Be Holy Like I Am Holy

Ephesians 4:24 (NIV)
Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Be a new person and that new person has been made like God, He does what is right and holy because he know the Truth.

Over the last few days I have been thinking about what holiness look like in my life. How can it really be holy in this weakened body of mine? My thoughts go to and fro. My tongue gets off in the wrong direction and I find myself in a poor state; not too holy. Then I begin a new thought process.

I am a new creation created and fashioned in His likeness. My Daddy, Father God's DNS in my spirit man!

"Walk in the spirit, Dianne. Walk and do not falter for this world shall fade away, but what is to come is eternal."

So I reflected on moments of holiness in my life, times of intimate communications, times of obedience to the Word, to Jesus. Times for being a partaker of His grace and partnering in His work here on earth.

"These are times of holiness. Not necessarily in the doing but in the being is essential. Be Holy, Dianne."

Without the guidance of Holy Spirit demonstrating His word in my mortal body, I would have NO holiness. That new person I became spiritually shall ease out into my mortal man.

I shall not be anxious but at peace in all things knowing He is perfecting the work He has begun in me.

In order to become holy we must:

•   Get to know the Lord
•   Read His word
•   Be led by Holy Spirit
•   Repent and be transformed in our mind then in our actions

Worship Him in spirit and in truth. You will get to know His character, His desires. Commune with Him and seek the face of the almighty.

I know I shall do more myself.

Thank you, Lord illuminating my head with Your word and Your character. Lord, I pray You continue to make me aware of your drawing presence.

Among the Remnant

Zephaniah 3:17, 20 NIV
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the Lord.

As I read Zephaniah this morning anxiety began to stir. Am I like Cush, Moab, or the Ammonites? All of those were slain by the sword or burnt in fire. I pray I am among the true worshipers bringing offerings of myself; laying down my wrong doings. I pray to be among the remnant. How about you?

Retreat

Pull back.
Reassess.
Evaluate.

Rest and be assured of your future and rely on the Almighty to secure you to Himself and fortify your temple. I know these words are few. Ponder them for inner strength just as the general calls his troops to retreat, our Lord is calling us to "retreat".

Notice the word treat in retreat? There is always a treat involved and it can be had again and again; taking shape in different forms.

Time and Timing

Alignment with the Spirit brings us to the secret place. Time and timing are essential in life. It is more than just memorizing and repeating His Word. When the word is ingested and digested it becomes one with our mind and emotions It becomes a part of our DNA. The Word becomes a reality in the way we live out our lives.

As we open ourselves to the Lord we begin to have God experiences that cause us to hunger and thirst for more input and growth. And we move from faith to faith; from glory to glory. These experiences encourage us to continue our walk with Holy Spirit. But remember that all this takes time.

So what we do with our time is important. Begin a time journal and begin to prioritize. Be a good Stewart of your time. Remember your life is not your own it has been bought with a price.

Exodus 20:8-11 NIV
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Be reminded to keep the Sabbath rest. It is not going to church. It is that private time between you and Holt Spirit. It is a time of no work--no stimulation from the world. It is about the quiet peace and that deep inner security God gives you as you continue to delve into His presence.

When we allow ourselves to get so busy we tend to get by without communication. Communication or communion is of utmost importance in relationship. Just as husbands and wives need the art of intimacy through communion, our Father God is calling, wooing us to have that personal face-to-face with Him.

Can you hear His voice? If you haven't felt that inner nudge to go running into His Arms, enter into His rest the next time He calls. Allow the noise of activity of life to fade away as you meditate on His love and goodness.

Consecrate unto yourself your life each day, the seen an unseen. Communion is the meal that heals and fortifies body soul spirit.

He is calling. Will you answer?

Teach Our Children

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (NIV)

Cry tears of sorrow and then let Holy Spirit fill you with the joy of new life this year of resurrection power. Harkin to the bell of freedom. It is ringing in the year of jubilee. Families, set up your home altar. Teach your children how to pray a prayer of thanksgiving and praise. Teach them by pointing out God's work in their lives. Encourage them to share their life with others. It is by example they will learn best. Once you have begun this process of a family altar, it will become a natural occurrence and become part of the fabric of their lives. This will help them in hard times to come.

Celebrate your trials as victories to come. This teaches how to project God's blessings in their lives. There is a scripture written for every challenge. Find it and stand on it until it comes to pass. Our Father God's hand is in everything. He will see you through torment and catastrophe. He is waiting for the family to call out so He can use it all. Leave jealously in the Lord's hands and celebrate being liberated by His blood and compassion.

Our assignment is to love our children not to fix them. Our redeemed relationship with Christ leaves us empowered to live a life of faith. This life of ours is an awesome witness for those to emulate. Because in Christ we are justified, we can overcome the world's deceptions. So we live focused on the fruit of the Spirit, not the natural fruit in life, our children will become aware of the most valued relationships, in Jesus and one another. The new toy or new clothing is not as valued or as pleasing and praising Jesus.

There are many things we can teach our children but teaching them about eternal things outweighs those things in the world. The Bible is our written faith. But the faith we carry within our hearts is living and growing. It expresses itself through the circumstances of life and bears witness to our children.

Into Me You See!

Intimacy is a mandate from the throne room of our Lord. In order to have intimacy with Him we are to examine ourselves. Take a good look in the mirror and see yourself for who you are. The Lord already knows and He is patiently waiting for us to discipline ourselves according to His word and confess those idols we have made out of our belief systems mixed with half truths. Mixed traditions, morays of the world mixed with the Word hold us back from having an authentic relationship that He has for us.

We are called to a discipline of being in the word and confessing sin-our short comings and false teachings. These are crucial times. Remember reading the Word once is not good enough. Listening and sitting under good teachings is only a step in the right direction-and not good enough. Worship without change of heart doesn't cut it either.

Line all you know up with the Word. Cross every "T" and dot each "I". Most importantly don't force what you think to line up. I confide in a godly friend to search out the truth with me. This gives us balance and accountability.

His mercy is new each morning and His grace is sufficient to see us through. And know He is calling you to quiet time with Him. If you have not done this before begin with a few seconds then minutes. It will increase. Whatever it takes to apply His bit into your mouth so the slightest movement of the Holy Spirit will be detected and you will draw near to Him. Take a line of scripture and begin your journey of living your life in the Spirit.

We get consumed with the worlds toys-and its' drawings. We need a way to train our self to retrieve information and direction from the Spirit of God in our daily lives. We want to establish a history of the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is how we prepare for battle.

Then the implementation comes by an ever so soft voice. To hear a drop of a dime is to recognize His voice and His plan and then the appropriate delivery and implementation.

Do not take man's words as Gospel truth. Listen then line it with the Word for yourself. Judge and apply for yourself the living truth. It is impossible to have this type of intimacy with another human-even a spouse. Oh we get glimpses and specks but it is Holy Spirit who knows us better than we know ourselves.

Does this ring true to you? Check it with the Word and you shall experience what the Father has for you. Speak the word from your own lips and enter in to a safe haven with Holy Spirit. You shall realize He has called you out of the world of chaos into His rest. The infilling of peace instantaneously no matter what we are doing, where we are going or how we are affected by the world. His power will allow us to walk by Faith and not by sight.

I tell you this because as believers our mandate is to be carriers of the light, the truth and the way. Just as John cried out in the wilderness we shall chant with Him "make straight your ways" repent and be baptized. Not by water but by FIRE. And the same power will be with us that sent out the apostles to establish true believers sacrificing their lives in the baptism of blood.

Our first mandate is get in the Word receive truth and repent of untruths.

Do not waver. Be firmly placed and rooted in the Word. Stand ready to freely receive and freely give of yourself to others. You and you alone are vital to the Bride of Christ.

He is calling! Are you listening?

Father, I pray this time that you quench my spirit's hunger and thirst after you. Allow me to become transparent with you. I need to know what you see so that repentance comes clearly so that I may be a ready soldier reporting for battle knowing that I fight against powers and principalities of darkness; not flesh and blood.

God is Sovereign

But that does not mean He does not want our involvement with His work. So you might ask how do we join in with the Lord's handiwork? So I sat and thought about it and came up with these:

1. Prayer of protection against the wiles of imagination and works of divination
2. Prayer of thanksgiving and releasing of angelic forces around yourself and all those involved.
3. Prayer of wisdom for all caregivers and their protection and well being
4. Prayer for healing both physical and emotional.

Jesus spent time to withdraw from the crowds and withdraw from ministry before He entered another dimension of his journey. His ministry began when he entered his late 20s. However, there were times when he was younger when he spoke in the temple and at the marriage feast. "God the Father gave him a sense of his ministry then to help him prepare for what was to come. I believe our Father God does the same with us.

You might ask does He act upon our request and petitions. The answer is yes. The question is "Does it line up with the word and is your mind focused in on Christ Jesus? Asking for His will then we are joining in?

     5.  Pray for the abundant life here and in eternity.
     6.  Ask for the completion of the race He has set before us!
          If you know the specifics, pray them through.
          If not ask and they will be given to you.

Remember sovereign means He can do anything at any time using any means He chooses to bring about His plan. But with all that, let us consider His mercies that are new every morning and His grace is sufficient for us to live a victorious life!

So welcome prayer warriors to the battleground-fighting against powers and principalities of darkness. Be renewed in your body, mind and spirit. There might be some of you who are considering prayer, I suggest that you begin with these simple suggestions and ask Holy Spirit to open up the doors of opportunities and lead you into victory. Pray and then sit back and watch God work with His sovereign hand.

The Lord is calling us into relationship and I cannot think of a better way to get to know Him better. Experience His love and power firsthand in your life and in the life of your loved ones.

For you experienced prayer warriors, send in your comments and additions to share with us all. Either email them to me at dianne@theevans.org or post them here on my blog.