How to Live Holy

CHAPTER 1

DESIRE. *Holy Hunger*

Have you ever done anything with excellence that you really did not want to do? In order to please God we must WANT to. There must be a desire to please Him. Psalm 63:1 says “my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” Psalm 1 says the blessed man delights in God’s law…(v.2). Psalm 40:8 says “I delight to do your will, O my God…” Thirsting, longing, delighting. That’s desire. Desire is a yearning. David said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2 NIV) Jesus admonished us to hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). That’s the kind of desire we need in order to live holy. Desire is a mindset. If our mindset is to live holy, then we will desire God. We will recognize that delighting ourselves in Him will result in a holy lifestyle. We’ll find ourselves asking God what will please Him.

So unless Christian people deepen their desire for holiness, the struggle will continue. Consider the typical desires we have. We desire God’s patience (“Lord, have mercy on me.”) We desire God’s protection (“Lord, build a hedge all around me.”) We desire God’s provision (“Lord, supply all my needs.”) However, on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis, how often do we desire God’s presence? (“Lord, draw me nearer.”) Sometimes we are so caught up with our self, that thirsting after God isn’t even on our mind. What’s on our mind? We’re on our mind. It’s all about us! How in the world can we desire someone who’s not on our mind? And yet we know that a desire for God’s presence is what we need to live holy. In order to get God on our mind and keep Him there, I suggest we start with daily devotions.
 
“Summary and Strategies”

Chapter 1 – DESIRE

Summary: Desire is thirsting, longing, and delighting. It’s a hungering after.
Strategies:
Ask yourself:
How can I acquire a desire for God? (Brainstorm some answers.)
Who or What do I desire? Why?
Is there a pattern for the people or things I find myself thirsting for?

Tell yourself:
I will spend more time with the Lover of my soul.
I will spend less time pleasing myself and others.

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Suggested Reading: The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer and The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney.

CHAPTER 2

DEVOTIONS. *Holy Habit*

Having a daily quiet time with God – preferably first thing in the morning – sets the atmosphere for God’s presence. Seek God before breakfast. Let communion with Him be our first food. Seek him before going to work. Let fellowship with Him be our first duty. We must seek God before the trials and stresses of the day distract us. The psalmist wrote, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee . . . “ (Psalm 63:1). He affirmed that God was his God. Charles H. Spurgeon said, “Possession breeds desire.” So if we Christian people say we belong to God, we should desire to seek Him “early.”

Jesus also sought His Father “early”, according to Mark 1:35 NIV: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Isaiah, the prophet, wrote “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9).

Following these examples every day can help us to live holy. It will help us carry God’s presence into the workplace, schoolroom, wherever we are. Isaiah’s early meeting with God not only benefited him, but others as well. Because he had spent time with God, he had something to share with “the inhabitants of the world”. By having spent time with God, we will have something to meditate on throughout the day and even share with others.

The psalmist wrote that the blessed man meditates on God’s Word (Psalm 1:2) day and night. I read somewhere that the word “meditate” is a pastoral word that David gleaned from observing his sheep. Sheep have four stomachs. The sheep would eat the grass and flowers in the fields, and the foliage would go down into one stomach. Later, while the sheep was resting in the shade, it would regurgitate (which is the same word that is translated meditate) the foliage, chew it over again, and send it back down to another stomach.

But we can only regurgitate what we’ve partaken of. Having devotions satisfies our desire for the Lord and will cause us to praise Him. “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,” writes the psalmist, “and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:” (Psalm 63:5). I encourage Christian people to have daily devotions. According to the American Express motto: “Don’t leave home without it.” Be dedicated.
 
“Summary and Strategies”
Chapter 2 – DEVOTIONS

Summary: Devotions are the quiet times we spend with God.
Strategies:
Ask yourself:
Do I have a REGULAR quiet time with God? When? What does it include? (E.g., reading His Word, praying, singing, worshipping, “hearing” Him?, etc.)

If I don’t have regular Devotions, what can I do differently in my daily schedule to include them?

Tell yourself:

What you commit to do regarding Devotions.
How you will evaluate at the end of each day the effectiveness of having had Devotions.
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Suggested Reading: Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, Our Daily Bread by RBC Ministries, Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Here Am I To Worship - Devotional Book by Tim Hughes (for music lovers), Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young, Joy & Strength by Mary Wilder Tileston. For a more in-depth Bible study, read How to Study the Bible for Yourself by Tim LaHaye.