If there was ever a time to want peace in our lives it’s right now. This truly is the time that Jesus spoke of when He said there would be wars and rumors of wars, but the good news is that it means He’s coming back really soon!
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:6 KJV
Wouldn’t it be great to have peace in the middle of war? Even if you aren’t directly affected by the war in Ukraine, there’s a lot of uncertainty in this world surrounding the state of the war and what might come next.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
The Bible tells us that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear.
Paul was telling Timothy this as people all over the world were being persecuted for being Christians – kind of sounds like the world we live in today.
And yet, many Christians no longer see the power and anointing that the early church saw in operation in the earth.
Why is this??
The short solution is that their lifestyles lack holiness.
TO DRY LANDS Out Now!
I’m so happy to annouce the release of “To Dry Lands” for more information about the album or to listen to the songs click below and listen.
Every song is written with scripture in mind and comes directly from the Word of God.
Holiness is Important
Last post we talked about holiness and gave you 2 steps to walk in a lifestyle of holiness, but that was literally just the bare minimum.
Jesus has been showing me in 1 Peter how literally the whole book is about holiness.
Holiness is our responsibility.
Holiness is our responsibility. Righteousness – right standing with God (aka being in the family) – is Jesus’ responsibility.
Jesus already did His job perfectly. Now it’s up to us to behave like we are part of the family of God.
Jesus isn’t going to come down and hold your hand while you quit your bad habits and start to actually live like Him.
Yet many times that’s what we want Him to do.
We think that we are “possessed by a demon” when we do the things we shouldn’t do repeatedly, but the truth is that we just aren’t setting our affections on Jesus enough.
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24 KJV
If we want the peace of God in our life in all the situations that are arising in the earth – like war – then we are going to have to operate in holiness.
See our problem is that we think all of these things are God’s responsibility, and they are!….When you do what God tells YOU to do too.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Colossians 3:12-15 KJV
Notice that verse 12 could really start like this, “YOU Put on therefore…”
It’s our responsibility to do these things as holy and beloved then God will do what He is responsible for and give us PEACE.
Why is this such an unpopular message? Because it’s hard!
What we are talking about here isn’t just “if it be thy will…” kind of Christianity, but this is truly taking our place IN HIM.
We have been purchased with a price and that price is the blood of Jesus.
From that randsom we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His light, but that’s where God’s part stops – it was a pretty big chunk of the process – and then we are required to start doing something.
We are required to live holy by mortifying the deeds of the flesh that are still trying to hold on.
This is all a part of what Jesus has been doing in my lift talking about increasing my CHARACTER so that our CAPACITY here at THE WORD FOR ALL THE WORLD can increase.
We want to see people like you come to know Jesus in a much more intimate way, but it requires ME to operate at a higher level of character.
That means what I do and what I say outside of these blog posts has to line up with the things I am writing.
What I know to do has to equal what I am doing…otherwise I’m in sin
That’s true for anyone because to him who knows what to do and doesn’t do it – to him it’s sin!
That’s a pretty tough pill to swallow, but nevertheless, it’s the truth!
I don’t know about you, but I want the peace of God to rule in my heart. I don’t want to be as this proverb talks about.
3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.
Proverbs 19:3 KJV
I don’t just want to keep sinning so that grace may abound, but instead I want to be pleasing to my Lord.
I in recent times have thought about this word “Lord”.
It’s lost on us really.
What does the word “Lord” mean?
In today’s world, we as Christians really don’t understand authority.
Israel has it right when they force all their young people to serve in the arm for some period of time in their life because it instills authority and the understanding of authority.
Many Americans just think of authority as a suggestion, but the word “Lord” means the person that you are responsible to answer to. The closest thing we have is what we call a “boss”, but the word Lord is way more authoritative.
Lordship means in EVERYTHING we do we operate according to what He desires not just when we are “on the clock”.
Are we Christians who operate with God while we are “on the clock” at Church but then don’t operate pleasing to our master any other time?
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Romans 6:15-18 KJV
We are servants – some translations say “slaves” – to righteousness.
That means we have absolutely ZERO choice in the matter. We don’t get to satisfy any of the desires of our flesh.
I keep coming back to this verse, but it’s one that has been laid on my heart intently.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 13:14 KJV
You don’t get an option to sin in any way. In fact, it’s not even about sin it’s just about the flesh. We can’t do what feels good at all.
Now we understand what Paul means when he says that he is a wretched man.
All the things we really want to do are not conducive to a life in step with God.
Jesus is our master which means he gets first place regardless of feelings.
So I just encourage you to operate through God’s Spirit in a life free from fleshly lusts and put on the new man. Keep yourself holy as a dear child of God and look and act like Jesus everywhere you go.
This is true Christianity – holiness.
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