A call to holy living is the voice of the Holy Spirit for every believer. You may have wandered from God’s plan for your life, but the Good Shepherd is calling you back. You may think you have strayed too far from God to return, but that is a lie from the enemy. When we respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will guide us back to the path He has for us.
There are other times when we follow the Lord’s plan, but we may be weary and need God’s encouragement to keep going. Our natural inclination is to stop growing in faith and take a break. Unfortunately, life is like swimming against the tide; when I take a break from God, I go backward. The word holy means to “be set apart.” As believers in Jesus, you have been set apart by the Lord Himself for His work.
A Call to Action
Peter gives every believer a significant challenge for those who have placed their faith in Jesus. 1 Peter 1:13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.[1]
It is possible to live a God-honoring life only by letting Jesus control our lives through the Spirit. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, and living obediently to God is something we can only do in His strength. When we take the Savior’s hand, He will guide us through life and prevent us from falling into the traps of the enemy.
It is easy to slip backward, so we must pray and ask the Lord for His daily assistance. As we take up the cross daily and follow Jesus, it keeps us moving forward and prevents us from retreating into selfishness.
Living for Christ
The Lord knows our struggles and loves us even when we fail. In failures, we often discover how much the Lord loves us and calls us to get up and move forward in faith. The Lord wants you to know that you can walk in holiness with His help! 1 Peter 1:16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” [2] As we strive to live a life of holiness, we become uniquely aware of our weaknesses and how much we need the Lord each day.
A Prayer For Personal Holiness
Thank You, Father, that You have called me out of darkness into Your marvelous light and set me free from slavery to sin and released me from bondage to fear. Thank You for breathing the new resurrection life of Christ into my very being and for taking up permanent residence within my heart. Lord, I want to be led by Your Holy Spirit and to walk in Spirit and truth. I want to live a godly life and develop personal holiness, but I do not know how to.
I come to You incapable of living a holy life myself and humbly ask You, Lord, that You would teach me to be holy and show me how You would have me live. Open my eyes to see what You would have to do. Unblock my ears so I may hear Your still, small voice, and give me a teachable spirit to learn all You would teach me. I know that I can do nothing alone, but in Christ, Who is my life, I can do all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.[3] To learn more about a call to holy living, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/jesus-hope
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.