When the Lord speaks, more often He speaks on the things concerning the Spirit (Matthew 6:33). We are in the abundant harvest, a new spiritual level, no longer waiting; We have broken through into a new season, therefore, God is calling us to come up higher into holiness (Luke 12:48). The closer we get to God, the holier our lives become. Just as a promotion comes with better benefits, it also has an increase in responsibilities.

Holiness is looking like Christ (2 Timothy 1:9). As His children of obedience, God calls us to be holy in ALL we do at ALL times (1 Peter 1:14-16; Colossians 3:23) for God saved all that has to do with us. When people see us, do they see our Heavenly Father? If we don’t look like our Father, who is holy, then we are illegitimate children. Everything that comes from God is holy. Having faith in Christ, doesn’t make us holy. Holiness is an ongoing process (2 Corinthians 7:1). We are called to follow after and live in holiness. If there is no true repentance, nothing makes us followers of Christ (John 8:31). Where we are today is not good enough to where we are going. Being holy is not by force, but it comes from our personal desires to be holy. We need to die to anything that is not in alignment to the will of God in us, to anything that is not of Christ. If you are living alright but there is no sacrifice, God is not pleased (Romans 12:1). We need to cleanse ourselves from anything that contaminates our bodies & souls – from sin – out of reverence to God (2 Corinthians 7:1). Purification results in holiness which makes you acceptable to enter into God’s presence. The lack of purification is a death sentence for us as priests (Exodus 30:17-21; Revelations 1:6). Jesus died to make us holy. To be holy & blameless before God, we are to wash ourselves with the Word (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Are we truly submitting to God’s Word and allowing it to wash us? When we stain a shirt that we bought, we try as best as we can to remove the stain because we like the shirt and spent money on it. How much more our heavenly Father, who sent His Son to die so that we can live holy lives to glorify Him, who wants to wash us daily and present us to Himself as a radiant church without blemish, wrinkle & stain? When we sit under God’s word and allow Him to wash us in His word, it hurts because we may be comfortable with sin, but once He is done, we are so relieved! The Lord wants His word to rule in every area of our lives. Repentance (turning away from sin & going after God) is the renewal of the mind (Romans 12:2).

Living a holy life in the fear of the Lord is not a decision of the will, but comes from Godly sorrow which comes from being in the Word (2 Corinthians 7:10). We should approach God in reverence (Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 7:23). Everything we do always reflects on the outside (1 Corinthians 15:33). If we understand that we carry the Presence of God wherever we go, we will flee from temptation and we’ll have no business with sin. When you don’t run to God and hide the word of God in your heart, sin will catch you (Psalm 119:9,11). We are to lead by example because many are watching us. We are a work in progress, yet if we are deliberately living in sin and assuming God will forgive us, we are wrong. God is merciful and will forgive us our sins, but He is also holy and hates sin.

God want to take us to higher places but this requires holiness. We are different, set apart like our heavenly Father, so holiness is required of us (1 Peter 2:9; Leviticus 20:26). We need to come to a point of introspection, allowing God to touch us, search us, and allow Him to expose anything in us that grieves Him so that He can take us to higher places of holiness (Psalm 139:23-24).