Wednesday, May 28, 2008

personal holiness

 
I used to think that this was one of those hush-hush concepts that Believers were just supposed to know without talking about it.  Unfortunately, I think it is part of the Devil's strategy to prevent us from discussing it (especially in accountability groups), but the Enemy assaults us with attacks through the media and popular fashion.
 
So, my resolve is to be equivalently bold about sharing the truth and challenging Believers (especially men) to commit to holiness.  King Solomon warns against the snares of sexual temptation:
5:3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
       and her speech is smoother than oil;
 4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
       sharp as a double-edged sword.
 5 Her feet go down to death;
       her steps lead straight to the grave. ...
8 Keep to a path far from her,
       do not go near the door of her house ...
 
 7:21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
       she seduced him with her smooth talk.
 22 All at once he followed her
       like an ox going to the slaughter,
       like a deer stepping into a noose 
 23 till an arrow pierces his liver,
       like a bird darting into a snare,
       little knowing it will cost him his life.
God cares about every moment of every day of your life.  He is saddened when we are distracted and injured with sinful things, and He desires that we experience the richness of His divine Life, as we live lives of holiness with Him.  Part of the blessing of that life is the joy of a marriage centered on Christ:
5:18 May your fountain be blessed,
       and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
 19 A loving doe, a graceful deer— 
       ...
       may you ever be captivated by her love.
Thus, I will not watch television shows with compromising material; I will not watch commercials or movies with anything provocative - nothing that provokes the sinful nature lurking within me.  I will starve, and I will choke, to death, the sinful flesh that desires wickedness.  I will not give it so much as a taste or one fleeting breath to survive.  I will strike down every compromising glance and every wicked thought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ as He transforms me by the renewing of my mind.  I will enjoy my wife, my sweet wife who is a blessing from the Lord.
 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, my desire is to honor you with every moment, every word, every thought, every glance.  I desire to glorify you with the holiness you are developing inside me.  I pray that you will continue to use me to challenge others to walk in your light - no shadow of darkness.  I pray that you will raise up your Church to stand boldly holy in this wicked age, as we hold out the light of the Gospel.  I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, the Flawless One. Amen.

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