PRINCIPLES FOR HOLY LIVING
We are meditating on ten principles that will enable you to live in this new dimension of holiness to which God is calling us. The first two principles, which we meditated on yesterday, are to ask God to expose sin in your life and to present yourself to God.
- Principle One: Ask God to expose sin in your life: Cry out to God and ask Him to expose any sin in your life that may be hidden to you. Pray as King David did, “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12).
- Principle Two: Present yourself to God: Willingly submit yourself to God and permit Him to cut away everything that is ungodly or unholy. Don’t try to measure yourself by the world’s standards or the standards of man. Submit yourself to God’s standards:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)
- Principle Three: Break unholy alliances: As God exposes sin in your life, you must get rid of it — this is part of the transformation and renewal process that will bring you into this new wave of holiness. If you have formed any unholy alliances with the world, you must break them!
- Principle Four: Reject ungodly attitudes: If God reveals jealousy, hatred, bitterness or other ungodly attitudes, take authority over them, rebuke these attitudes, and get them out of your heart.
- Principle Five: Cleanse yourself from an ungodly lifestyle: Paul told the Corinthians
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)
Your righteousness was secured by the death of Jesus, but you must apply that blood in order for it to be effective in your life. That is why Paul says we must “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.”
- Principle Six: Make God’s Word your standard: The Word of God is a lamp to walk by and a mirror to reflect your continual need of cleansing. Reject worldly standards and make the Word of God your standard for living.
- Principle Seven: Maintain a sense of purpose: When you have a vision and understand your purpose, it helps you maintain proper conduct and attitudes.
- Principle Eight: Be accountable: God holds you accountable for your conduct, relationships, thoughts, attitudes, and finances. Maintain your integrity by being accountable to God, your mate, your boss, your co-workers, and others with whom you relate.
- Principle Nine: Renew your first love: Just as sin mars a marriage relationship when a couple loses their first love, so unholiness enters our lives when our love for God dims. Study Revelation 2:1-7 and heed God’s call to the Church at Ephesus to return to their first love.
- Principle Ten: Keep your focus on eternity: Weigh each decision, each challenge, and each temptation in light of eternity. Be like Moses, who chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25).
Make this declaration:
In the Name of Jesus, I break unholy alliances in my life and pledge to cleanse myself from an ungodly lifestyle, make the Word of God my standard, maintain a sense of purpose, be accountable, renew my first love, and keep my focus on eternity.
