With enticement swirling around us every day, it’s tough to walk in what we consider “holiness.” But that could be as we don’t truly understand holiness. We frequently compare holiness with a religious life, one lacking in sin at every point. But holiness is not a characteristic you earn. Holiness comes when you understand your position in Christ. After you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and ask God to pardon your sins, God’s Holy Spirit starts to dwell in you.
And one thing is for certain: God is holy. So, if God is holy and His Holy Spirit inhabits you, would not that make you holy as well? The instant you gave your life over to the Lord, you became holy. Peter reminds us of our call to live a holy life : “Because it is written, ‘You shall be Holy, for I am holy” ( one Peter 1:16 ) . God would not need us to do something that we could not do. Walking in holiness comes when we are now not OK with sin. As sin becomes more repulsive, we grow more attracted to His methods, His methods that are higher than ours. No longer should we wish to walk in the way of the ungodly, nor should it feel cosy ( Proverbs 1:15 ) . God has rescued us from sin.
And when we remember this and select His way every time enticement crosses our trails, we are going to walk in holiness.
A whistle can get our attention quickly, can’t it? Whistles are used to manipulate uncontrollable behavior, signal the start or finish of an event, or interrupt the action. Blown by a sports referee, a teacher on a playground, or a police officer at a junction, the sound is a signal for us to stop and learn why the whistle was blown. What does God use to get our attention? Occasionally it’s a twitchy spirit. Rodney Howard Browne tells us that it can appear as an obscure dissatisfaction with our life. Other times God uses somebody’s words to help us recognize he is talking to us. Blessing us in a bizarre way is another method God employs. ( Romans twenty-four ) In each case, we are to stop and ask, “Lord, are You making an attempt to say something to me?”
Rodney Howard Browne explains that God often allows our requests to stay unanswered to prompt us to sharpen our target Him. Or He may say no thanks to our request to gain our attention. Disappointments, problems, and disasters are sometimes used by Him for a similar reason.
If we are smart, we will swiftly seek Him out.
In crises, finance reversals, and physical affliction, God waits to determine if we are going to turn to Him and ask, “God, are You talking to me?” Rodney Howard Browne teaches us that God merits our complete attention, but we get engrossed. He waits to talk with us, but we are busy taking a look at our circumstances.
Permit the occurrences of life-both the agreeable and the painful-to prompt you to turn to God and ask, “Lord, are You asking for my attention?”. One more thing.