Holiness: a Desire to Honor God
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Jer. 31:33
A few years ago, I had the privilege to see this verse come true as an Israeli man I know told me that he desires to say “yes” to the one and only true Messiah of Israel, Yeshua, the Promised One.
Not long after he accepted the Lord into his life, he began to struggle with whether or not he truly became a follower of the Messiah. I asked him why he doubted his salvation, and his reply was that he really struggled with sin, such as lust and anger. I asked him if he struggled with those things prior to his salvation and he said, “No”. My reply to him was that this is a great indication to me that his prayer of repentance before the Lord was real, and that the reason he struggles now is the fact that the Holy Spirit now lives within him, cleansing him from the unholy things in his life.
The first step one must do in order to live a holy life is to repent of his sins and accept the atonement that God has given us in Messiah Yeshua.
Once one does this, the Holy Spirit will dwell within the person, (Eph 1:13-14) and he will receive a new heart; that is, God will write His teachings on his heart and put them in his mind (Jeremiah 31:33).
After one’s true salvation, it will be impossible for him to continue to sin with a clear conscience. If the Holy Spirit indeed dwells within us, we will constantly battle with those things that are unpleasing to God (unholy to Him) because, according to His Word, He has written His teachings on our hearts and minds. Although we will continue to sin, because we are fallen beings, we should still have a desire to do those things that are pleasing to God.
Let us all reexamine our hearts for the Glory of our Father, and grow to rely on Him more and more to be holy. It is only by His Spirit that we can accomplish this (Zechariah 4:6).
In Him,
Moran
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One Comment on “Holiness: a Desire to Honor God”
So true Moran.. I enjoyed reading this..living our lives before the Lord in simplicity and Godly sincerity.. confessing repenting.. a righteous man falls 7 times but gets up again! Become as little children.. the longer I walk with the Lord the simpler I see it should be.. me speaking to and worshiping the Lord, the Lord speaking to and working in me.. me shining forth that light and love to others… Jesus Others YOu.. what a wonderful way to spell JOY! Jesus first Others second You last! God bless you and your family!!