The Apostle Paul lived an amazing life. My life certainly does not come up to his level of commitment or boldness. But there is one area where I resonate with Paul. You probably remember the passage in Romans where Paul is talking about sin, and the internal battles that go on.

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

Romans 7:15 NLT

On a smaller scale, I have been carrying a book around for a couple of weeks, knowing I need to dig into it, but am reluctant to pull it out of my briefcase. It’s a book on holiness taken from some sermons by Henry Blackaby and revised by his son Richard. The Solomon Promise subtitle is “The Key to Healing America and Ourselves.” The healing America part is fine. It is the part about healing ourselves that has me nervous. Like Paul, I know I haven’t arrived…especially in the area of holiness. Yet like Paul, I also recognize there are things I must do, and wrestling with the topic of holiness is one of them.

The opening comments hit hard. They deal with the loss of the fear of God. When “good Christians” ignore God’s Truth, it is an indication they have lost the fear of God. We could talk all day about what the fear of God is, but the issue is less what God might do to me if I ignore His commands and more that He would allow me to just go my way.

My friend Dr. O. S. Hawkins says he is less concerned about the Lord’s hand coming down on him as he is God withdrawing His hand from him. Living without God and being allowed to go our own way. It is a dangerous place to be. Blackaby says it this way: “We are closer to either revival or judgment than we have ever been. There is no alternative between the two.”

Then Dr. Blackaby explains further why our move toward holiness is so critical:

“As go the people of God, so goes the redemption of the world.”

The Solomon Promise goes on to talk about revival of the people of God. It references Isaiah 35 as the prophet writes of a “highway of holiness…” a path to move us forward toward what the Lord has commanded us to be. Throughout the book of Leviticus God speaks of this. “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Peter repeats it in his letter to the persecuted believers in Asia Minor:

For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:16 NLT

I know this is a bit different from what I typically share with you. But it is what the Lord is speaking to me…to my heart…and I think we all need to park ourselves there for a while and pray for God to show us what is keeping us from fulfilling His command to be holy. And then we need to follow that well-worn Nike slogan…and just do it! I want to move out of the weeds of my own self-reliance and sin and plant my feet firmly on that highway of holiness.

What do you think would happen in your ministry…in your life…in God’s kingdom work around the world if we all took that step seriously?

Lord, may it be so for me…and for these friends, your servants.

God’s best…