Living Holy for God Series, Part 1
I’ve just been worshipping God, with Michael W. Smith performing live, singing Agnus Dei. I can’t help but think of God, of how holy and righteous He is! My heart swells with praise, gratitude, and love for Him, which has me wanting to pursue God and desire to be holy as He is holy.
So, how do we pursue God? How can we be holy as He is holy? Is that the same as living a holy life?
God desires that we get to know Him better. He wants us to draw close to Him, to learn of Him, and enjoy being in His presence. Let’s explore through His Word what we need to acknowledge as we pursue God and learn about living holy for Him.
Table of Contents
Pursue God Daily
Do you find that if you plan to perform a specific task first thing in the morning, you are more likely to accomplish it? For example, going out for a walk. If I don’t do it early in the day, it’s more than likely not going to happen. But if I carry out my plan and get out there, I’ll feel better about it and be glad I’ve kept to it. It’s the same with living a holy life. If I don’t meet with God early in the day, it’s harder to make that happen later on, as so many things will take priority.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 KJV
God puts within us a desire to know Him and His Son, Jesus. This process began when He planned our destiny, Ephesians 1:4. In this verse, above, Jesus said that to find His Father, we need to find Him first. How do we do that?
The Psalmist, David, cried out to God, saying, O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; (Psalm 63:1)
Notice three things in this verse,
- he sought God early in the day
- his soul was thirsty for God
- he longed for more of God
To sum up this verse, David longed to be in the presence of God. Would you say that he was in pursuit of God? Can we identify with David’s longing for more of God?
Pursue God Today
Do you deliberately pursue God? Do you want to know Him better than you already do? Have you decided to be holy as He is holy?
Here is a quote by A.W. Tozer that still rings true today,
“He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us, He waits so long, so very long, in vain.”
A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 1982
Doesn’t that quote just break your heart? Read it again, slowly, to understand what he said. God waits for His children to be thirsty for more of Him. How many times have I started my day without Him while He was waiting for me to pursue Him?
If we truly want to follow God, we must value heavenly treasures more than earthly treasures. I’m speaking to myself here, too. When we follow Christ, it means we deny ourselves as we take up our cross. It means that we make a conscious decision to be holy as He is holy, that is, living a holy life before Him.
Too often, we think we will have time to do this in the future, but we do not know when our last breath will be. The time is now when we should be taking the steps to pursue God because He is waiting for us.
1st Truth: Acknowledge that God is Holy
Here is one important step to pursue God. Let’s work through this verse by verse.
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16
The verse above is not a multiple-choice statement. Did you notice that?
It’s that little word “be.”
Be holy as he is holy.
And before we go on, did you notice in verse 15, to be holy in conduct? That’s important because our conduct will either support our right living or betray us.
Christians are called to live holy and blameless before God. God wants us to chase after Him, to desire His presence more than anything else. So, what is holiness?
As far as I’m aware, Genesis 17:1 is the first reference to His holiness. And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Why would God tell Abraham to be ‘perfect’ before Him? It could only be because God is perfect. Let’s see what ‘this word’perfect’ means via Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
Perfect – 8549 (Strong’s number) – tamiym (taw-meem) — without blemish, complete, full, without spot, undefiled, upright.
So, holiness is without blemish, without spot, undefiled, full and complete.
How do we become holy as He is holy?
We do this by:
- keeping His commands
- not practicing sin
- separating ourselves from the world
- walking in the light while staying in His truth
Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy go into detail in keeping His commands. I am not saying that we are living under the Law, but by choice, we can choose to follow the 10 Commandments, which are wrapped up in the command Jesus spoke of in Matthew 22:35-41.
2nd Truth: Acknowledge that Holiness is Not a Choice
Here’s a question: what is sin? How seriously do we take sin? Do we have some sins that are more tolerable than others? Do we allow ourselves to enjoy some sin while other sins require repentance?
Because we are under the law of grace, does that make sin acceptable? How does God see sin? Lots of questions that can be answered in His Word. So, let’s stay tuned!
Sin is the opposite of holiness. It stains us, defiles us, and puts a barrier between God and us. God does not make allowances for sin. Sin is sin. When we are enjoying sin, we cannot have fellowship with God. The two do not mix, much like oil and water.
The writer of Hebrews said it well with Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrews 12:14.
Believers are to strive for holiness as Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:7. We have been made holy by Christ, and we are called to be holy in our everyday lives as Paul taught the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:2. Did you notice the distinction that Paul wrote?
God desires that we have fellowship with Him, and since He is light, with no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5), it stands to reason that those who are walking in darkness cannot have fellowship with Him. Does this rationale make sense to you, too?
We need to be walking in the light in order to have fellowship with our holy God. One aspect of this fellowship is prayer. Without daily prayer with Father, we will begin to die spiritually and miss out on the close communion that accompanies bonding. A strong prayer life is an indicator of living a holy life.
How to Get Serious about Holiness
What do we need to do to get serious about holiness?
One example is to grieve over sin, over what breaks God’s heart. Can we be honest when we ask ourselves the question, do we grieve over our own sin?
Another reason why we need to walk in holiness is to be effective in our ministry for the kingdom. We have been given help through the Holy Spirit. He enables us, convicts us, and directs us in our walk. When the Holy Spirit is grieved over unrepentant sin in our lives, our effectiveness for ministry is stalled. We need to repent of our sin before we can resume walking in the light.
Stop and think for a moment, can you recognize someone who is chasing after the holiness of God? Is their countenance different? How about their speech? What are their actions like? Would you say they are living a holy life? How would you describe what you see?
Holy Spirit Helps Us to Pursue God
The pursuit of God isn’t easy. No one said it would be, but it is possible. We know that we are plagued with sin, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23. Be thankful that we are not left alone to struggle with defeating sin. We have the Holy Spirit to help us as He convicts us of sin.
Author, Jerry Bridges, says,
Holiness is not a series of do’s and don’ts but conformity to the character of God and obedience to the will of God.
Jerry Bridges, Pursuit of Holiness, 1978
Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen your inner being as Paul instructs in Ephesians 3:16. Paul continued his prayer by ending with Ephesians 3:20, praying that God can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. We need the power of God in us to succeed in living in holiness. Without His power, we will fail miserably.
Begin with Repentance Followed by Worship
We cannot overcome sin completely; however, we can repent of our sin. It’s okay if it is daily because we mustn’t grieve the Spirit of God or allow sin to build a barrier between God and us.
The step that follows repentance is worship accompanied by prayer as we fellowship with Father. Then, as you go through your day, walk in the light of His Word, walk in holiness, striving to please Father. Let this be like your daily multi-vitamin.
Our dependence on the Holy Spirit keeps us studying the Word as we practice humility before Him. God desires that we seek Him with all our hearts and do what pleases Him. As we spend time in prayer, asking His help to be holy, we will find that God will answer that prayer, as He desires that we walk holy before Him.
So, with obedience to the Holy Spirit and dependence on Him, we will, day by day, succeed as we pursue God.
To Summarize
To pursue God, we need to
- follow hard after Him, that is, desire Him more than anything else
- acknowledge that God is holy
- realize that holiness is not a choice
- seek help from the Holy Spirit in the daily pursuit of holiness
- repent from sins, worship, and pray
While much more could be said about any of these topics, by following these steps, we will be successful as we pursue God and His holiness. We will succeed in living a holy life.
So, what do you think about these 2 important truths to pursue God? Have you already acknowledged that God is holy and that holiness is not a choice? If so, you’re already pursuing God!
Do you have a moment? I’d love it if you could leave a comment on this study. I look forward to hearing from you.
In Him We Live,
~ Cindy ~
~ Related Posts to This Topic ~
- 6 Ways Believers Grieve the Holy Spirit, a list of what not to do.
- 7 Steps to be Holy and Blameless Before God
- The Best Way for Right Living
