Our God is holy. He cannot behold sin. His holy nature will automatically destroy every unholy thing and its carrier that comes His way. He therefore demands holiness from all who approach Him, holiness in all things:
* In food, Exodus 22:31
* In what you touch , Leviticus 11:24
* In what you offer to Him
* In your house and abode
* In all your ways and your works
* In your conversation, 1 Peter 1:15; 2 Peter 3:2
The accuser of the brethren knows this, and he uses all his wiles (tricks or stratagems for deception) and gimmicks (devices used to achieve an end) to make you commit sin so that he can accuse you before God. Because of God’s holy nature, He cannot overlook sin. The devil has no power of his own; he knows this, so he works on you to make you give him the authority he needs to bring evil upon you.
SEPARATION: God separates and identifies His own through holiness. In Leviticus 20:7, the Bible says:
“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.”
Sanctification is the process by which a believer is made holy through the help of the Holy Spirit. It is often gradual and requires conscious effort on the part of the believer.
It is not humanly possible to be holy. Human nature does not have the ability to be completely obedient in all things that a holy God demands.
Psalm 24:3–5 says:
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
Do you have these prerequisites, my brothers and sisters? God is described as the High and Lofty One, Isaiah 57:14.
Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:14–20:
“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”
Then what is the way out?
The human nature cannot be holy until it is crucified. Colossians 1:21–22 says:
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.”
So what does it mean to be crucified? Jesus Christ, the sinless One who bore our sins, was executed by being nailed to the cross. He paid the price for our sins. Imagine yourself in Christ as He was nailed to the cross. You were supposed to be on that cross, but He took your place.
Therefore, you are dead. Galatians 2:20 makes it clear:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
You are no longer living your own life if you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. As long as you are here on earth, you are living a surrendered life in Him.
So when you are tempted to commit sin, tell that nature it is dead. A dead person no longer lives and cannot respond to the pull of sin. Now it is Christ who lives in you, and it is His commands that you are expected to obey.
Friends, examine your life: are you still responding as one who is alive to sin or as one who is dead to it? Do not allow the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to be in vain in your life. He has given you the Holy Spirit to help you live a life that is pleasing unto Him.
Accept that help today. It is possible.