I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy (Leviticus 11:44 NIV).
The Lord Himself speaks to you today and makes the appeal for you to consecrate yourself and be holy because He is Holy. The Hebrew writer urges us to “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14 NKJV). You may be asking yourself the question, “How do I do this?” The answer is really simple. It is through faith in Jesus and the power of His love. His blood that was shed upon the cross for you atones for your sins. If you confess your sins to Him and ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness and present you glorious, pure and holy, without spots and without wrinkles.
Now that you have been redeemed and made pure and holy through faith in Jesus, abide daily in Him through prayer and devotion, and through reading, studying and meditating on the written Word of God. This is how God communicates with us. The Holy Spirit makes God’s words come alive in our hearts as we read, gives us greater revelations of who God is, and helps us to apply his teachings to our daily living. A heart that is obedient to the Word of God, committed to Godliness and given to single-minded devotion to God will be in constant pursuit of Holiness.
As we spend time alone with God in worship and adoration and as we communicate with Him daily through continual prayer, He will give us the desire to seek to be more like Him in character. God is absolutely pure, holy, true and faithful. He is the light of the world. There is no unrighteousness in Him. You need to be totally dependent on God to help you to be more like Him. Ask Him to give you a heart that is totally devoted to Him. Ask Him to give you the Holy Spirit to live in your heart, to give you the desire to pursue holiness and to empower you to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Seek to be honest in everything you do and pursue peace with everyone. Do not stir up strife with others and do not allow bitterness, hatred, envy or un-forgiveness to take root in your heart. Be quick to forgive, give generously to help those in need, and seek always to be humble, gentle and loving. God’s love is rich and powerful and enduring. Ask Him to pour His love into your heart and empower you to be more like Him in character each day. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48 NIV).
The apostle Paul taught, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable” (1Thessalonians 4: 3-4 NIV). Any sexual relationship outside of the marriage between one man and one woman is immoral and not of God. When we are born again, our bodies become the temple of the living God who lives in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. When we sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit in us. Make every effort therefore to keep yourself pure. “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 NIV). Strive daily for perfection and trust God to help you in your pursuit of holiness. “These things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1 NKJV). If you slip during your pursuit of holiness, confess your sins to God. He is faithful to forgive.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things (Philippians 4:8 NKJV).
