We CAN be Holy and perfect

Friday, August 8 2014

One thing I am learning doing the Lord's work on this blog, while sharing the gospel and my own life experiences, is the Lord will not allow His words to be preahed, while His vessel is not totally anchored in Him. When I say this, I don't mean I tossed out my saved, sancitifed christian life in the waters and went having a ball at the club drinking and all that, its that the Lord was growing me in the most painful  part of my life, my very own ministry. The place where I had the world's biggest waves hit me in the world and now He wants to show me that in Christ, there are many ways one can go about courtship and prepearing for marriage but God has a high calling for the approach that men takes and the respect the woman are to have for themselves. He keeps his most valuablechildren from making mistakes and keeps them hidden when they don't want to for something greater. With that being said, God is allowing me the strength to write about His call for us to be holy as he is holy and perfect as he is perfect. 

Matthew 5:48

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

1 Peter 1:15-17

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

All too often, I hear in the Christian faith from Christians who have identified in their life a day or time they decided to follow Christ, that they are still sinners, they can never be perfect, and that being holy is unattainable on earth.......

If these stories were in the bible I would believe them, but they are not. The bible, which has been given authority states we are to be holy and perfect just like God is in heaven. 

"But Janet how can I be holy in this perverse crooked world!???" you may ask.

Let's first define what holy and perfect are together. When people think of these words in the Christian faith, their images automatically go to angles and heaven. They totally remove the context of the verses above and other verses where the term "holy" and "perfect" are mentioned in the bible . 

Let's break it down. 

When God calls his children to be perfect and holy here on earth, He is speaking of the measure of holiness and perfection one is given on this earth . A verse in Romans 12:3 talks about the measure of faith God gives each of us according to to how humble we are. This is the kind of mentality we should have when God is calling for us to meet these standards. It's very attainable. We aren't angels. We are still in the flesh that feels one thing although the spirit of God through His Word the Bible tells us to act another way. The more consecrated and committed we are unto the Lord, the same measure of holiness and perfection He gives us. We are growing in this act of being holy and perfect. It must be an intentional act because if not, the kingdom of heaven won't be yours. 

Hebrews 12:14King James Version (KJV)

1 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Holiness and perfection are one in the same. When God says He is holy what does this mean?

When we talk about the holiness of God, we’re talking about his separateness. That is, God is set apart from this world. He is set apart from the evil acts of a sinful people. As God’s children, meaning New Testament believers, on this side of the cross, we have been cleansed from our sin. The sacrifice of Jesus has made us clean in the sight of God. We have been made holy through Jesus therefore We can interact with God because of this great gift.

So, practically how do we live a holy life daily?

Living holy again is simple by God's grace. One must seek sanctification, which is an experience for all believers after salvation. Seeing that we have been made Holy through the blood, on the cross of Jesus we need to act like we’re holy.

We are to be set apart from the world. 

We are to stop acting like sinful, unsaved people. Which encompasses everything in these verses and more:

Ephesians 4:31

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice

Ephesians 5:3

 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Just think about things you wouldn't want Jesus seeing when He comes back to take you, His child, back to heaven.

We are to hate sin and steer clear of sinful situations. We are to honour God with our bodies, our every breath and our every thought. That’s what it means to be holy.

Being holy means being set apart for God.

• For me being holy is watching what I say, I don't curse, and I pray to God to not only speak with grace but also listen and respond with Grace. 
• For me it means NOT dating the worlds way. Not pressuring a guy to commit to me, but allowing God to lead him, while maintaining purity(no sex) and keeping it open, while my church family and friends know. 
• For me being Holy means being intentional about reading my bible everyday and letting it's raw words pierce my hearts.
•  For me being Holy is serving my family first, then my church by attending church services, joining ministries and asking about the well being of my other members, and finally serving my friends. 
• For me it means watching what I watch on tv and listen to as music..if they aren'ttalking about Jesus, salvation and my finally resting place in Heaven, I ain't listening to it. 
• Being holy means keeping my eyes on heaven, always checking in that I am growing in faith daily, repenting of any wrong doing,  so heaven is my goal and that I make it. 

Sometimes I don't FEEL holy and perfect. Sometimes I feel so broken, but ALL the time I am praying, asking God, help me identify my weakest moments,keep me in this time of doubt in the flesh. God counts me holy and perfect, because I am not sinning, my flesh just wants to bring me down.

God will teach you very practical ways on how to be Holy as you grow in him. We must remember, to be perfect and holy starts from the inside but will manifest on the outside! There is no "its only about the heart"!

Being holy and perfect is truly truly an act of love for your self and love for others.

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

I love you all. Praying for you.<3

(2014 Graduation Gala at my church)

CHIME IN: In what ways can you be holy in your everyday life?

From your Sister in Christ ,