Day 34: The Secret Of Holiness

September 26, 2020

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully”—Psalm 24:3-4

“Demons envy the favor you have with God, and angels gape in wonder at your status in God’s presence. And it’s all because you have embraced His call to holiness!…This pursuit of holiness is not a burden but rather a profound privilege. Happy holiness is one of the quiet secrets of the kingdom—a purity of heart that opens the pathway to the greatest heights of communion with God. 

“Holiness has but one source, the Holy One. Holiness has to do with proximity to the throne. The seraphim are called ‘holy ones,’ not because of who they are but because of where they are. They are ‘holy ones’ because they live in the immediate presence of the Holy One! I am holy only to the extent that I abide in His holy presence. 

“I used to define holiness more by what we don’t do, but now I define it more by what we do do. Holiness is found in drawing near to the holy flame of the Trinity…’For the LORD God is a sun’ (Psalm 84:11). As my Sun, the Lord is my light, my warmth, the one around whom my life revolves, and He is the one who brings forth fruit from the garden of my life. His Spirit waters my life, His word nourishes my life, and His face is the power that causes the fruit of my garden to grow. 

“When David repented, he acknowledged he had missed the presence of God’s Spirit which had become so precious and so fulfilling to him. Yearning for a return to the former intimacy with God, David pled, ‘Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me’ (Psalm 51:11). This was the desperate cry of a man who learned from personal experience that the Spirit of God, above all else, is holy. He dwells only with those whose hearts are directed toward holiness. Holy men live in the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

“Holiness is much more than simply clean living. Holiness is a life lived before the throne of God…John lived in the presence of God—which is why Jesus called him “the burning and shining lamp” (John 5:35). Just and holy men cause kings to fear. They’re not just pure; they also burn with the flame that emanates from their fiery abode around the throne. 

“When a holy man or woman prays, explosive things happen. We don’t pursue holiness for the sake of power, we pursue holiness for the sake of love. But those who pursue holiness out of affection for Jesus become very influential in the courts of heaven. James 5:16 links holiness and prayer: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” 

“It says that the Lord Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). In other words, it was Christ’s holiness that precipitated His resurrection…You can’t keep holiness buried forever. Even if you feel dead and buried under the weight of God’s disciplining hand, devote yourself to His holy presence. Regardless of your shattered dreams and deferred hopes, live in the secret place of the Most High. It is the secret of your redemption. As you love Him from your grave, you are setting powerful spiritual forces into motion. 

“The longer you try to keep a holy man buried, the more force must be exerted to keep him there; and the more force that’s exerted to keep him buried, the higher his resurrection will eventually be. Keep Joseph buried too long, and he’ll rise to the heights of the palace.”—Bob Sorge 

My Prayer

“I will rise again. Yes Lord, that’s Your promise to me. I cannot be buried forever. Whether through physical death or otherwise—once I stay connected to You, I will rise. Holiness cannot be buried. Death cannot hold me down in the grave once I live in close proximity to Your Spirit. You resurrect Your holy children. As Your holy child, I believe I have a special place with You and I know You hear me specially when I pray to You, because I bear Your holy nature in me. Thank You Lord, because I am credited with holiness, not because I do not fail, but because I accept the work of Christ on the cross for me. His atoning sacrifice makes me acceptable in Him, and my daily walking in close proximity to Him, also further cements my holiness in Him. I am not made holy because of things I do or don’t do. I am where I am and who I am, because of my love for You; but moreso, because of Your love for me, Lord. Amen.”

The Challenge

Stop trying to be holy by walking by stricter laws of “do’s and “dont’s.” Agree that you can never be holy enough by your human effort. Concentrate on getting closer to Jesus as a Person, and your holiness will manifest.

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