From Desire to Action
We can say we want to be holy, but what does holiness look like in action? As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words” How much do we really want to be separated, set apart for God to use as He pleases? Afterall, that is the definition of holy as I explained in my first post on this topic.
This will be the first part in a series depicting how our desire to be holy will be reflected in our daily actions often seen by the world around us. After defining the word holy, I explained that Jesus commands holiness of those who want to escape his judgment of sin. Next, I wrote about how, when we dedicate ourselves to God and are filled with his Holy Spirit, we are empowered to become holy. We will then be able to sustain holiness by maintaining our relationship with him through prayer and study of his Word. The inward presence of holiness is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit growing in our lives. This inward holiness then shows itself in how we speak, act, and present ourselves to the world around us. The word of God as a whole, and especially the epistles in the New Testament, gives us specific directions on how this should look. In this blog I will begin covering how holiness shows itself in our actions.
The Light of the World
In his famous sermon on the mount, in Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” When we live a life of holiness, we become that light on a hill that cannot be hid. Our life becomes a guiding beacon of hope to all around us. No one can live a holy life in hiding. People will notice and even comment and question. You won’t have to announce your own holiness or Christianity, it will be obvious. If this is not happening in your life, it is a good indication that you need to grow closer to your holy God and let go of things that may be obscuring the light of his holiness that should be shining through you.
Obedience is the Key
Outward holiness starts with acts of obedience in the basics and developing habits conducive to growing in God. If your behavior doesn’t increasingly line up with instructions in the Bible, then this would indicate that you lack the necessary desire to please Jesus and be holy as he is. The initial acts of obedience include what I wrote was necessary to become holy and maintain holiness so I will only briefly review them.
This song, “Completely Yes” by Sandra Crouch has been one of my favorite songs on this topic of obedient surrender since I was a child.
Repent of Your Unholiness
Repentance, the act of admitting your sinfulness to God and turning away from it and unto Jesus is vital. Holiness can’t even be contemplated unless we confess the filthiness of our own ways before God. Peter preached to those gathered outside the upper room on the Day of Pentecost that they had crucified the Lord of Glory. They felt convicted and asked what they should do in Acts 2:37. The very next verse gives his definitive answer. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38 Repentance has always been the first act of obedience required in our quest for holiness.
Be Baptized in Jesus Name
The second instruction Peter gave in that scripture was baptism. Paul was given the same instruction by Ananias after he repented of denying Jesus and persecuting Christians. Now that he had decided to become a follower of Jesus, Ananias told him in Acts 22:16, “And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Romans 6:3-4 indicates that we identify with Jesus when we are buried in his name in the waters of baptism. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” In baptism we publicly separate from our old ways and begin to walk in “newness of life” or holiness.
Stay Full of the Holy Ghost
Not only must we receive the gift of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit as Peter said on the Day of Pentecost, but we must remain full of it. Romans 8:14 lets us know that, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” This makes sense when we understand that Ephesisan 5:16 says,” Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” This means that we can only be free of the filthy, unholiness of fleshly desires if we walk in/stay full of his Holy Spirit.
In Acts 6:3 the apostles only appointed men full of the Spirit to do a ministry of service in the church. If we want to effectively serve the people of God and others, we also must be full of the Holy Ghost. Not only will it lead us in good works toward others, but also in all things. In John 14:26 Jesus told his disciples that it would be the Holy Spirit that would teach them all things and bring to their remembrance what he had said. Thus we need it to help us understand his Word and how He wants us to live. Jesus reiterated in John 16:13 that the Spirit of Truth “Will guide you into all truth.” If we want to live holy, we need that guide living actively within us. Staying full of the Holy Spirit will prevent us from falling prey to the abundance of deception rampant in the world around us.
Though there is much more that can be said on this subject, let me cover one last point. Without being full of the Holy Ghost, we often can’t pray effectively as needed. Romans 8:26 reveals that, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” In other words, God’s Spirit helps us pray even when we don’t know what to say. Allowing his Holy Spirit to pray through us in tongues is allowing Jesus to intercede as needed. This leads naturally to the next pattern of behavior in someone living a holy life.
Praying With Thanksgiving, Worship, and Supplication
A person living in holiness, lives a life of prayer, thanksgiving, and worship. Philippians 4:6 instructs us to, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” We are not to allow anxiety, un-thankfulness, or any negative emotion to direct our steps and attitude. Instead, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, we are to thank God, asking him to meet our needs, and worshiping him with faith in who He is. In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” This can be seen as living with an attitude of prayer, talking to God about everything, and being ready to speak aloud to him at a moment’s notice.
Studying the Bible
If we want to have clear instructions on how God wants his holiness to be reflected in our actions, we must read and study the guidebook He left us. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We must read, study, and apply his Word to our lives. Doing this habitually will keep us from sinning, and tarnishing ourselves, his holy temple. Psalms 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Too many people depend on preachers, or other people to tell them what God says in his Word. Listening to Holy Ghost filled people is definitely very helpful. However, ultimately we are each instructed to read and pray over the Bible for ourselves. This is both to get our own revelation/word from God for our lives, and also to verify the revelation or interpretation someone else says he has for us. We are each responsible to “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12.
One way to go about increasing your study of the Word and verifying what you hear others teach, would be to jot down scriptures mentioned that you hear preached or taught in church or online. Next, take the time to look them up for yourself and read the chapter surrounding them. Look at the context. Pray over them, asking God for further revelation. You may be surprised at the results. You will definitely be enriched.
Testifying
When we are living in close relationship to God, it will greatly affect how we interact with others. The closer we are to him, the greater he becomes to us. It becomes very difficult not to talk about how awesome He is. Much as someone who is starstruck or has recently fallen in love finds it difficult not to talk about that person who is the center of their attention at the moment, someone truly in love with God will find it difficult not to talk about Jesus to others. The closer we get to him, the greater he becomes in our life and the more we want others to know him too. We will testify or talk about him. Psalms 71:15 proclaims, “My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day.” Psalms 22:22 “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” Jesus encouraged this behavior when he delivered the demon possessed man in Mark 5:19. The man wanted to physically follow Jesus. “But Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”
In addition, when Jesus spoke of a time of great persecution his disciples would experience, he gave a great promise they could hold onto in the midst of it. Matthew 10:32 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” Even under tremendous pressure to deny Christ, a true disciple living in holiness won’t and can’t do so. Peter and John first demonstrated this in Acts chapter 4 when called before Jewish leaders who were angry because they had declared Jesus was the Messiah and had healed a lame man in His name. Instead of cowering, the disciples boldly confessed that the man was healed through the name of Jesus and that, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 This reaction is still needed and demonstrated today among Holy Ghost filled Christians persecuted in varying amounts throughout the world today.
Even when we aren’t being persecuted, God asks us in 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” We must be able to explain the greatness of God and why his Spirit within us is our hope of salvation and resurrection. We should be able to talk about who He is and what He’s done for us. We should each ask ourselves, are we truly ready to do this? Are we eager to?
In Conclusion
I have only begun to cover the outward signs of inward holiness. But what has been mentioned so far may be considered the foundations. Our actions of obedience in our relationship to God must come first before our actions in relation to others can begin to reflect holiness. Repentance, baptism, the infilling and continual renewal of the Holy Spirit, followed by prayer, worship, and Bible study are the fundamental acts of obedience we should be known for doing. Then the actions we take in relation to others such as testifying will follow automatically. I will go over several other aspects of our behavior toward others in my next Holiness post. If you have enjoyed or learned from this short study, please comment and subscribe if you haven’t done so already. Thanks so much for reading.
Merc
Powerful! This is such a great study. And the photography is really stunning!
Christy
Thanks!
Tina l Rosario
obedience is truly the key 🔑 to living a holy blessed life
Christy Hernandez
So true. It indicates surrender to God for his use! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Manuel Hernandez
Christy,
Great job!
Love,
Manuel