Living a Holy Life

A Biblical Survey

Samson Namala

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781685705787
• eBook ISBN: 9781685705794

Quite often, as we read Scripture, we find that it is somewhat easier to understand but very difficult to obey, which can lead to a feeling of helplessness. We have been given revelation and instruction from the One True God in whom there is no hint of sin or darkness. He commanded in His Word, "Be ye holy for I am holy, " and "Strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Through the reading of Scripture, we know what the Lord is expecting of us but feel insufficient and inadequate to accomplish what the Lord demands of us in our own strength.

My desire is that from this book, we can get a glimpse into what the Scripture teaches about holiness. The Lord not only commanded us to be holy but also gave us practical instructions to follow, which, when we prayerfully ask God for help and put into practice, will enable us to grow in holiness.

Chapter 1

Focus on the Thought Life

One of the first areas of focus regarding pursuing holiness should be our “thought life.” Verse 13 of 1 Peter 1 states, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action,” in the English Standard Version. God wants us to prepare our minds to be ready for the action He will direct us to do. The King James Version renders it as, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind.” This imagery may be difficult to discern in our day, but the people who would have received this letter would have been able to. Men during the first century in the Middle East wore long, flowing robes that extended from their shoulders down to their feet. They also wore a rope around their waists. This acted as a belt. For routine activities like walking, they would let their long robes extend all the way down to their feet, but when they had to engage in strenuous physical activity like running or lifting/moving heavy objects, they would tuck the lower end of the robe around the waist. The idea was to remove any obstacle that would hinder successful completion of any activity. Another parallel verse that explains this thought is Hebrews 12:1. It states, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” These verses clearly explain that we will not be successful in a running race if we are improperly clothed or have unnecessary weight on us as we compete. The unnecessary weight could cause us to slow down, and improperly worn attire causes the athlete to stumble and fall. As we run the race the Lord has set before us, we need to gird up the loins of our minds. What does it mean to gird up the loins of the mind? It refers to what we are filling our minds with. If we fill our minds with sinful things, then this sin will hinder us in our walk with the Lord. Thought life is very important in our Christian life. We cannot fill our minds with sinful, lustful, and evil desires and follow a holy God wholeheartedly. What you fill your mind with will influence your actions.

There is a man of God that I respect a lot. He was a prayerful and faithful man. He was a very dynamic person and ministered as a youth pastor several years ago. We as a church could see the youth group grow in numbers and also mature in their walk with the Lord. I admired the way this man of God spoke, counseled the youth, and encouraged them with love and grace. God used him not only to minister to the youth but also mentored several people like me. He participated in several sports and coached many teams. No matter how competitive the games were or how the other team acted, his words were very kind, and I’ve never heard him say anything offensive. I was always amazed that though he was very passionate, he never cursed or yelled or said anything offensive.

This man of God disclosed in a sermon that as a young boy, he struggled with controlling his language! I was surprised knowing that this is a man of God under whom I learned a lot of things with regard to growing in the Lord and ministering among the youth. This was the last thing I expected him to have struggled with in the past. He went on to explain that when he was a young boy, he had a habit of using foul language and cursed a lot. Even though he came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, he still struggled with this issue. When God called him to serve Him as a pastor and he went to college, he just couldn’t control his language. This man of God was afraid he wouldn’t be able to serve the Lord as his language would be a hindrance not only to the ministry but also in his walk with the Lord. Much as he tried, he couldn’t stop this behavior. As he spent time in prayer, God showed him the issue. The music he heard, the programs he watched on television, and the friends he hung around with, they all influenced his language. These words were filling his mind and were having a sinful impact on him. Then he prayerfully decided to distance himself from those things. Knowing he couldn’t control what people around him said, he focused on things he could control or change. He stopped watching programs that had this type of language. He stopped listening to music and hanging around friends who spoke this language. As he stopped feeding his mind with this type of language and curse words, his life began to change. He changed so much that even in the most provoking situations, he would never curse or use foul language. What you fill your mind with will ultimately influence your actions. God has given you His spirit and, through the Spirit, the wisdom to know right and wrong. If you fill your mind with God and His word, your actions will reflect that influence.

To illustrate further, in Matthew 5:27–28, Jesus Himself stated, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” In the eyes of a holy God, the moment you look at someone with lustful eyes, you have already committed adultery. It is very important to examine our lives to see what we take in and what influences us. The God who made you and me is a holy God, and there is nothing hidden from Him, including our thoughts. It is written in 1 Samuel 16:7 that “the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” The creator of the universe knows you intimately. He can see what is filling your heart. The challenge is identifying what thoughts have been filling your heart. As you reflect on your life, the challenge is asking ourselves, “What are we filling our minds with? and “How are we preparing our minds to be consumed by God?” What will God see in your thought life? Are these the thoughts that please your Savior who created you in His own image and who came down and died on the cross for your sins?

Are there sins or a particular sin that you are constantly struggling with in your life? The first place is to examine yourself to see what you are filling your mind with. Scripture gives us clear instruction: “But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). All of us are born in sin. When we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are made holy. But we still have the sinful nature in us. The sinful nature wants us to conform to the pleasures of the world (sin), but God wants our lives to be transformed by the renewal of the mind through setting our minds on the things that are above in heaven (Colossians 3:2). As long as your mind is thinking about the pleasures of sin that you are struggling with, this thinking will consume you. Instead, when you spend your time thinking about God and His kingdom, it will change your focus and you will be consumed with living a holy life that will bring glory to God.

Let the first thing that comes to mind when you wake up in the morning be having fellowship with God through reading His Word and through prayer. That will be a great start to your day. Ask God that the spirit of Truth should lead you to all truth throughout the day. Let bringing glory to God’s name be the focus of your thought life and your prayers throughout the day. We know the life of John the Baptist. God gave a wonderful testimony about John the Baptist. The Bible calls him “a man sent from God” ...

Table of contents

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7