Believers are called to holy living. This is the clear teaching of the Bible.
Throughout this next blog series, we want to consider the question:
“How then does the believer cultivate holiness?”
The first way is to know and love Scripture.
Second, we should consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ.
Third, we should repent daily.
Fourth, we also cultivate holiness through prayer and work.
Fifth, we flee worldliness.
What does it mean to flee worldliness?
We run from it. We fight the flesh. We must strike out against the first appearance of the pride of life, the lust of the flesh and eye, and all forms of sinful worldliness as they knock on the door of our hearts and minds. If we open the door and allow them to roam about in our minds and take foothold in our lives, we are already their pretty.
Daniel 1:8,
“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.”
The material we read, the recreation and entertainment we engage in, the music we listen to, the friendships we form, and the conversations we have all affect our minds and ought to be judged in the context of Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
We must live apart from worldliness and not be of the world while are in it (Rom. 12:1-2). This is for the sake of our holiness and also our witness.
Brothers and sisters, let’s walk in the Word and not in the world. And as such, our witness will shine before the world and we will glorify our Father in heaven.
“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.”
(Psalm 1:1-2)
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:14,16)
Tess says
June 26, 2013 at 3:00 pmThose only are happy, truly happy, that are holy, truly holy; and we are more concerned to know the way to blessedness than to know wherein that blessedness will consist. Nay, goodness and holiness are not only the way to happiness (Rev. 22:14)but happiness itself.
Ps. 119:115; Departing from evil is that in which wisdom begins.
The ungodly are forward to give their advice against religion, and it is managed so artfully that we have reason to think ourselves happy if we escape being tainted and ensnared by it.
He that would be kept from harm must keep out of harm’s way. Proverbs 4:14-15; Psalm 17:4
A godly man, that he may do that which is good and cleave to it, submits to the guidance of the word of God and makes that familiar to him. We need not court the fellowship of sinners, either for pleasure or for improvement, while we have fellowship with the word of God and with God himself in and by his word. When thou awakest it shall talk with thee, Prov. 6:22.
The intimate acquaintance which a good man keeps up with the word of God: In that law doth he meditate day and night; and by this it appears that his delight is in it, for what we love we love to think of, Ps. 119:97.
To meditate in God’s word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness of thought, till we be suitably affected with those things and experience the savour and power of them in our hearts. Gods word and these thought should be interwoven with the business and converse of every day and night. When I awake I am still with thee. Psalm 5:1
The more we converse with the word of God the better furnished we are for every good word and work. Ps 1:3 He is planted by the grace of God. Planted by a power from above. No good tree grew of itself; it is the planting of the Lord, and therefore he must in it be glorified. Isa. 61:3
From the word of God a good man receives supplies of strength and vigour, but in secret undiscerned ways. Psalm 46:4; Phil 4:6-9
Gods word helps us comply with the intentions of grace and then produce fruit in due season to the praise of the Dresser of the vineyard when it is most beautiful and most useful. His leaf also shall not wither. As to those who bring forth only the leaves of profession, without any good fruit, even their leaf will wither and they shall be as much ashamed of their profession as ever they were proud of it; but, if the word of God rule in the heart, that will keep the profession green, both to our comfort and to our credit; the laurels thus won shall never wither.
Mark Hayes says
June 26, 2013 at 10:13 pmAmen Dave and Tess
Blessed are they who encourage and admonish in word.
And blessed are they who hear the word and obey Him from whence it came.
Psalms 2:1 “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?”
My 17 year old son is in struggle at present to comprehend that a believer is to follow Christ and to bear the cost. We are not greater than our Master and if He (being the Master of the house) was called Beezlebub, how much more ‘will they call’ those of His household. Matthew 10:25
My prayer is one of faith standing on the Lord’s promise that He will deliver my child(ren) from the tyrant. Isaiah 49:25.
Yet I cry out at the deceptiveness of our enemy, the spirit of an encharter that is in ‘World music.’
Please pray for me and my family and especially my 17 year old son.
Your brother in Christ
Mark H NZ
Tess says
June 27, 2013 at 5:21 pmI hear you Mark and I’m praying for you.
My most ardent prayer to the Lord is for our young people. The “entertainment business music/movies/tv” are one huge solicitation for satan and every evil man can imagine.
Several years ago my sister decided the t.v. was not welcome in her house and it could only be viewed without sound for a few of hubby’s sports events and then only rarely. They both agreed together that t.v. was trash and when he’d come home from work they would listen to uplifting music only. She said it was amazing, within 30 days making that one change brought a peace into their home and they both agreed it was the best thing they’d ever done. I tried it and found the same amazing peace and the longer you are away from these types of evil influences the more you see them for what they truly are. Satan’s door into your life to poison you. I rarely (1x per wk for about 30 minutes) watch t.v. news. I cannot stand to be in the same room with a t.v. set that is on. The further away you get from it the more you realize it is demonic and I’ve wondered how we as Christian’s can allow such filth into our homes.
When my son was your son’s age I disallowed anything but Christian music c.d.’s and radio. It was a battle but one that I’m glad I had with him and one that he is now glad about. I told him that when I found non-Christian c.d.’s they went straight to the trash broken and many went that way. He protested of course but I stood firm and each debate was an opportunity to let him know that God expected me to be a good parent and regardless of what he thought about it I was going to obey God. He’d sulk and act ugly but I’d just tell him that I loved him enough to deal with that and he could be mad if he wanted to be but I wasn’t budging and I would routinely violate his privacy in search of contraband and I let him know he could violate my privacy as well if he could ever find anything he felt I should not have. I explained that protecting each other in this way was “regardless of anyone elses opinion” what families do FOR each other.
He’s 26 now and he has since thanked me for caring enough to do that for him. He’s beginning to wise up to the evil in the world that preys on young people. He realizes now that privacy is something you need when in the leu not something you need to hide things from the people who care about you.
Family meetings work well to. If they don’t obey the parents or parent (in my case) a meeting would be scheduled with the extended family all close enough to attend would come and we’d all talk about the problem. Aunts, cousins and grandparents would meet and all share how they felt about the issue at hand. After that if the issues continued the whole family would meet with the elders at the church. We only had one or two instances where that was needed for our family of kiddos. It was quite well known in our family that all were affected by behaviors and all had a say about it and once the “we’ll go to the next level and the next” realization hit our kids my son, nieces and nephews all realized we ALL as a family cared enough to keep the issue front and center until the behavior ceased. Our kids were smart enough to know we meant it and not one of them has regretted our family policy. They are all now starting families of their own and are starting to become mature enough to know how much these things matter. As I look back on those meetings and stances they were filled with love. Some of the most loving things were shared. My son was an only child and it helped him feel connected to a larger family. It helped him know others cared very much for him. Enough to say so. We encouraged them to share their feelings and our kids could express their anger at us as parents and as parents we had each other to bounce parenting skills off of. Looking back those were some of our most loving moments for everyone.
Your Sis-In-Christ
Tess
Donna Sharp says
June 29, 2013 at 5:15 amMark H, I agree and stand in Isaiah 49:25. with my brother…
He will leave the 99 to go get the 1, He spoke it, So it is so !!! Lean not to our own understand but believe.
With Love
Donna
Tess says
June 29, 2013 at 8:45 pmAMEN! Donna 🙂
Bob Demyanovich says
June 27, 2013 at 3:42 amWe are exhorted to be holy as our Father and God is holy.
Lev 20:7, 1Pe 1:15-16, 1Jo 1:15, Jam 1:13, Hbr 4:15
So we who live in this world must separate ourselves, sanctify ourselves apart from the mind, the offense, the sin of this world. We choose to live as Jesus lived in Him, in the Father.
Jhn 14:17, Rom 8:10-11, Eph 3:16
The Holy Spirit in us is the confirmation, the quickening and strength to grow apart from this world. The Holy Spirit inhabits everyone who is born again. Spirit is not of the flesh; it is neither male nor female. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and confirms truth. Peter and Paul were corrected; their error of exclusion was purged by the Holy Spirit. This world of sin and death observes the flesh. 1Th 5:1-28