“You know, we live in an age where men are more afraid of holiness than they are of sinfulness.”
“Five minutes into eternity and we’ll all wish we’d been a little more holy.”
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These two quotes from Leonard Ravenhill have been on my mind today. I started thinking about the state of the world and the spiritual condition that so many, probably including myself, have backslidden into! Holiness, especially personal holiness, is one of the things that is furthest from most people’s mind. Many, including Christians, never think of it at all! Yet one of the most quoted verses of scripture, even by those same Christians, is this – “As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)
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There is a call today for all of us to ‘be holy, for I am holy’. Our problem is that words like ‘sin’, ‘sanctification’, and ‘holiness’ are almost eschewed by most people, even those who claim to be followers of Christ! We call so much that is sin, according to Gods Word, normal and acceptable – except that it’s not acceptable to God – because He is Holy! We really do need to repent and turn once more to Christ. We need to leave what the Word of God describes as our ‘wicked ways’ in order to cultivate personal holiness in order to fulfil everything that the Lord is calling us to in these final last days. Second Chronicles 7:14 has never been more serious a call to us than it is today.
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The Bible contains the two words ‘fear not’ 365 times – once for every day of the year. So I hear the Lord saying – “FEAR NOT what man says or thinks about you, it’s My opinion that counts.”
“FEAR NOT what man says about you, rather concentrate on why I say about you.”
“FEAR NOT what man can do to you. Man cannot send you to hell, neither can he stop you entering heaven.”
“FEAR only what I might or might not say to you on that day, for all you need to hear from Me is, “Well done, good and faithful servant.””
“FEAR NOT what I will say to others, that is solely between them and Me!”
“My Word says to be a light upon a hill for all to see. It also says, “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.” (Isaiah 60:1-5)
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These are the things worth fearing to lose – not man’s reward, but Gods reward!” I’ll close with a final Ravenhill quote – as a challenge to all of us –
“Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?”
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Written by Chris G Bennett
