God's way.

     It is not individuals who pray for God's blessings on their efforts who succeed. It is those who seek God, live close enough to Him to hear him, and enter into His work. These are the ones who find success.

Standing in the holy place.

     Clean hands and a pure heart are essential for one to prevail with God.  God is holy, and requires us to be holy as well, if we are to dwell in His presence. Any sin held on to, will only serve to shut us out of fellowship with God.
     Clean hands are the result of a pure heart. A right heart will produce right actions, a wrong heart will produce wrong actions. Many come to God in prayer, with wrong hearts and wrong actions. There is a barrier between them and God that will only be removed when sin is repented of.
      A group of men met three nights a week to pray for revival. They would pray well into the early morning hours. One night one of them was impressed to read Psalm 24:3-5, "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart." This convicted the men and led them to a heart searching and a fresh consecration of themselves to the Lord. This was the beginning of the Hebrides revival that lasted about three years. It was a powerful revival with deep conviction of sin followed by a very real and lasting repentance.
     The key thing was the fact that these praying men knew that if they expected God to hear them, they must approach Him in holiness and purity. The same goes for us as well.

Clean hands and a pure heart.

     Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
     Psalm 24:3-6 RSV

     

Holiness to the Lord.

     13 Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” 17And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth; 18knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
The Lockman Foundation (2009-03-19). Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible (NASB 1977 edition) (Kindle Locations 41216-41224). The Lockman Foundation. Kindle Edition.

     God has called each one of us to be holy. Holiness can be defined as being  separated from the world, and devoted to the service of God. This act of dedication to God involves a deliberate choice to forsake all for His sake. It is a very serious and solemn choice. We are to be holy as God is holy. God is light, there is no darkness found in Him. If we say we know God, but walk in darkness, we lie (1John 1:6). Our text tells us that we are to be holy in all our behavior, everything that we do. It is not an option where we can pick and choose how we will live, we are to live separated from the ways of the world. We are to live as children of God, imitating our heavenly father (Eph 5:1,2), with a holy fear, knowing that God is impartial, and will judge us according to our deeds. This is a sobering thought. We have been often taught that all God sees, when He looks at us is Christ. We have been taught that the question asked at the gates of heaven will be "What have you done with My Son?".  This text and in many other places in the Bible, affirm that we will be judged according to our deeds.
      It is true that when we place our trust in Christ, we find grace and forgiveness. Without that none of us would be saved. However it is just as true that the grace of God will change us from the inside out. A salvation that does not deliver from the power and practice of sin, is a deficient savation. It is another gospel! A salvation that does not change how we live, leaves us dead in our sin. The thought of what Christ went through for each one of us, should move us to diligently live for Him. He shed His precious blood for us. How can we carelessly trample it under foot, by living loose and careless lives, thinking that His grace will cover it?
      The grace of God has given us all we need. We have Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. We have Him now interceding for us. We have His living word, with all it's promises, to guide us. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit. The God who says "Be holy, as I am Holy", does not call us to make bricks without straw. If He commands us to do, or be something, He will also enable us.
     The design of salvation is to bring us back into fellowship with the Holy God. We must be Holy, as He is Holy. We cannot walk together unless we are in agreement. There can be no fellowship of light with darkness. 
     May each one of us be diligent to walk in holiness before God, trusting Him every step of the way.
   

Justification, and regeneration.

     Here are some interesting quotes that explain the difference between justification, and regeneration.

 1. Justification is a work done for us, but regeneration is a work done in us. 2. Justification changes our relation to God, and restores us to his favor by a pardon, while regeneration changes our state, our real character. 3. Justification removes the guilt of the sin which we have committed, while regeneration removes the love of sin and takes away our bent of sinning. 4. Justification removes the punishment we deserve, remits the penalty of the law, but regeneration plants the principle of obedience in the heart. 5. Justification brings the favor of God, while regeneration brings back the image of God, and again impresses it upon the soul.
Lee, Luther (2011-09-13). Elements of Theology (Kindle Locations 6734-6741). Unknown. Kindle Edition.

    

What if Jesus came to your church?

And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart from their borders.
God; ASV (2011-07-15). Holy Bible, American Standard Version (ASV) (Kindle Locations 29044-29045). Latus ePublishing. Kindle Edition.


     In the context of this verse, Jesus had just cast the demons out of two posessed men. The people feared these men, and had kept them in chains. Now these men were in their right minds. When the domons left the men, Jesus permited them to enter a herd of pigs, which then rushed into the sea.
     This caused a great deal of distress among the local inhabitants. Instead of rejoicing with the two men who had just been delivered, the people instead were very uncomfortable with what just occured. Perhaps they were upset about the pigs. Maybe they were uncomfortable about the deliverance of the demon posessed men. At any rate, the were uncomfortable with Jesus, and asked Him to leave.
     Sadly, we too can become complacent in our Christian experience. We like how church is done, we like how our lives are lived, we think everything is fine, and we want it to stay that way. We want things to go smooth, no excitement, no conviction, no upsetting visitors on Sunday,etc.
     What would happen if Jesus showed up during prayer time, and people were instantly, and miraculously healed of all manner of diseases? Would it make us nervous? Would we be uncomfortable? what would happen if people were suddenly filled with conviction, conviction so deep that some fell from their seats onto the floor where they lay weeping and crying out to God?  What would happen if some went forward and made public confession of sin? We never see this happen, but if you read about the great revivals of the past, it was a frequent occurence. My Father in law told of a pastor who announced to his congregation one Sunday, that he had been saved that weekend. His church promptly dismissed him! They were more comfortable with an unsaved pastor!
     The fact is, that when Jesus comes to church, things happen, changes occur, we are taken out of our comfort zones. The things that Jesus taught, the things that Jesus did,  are taught, and done. People are convicted of sin, people are healed of disease, people are set free from demons, people are set free from sin.
     Pigs are presented as unclean in the Bible. We may have unclean things in our lives that we hang onto, things that we do not want to see go. If Jesus were present, we know that like the pigs rushing into the sea, these things would have to go as well. It may be unbelief, sin, or worthless tradition, but it would have to go.
     Jesus came to give us abundant life. He came to destroy the work of the devil. He came to set the captives free. Let Him have His way with you.

Full surrender.

     Here is a quote to ponder, dealing with the full consecration of one's self to God.

     In every consecration the soul reaches a point where it must either go through to the death, or else go back and lose the grace of God entirely. The Holy Spirit will make it plain what this death implies, and at last the dying soul goes through its last struggle and yields up its last treasure. When this point is reached and passed, the Holy Spirit will bear witness that the demands of God are now fully met.
Byers, J. W. (2009-10-04). Sanctification (p. 59). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.