As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:14-16).
Now is the time for believers to show the world what our God is really like. He is Holy. And the word holy simply means to be set apart. The God of Israel in the Old Testament was so set apart from the gods worshipped by other nations. The Israelites introduced the surrounding sex -crazed pagan cultures in Old Testament times to their Holy God by keeping themselves pure as they outwardly obeyed the Ten Commandments. We have the law of God written on our hearts. This enables us to be living epistles known and read of all men. And in this day of looseness, we have a tremendous opportunity to shine!
It’s time to pursue holiness, to pursue the difference that Jesus makes in life. It’s time for us to show the culture around us what our God is really like. Notice 2 Corinthians 7:1: Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Not only will your fellowship with your Holy Father deepen, but you’ll begin to be noticed by those around you as different, and that’s what our world desperately needs to see.
Sensuality is on the rise everywhere. It’s the spirit of the age. Our nation’s morals are in the gutter. And it’s not going to get any better. We’re surrounded by filth and immorality on the printed page, tv, movies, the internet, and literally everywhere we turn. We as believers must make a choice to stay pure and refuse to compromise the standards that the Holy Spirit places within us to be like Jesus in thought and lifestyle.
If you don’t make an on purpose decision to be Holy or separated from the perversion that abounds today, you’re likely to yield to it and be hardened by it. Notice what Peter says to us from the Amplified Bible: So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God], So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills (1Peter 4:1-2 – Amplified).
Paul says it so well in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, J.B. Phillips Translation: God’s plan is to make you holy, and that means a clean cut with sexual immorality. Every one of you should learn to control his body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect, and never allowing it to fall victim to lust, as do pagans with no knowledge of God. You cannot break this rule without cheating and exploiting your fellow men. Indeed God will punish all who offend do offend in this matter, as we have plainly told you and warned you. The calling of God is not to impurity but to the most thorough purity, and anyone who makes light of the matter is not making light of man’s ruling but of God’s command. It is not for nothing that the Spirit God gives us is called the Holy Spirit.
Stand before the Father today and pledge to Him your devotion and love by committing to a life of holiness and purity. Refuse to compromise God’s standards by yielding to the low standards of the world. Spend time in God’s Word and allow it to wash you clean every day (see Ephesians 5:26). And spend time in prayer and fellowship with our holy God and allow His purity to be absorbed into who you are.
Perhaps you’ve compromised your life as a believer and have allowed the immoral ways of our culture to darken your life. Today, you can repent, and ask Jesus to forgive you and cleanse you from your sin, whatever it is. Pour your heart out to Him in honest confession of sin, and ask for His grace and mercy to flood your life once again. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). And beginning today, ask for His pureness to flood your life and enable you to resist the filth that surrounds us at every turn.
The world needs to see what our God is really like. Let’s show them His pureness. And our own nation’s future depends on our morals as believers. If we lose our morals as a people our nation will certainly fail. Will you choose today to be a “salty” believer and allow the light of God’s pureness shine through your conduct?