Holy

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Revelation 20:6 Death Has No Power

 

Live and dead trees

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but  they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:6

Death is something that is feared by the majority of people. They do not want to die. Billions of dollars are spent every year to prevent death. No expense is spared in this prevention.

For most people, death is an end. There is no hope after death. There is nothing after death. This is often believed whether they love this life or not. Some want death, in order to get away from the pain and suffering in this life, but that is the minority of people.

People fear death, often because they do not really know what happens after death. Or they know that there will be a judgment and they believe they are not ready for that judgment.

The people who have participated in the first resurrection have already died and no longer fear death. This resurrection is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. He has conquered death and sin. In participation of His death and resurrection they have died to self and given their lives over to the control of Jesus.

Believers no longer have to fear death, because they know that they will reign with God in the end. There is hope and life after the physical death on this earth.

Death no longer has any power over them.

As a believer in Jesus, you no longer have to fear death or what this world can do to you. The most that this world can do, is send you home to God for all eternity–physical death.

Now, live life for God, because death no longer has any power.

I pray today that you will know the resurrection power of Jesus; that you will be dead to self and sin and alive to God; that God will remove all fear of physical death; and that you will know the hope of life eternal that you have in Jesus. 

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Revelation 18:4 Get Out

 

Man walking in snow

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; Revelation 18:4

God was getting ready to destroy Babylon for the sins that the city had done. Babylon is a representation of the evil in this world and that God would destroy in the end. As He is getting ready to destroy the city, there is a voice that calls for the people to leave. The purpose of leaving was to keep from sharing in their sins or the destruction that was coming.

The world is full of places that are like Babylon. There is sin found every where a person goes. There is not a place a person can go that does not have some sin. And in many of these places sin is not only done, but is also promoted and honored.

When a person is among all of the sin of this world, it is easy to get caught up in it and begin to practice the sin. It can be seen among many ‘believers’ and churches, the mindset of the sinful world in them. Acceptance of sin is becoming more common.

Believers are to get out of those places to keep from sharing in their sin. They must separate themselves from the sin of this world.

Jesus has removed the sin in the life of one who has begun to follow Him. Since this is done, one must not go back to those sins. Living in this world will cause a person to be around sin, but they must keep from taking up those sins. They are to live a holy life, separate from all sin. They are to be a shining light of Jesus to this dark and sinful world.

As a believer you must get out of the  sinful ways of this world. Come out of the old ways of living and step into the new life Christ has given you. In doing this, you will not share in their sins or the punishment that will come upon them. You will also be a witness to them of who Jesus is and what He is like.

Do not allow the sins of this world to overcome you. Be a part of God’s family, holy and separate as you wait for the return of Jesus.

I pray today that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that you will step out of sin to follow God; that you will not get caught up in the ways of this world; and that you will be a witness of Jesus to this world. 

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Revelation 4:8 Non-Stop Praise

 

Praising Worship God

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ” ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8

People often get excited about other people, events or things. When they do, it is something that they want to talk about constantly.

Those who love and follow a popular person are considered that person’s fan. There are fans of famous singers, actors, sports players or more, who are considered a fanatical fan. They talk about that person all the time, giving praise as to who that person is and how good that person is.

John is a given a little vision of inside heaven. There he sees some winged creatures who are praising God. They do not just praise God for a few minutes, or a few hours, but continually around the clock, day and night. They are talking about how holy He is.

Every week people go to church and sing a few worship songs about God, hear a short sermon about something God has to say, and then they are finished. When the service goes an extra ten minutes longer than normal, people get upset. They are ready to leave and go home. They are done worshipping God.

The winged creatures had a real vision of who God is. They knew how holy He is and so they continually proclaimed it, never tiring of talking about God.

Believers are to praise God with all of their life. There is to be a song of praise always on their lips.

God is holy. He is pure, perfect and holy. This means that everything He says and does is perfect. Perfect for each person. It cannot be said enough how holy He is. There can never be enough praise of God.

As you go through your days, continually sing praise to God. Let Him know how holy and wonderful He is. Let the whole world know how holy and wonderful God is.

God is so holy and wonderful, that one cannot say it enough or stop talking about Him. Get a vision of who God really is and you will not want to stop.

Join in with the creatures and never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

I pray today that you will get a vision of how holy God is; that you will see how wonderful God is; that you will always give God praise; and that you will sing praise of God to others continually.

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2 Peter 3:11 How To Really Live Life

 

Destroyed world

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 2 Peter 3:11

All over the world there is violence and destruction occurring. Much of that destruction is at the hands of people towards other people. The violence level is always increasing, making this world a dangerous place to live. Violence is a common sight for many people.

Along with the violence, there is the destruction of this world occurring. People are always talking about extinction of animals and plants, earthquakes, fires, and other destructive forces in this world. Blame is placed up people that the earth is falling apart.

There is great fear that the world will freeze, or overheat because of pollution. Good water is scarce in parts of the world and blame is put on people.

These things are happening because people are told that they can live however they want to live. There are no set standards on how to live life. A person can choose how he wants to live by his own personal beliefs and standards. This causes chaos and destruction in the end.

While the world has a reason to have some fear, because God has said that this world will be destroyed in the end, believers do not need to fear. They are told how to live their lives so that they will have no fear. Believers are to live a holy and godly life.

A holy life is one that is filled with love, mercy and grace. It will not seek to harm anyone or anything in any way. It is focused on loving God and loving people. He will speak truth in love, act in love and bring honor to God. He will not fear the coming destruction of this world, because he knows that his home will be in heaven some day when this world will be destroyed.

As a believer, are you fearing the destruction of this world? Focus your eyes and life on God. Live as Jesus lived and do not fear it. You have a home waiting for you in heaven for all eternity.

Live your life the way God has intended you to live it, holy and godly. Bring honor to God. In this way you will bring some peace on this earth and love will be shown. The reward will be eternal life in the end.

I pray today that you will know the life God has called you to live; that your life will be like that of Jesus; that you will turn from all sin and turn to Jesus; that you will not fear the coming destruction; and that God will guide you in living for Him.

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Hebrews 7:26 The Perfect High Priest

 

Railroad tracks

Such a high priest truly meets our need–one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Hebrews 7:26

People go to many different people for help. They look for all different types of help in order to help them get through their days here on this earth. Thousands of counselors and psychiatrists are attempting to help people every day around the world. Along with those people, there are thousands of priests and ministers that people go to for help and guidance in their lives.

Some will view these people as the best source of help. They take their words to heart and believe them. While they may have some good advice to give, they will also fall short in the end. They are not perfect.

In the Old Testament the believers had to go before a high priest to atone for their sins or to worship God. In order for the priest to atone for the sins, he had to atone for his own sins first. He was not perfect and was unable to be there for every person himself.

Jesus came later and became the perfect high priest. He did not have to atone for any of His own sins, because He had never sinned. Jesus now sits in heaven at the Father’s right hand, ready to meet the needs of every believer. The foremost need is removal of sins, after that there are many other needs that believers have.

Instead of just running to a man, priest or other, here on this earth for help and guidance in life, the believer must go to Jesus. Men on this earth will be busy or absent, and they have failures. Jesus does not have any failures and is always available.

You will have struggles that you will need help to overcome. You will have needs that you need someone else to help with. While it is good to seek other people to help, your first focus should be to go before your high priest–Jesus. Go to the One who created everything, the One who is perfect, pure and blameless. He will always make the perfect choice for you.

Think about how great it is that you have someone who can help you around the clock and always makes the perfect choice. Jesus will truly meet every need you have, if you go to Him and trust Him.

I pray today that you will know Jesus as your High Priest and Savior; that you will trust Jesus for every need you have; that you will run to God first with all of your needs; and that you will strive to be like Jesus, holy, blameless, and set apart for God.

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Ezekiel 39:27-28 Know The Lord God

When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. Ezekiel 39:27-28

Israel had chosen, for a time, to sin against God by rejecting Him and following idols and other nations. Because of their sin, God sent them into exile to punish them. While in exile the Israelites would realize their great sin and turn back to God. He would bring them back to their homeland in Israel. At that point, they and all the nations, would realize that God is God. The nations of the world would see that God is holy and just.

It is common for people to think of the judgments of God to be harsh and cruel. They do not see the judgments, while living on this earth, are methods to get a person to look towards Him and turn from his sinful ways. Until the final judgment at the end of time, God is not judging with the intent of total destruction, but is judging to get a person to turn towards Him.

People who choose to walk away from Him may go through a time of punishment. God may exile them into a difficult situation to get them to turn their eyes back on Him. The exile today is not always being sent to another nation, but one that still displaces them from the familiar or comfortable.

If you are going through a time of feeling exiled from God, take a look at your life. Are you following God or are you following your own ways? If you are serving God with all of your heart, then it is probably an attack from the enemy.

If you are not serving God, it may be God trying to get your attention back on Him. God may be trying to restore you to where you should be. Allow Him to move you and know that He is God and He is holy and just in all that He does.

I pray today that you will know that God is God; that you will know the holiness of God; that you will serve God with all of your heart; and that you will know that God will not leave you behind as you serve Him.