Holiness!!! (What is Holiness??)

Have you ever asked yourself what is Holiness truely and what does it look like??? I have alot lately and here are some things I have found:

I have found as well as read it is certainly not a subject easily discussed not a topic on the list of most peoples lists which is heart breaking because it really isn't an option in our lives "we as children of God are called to be in His image and He is 100% HOLY. Holiness is not an option for those whom belong to the King. The Lord wants us to understand there is blessings to living a holy life and consequences to living an unholy life. The new testament authors call us to live a life of absolute purity here are some of those very scriptures:
"you therefore must be perfect,as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matt. 5:48

"Keep yourselves pure." 1 Tim.5:22

"Awake to righteousness, and do not sin." 1 Corinth. 15:34

"Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity(sin)." 2 Tim.2:19

"Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." Romans 12:9

Holiness my friends is not just for the spiritual giants and church leaders it is for you and me and every single child of the King it is for everyone who names the name of the Lord we are "ALL"
CALLED TO LIVE HOLY LIVES.
By all means this is not easy and is hard it is a day to day process however that is the key it is a process there should be a process in all of our lives it is a part of being "Sanctified" we are a continual work in progress we should be trying to be more Christ like and less self like.
How you ask can we have true holiness well it is cultivated in the context of our relationship with God Himself. His love for us moves us to reject all things fleeting that sin can offer and as our love for Him grows we are then motivated to aspire holiness.
True holiness starts from the inside with our thoughts (are we holding every thought captive?)
our attitudes(are they following the golden rule to love others as yourself or for that matter as Christ would) our values (do they reflect that of the world or are we truely set apart?) our motives(are they pure or are they for selfish gain)these are our innermost parts gang the parts the Lord
sees just as they "REALLY ARE" over time the things above affect our outward and visible behavior: "BE HOLY IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT" 1 PETER 1:15
It all comes down to our sin by which if we dont repent sooner or later sin will rob us of everything that is beautiful and desirable and to walk in that holiness is amazing to know the joy of having clean hands ,a pure heart,a clear conscience,and one day to stand before our KING and not be ashamed........ and to Hear Him say "well done thy good and faithful servant" with that why settle for anything less this is something I am longing for the more and more I soak up His word we serve an amazing God friends. Please dont get me wrong I still have not come to the end with learning about holiness I in fact have just been studying it in depth and it is so amazing and soooooo very convicting cause for sure I am "FAR FROM HOLY" however it has opened my eyes to a life I am truely longing for. There is a verse I have recently stumbled across and now can see it was by no accident it is 1 Peter 1:15-16
"BUT AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY , YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN "ALL" YOUR CONDUCT, SINCE IT IS WRITTEN, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
The Lord was speaking especially to me and wanting me to see that as I am seeking to live Holy
that means in my "EVERYDAY LIFE AND CONDUCT" I am to be "set apart" our lives are to look believable to our world and was mine as I yell at my children in public or get impatient in line at the store or at a red light or in traffic do all around see His image ???? So I was asked WHAT DOES YOUR LIFE REFLECT TO THOSE AROUND YOU??? and I asked myself some hard convicting questions .......do my attitudes, words, and behavior give others an accurate picture of God or do I profane His holiness and as I was painfully honest with myself I have to admit more times then I care to admit it has been the latter??? wow deep things to ask ones self although I think we should be doing a heart check often for the heart is wicked if left to itself. So you may still be asking how do I know how to be Holy well.......... God is our standard
for Holiness, and He alone is the Source of our Holiness so we must have a relationship with Him and be in His word daily to learn what that very holiness looks like. I read this in a book recently it says" to be holy is to be clean from sin, to be clean from sin is to be free from the weight and the burden of that very sin." Another eye opener for me in this quest to be more like Christ is
knowing that without being holy we cannot fellowship with God because he cannot fellowship with unholy people....... Matthew 5:8 says: "blessed are the pure in heart," Jesus said "for they shall see God." We cannot cling to our sin and have fellowship with God at the same time.

"For what fellowship has rightousness with lawlessness? and what communion has light with darkness?" 2 Corinth. 6:14
You see we all must be seeking that holiness because without holy hearts we cannot draw near to our Lord and as children of God that should be our every desire to draw near to the King.
So for now I believe as my study continues (and I may share periodically) the thing I am praying about for the day to day is that others will see in me a reflection of Christ as I live out my day to day life for all to see. I pray that if I am the only Bible someone may read it is of your holiness and goodness and nothing in me. Father I pray that we all seek to be holy and more Christ like that we all would truely be able to call ourselves a "set apart" people may we never blend in or look as the world may we always be mindful of our actions and words our attitudes and motives may we do a heart check often on ourselves and stay armored up in your very word daily and even hourly if that is what it takes to hold our every thoughts captive Lord I pray you will continue to empty me of all unrighteousness of all selfishness and fill me to over flowing with "YOUR LOVE, GRACE, MERCY, JOY, PEACE, KINDNESS , GOODNESS ,FAITHFULNESS AND ALL THAT IS OF YOU IN JESUS HOLY AND PRECIOUS NAME I PRAY AMEN.
Until next time friends,
Love,
Cindy