asked God what he should do.

Last week, I heard something on the radio:

How you feel is not who you are. Feelings are good servants but terrible masters.

When life beats down on you and you feel defeated, remember that’s how you feel and its not who you are! Don’t make defeatist decisions because more often than not, like any storm, discouragement passes and you’ll have to live with the consequences of those decisions. Don’t let how you feel dictate your next move! Try telling God how you feel.

God still wants to be your God in those moments when you feel like He has abandoned you. He wants to help you navigate the storms of life. As life rages, and your ship is beat down by waves of discouragement and billows of defeat, you have an assurance, a hope that God is ever present with you.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139:7-12 NIV

This hope is the anchor that will keep your soul steadfast and sure while the storm rages on (Hebrews 6:19 NIV) and this hope is fastened to the immovable, unshakable Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ

So dear reader, when you feel like you are being pulled in all directions and you are overwhelmed and in distress or anguished, my prayer for you is this

…when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2 KJV

Be intentional in your relationship with God, through the good times and the stormy times.

Posted on by intentional4christ · 2 Comments

The Intentionality of Soul Winning

If you are like me, you probably cringe at the sound of soul winning! What comes to mind when I think of soul winning is going from door-to-door trying to peddle Christian tracts or standing at a street corner trying to catch the attention of passersby who are making every effort to avoid eye contact and walk away very quickly as you call out to them.

I have always said traditional evangelism is not my thing. I am more comfortable hiding my identity behind a computer and sending out blog posts as often as I can. This week, however, I was convicted to listen to the hymn, “Hark the Voice of Jesus Calling” by Daniel March. Let me share the lyrics with you.

Hark, the voice of Jesus calling,
“Who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvests waiting;
Who will bear the sheaves away?”
Loud and long the Master calls us,
rich reward He offers free;
who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I, send me, send me”?

If you cannot speak like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus;
You can say he died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked
With the judgment’s dread alarms,
You can lead the little children
To the Savior’s waiting arms.

If you cannot cross the ocean,
and the distant lands explore,
you can find the lost around you,
you can help them at your door.
If you cannot give your thousands,
you can give the widow’s mite;
what you truly give for Jesus,
will be precious in His sight.

If you cannot be the watchman
standing high on Zion’s wall,
pointing out the path to heaven,
off’ring life and peace to all,
with your pray’rs and with your bounties
you can do what heav’n demands;
you can be like faithful Aaron
holding up the prophet’s hands.

Let none hear you idly saying,
“There is nothing I can do,”
while the lost of earth are dying,
and the Master calls for you:
take the task He gives you gladly;
let His work your pleasure be;
answer quickly when He calls you,
“Here am I, send me, send me.”

I was instantly convicted in my heart.  I do not have to bear the title of a preacher or of an evangelist. I do not need to have a platform in a church gathering or crusade. I can start with my children and show them the way to God.

I may not have the charisma or courage of a missionary. I may never consider leaving the comfort of my peaceful country to risk my life for the gospel. My kids are too young! I have things I need to do! I can’t just up and leave! I don’t want to die!…. My excuses are a mile long. But I can financially support those who can and have put their entire “lives” on hold for the sake of the gospel. I can spend at least a minute each day to say a  little prayer to sustain them through those discouraging times they might face while in a foreign land.

I do not have to stand on the side of the road holding placards or stand on street corners to try and reach out to the so-called “ungodly”. I do not have to beat down on people’s doors. My life can be the sign people read that points the way to heaven. My love must reach out to the poor, the hungry, the naked, so they too can experience the joys of having a Heavenly Father who supplies all our needs.

So dear readers,

Let none hear you idly saying,
“There is nothing I can do,”
while the lost of earth are dying,
and the Master calls for you:
take the task He gives you gladly;
let His work your pleasure be;
answer quickly when He calls you,
“Here am I, send me, send me.”

Be intentional about winning souls. There is so much you can do.

…he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30 Berean Study Bible

 

Posted on by intentional4christ · 3 Comments

Compromise

Have you ever been in a situation where you try to justify your actions even though you know they are not exactly 100% righteous or godly? As we make the commitment to be intentional in being holy, one of the stumbling blocks that we will encounter is compromise. Compromise is defined as

to weaken (a reputation or principle) by accepting standards that are lower than is desirable

to bring into disrepute or danger by indiscreet, foolish, or reckless behavior

Compromise is exaggerating just a wee bit to make your side of the story sound better than it actually is. Compromise is taking longer breaks at work and not accounting for the time in your timesheet. Compromise is speaking a half-truth famously known as a white lie to cover your tracks (not exactly lying but not exactly speaking the truth). Compromise is violating traffic laws by driving over the posted speed limit. Compromise is helping a friend cheat on an exam because you are trying to help them. Compromise is taking credit for someone else’s hard work and not being careful to return credit where it is due.

This brings to mind an incident when I was applying for my son’s passport. One of the requirement was that the guarantor should have known me for at least 2 years and my lovely neighbor had only known me for  approximately 1 year, 11 months and 26 days. “Well, what difference does 4 days make?”  I know  that some may think of  such minute and arbitrary things as inconsequential and trivial but the  bible has this to say about compromise:

[It is] the little foxes that ruin the vineyards. Song of Solomon 2:15

It is compromise on the little issues that leads to the greater downfall (Bridges, 2006). Every time I read this scripture, I examine myself:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Matthew 7:13 NIV

I have always pondered how christians can be on the broad path and not even know it! Ever heard the term, slippery slope? Compromise is the slippery slope that leads godly and holy people from the narrow path to the broad path. It starts with the small insignificant things and next thing you know, you are living in full-blown sin. What compromise does is that it weakens your resolve and deadens your conscience. When you compromise, you slowly chip away at your resistance to temptation and eventually you will not be able to say NO to sin. Compromise is reckless if you are serious minded about being holy. Compromise is what God warns about when He says of obeying His commands:

Do not turn aside to the right or the left. Prov 4:27, Deut 5:32, Deut 28:14

Dear readers as I conclude I leave you with this Psalm:

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me! Psalm 119:1-8 NLT

Be a person of integrity. Do not compromise your walk with God. Be intentional in being holy. Feel free to share your experience in the comment section below so we can all learn from each other.

Posted on by intentional4christ · 3 Comments

The fear of the Lord

In the last post, Holiness is for everyone we learned that the grace of God helps us to say No to sin. Today, I learned that something else is able to keep us from sinning: the fear of God.

…so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. Exodus 20:20b NIV

What comes to mind when you think of the phrase, “the fear of the Lord”? Do you instantly think “…is the beginning of wisdom”? or do you think of the reverence and awe that we give to God?

The first time the phrase is used in the Bible is in Gen 20:11 and thereafter used many times in the bible. So let’s break down the fear of God into its fundamentals, shall we?

The bible says, “The fool says in his heart there is no God” (Psalm 14:1 NIV) and we know that the fear of God is indeed the beginning of wisdom (Job 28:28; Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7). We also know that Jesus is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). Putting these three concepts together: at the heart of the fear of God is an acknowledgment of God.

We know from our studies so far that God is a loving God who is intentional in his everlasting love for us. We have also learned that this same God is a Holy God and abhors any kind of sin because it is his very nature and essence to be free from any moral defect. His love makes Him a merciful God and His holiness makes him a just God.

So back to our working definition: The fear of God is an acknowledgment of the God, and having an understanding of who God really is, means we have a balanced view of the mercy as well as the justice of God.

Back in the bible days, the fear (acknowledgment) of God evoked actual fear in the hearts of people and at times it was recorded that people became like dead men. People were actually afraid of God and did not have personal relationships with God. Very few people understood this balanced view of God’s mercy and justice. People like Abraham, David, Job, they understood what it truly meant to fear God and enjoyed a relationship with Him. This fear was inherited from Adam and Eve.  Adam and Eve had always encountered the loving mercies of God in the garden of Eden until the day they sinned. The bible recounts they heard the footsteps of God and were afraid so they hid. God had come to talk to them many times. They had heard God’s footsteps many times. So what was different this particular day? Adam and Eve prior to the fall  lived the Psalm 89:14 life:

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. NIV

Every time God came down to chat, love and faithfulness went before Him. But after they sinned, Adam and Eve experienced Psalm 85:13 for the first time:

Righteousness [justice] will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps. Berean Study Bible

And their response was fear. They were afraid because they saw their unworthiness to stand in the presence of His majesty. This was the expression of the fear of God Isaiah had when he encountered God. Look at what he said:

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Isaiah 6:5 NIV

Fast forward into the era of grace and the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. Now people are not afraid of God. The definition of the fear of God has evolved so much it is now relegated to just having reverence and awe for God. While having reverence and awe for God is extremely important, exclusively doing so without any acknowledgment of the justice of God is detrimental. We have overextended the love and the mercy of God. We are no longer afraid of this God that smote down a man because he touched the ark of God to prevent it from falling! Afterall, God calls us friends and He wants us to have a relationship with Him not to be afraid of Him. Right? WRONG!

Yes God wants a relationship but with only those who know him. And if you truly know God, then you will know that holiness means everything to God. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of His throne. Armed with this knowledge, you will not have an irrational fear of God but rather a holy reverent fear.

live your lives in reverent fear during your temporary stay on earth. 1 Peter 1:17 Berean Study Bible

God is a consuming fire. You cannot come close to God because of His magnificence. He dwells in unapproachable light. He has the power to destroy your life just as easily as he preserves it.  And yet this God stepped into humanity so that you will no longer be afraid to approach him like Adam and Eve. He invites you to commune with Him daily. He listens to your requests and does your bidding. This is having a balance of the justice and the mercy of God. This is the fear of God. This is the beginning of wisdom!

So yes, you should be afraid of God. But this fear, in the dispensation of grace, should drive you to reverence and worship. It causes you to run to God not away from Him. It is this fear that causes you to be in awe. This is the fear that gives you wisdom and keeps you from sinning. Read this scripture carefully and let your heart understand:

Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.” Revelations 15:4 NLT

Grace empowers us to say No and the fear of God keeps us from sinning. Be intentional in your holiness walk.

Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments so we can learn from each other. Sorry, this was a long post!

Posted on by intentional4christ · 7 Comments

Holiness is for everyone

referencing Walking in Holiness

There are two facets of holiness described in scripture: a holiness which we receive because of the work of the blood of Jesus and the holiness we strive after.

To you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 1 Cor 1:2 NLT

There is a holiness we attain in the process of salvation. This is also known as sanctification. The process of salvation begins with confessing one’s sin. This sets a snowball effect in motion as described in the scripture below.

But you were cleansed; you were made holy [sanctification]; you were made right with God [justification] by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT

At the risk of oversimplification, salvation = confession of sin (calling on the name of Jesus) –> cleansing by the blood of Jesus + sanctification + justification. We know there are more steps here according to  Romans 10:14 [How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? NIV] but I digress.

The second facet of holiness is a calling to holiness.

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. 2 Tim 1:9a NLT

In fact Ephesians 1:4 implies that the purpose of salvation is to be holy. And I know very well how difficult fulfilling this call is. Many Christians, myself included, have a desire to live a holy life but have struggled for years with particular sins or deficiencies of character. As Jerry Bridges so eloquently described me: while I am not living in gross sin, I have given up many times attaining a life of holiness and have settled for a life of moral mediocrity. Today, I am encouraged by this scripture:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11-13 NIV

The grace of God is available to help me say NO to sin! Note that the grace is not available so I can keep sinning and repenting but God has made provision for me to denounce sin by his grace. Take a minute to think about that.

In my last blog referenced above, I spoke about reckoning yourself as dead to sin (Romans 6:11 KJV). And while it is true that considering yourself as dead to sin is a powerful first step in being able to say NO to sin, verses 11 and 12 must go hand in hand.

So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Romans 6:11-12 NLT

Because you are dead to sin, DO NOT let sin control you and DO NOT give in. Our daily victory and experience with sin is not in the reckoning of yourself as dead to sin but it is in your WILL.

Because you are dead to sin, if and when you do sin, it is not because you are powerless over sin. It is because you make the CHOICE to sin. Wow!

Dear readers herein lies the link between holiness and obedience (the submission of your will) and we will explore this further. I hope you have learned something that will enable you to be intentional in walking in holiness before your God.

Stay tuned for more. Check out Jerry Bridges’ pursuit of holiness. And share your experiences in the comments so we can all learn from each other.

referencing Be Ye Holy

Yesterday, we established that God’s character and essence is holiness and holiness is nothing less than a conformity to the character of God; a conformity to the image of Christ. The process of holiness is summed up in this scripture:

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4: 22-24 NIV

Taking off the old self and putting on the new self. Period. Sounds simple right? And if holiness is that elementary why don’t Christians experience more of it? Why do many of us feel constantly defeated in our struggle with sin? Why does the church often seem more conformed to the world than to the character of God?

Putting off the old self

Although this statement sounds cliché, it is far from that. Putting off the old self involves many actionable/ practical steps that a Christian can undertake. The first is to consider yourself dead to sin.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6: 11 NASB

This is a deep acknowledgment that you no longer have a sinful nature because you are now in Christ and affirming this knowledge in your life through your actions. This brings to mind an article I read about how elephants are tamed/trained.

The baby elephant is shackled to a secure pole with strong ropes and after pulling and twisting, and tugging, it realizes it cannot break free and stops resisting. This process is  repeated until the state of bondage becomes engrained in the elephant. Eventually, the chains are replaced with a simple rope that is usually not tethered to anything. But because the elephant becomes so accustomed to being held back, the untethered rope keeps the animal in check. The elephant considers itself in bondage although, in reality, it is free. Can you see the parallel?

This is what Jesus did for us: “He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains” Psalm 107:14 NIV. We are truly free from the oppression and bondage of sin. But do you truly know that you are free? Believe you are free? Or is it just a lofty thing you read about in the bible?

Once you come to the realization of this deep truth that you are free from sin, that you are no longer controlled by your sinful nature, and you do not have to succumb to the pressure of every temptation, you have began the process of the renewing of the mind; a vital step in the process of holiness.

So I repeat, consider yourself dead to sin! This means not toying with the notions of anything that defies the absolute moral perfection of God. It means a willingness to call sin “sin” and not categorize sin into what is unacceptable and what can be tolerated a little bit. It also means not playing with temptations by entertaining the thoughts that we can always confess and ask for forgiveness later. This brings me to the second point about putting off the old self.

Remember that holiness is a conformity to the character of God and one of the inherent characteristics of holiness is that it hates sin. We may make excuses for our sin or trivialize them but the reality is that God hates our sins. He does not say, “this is a small sin so I will overlook it”.

He hates all sin and to put off the old self means to cultivate in our heart the same hatred for sin that God has.

Frequent contemplation of God’s holiness and His hatred for sin should deter us from messing with sin. Remember Joseph, when faced with an appealing temptation to sleep with his master’s wife, said:

How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? Genesis 39:9 NIV

Dear readers, let’s take some time to settle these two issues in our hearts: Do you live this Christian life reckoning that you are no longer bound by sin or are you constantly feeling the blows of defeat to the same sins you confess over and over again? Will you begin to consider and believe it as final that sin has no control over you? Will you begin to look at sin as an offense against the very nature of God? Will you begin to develop a hatred in your heart for those sins that you cannot seem to shake? Will your confession about sin be, “how can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

Stay tuned for more on the holiness series and be intentional in living out your faith.

P.S. Feel free to comment below so others are blessed by your insights too.

 

Posted on by intentional4christ · 3 Comments

Be Ye Holy

Holiness is such an interesting concept and sometimes, it is presented like it is something you can conjure up; like it is a quality you should have simply because you gave your life to Christ. However, many a christian will agree with me that the realization of holiness in the life of a person appears to be for the most part, unattainable. But why? Lets break holiness down into its fundamentals…

Holiness is not the same as righteousness.

Righteousness is to be in right standing with God; free from guilt and sin. It is also known as justification. Justification (righteousness) is by grace, through faith and comes to us by way of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.

And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,   and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24 Berean Study Bible

We are righteous because of Jesus. Period. We cannot do anything to make ourselves righteous because our own righteousness is comparable to filthy rags and does not measure up in the presence of His majesty. Holiness  on the other hand, is a different ball game all together. Where righteousness is a state of being,  holiness is a transformative process where you become more like God. Holiness is the very nature, the very essence of God. God’s Holiness is as necessary as His existence and we cannot separate one from the other.

One cannot become more like God without God as the author  and architect of that process; hence, no one can attain a degree of holiness without God. God makes it possible for us to walk in holiness but we must do the walking. Let’s look at this scripture carefully:

But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16 Berean Study Bible

This passage of scripture does not minimize our responsibility. As Jerry Bridges states in his book, the pursuit of holiness, some Christians are quick to talk of the provision made by Jesus Christ’s death and relinquish the process of holiness to God. Others simply do not understand the distinction between God’s provision and our own responsibility for holiness.

Unlike righteousness, where Jesus did all the work, in holiness we do some of the work.

Pursue peace with all men, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 Berean Study Bible

The word pursue suggests that it is a process; not something to be acquired like a trophy. As Jerry Bridges put it, as we begin to conform to the will of God in one area of our life, God reveals to us our failings in another area. In essence, the more you want to become like God, the more refining you will have to go through. So how can we be holy?

The idea of exactly how to be holy has in many instances, been misrepresented. To some, holiness is obeying a long list of prohibitions- usually in the area of smoking, drinking, sexuality, dressing, mannerisms, and associations, and this list varies depending on  religious grouping or church denomination. While some of these ideas are accurate to an extent, they miss the true concept of holiness and are in danger of  following the model of the Pharisees with their endless lists of do’s and don’ts and self-righteousness. So then, what does it really mean to be holy?

As you journey with me through the intentionality of living a holy life, I pray that you make the deep commitment to walk this journey faithfully by allowing God’s Spirit to convict and challenge you  as he will me, to do whatever it takes to pursue holiness.

Stay tuned for the rest of this series and be intentional in living out your faith!

P.S. check out Jerry Bridges’ book, the pursuit of holiness.