HOLINESS AND SEPARATION
Introduction
Holiness is one of the natures of God. It is such an interesting doctrine that God specifically commanded it. Holiness is a journey to know God and serve Him blamelessly.
He says you are to be holy to me for I am the Lord your God, I am holy. God separated you from the nations to be His own. "Be ye holy, for I, your God I am holy. In Lev 20:26, says "And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine".
A holy person knows what God wants, His Will, heartbeat and thoughts. He renders his services unto to the Lord in truth and spirit, without guile and according to His terms. In Lev 20:7-8, the Lord says you should sanctify yourself and be holy and at the same time, He says He is the Lord than sanctifies you.
The call to "Sanctify yourselves, therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God, is the part that everyone who wants to be holy should play to be holy. You know how deep you have related to the world and serve the interest of satan. Upon receiving the Lord, you are separated from wrong temperance, worldliness and unbelief that seeks to keep you in your carnal self and hinder fellowship with God.
Holiness is more than separation and it is God that makes you holy. It is not what we do or do not that makes us holy. God says you should keep His statutes, and do them, then He will sanctify you holy. It is God's presence and grace in our life that enables us to do His will and fulfil His purpose in our lives that makes us holy.
Remember it is the Lord that sanctifies us, not ourselves. So holiness begins when God cleanses and fills us with His Spirit and grace, to the end that we become a vessel unto honour before Him. Separation and consecration unto the Lord deal with little foxes that destroy the vine, like Temperance, Love for the world and Lukewarm attitudes.
Holiness in the Beginning
The Priests of the old was not permeated to enter the holy of holies if they were not holy. That would, in fact, mean instant death of such a Priest. That explained why the bible in Luke 1:6 describes Zachariah and his wife as righteous. It says concerning Zacharairiah and Elizabeth, "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Starting from Aaron and his children, God ordained that Priests that will stand before Him must be holy and blameless. Holiness means that you are separated from idols, the things of the world unto the Lord your God. Holiness requires a lot of discipline and self-sacrifice to effectively put the flesh under control. After the strange death of the sons of Aaron for offering strange sacrifice unto the Lord, God instructed that Priests should no longer take wine.
A holy person is consecrated unto the Lord and God is their rearward. Holiness is demanded by God from every son and daughter of His. Holiness is seen in the ways we serve the Lord and relate to our neighbours. Separation from the world deals mainly with temperance, worldliness and ungodly attachments.
We are separated unto God to enter into the nature of God. We are to be separated from everything that hinders our fellowship with God, our spiritual growth and becoming like Him. We are to be separated from anything that makes us unfaithful in our service to Him. Every unbelief and lukewarm attitude.
Separation
Separation is a doctrine of the Lord that help holiness. It is not holiness itself, but a way to holiness. I wish people can understand how difficult it could be to seek holiness without separation. The bible says come out from among them, and touch, not unclean things and I will be your God, and you, My people - 2 Corin 6:17, yet people want to be holy in their old self. You will have to be a new creature, separated from your past and committed to doing the will of God.
However, being set apart for God, consecration and surrendering to His will are not necessarily holiness. It is the beginning and a necessary part of the deal. It shows that we have accepted the Lord and are willing to separate from the world and become the Lord's.
Separation also deals with our own will. If we are separated from the world and not separated from our personal goals, spiritual growth will be slow. Personal ambitions could stand in the way of spiritual growth. Many people's desire to be Bank MDs, Governors and Presidents can hinder their spiritual growth and kingdom exploit.
But, if we accept separation and devote ourselves to serving God, the holiness of God, his Spirit and grace will enter into our lives and take possession of us. Then, we become the property of the Almighty God and His Spirit controls our being - Our hands, legs, mouth and thoughts. When we allow the Spirit of God to take over our being, our affection and will come under the Will of God.
What you should know about separation
1. Separation start from accepting the love of God, demonstrated by the death of our Lord at the cross of calvary. When you receive Jesus add Lord and Saviour, God translates you from the kingdom of darkness of this world into the kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ.
2. Separation should be visible - Departing from ungodly friends and behaviours etc. Ungodly behaviours, anger, bitterness, envy, greed, fighting, quarrelling, jealousy etc.
3. Separation should be spiritual - You should reject all your ungodly behaviours from the heart. There is no gain in saying you have stopped smoking and drinking, but in the dream, you still smoke and drink. When you see people drinking, you desire to have some. That means you have not fully separated from your past.
4. Separation should be unto God, and not just for the sake of it. This means that when you separate yourself from the world, you should follow Christ in faith and spirit.
CONCLUSION
When we deliberately take steps to be different from the world, to do things that please God and do His will, the Lord will release the grace to live better upon our lives. Separation will enhance our holiness and draw us closer to God and what God wants for us.
Separation from the world requires self-sacrifices. The determination to live for God and fulfil purpose means you will have to develop your spiritual life, discipline your eyes, ears, mouth and control your tongue and thoughts. You must be ready to let go of many worldly pleasures and things and find pleasure in the Lord.
The Lord give you the grace to serve Him acceptably in Jesus name.
FIRE...
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