Hello everyone
Hope you are enjoying the 40days of sacrificial living so far? So what have you given up or what have you sacrificed? And I hope you are wisely converting those “sacrifices” into some useful tangible time with the Lord, cos that’s the whole idea!
If you haven’t yet made a move to declutter your life in order to make more room for God, it’s not too late. Go for it, but do it today! The whole idea is that we hopefully don’t go back to life as we know it, but that we would have developed a more personal walk with the Lord by the end of the 40days.
This week, I would like to challenge us about “Holiness.
To Read – Lets begin by ready Psalm 24
Psalm 24 (NKJV)
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.
Some useful Note – Verse 3 to 6 ask some very important questions and also lays out some protocols – just read those verses again please.
As followers of Christ we have unrestricted access into God’s holy presence because of the sacrificial death of Jesus. In other words, we have been made clean by the blood or better put, grace has been extended to us by the blood. But does that mean we can just go on and indulge ourselves, live in sin and practice all forms of immorality and still expect grace to apply? The answer is a resounding NO! Not at all!! (Please See Galatians 5:19 – 26). We cannot be children of God and live a consistent lifestyle of iniquity. 1 John 3:9.
A good point to make here is that the grace that qualifies us to come into his presence also empowers us to live a holy life.
To do
As a child of God you know how you might be dropping the ball or where you are perhaps just blatantly living in sin. It could be unforgiveness, sexual immorality, (which might not involve anyone else like pornography) malice, selfishness, pride, hatred, or things like that (Please see Galatians 5:16 – 26)
- Ask the Lord to help you identify any wrongdoing that may be in your life (read and pray with Psalm 139 verses 23 – 24 (Amplified)
“Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting (Go on and make this your prayer)
- Don’t crucify yourself though, because there is absolutely no need for that but be honest with yourself. Call a spade a spade and not a long spoon and don’t say, well, everyone’s got their own thing, this is my thing, no! None of that! Face it, list it and reject it
To Pray
- Ask God to forgive you (also read 1st John 1:8 – 10
- Pray for God’s strength to not only admit that you need help but then go ahead and ask God to help you, because you and I know that it’s not by power nor by Might but by God’s Spirit (see Psalm 28:7)
- Ask the Lord to flood you with his Holy Spirit, so there won’t be room for self. Just ask the Lord to fill you afresh
- Pray that the Lord fills you with the Spirit of holiness, that you will have complete hatred for sin and self and that your delight would be to please the Lord
- Pray that the Lord will fill you and every member of the church with the “fear of the Lord” which is nothing but esteeming God in our thoughts, choices and actions
- Pray as the Holy spirit gives you utterance
- Please remember throughout the week to always pray for someone else outside of your family circle
God bless you and have a great week!
Pastor Julius