holiness – Page 2 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: April 12

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Their job is to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, to show them how to discern between unclean and clean.” Ezekiel 44:23

The job of the preacher is not merely to entertain people or to build buildings. Neither is he successful when he possesses the ability to draw large crowds. God has assigned us to teach the difference between the sacred things and the secular. We must do all to the glory of God, but not all things warrant the same attention. The neglect of foundational truths will erect structures of wood, hay, and stubble that cannot withstand the waves of adversity or the strong winds of erroneous doctrines. Only those who are well taught will be able stand being fully equipped with the full armor of God. They are led in the path of holiness and righteousness thus developing their discernment between good and evil, the clean and the unclean. The paralyzing sin of sameness has dulled the senses of many. But God will raise up His priests who have not bowed their knees to Baal and remain faithful for such a time as this.

12 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 12

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Don’t run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God’s concerns, and he will take care of them. We’ve warned you about this before. (7) God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful — as beautiful on the inside as the outside.” 1 Thessalonians 4:6-7 (MSG)

The care and concern we share with the brethren reflects the character of Christ that we possess. We share with them the love so richly bestowed upon us that is now demonstrated through us as an extension of God’s love. Our love must be intentional. Unless we are deliberate in our lifestyles to share the life of Jesus, the message would be shrouded by our careless living. We have been transformed into a vessel of honor. The riches of His grace reside within us as a priceless treasure. What more could we ever want other than a complete and glorious expression of life brought forth through us by way of His Spirit? Therefore we live for Him and He lives through us touching and changing all things by His renewing power. Praise God for the beauty of holiness!

10 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 10

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“May God, who puts all things together; makes all things whole, who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus, the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant.” Hebrews 13:20 (MSG)

God is able to put broken pieces back together again. What great men only wish to happen, God is able to make happen. He is aware of where all the separated parts are misplaced. He has the power to draw each part back to its rightful place. Then He able to breathe life into what He has reassembled. The request was for God to do what only He is able to do. When all things work according to their intended purpose, they glorify God. His wish is that we be made whole. Too many people are measured by what others think or what they may have succumb to accept. But true wholeness is holiness. When we are set apart for God’s exclusive use, we come to realize His purpose for our lives. That is the highest degree of self-discovery. We know ourselves through knowing Him and then we are enabled to know that there is a future ahead of total completeness in Jesus Christ, His Son.

06 Sep 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: September 6

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

The consistency of the message is as important as the message itself. Messages that contradict what has been established as foundational in our understanding of Christ cause spiritual erosion to occur within the soul. The writer of Hebrews was warning them to remember what was established within them by those who both spoke and modeled the standard of which they once faithfully followed. Consider that their instructions were intended to lead them to an end result that was to reach far beyond the immediate. This is what any faithful disciple must consider. Those who lead are graced to guide their followers into areas that can only be understood once obedience is completed. Disobedience occurs as the result of being carried away or allured, and not led. Character deficiencies are sensitive to an alien appeal. One is then flesh driven rather than Spirit-led. One’s diet must consist of that which can provide for eternal gain. It should not consist of the delicacies that appeal to the taste but does harm to the body. What Jesus taught His disciples required them to fully follow Him if they were to become disciples indeed. Through their continuance, they were led to understand aspects of His call to holiness and righteousness. Otherwise it would have appeared to be merely be a call to the enjoyment of the fish and the loaves. His call was to self-denial, to taking up one’s cross, and following Him. Only then would they participate with Him in the glory that awaited them on the other side of full obedience.

19 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 19

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Isa 30:20-21

The departure from the Way is the root cause of the adversity that comes from the Lord. There are challenges that come as result of obedience and challenges that are rooted in rebellion. The difference between the two is the adherence on the part of the challenged to hear the instructions that come from the Lord. He is available to deliver us from all of our trouble, but do we listen to His voice before us to lead or have we left what He has to say to us behind? Their teachers were sidelined and replaced with guides who misguided them. They listened to falsehoods as blind guides led them into pits. But God did not abandon them even though they had abandoned Him. From behind His voice could still be heard. From the rear, the places inhabited and celebrated was the voice of God speaking to them in order for them to return to the old landmarks and to walk in the tried and proven Way. What foundation was the Lord building within you and what is being built upon it now? The wood, hay, and stubble of worldliness are of a different quality from the gold, silver, and precious stones of righteousness, holiness, and sanctification. Though your heart may desire many things, God will often calls us to go back rather than forward in order to revisit what we have left and be restored to the spiritual state we were once in. Those who were there are still there, but the question is, where are you? Can you in this state of mind and heart receive or has the hardness set in so that the journey is determined by feelings rather than faith? God says, “This is the Way, walk in it.”

16 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 16

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8

There is much about God that is attractive. His attributes will have an appeal to every part of our being if we are made aware of them. The Holy Spirit will provide the faith to see and understand what is missing. The necessary things are offered to us to fulfill us providing both life and godliness. Without this faith we are left empty, reaching out for things around us and slipping deeper into despair. It is the distractions that allure us away from being drawn near to God. To be drawn to God is : empowered to resist the devil in all of his deceptive ways. The world, the flesh, and the devil no longer will control you once the beauty of God’s holiness is realized. He is the Lover of your soul and your soul with know this perfectly well. He draws us with cords of love. We are drawn in response with the assurance of faith. He restores us with a confidence that all is well because we abide in the secret place of God.

11 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 11

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.” Ps 68:1

The very presence of the Lord confounds the enemy. The light of His glory shines so brightly that anything that is contrary to His nature melts and fades away. We are drawn to His light. We are perfected in order to reflect the beauty of holiness. The defects as result of sin are first exposed, and then vanquished. It was the gravitational pull of sin that kept us earthbound and creatures with no desire other than the things of this world. The only sense of beauty was the aesthetics of His creation. Nature provided beauty but only as a reflection of true beauty. It is only when our sights are set on things above where Christ is will we be enabled to see that God alone creates in beauty, but makes all things beautiful in its own time. In the light of His glory all things give full expression of their being. What they attempt to express is fully expressed without any hindrances or reservations. We will then understand the beauty of holiness and the beauty of worshiping the One who is Holy. When the enemies are scattered the worshipers are free to worship Him in the beauty of holiness.

25 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 25

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“When the proper time has come [for executing My judgments], I will judge uprightly [says the Lord].” Psalms 75:2 (AMP)

Things are allowed to run their course until God steps in and established His proper order. The free range field in which the heart is permitted to run allows each the chance to choose whichever course is suitable to him. We explore the mountainous heights of dreams and aspirations of grandeur and become kings of our own castles. We visit make-believe worlds of fantasy as children playing roles of both villain and saint. Then the time comes to grow up. We are expected to shoulder the responsibility expected of sons of the Most High. But for some, life remains a fantasyland and the exploration of self-interest has so enraptured the heart to prevent it from receiving the stabilizing truth which will take us even beyond the limits of our own imaginations. God judges the heart in the proper time. He alone distinguishes the difference between what is twisted and what is straight. He reveals His standard to the wayward and pronounces death to all that does measure up to it. Everything that brings Him glory is for our good. We are being prepared for our future state of ruling and reigning with Him. He takes away the distracting influences that deflect our attention away from what He knows is righteous and good and establishes in its place true holiness.

10 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 10

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“May God, who puts all things together; makes all things whole, who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus, the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant.” Hebrews 13:20 (MSG)

God is able to put broken pieces back together again. What great men only wish to happen, God is able to make happen. He is aware of where all the separated parts are misplaced. He has the power to draw each part back to its rightful place. Then He able to breathe life into what He has reassembled. The request was for God to do what only He is able to do. When all things work according to their intended purpose, they glorify God. His wish is that we be made whole. Too many people are measured by what others think or what they may have succumb to accept. But true wholeness is holiness. When we are set apart for God’s exclusive use we come to realize His purpose for our lives. That is the highest degree of self-discovery. We know ourselves through knowing Him and then we are enabled to know that there is a future ahead of total completeness in Jesus Christ His Son.