Holy Habits: A Commissioning

In the past month and a half, we have looked closely a the six key verses that remind us to live with Holy Habits according to the Word, stemming from this main verse in 1 Peter 1.

Be Holy

13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Building on this truth, we looked at

Our Thinking

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Love

John 15:9
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

The Word

Psalm 25:4-5
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Also see: 2 Tim 3:16-17, 1 Peter 2:2)

Sacrifice

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Following Christ

John 12:26
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Where do we go from here? Further study of Scripture, of course! Oh, how I'd love the opportunity to take you through the Word and challenge you to apply the many, many Scriptures that declare us to be holy, to live in the Truth, to embrace God's love, and to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. But do you know what is so wonderful about God and His divine plan? You don't need me! You need the Holy Spirit, who has been given to you as the Counselor of Truth. If you take the time to study the Word, God will speak to and instruct you in mighty ways.

Yes, I could continue this series, but I'm feeling a strong sense that now is the perfect time to bring it to a close. Holy Habits is a lifestyle, and the focus to live according to the Word is not something to ever cast aside. Instead, it is something to personalize and embark on with the Lord. With that belief and passion, I do commission you, dear sisters and friends, to take these foundational Scriptures, apply them to your life, and continue in deeper into study. Below is a list of more than a dozen verses that you can look at closely. Study them in the context of the passage they are from, pray over them and apply them to your life. You will be blessed by your Heavenly Father, indeed!

John 3:16 ~ "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Isaiah 61:1 ~ ...He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes...

Matt 11:28-29 ~ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

1 Peter 1:3 ~ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,

Mark 10:27 ~ Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Philippians 2:13 ~ ...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Galatians 5:16 ~ So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

2 Timothy 1:9 ~ For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 1:6 ~ So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

1 Cor 1:30 ~ God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

2 Corinthians 4:16 ~ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

Isaiah 40:31 ~ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

James 1:2-3 ~ ...when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

Hebrews 12:1-2 ~ ... let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Galatians 5:13-14 ~ You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Ephesians 6:10-11 ~ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Galatians 6:7, 9 ~ 7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ... 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ~ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Philippians 3:13-14 ~ ...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 ~ Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Philippians 4:8-9 ~ whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 ~ Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

Thank you for joining me in this short, but deeply needed study of Scripture. I pray that we will all become women that are Holy because He is holy! Jesus, thank you! Amen!

Would you like to know more about the Holy Habits series?
Click here for more information.