If you seek true empowerment from God; holiness turns out to be the pathway any day. There is no two ways about it; it is purity before power. God is holy in all His ways and He is perfect in all His works. If you seek to be a channel of His power, you have to be holy even as He is holy. Holiness is an off-shoot of the Spirit of son-ship which we have freely received of the Lord. The Bible says in John 1:12 – “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name”. This same power you have received of God for son-ship is what you will have to catch on, to manifest the holiness of God. Holiness does not come “free”, but, the righteousness of God does. You don’t work to be righteous, it is what Jesus has been made to become unto us. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus: “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One Jesus Christ” Romans 5:17.
The righteousness you have freely received of God which gives you a right standing with God sets you out for work. The outworking of righteousness is true holiness; better still, the practice of righteousness makes for holy living. The Bible says in 1 John 3:7 – “let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteousness, even as He is righteous” and in 1 John 3:10 – “Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God”. What is this “doing” all about? It is the practice of righteousness that sets you out as the Lord’s; ready to be used by God as a vessel unto honor. You just can’t fold your hands, simply confessing that you are the righteousness of God. You have the Word in your mouth; but, you have a job in hand and it borders on the working out of your salvation.
Holiness entails the level of the flesh with its cravings which you are able to put under, for the spirit man in you to come alive. Divine power is lodged in the spirit man and if you are dominated by the flesh, this power is locked in. the flesh has to die; no wonder Paul proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 15:31 – “I die daily”. It is a life of discipline, in which you need caution and in it, not everything goes. If you choose to do just anything, see everything, think just anything and go everywhere, you will find holiness a farfetched thing and you will find the power of God elusive. It is holiness before divine power.
