It takes a key to unlock a door or start a car. Different doors require different keys. A master key is the key that can open different doors, or start different cars, etc,. Today, we want to look at Holiness, as a master key to the various doors that constitute the good life that God has promised us: “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. [12] What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? [13] Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. [14] Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” Psalm 34:11-14 KJV. In this scripture, we can see the definition of the good life and the requirements of attaining it. It defines the outline for our discussion today; it is a microcosm if you will. Looking at the above scripture, the good life, refers to a life of blessing, longevity and prosperity. It is the fulfilled life, fully backed by God. This scripture also tells us that holiness, which is referred to as the fear of God, involves having control over our lips, avoiding falsehood and cursing. Holiness, also involves eschewing sin and every form of evil and doing good instead. The pursuit of peace is also a major component of holiness. Hebrews 12:14 puts it this way, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Now let us look at the more detailed components of the good life and how we can access them via holiness.
First, holiness is the antidote to fear. When you choose holy living, fear vanishes from your life, and boldness becomes your portion. Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Nobody can really come to the fullness of God’s blessing upon his or her life without a total deliverance from the spirit of fear. Fear is not of God, the Bible is clear about this. In 2 Timothy 1:7 the Bible clearly states, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear is a product of sin. Adam and Eve did not know fear until they sinned against God. Carefully read through the conversation that ensued shortly after they disobeyed God; “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. [9] And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? [10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:8-10. Therefore, if you want to live the fearless and bold life, make holiness your watchword.
Second, holiness is a defense against the enemy, satan. Without this protection that holiness provides, we have no chance of enjoying the good life. Consider, for a moment, the speed and alacrity with which satan descended on Job when he was permitted to do so. In one day, the entire business and family of Job was ruined. Read carefully this conversation and you will see that Job’s prosperity was attributed to the fear of God in his life, in other words, his commitment to holiness was the secret of his great success; “Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? [10] Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?….” Job 1:9-10 KJV. God protected Job and everything that pertained to him because he was living a holy life. So when we fear God and eschew evil, a protective hedge from heaven keeps us from satan. Jesus Christ said, “… for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” John 14:30 KJV. In other words, satan will definitely try all he can, but will not succeed in hurting me because there is an hedge of protection around me. Just as God cannot behold iniquity, satan cannot behold holiness. Your holiness therefore frustrates satan. He cannot figure you out. We see in the story of Daniel how his colleagues conspired against him and eventually threw him into the lion’s den purely out of envy and jealousy. Daniel was a holy man, even his detractors acknowledged he was. As a result, contrary to the expectations of his enemies, the lions could not feast on him. God shut their mouth or took away their appetite. See what Daniel 6: 4 and 22 say;
Daniel 6:4,22 KJV
[4] Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
[22] My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
In the case of Joseph, we know that his great destiny would have ended in the house of Potiphar, if he had succumbed to the advances of the wife of Potiphar. Although he was framed and sent to jail for not defiling himself with Potiphar’s wife, we can all agree that he reached the pinnacle of his destiny. The the prison became a stepping stone, as it were, to his throne. It is therefore important, that we always insist on what is right event when we know doing so will attract painful consequences. Listen to me, and take what I am going to say seriously; there is wickedness in this world. Don’t be deceived by the smiles you see in the faces of people. See what the Bible says about the inward part of man. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 KJV.
The smart thing to do is making holiness your watchword so that God’s hedge of protection would be around you and your loved ones always. Holiness also secures destinies, as we can see in the case of Joseph.
Third, the good life, among other things is the prosperous life. Holiness is your guarantee to a stagnation free life. The Bible tells us king Uzziah did what was right in the sight of God, and that God prospered him as long as he stayed on that path. Let’s read 2 Chronicles 26:4-5 in the KJV. “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did. [5] And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.” Forward movement is guaranteed for everyone that is committed to living holy. I often ask people, what will happen to a righteous man, if it will lift up a nation? Or, if “Righteousness exalteth a nation” according to Proverbs 14:34, what will it do to a man? It will certainly catapult him or her to the very top. No wonder, the Bible says, “And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.” Holiness is the secret of staying above only. Nothing can bring you down when you make holiness your watchword. On the other hand, when we choose to toy with sin, the consequence is, crashing down. King Uzziah was prosperous as long as he sought the Lord, but when his prosperity got into his head, he crashed. He died a leper. Read the whole of 2 Chronicles 26 for the full story. Gehazy, the servant of Elisha was a man with huge potentials. It was almost certain he was going to become the greatest prophet ever. It was not too much to expect that Gehazy, the servant of Elisha was going to receive a double portion of his master’s anointing. The precedence was already set; Elisha got double portions of his master’s anointing. Although the stage was set for him, greed and covetousness would not let him. Rather than receive the double portion of Elisha’s anointing, he received a curse. He wasted his great destiny because he could not say no to greed. He sacrificed the ultimate at the altar of the immediate. And we also know that king Saul lost his throne and what would have become a great dynasty because of disobedience. Sin is your destiny’s worst enemy. Keep away from sin. Don’t give sin a chance. Don’t let it disgrace you, don’t let it bring you down or ruin your great destiny. It imperative that we all make holiness our watchword, because it is the key to unending progress and breakthroughs. Proverbs 4:18 puts it this way, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Holiness is also required if we must possess our God-given inheritances. The Bible says, “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” Obadiah 1:17. You will not miss your great inheritance in the mighty name of Jesus. You will possess your possessions in the mighty name of Jesus.
Fourth, holiness is the key to open heavens which a very vital component of the good life. In order for us to pray and receive from God without delay or denial we must be committed to holy living. When you are in need, or in trouble, and you pray to God, you expect him to answer you immediately. God also would like to intervene immediately, but see what the Bible says could be the reason why many prayers have not been answered. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: [2] But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2. Sin blocks our heavens. It will not allow your prayers to ascend above you nose. If God cannot hear you, He definitely would not intervene. Jesus Christ said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7. Knowing the word and allowing it to influence every decision and action in our lives is holiness. The word of God is key to holy living as we can see in this scripture and the scriptures below:
John 17:17 KJV
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
Ephesians 5:25-26 KJV
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; [26] That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”.
Everyone that truly desires open heavens must make a commitment to the word of God. The word cleanses and sanctifies. It is the antidote of sin. Read carefully the following verse:
Psalm 119:9,11 KJV
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word…Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Nobody can satisfy God’s standard of holiness without a commitment to the word of God.” Psalm 24:3-5, gives use some useful insights on holy living that I would like us to briefly examine; “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord ? or who shall stand in his holy place? [4] He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. [5] He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” It’s apparent from this scripture that open heaven is for those with clean hands. Clean hands refer to our dealings with people. Someone with clean hands deals with others with utmost respect and integrity. They are not covetous or fraudulent in any way. Pure heart refers to the state of our mind: our ability to live above offense, anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. More importantly, it refers to the love of God in our hearts. The motive behind what we do also matters. Is pleasing God part of your life’s motivation? Let us seriously consider these various components of holy living and apply the word of God to see whether we are doing well or not. The Psalmist said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me :” Psalm 66:18 KJV. It a terrible thing to live under a shut heaven. Keep your heaven open by allowing the word of God to rule and reign in your life.
Fifth, we need power in order for us to truly enjoy the good life and nothing gives us access to this than holy living. The scepter of authority in the kingdom of God is righteousness. Anyone who aspires to excel in the anointing of God must seriously embrace holy living and reject every form of wickedness. Psalm 45:6-7 puts it this way, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. [7] Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” The God we serve is the owner and source of power and He is willing to share his power with us if are willing to wait on him. Like the waiter in the restaurant, when we take the orders of God and execute his commands, we get empowered. The wisdom and strength to to soar above the mountains of life and accomplish life’s goals at divine speed and not run out of steam are released upon us when we wait on God. Isaiah 40:28-31 (KJV) succinctly puts it this way:”Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. [29] He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. [30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: [31] But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” The purer we are, like electrical conductors, the more we can conduct the power of God. In other words, the power of God can move through us more powerfully when we are committed to holy living. God wants you to be a conductor of his power so that you can be a blessing to everyone around you and beyond. The ball is in your court, make holiness your watchword and you will never lack the wisdom and power of God.
Finally, the ultimate of the good life is the hope of eternity with God. Holiness is the key to eternity. Hebrews 12:14 (KJV) says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” We must not forget that Jesus Christ is coming again, but this time he is not coming to die for us, He will be coming to judge the world. He will separate the wicked from the righteous. He will reward the righteous with eternal life and punish the wicked with eternal damnation. Please carefully read through the following verses of scripture. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: [32] And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: [33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. [34] Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: [35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: [36] Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. [37] Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee ? [39] Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? [40] And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:31-40 KJV. It is pertinent to note here, that the definition of holiness cannot be complete without a strong emphasis on brotherly love. In the above scripture, the righteous were those who cared for the sick, visited the incarcerated, clothed the naked and fed the hungry. It is therefore vital that we all take loving one another seriously. Revelation 21:8 (KJV) also gives us some of the other factors that constitute sin, capable of blocking you access to eternal life: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” We have been forewarned. Let us repent and change our ways now, before it is too late.
Praying for mercy and grace for holy living is of utmost importance and cannot be overemphasized. God understands what it means to live in human flesh. Jesus did not come as an angel; he took the form of flesh and endured and understands the the temptations of the flesh. God therefore wants you to boldly come to him in prayer, asking for mercy, grace, and help in time of need. He has a lot of them waiting for you, but you must ask in prayer: Hebrews 4:15-16 (KJV) says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” We have no excuse, the grace for holy living is abundantly available, all we have to do is ask until we are filled. It is the master key to the various components of the good life you desire. Sit up. Grab this master key and enjoy the good life. It is within your reach. Jesus said, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 KJV. Thanks for reading through.
Prayer Points:
- Father, thank you for giving your only begotten son Jesus Christ to die for my sins. Thank you for redeeming my soul.
- Jesus, my Lord and savior, thank you for the salvation of my soul.
- Father have mercy and forgive me in every way I have failed you. Forgive me of all my sins. Forgive my loved ones, far and near in Jesus name.
- Father, from this day forward, let you word prevail in my life. Let your word rule and reign in my life, in my family, in Jesus name.
Psalm 119:11 KJV
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
- Father, endow me with the grace to have clean hands, and a pure heart. Let integrity be my watchword in my dealings with people.
- Father, by your grace, let me live above offense, above bitterness and unforgiveness, ijn.
- Father, take my will, let me live for you. Reveal yourself to me and draw me closer.
- Father, help me to be good to people, make me a blessing to the families of this earth.
- Father, fill my heart with your love in the name of Jesus.
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