Holiness Revealed

Uncovering God’s Ultimate Plan for His People

By: Lara Velez, Founder of Moms of Faith

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Cover Art: Dreamstime.com

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Holiness Revealed | HolinessRevealed.com

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION              4

HOLINESS DEFINED              9

LIVING HOLY              13

HOLINESS CHARACTER TRAIT: FORGIVING              16

HOLINESS CHARACTER TRAIT:  KINGDOM MENTALITY              20

MORE ON OBEDIENT LIVING              23

HOLINESS CHARACTER TRAIT:  YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUIT              30

HOLINESS CHARACTER TRAIT: PERSECUTION...              34

LIFE AND DEATH…              39

ABOUT THE AUTHOR              42

Introduction

I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life… - Deuteronomy 30:19

As I wrote this book, I knew that it would be a life changer for me. I also knew that through it God would be able to help others live up to their full potential in Him.

I have to say that it is very difficult to live a holy life in this world. However, when I see the Church using the Blood of Christ as license to sin, and making His Holy Word fit their own personal agenda--it really lights a fire in me. It makes me want to be a better light for Him—to be Holy as He called me to be!

If we are Believers, then I can assure you that we are CALLED to be holy! We are called to find our strength in Him and to walk a life of victory. We are NOT called to look like carbon copies of this world.

The Blood of Christ was shed so that we can have VICTORY OVER sin--not free reign TO sin!!

I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life… - Deuteronomy 30:19

This book helps us choose life.

Live as children of obedience to God; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires that governed you in your former ignorance when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel. But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living. For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. And if you call upon Him as your Father Who judges each one impartially according to what he does, then you should conduct yourselves with true reverence throughout the time of your temporary residence on the earth, whether long or short. You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from your forefathers, not with corruptible things such as silver and gold, But you were purchased with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a sacrificial lamb without blemish or spot. It is true that He was chosen and foreordained (destined and foreknown for it) before the foundation of the world, but He was brought out to public view (made manifest) in these last days (at the end of the times) for the sake of you. – I Peter 1:14-20

We serve such an Awesome, Loving and Mighty God. He does so much for us every day. He sent His Son so we can live with Him in Eternity. As if all He did and does was not enough, He also left us an Instruction Manual for life!

Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Word of God is far more than a mere book. It is a manual for life in this world. It is filled with instructions from cover to cover on how to live, love, overcome and become obedient children who lack no good thing. It teaches us God’s ways and how to find strength to make better choices. It also shows us the way to holiness. It equips us for life in this sinful world. It is something every Christian should study and know well.

So brace up your minds; be sober (morally alert); set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Live as children of obedience to God; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires that governed you in your former ignorance, when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel. But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living. - 1 Peter 1:13-15

In order to even begin the journey to a holy life, we will need to...

Receive Christ as our Savior.

Study God’s Word to KNOW HIS ways.

Be Teachable. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you by listening for His still small voice.

Pray Often.

Trust His Word.

Submit to God’s Will.

Let go of sin and unhealthy things/habits in our life.

Understand that anything God asks us to give up is for our own good.

Forgive.

Love.

Study, study, study!

Studying is a major key to obedient living (that's what this book will help you do). If we do not KNOW God’s Word, how can we obey Him?

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved, a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15

Do not misunderstand; God loves us “as is”, however, we must grow. If we do not grow, we are unhealthy.

Obeying Him is the path to growth which leads us to: peace, right living, health, effectiveness and happiness.

Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. - Hebrews 5:11-14

Think of it this way: It would be sad to see a seemingly healthy adult walking around in diapers--even worse if WE, ourselves, are still in diapers! Let’s dig deep and grow up!

Holiness Defined

But just as He Who called you is holy, so be holy in all your conduct and manner of living; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:15-16

The word “holy” seems to be completely insane and utterly unattainable at first glance. It can also make many cringe at the mere mention of it. In today’s culture, the words: “holiness” and “holy” sound like something out of the dark ages--or at the very least, words spoken by some overzealous religious lunatic.

Thankfully, being holy is not crazy, “old fashioned thinking” or unattainable! It is what we are called to, and if God calls us to it, then He will make a way for us to walk in it!

Let’s start this study with what holiness means: holiness is the act of being morally blameless.

Holiness is so much more than that though, it is a wonderful word filled with considerable purpose and power.

It also describes our Lord God: He is holy. His character and very being is the embodiment of holiness. How can we look at the word “holy” as anything but extraordinary?

Now, of course, trying to understand how we can put the word holy and our humanity in the same sentence can seem… well… downright unthinkable!

Not only is it a term that should be in every Christian’s vocabulary, but it should also be a part of their very existence.

Let me explain:

God Calls us to BE Holy

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.  Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and His ways.  Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before.  God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7

…for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:15-16

Jesus even said to go and sin no more. (see John 5: 14, 8:11)

These are just a few examples of God calling His children to holiness. If you do your own study on holiness—apart from this book (which I strongly recommend), you will be very surprised!

I do not think we look at sin in the proper light. God HATES sin. Yes, hates. He cannot even be around it. Of course, He loves mankind, and yes, He loves the sinner. However, we never think about how He feels about sin in and of itself.

He hates sin, and when the stench of it had reached Heaven, (read about Noah), He even destroyed everything to start over again. However, it was not enough. He had to have a fail proof atonement for sin. He had to sacrifice His only Son, so that we can be holy.

You see, it is the Blood of Jesus Christ that not only makes us holy in His sight, it also brought about the coming of the Holy Spirit to HELP us to be FREE from sin. The Holy Sprit gives us the strength to overcome sin and the flesh.

Why then, is the church as a whole so defeated by sin?

The answer is a lot simpler than you may think. I believe it is our attitude towards sin that keeps us bound by it. If we do not look at sin the way God does, then how can we see that there is anything wrong with it? How can it be considered sin?

In God’s eyes, sin is sin is sin.

It is unholy.

It is putrid in His sight.

Oftentimes, we like to “rate” our sin and the sins of others. We categorize it, and decide what we believe to be a “bad sin”, or a “worse sin”, or a “not as bad as that sin” type of sin…

Call it like it is…

Sin is Sin!

If we use the WORD of God as our compass and guide for life, and NOT the culture--we will see sin the way God does, and we will make better choices.

God wants obedience from us just like any parent. He only tells us the things to avoid because He loves us and wants to protect us--NOT because He wants to prevent us from enjoying life! It is quite the contrary. If we OBEY Him and stay within the boundaries He has created, then and only then, can we find true peace, joy and happiness.

Living Holy

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Now that we know what holiness is and that God called us to it, what is the next step? How do we live holy lives?

First, we need to make sure that we are basing all of our beliefs, choices and thoughts by Biblical standards—not by the current culture. If we do this, then we will not acquire harmful “little foxes” in the fields of our hearts, and therefore become desensitized with sin.

When we make enough wrong choices, it creates an overabundance of wrong thinking, and the result is a complete and utter disregard for how we should be conducting our lives. Those “larger bad choices” will not seem so out of the question any longer.

It is the little choices we make every day that slowly lower the standards that God desires for us to live by.

You see, God’s standards are set. He does not change His standards. He is the same yesterday, today and forever…

The devil comes along and whispers in our ears and we choose to lower our standards just a little… then a little more... then a little more… Then, before you know it, we are walking hand and hand with the beliefs, desires and lusts of this world.

God’s standards are no longer relevant. We have now adapted and manipulated His Truths to fit with the times, our flesh and the culture we live in. Over time, lines are blurred, sins are “categorized”, and a few “F” bombs in a movie aren’t as bad as a few more.

We are now carbon copies of a godless world. No light. No salt. No flavor. We become a bunch of hypocrites who no longer have a great message of love to share. Yikes.

… for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Is it easy? Not to our flesh nature. However, if we follow God’s Word, repent (turn from our sin), and seek Him diligently (daily), we will find abounding strength.

Yes, choosing the “narrow path” will be hard. However, if we look at it like a marathon and…

Train every day (read His Word)

Desire pleasing God more than our flesh

Stay IN the race

Be prepared for muscle cramps (adversity)

We WILL finish the race and press on towards the prize!

Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but one receives the prize? So run [your race] that you may lay hold of the prize and make it yours. – 1Corinthians 9:24

I realize this says; “but ‘one’ receives the prize.” However, the author is using a metaphor. He is not declaring that ONLY one will win in the Christian walk. He is encouraging us to run as IF ONLY ONE can win. I believe we can ALL win. However, we need to run it like a race… desire to win, push to win and never let anything distract us from the finish line!

Finally, we need to realize our walk is to be holy. We may grow tired and want to stop or take a detour. We cannot give in to that. We need to stay ON the narrow path and lubricate our spiritual muscles with the watering of the Word!

Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression. - Psalm 19: 13

When we choose to put ourselves out of God’s will, we are willfully sinning. We are willfully putting ourselves outside of His safety and protection.

Our God is a jealous God. He wants NOTHING to be above Him. It will only hinder what He wants to do for us and in us. It will only keep us away from His presence. It will hinder the Holy Spirit from working in our lives.

Our rewards in Heaven will FAR outweigh the discomfort to our flesh being forced into a life of submission to the Father!

Holiness Character Trait: Forgiving

Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression or an offense. - Proverbs 19:11

Holiness is a choice. We must be walking on the Narrow Path to live holy lives. Now, we will begin to look into the characteristics of holy living.

4 Main Characteristics of Holy Living

{#1} Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the first characteristic we will examine.

Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression or an offense. - Proverbs 19:11

Without a consistent choice to forgive, we will find it impossible to live a holy life that is pleasing to God. The Scriptures are very clear about this topic and it is wise for us to obey them.

Good sense… wisdom….

In the original Hebrew “good sense” actually comes from sekel and means wisdom. So, when we restrain our anger, we are manifesting wisdom in our lives.

On the flip side: if we choose to allow anger to become sin and do not restrain it, we are being foolish and unwise.

It is to his or her glory to overlook a transgression or an offense.

Let’s look closely into what exactly “overlook” means…

I looked it up in the dictionary and found the following:

Overlook is to fail to notice or consider. To excuse or pardon.

In the thesaurus I found: ignore, disregard, excuse, forgive and shrug off.

Again, we are using wisdom when we overlook a wrong.

On the flip side: if we hold onto the offense, we are being foolish, unwise and only harming ourselves. You see, 9 out of 10 times the person who offended us is not even affected. We are the ones hurt by BEING offended!

What is an offense?

An offense is a violation or breaking of a social or moral rule; transgression; sin. It is something that offends or displeases.

When I looked up offense in the thesaurus I found words like: insult, disrespect, rudeness, harm, abuse, embarrass, and humiliate.

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. - Matthew 6:14-15

Unforgiveness means: unrelenting, unyielding, not allowing for carelessness or weakness, blame, condemn, charge.

The opposite of unforgiveness is: forgive, pardon, excuse, reprieve, and cease to feel resentment.

This is one of those Scriptures we like to bypass. We don’t like to spend too much time examining it. It makes our flesh very uncomfortable.

We all have had our share of forgiveness battles. We have all been wronged on some level--some more than others.

Oftentimes, we like to hang onto our anger and unforgiveness. We even make excuses for holding onto them. Unfortunately, none of our internal reasonings can change the infallible, uncompromising, authoritative Word of the Almighty God. Jesus makes it crystal clear: forgive and be forgiven. Do not forgive and you will not be forgiven.

He does not sugar coat the facts. We are required to forgive. Period. Let’s submit to our Lord and allow Him to work in our lives and learn to forgive day by day by day.

Let us live holy as He is holy…

Remember: We are NEVER hurting the offender when we harbor unforgiveness, we are ONLY hurting ourselves!

Let me leave you with these sobering words from our Beloved Savior…

For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you use to deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you. - Matthew 7:2

Holiness Character Trait:

Kingdom Mentality

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and Yours it is to be exalted as Head over all. - 1 Chronicles 29:11

4 Main Characteristics of Holy Living

{#2} Kingdom Mentality

This is a topic that is rarely visited. I have only heard a few sermons on it here and there in my life. However, not nearly enough, nor to the capacity that it should be taught.

We serve a KING. Not only do we serve a King, we serve the KING of KINGS. He IS the Almighty. There are none who can even come close to Him.

I want you to think about how a KINGDOM works, so that we can grasp the concept of a kingdom mentality.

I looked up some words and found useful information that will help you understand what I am talking about.

king•dom [king-duhm]

–noun

A state or government having a king or queen as its head.

The spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ.

The domain over which the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ extends, whether in heaven or on earth.

Summary: A kingdom is a governmental unit ruled by a king or queen (monarchy). A monarchy is primarily a form of government in which a single person is sovereign.

When I looked up sovereign, I found things like...

Having supreme rank, power, or authority.

Supreme; preeminent; indisputable: a sovereign right.

Greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.

Being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.

If you are a child of God, you are already destined to live your eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven where God now sits on the throne. You should also know that He is RULER OVER ALL.

He IS ruler of ALL. We already are IN His dominion. However, we are also living in chaos because of sin. Sadly, that chaos WILL come under the judgment by the King of Kings very soon.

That is why it is vital that we, His children, take authority over our own lives and sin. We must realize that we HAVE authority given to us by Christ’s shed Blood.

We must make sure that we are setting our standards based on God’s WORD, not the culture. You see, God does not “change with the times”. He is steady, straight, reliable and never changing.

For I am the Lord, I do not change... - Malachi 3:6a

His Word should be our only guide for how we live our lives. We cannot allow the world we live in to be our moral compass. If we do, we are walking a very dangerous line. Our standards must come from God--not this world or our own reasonings.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - Psalm 119:105

When we get our lives into obedience and submission to our King, then and ONLY then can we be authentic and effective lights in the darkness of this sinful world.

Think about it this way, we, even the saved, are going to be held accountable for how we stewarded our lives. Did we live lives of obedience? Did we walk a walk that was able to be a living testimony to the authority, dominion, love, and mercy of our God?

Do not be deceived, deluded, and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside. He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God. For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap - Galatians 6:7

More on Obedient Living

Before we move on to our next character trait of holiness, I think we need to dig deeper into Kingdom Mentality and the aspect of obedient living.

If you really love Me, you will obey My commands. - John 14:15

This is far more profound than we may realize. Obedience is how we show our love to the Lord. I may step on some toes here, but to be perfectly honest with you, if we are living in willful sin and choosing to ignore God’s Word, we are playing with fire. Yes, He loves us and will forgive us for all of our sins if we repent. Yes, it is true HE will NEVER leave us or forsake us. However, I must reiterate: we are playing with fire when we choose to disobey God.

…work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling, self-distrust, with serious caution, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ. – Philippians 2:12

We should never assume that just because we accepted Jesus in our hearts that we can just live a life in sin and then quote mercy, grace and forgiveness Scriptures. There are also many verses that make me want to be more aware of my choices!

And He said to him, Why do you ask Me about the perfectly and essentially good? There is only One Who is good –God. If you would enter into the Life, you must continually keep the commandments. - Matthew 19:17

Freedom in Christ does not mean license to sin. It means we are FREE from the SHACKLES of sin! It means we now have the power and ability to OVERCOME sin.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts. - 1 John 1:8-10

When we do sin, and we will, we must repent and bring it before the feet of Jesus. Repent means to turn from it. So, repeating the same sins over and over again is a sure sign of a disobedient, unsubmitted life. However, I believe our heart is what God essentially judges. God loves us profoundly, and He is compassionate to our struggles. Sadly, many Christians mistake that for a “green light” to do as they please.

When you KNOW what you are watching, listening to and participating in is wrong, you are sneering at God’s way and choosing to play with fire…

Do not be deceived, deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at, scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside. He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God. For whatever a man sows-- that and that only is what he will reap. - Galatians 6:7

We must be on constant watch and living our lives to please the Lord--NOT man or self!

Let’s look at the different Biblical promises of obedient living v/s disobedient living

Disobedient Living Consequences

Inhibits God from Hearing Us--Unanswered Prayers

We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and a worshiper of Him and does His will, He listens to him. – John 9:31

Shows that We Do Not Truly Love the Lord

Jesus answered, If a person really loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him. Anyone who does not really love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but comes from the Father Who sent Me. – John 14:23-24

Sinful Living Leads to Death

For the wages of sin is death… - Romans 6:23

Destined to Stumble

And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give men offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve God’s Word, as those who reject Him were destined to do. – 1 Peter 2:8

More Risky than We May Realize…

Now the practices of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit, factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies, Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. - Galatians 5:19-21

Promises of Obedient Living

Shows God We Love Him

The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who really loves Me; and whoever really loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him. – John 14:21

We Will Receive the Crown of Victory!

No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of civilian life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him. And if anyone enters competitive games, he is not crowned unless he competes lawfully (fairly, according to the rules laid down). - 2 Timothy 2:4–5

ASSURANCE that Jesus Dwells IN Us!

And this is His command: that we should believe in (put our faith and trust in) the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us. All who keep His commandments [who obey His orders and follow His plan, live and continue to live, to stay and] abide in Him, and He in them. They let Christ be a home to them and they are the home of Christ. And by this we know and understand and have the proof that He really lives and makes His home in us: by the Holy Spirit Whom He has given us. - 1 John 3:23-24

Doing His Will Secures our Dwelling in the Kingdom of Heaven

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. - Matthew 7:21

Eternal Life

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered and, making Him perfectly equipped, He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him. – Hebrews 5:8-9

PEACE!

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. - Isaiah 26:3

We need to live lives of obedience. The fruit of our lives is what will differentiate us from false prophets, religions and worldly pleasures. Our lives are a living testimony--right or wrong!

Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves. You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the sickly decaying, worthless tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear excellent fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits. - Matthew 7:15-20

This is a powerful passage! I don’t know about you, but I certainly do NOT want to be cast into the fire!  Let us each walk out our salvation with fear and trembling and never forget the price that was paid for it!

A few final Scriptures to ponder…

My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe and delight in my ways. - Proverbs 23:26

Who can we trust more with our hearts than God?

A fool despises his father’s instruction and correction, but he who regards reproof acquires prudence. - Proverbs 15:5

I know I do not want to be a fool! How about you?

But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it. - Matthew 7:14

It is hard to live obediently. There is no doubt about it. However, it is the ONLY road that leads to LIFE!

And so the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed in  God, and this was accounted to him as righteousness (as conformity to God’s will in thought and deed), and he was called God’s friend. You see that a man is justified (pronounced righteous before God) through what he does and not alone through faith. So also with Rahab the harlot–was she not shown to be justified by good deeds when she took in the scouts and sent them away by a different route? - James 2:23-25

Doing right is a part of it. There is clearly a DOING involved. It is not only getting saved. Our “works” are an important if not vital part of our walk. Our choices are involved. Salvation is so much more than a prayer! It is a lifestyle. I urge you to pray about it and seek God’s Face in the matter…

If you really love Me, you will obey My commands. - John 14:15

Holiness Character Trait:

You will know them by their Fruit

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. - Matthew 7:20-21 (NLT)

4 Main Characteristics of Holy Living

{#3} You will know them by their Fruit...

Most Christians know about the Fruits of the Spirit. It is kind of “entry level” learning, or so you would think. When I first began to understand what walking with Jesus meant, I had NO CLUE what “Fruits of the Spirit” were or what it meant. This valuable information was never taught to me early on.

I think this is sad because it is actually kind of important!

Since this is not a lesson about the fruits of the spirit, I will briefly touch on their meanings. I do not want to veer too far away from the topic we are on.

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us WHAT they are: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control.

A simple definition of the Fruits of the Spirit for a Christian would be: An outward representation of the Holy Spirit working and living in you and through you.

How does this all tie in with holy living?

Well, first, we must remember we are talking about the four main characteristics of holy living. The first was forgiveness. We discovered that without a consistent choice to forgive, we will find it impossible to live a holy life that is pleasing to God. The Scriptures are very clear about this topic and it is wise for us to obey them.

Then, we talked about a Kingdom Mentality. This means we must make sure that we are setting our standards based on God’s WORD, not the culture. You see, God does not “change with the times”. He is steady, straight, reliable and never changing.

Now, it is clear as we move into the third characteristic of holy living (being known by our fruit) that everything is connected. We must first have a forgiving heart, and a Kingdom mindset for there to ever be fruit in our lives.

We obtain fruitful lives as we live obedient lives--forgiving others and serving our King. As we read His Word and get to know HIS principles, standards, and desires for our lives, it is inevitable that we will produce fruit.

However, those who do not seek God, read His Word, or take the time to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will not develop fruit.

No fruit?

Not good!

Matthew 7:17-29:

Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit.

A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear excellent fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits.

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.

Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?

And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly disregarding My commands.

So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.

And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.

And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great and complete was the fall of it.

When Jesus had finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His teaching,

For He was teaching as One Who had authority, and not as the scribes.

We should not take these Scriptures lightly. Fruit of the Spirit is a manifestation of holy living. You cannot have one without the other. It requires obedience, relationship with Jesus Christ and a willing heart.

Are you willing?

Holiness Character Trait: Persecution...

Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. - 2 Timothy 3:12

4 Main Characteristics of Holy Living

{#4} Persecution...

Most of us do not know what real persecution is. Yes, we have to endure mockery, Hollywood’s bashing and ridicule and maybe even some mild joking from friends or colleagues.

However, the kind of persecution that the disciples and founders of what we call the church today endured was far more than many of us think we can handle.

Most of them suffered great hardships, beatings and many were even killed for their faith in Jesus Christ.

I believe a day is coming when we will know this kind of persecution. The stage is set. God’s Word does not lie. The end of days is drawing nigh and we need to be alert and know His Word. There will be a day when we will not have the luxury we do today. We will not have ready access to the Word.

Christians are going to suffer persecution in the last days.

We are already heading that way.

Think about it…

No more prayer in school.

More and more immoral laws and movements away from Christian beliefs are happening all around us.

Pornography is everywhere. You cannot enter a grocery store checkout without half naked bodies flooding the covers of magazines.

Art is imitating life in an alarming way. Television shows make men look like idiots and movies promote sex, self, power and no Jesus.

Christians are considered intolerant boobs.

Christians are NOT rising up, and crying out for righteousness. They seem nowhere to be found…

Sexual immorality is the norm. Homosexuality, Transexuality and all the different “references” are completely acceptable.

Children are growing up faster than ever.

Women have lost their true roles given by God and are now liberal and self sufficient--instead of GOD reliant.

Honor and respect are foreign words in our younger society.

Saving the “planet” is more prominent that saving SOULS!

I can keep going. However, I think we get the point. The world is spinning out of control and it will not get better. The Word of God tells us what it will be like in the last days, and friends, we ARE living in them!

As were the days of Noah…Yes, we are pretty close. How do I know this?

Let’s look at the Scriptures…

As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. - Matthew 24:37

Just what were THE “Days of Noah” like?

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually.

And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart.

So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground--not only man, but the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air--for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them.

But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord.

This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a just and righteous man, blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked [in habitual fellowship] with God.

And Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The earth was depraved and putrid in God's sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power).

And God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased, and vicious it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction.

God said to Noah, I intend to make an end of all flesh, for through men the land is filled with violence; and behold, I will [a]destroy them and the land. - Genesis 6:5-13

Think about what is going on in the world; MUCH evil…continually.

Moving back into what the average Christian endures today, there is still a level of persecution that we will undoubtedly face IF we are truly choosing to walk in obedience. A holy life will not go unnoticed or without ridicule.

Unfortunately, most of the “ridicule”, from my own personal experience will most likely come from our very own—from those who claim to serve the same God. They are the ones who will think you are off your rocker. I cannot count the times I was made fun of or made to feel like a legalistic moron simply because I choose to avoid movies that grieve the Holy Spirit living in me.

Sure the world may poke fun. However, they will respect a true walk over a hypocritical walk. The world is looking for authenticity and true “followers of Christ”.

… for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy”

Life and Death…

I am always left with a sour taste in my mouth when I see someone that claims to be a Christian, Christ Follower, etc., who looks no different from, or even worse than the unsaved people around them. I cannot imagine what an unbeliever thinks when they see us looking just like them. You see, even the world knows we should be different…

We are the light of the world. We are the only Bible some people will ever read. We are ambassadors of Christ—or at least we should be.

When we make poor choices, put our fleshly desires first or even blatantly ignore what we know is right, we are making our Beloved Savior look bad to a world that is indeed watching our every move.

Am I saying life should not be fun? Certainly not. However, we all have choices, and I believe deep down most of us (Christians) really do know when we are walking the line. We do. Seriously, if God is in us, then there MUST be conviction. However, the more we ignore that still small voice, the easier it is to make the wrong choices. The more we deny what is right, the less we hear it. Eventually we become so desensitized that we no longer even hear the voice! We move into “making excuses” and misquoting Scriptures to try and convince ourselves that it is OK. We spout words like “liberty in Christ”, “no condemnation” and so on. Sure, those references are true--in their proper place.

Liberty does not mean license.

We are called to a higher standard. We are set apart. We are aliens in a dark world. We should in NO way look like carbon copies of this world.

Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. – 1 John 2:15

We should indeed look different. I do not mean look like a cuckoo bird. However, the world will respect what we have to say far more when they see that we live with conviction, walk the walk, and practice what we preach!

Live as children of obedience to God; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires that governed you in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel].

But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living.

For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

And if you call upon Him as your Father Who judges each one impartially according to what he does, then you should conduct yourselves with true reverence throughout the time of your temporary residence [on the earth, whether long or short]. – 1 Peter 1:14-17

The choices we make every day are what set the standards for our lives. We need to make decisions that represent our King properly to a world in desperate need of Him.

If we choose to live for Him and really follow His path, we will not only be blessed, we will be choosing life and with it, gain all the many blessings and promises that kind of life begets.

I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life… - Deuteronomy 30:19

About the Author

Lara lives in Sunny Florida with her husband and their two beautiful daughters.

She is a successful Homeschooling, writer, publisher and work at home Mom.

She is also a chauffeur, friend, maid, chef, business owner, writer, lover, confidant, mentor, teacher, seeker, nurse, boo-boo kisser, cat lover, coffee drinker, Starbucks follower, Mexican food addict, jean loving, sometimes loud mouth, opinionated, outspoken, web designer, iphone carrier, a teensy bit anal retentive, chocoholic, Survivor fan, Bible believing, animal lover, reptile and crawly things hating, speed walking, honest, working my way back to skinny jeans, and...One heck of a strong woman! (Among other things)

You can find her:

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Moms of Faith

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Table of Contents

Credits

Introduction

Holiness Defined

Living Holy

Holiness Character Trait: Forgiving

Holiness Character Trait: Kingdom Mentality

More on Obedient Living

Holiness Character Trait: You will know them by their Fruit

Holiness Character Trait: Persecution...

Life and Death

About the Author

More books by Author