Tag Archives: God’s Word

January 5, 2023 · 11:26 am

FLYING THROUGH THE CLOUDS

One of the most beautiful and peaceful sights I can never stop enjoying is what you see when you look out of an aircraft window as you fly above the clouds. No matter how many times I catch this view, I will always be enthralled the next time.  It’s so breathtaking. It just appears perfectly at ease, void of any disorder or chaos. The thicker the clouds, the prettier the appearance because nothing from beneath the clouds can peek through.

In spite of the magnificence of this view, the essence of flying is to move from place to place and not just to take in the view. So, at some point, the aircraft has to leave this view behind to descend through the clouds in order to land at the designated airport. Going through the clouds can be quite uncomfortable and bumpy. Sometimes it feels like a free fall through the skies and could be quite scary. In complete contrast with the view, the thicker the clouds, the bumpier the ride. When it starts, all you just want is for it to be all over. I had a nasty and embarrassing experience with this that I would rather forget.

The pilot cannot decide not to land the aircraft because the passengers love the view up there so much or if he does not want the passengers to feel the temporary discomfort of descending through the clouds. Some of the passengers may be distraught but his objective will always be to get the passengers to their destination.  

Life will throw different things at us. Sometimes, our experiences will feel as if we are gliding peacefully above the clouds and at other times, it appears as if we are stuck in the thick clouds. Life gets as bumpy as bumpy could be. In all things, God sees and God is in perfect control like a great pilot. We have his promises to reassure us that He will be with us, no matter the kind of clouds we find ourselves in.

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am GOD, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Saviour. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to me! Isaiah 43: 2- 3 (MSG)

‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ Isaiah 41:10 (AMP)

God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in times of great trouble. That’s why we won’t be afraid when the world falls apart when the mountains crumble into the centre of the sea, when its waters roar and rage when the mountains shake because of its surging waves. Psalm 46: 1 – 5 (CEB)

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 (NIV)

But the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Because we have these promises, we cannot turn around or yield to adversity. Like the pilot who keeps the end in mind, we can look through the issues with the filter of God’s limitless abilities and know that the Lord that keeps us neither sleeps nor slumbers. Even when you can’t see it or feel it, He never stops working.

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December 24, 2022 · 8:50 pm

REMAIN SEATED

“Remain seated until the seat belt sign is turned off”

                                                                                  Every pilot

I have been travelling quite a lot recently and each time the aircraft lands, the pilot or the cabin crew lead always makes this announcement: “Remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the aircraft comes to a complete stop and the seat belt sign is turned off”. 9 times out of 10, people just ignore the instruction and jump out of their seats as if the instructions were to the birds of the air. I have observed this with different nationalities, so it’s not the specialty of any particular set of people.

When you don’t get up like everyone else, there is a strong pull to conform and do the wrong thing with the crowd because everyone is doing it and everyone seems to accept it. This is worse if you are in an aisle seat and the passengers you have blocked in are giving you that quizzical look. The force of the stare could almost lift you off your seat. It takes a deliberate decision not to join the crowd on those occasions.

As we navigate our multifaceted courses in life, we will come face to face with opportunities to follow the crowd in the wrong direction. The decision may be seemingly innocuous or in some cases, quite significant. At those times, “The end justifies the means” appears to be a wise counsel. When we find ourselves at those points, our focus should be the internal satisfaction that comes from a good conscience and not external satisfaction.

The Bible is filled with examples of those that tilted to either side of the balance in following the crowd and we can learn from all of them:

Aaron buckled under the pressure of the crowd and made the golden calf as a god for the people of Israel. 10 out of 12 spies chose to see themselves as grasshoppers, while Joshua and Caleb saw things differently. Noah endured the mocking of the crowd for a very long time to build the ark. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to stand alone and not flow with the crowd, even when faced with the lion’s den and the fiery furnace. We know how the story ended for each group.

In these days when many people are under so much pressure from the strains of the global economy, the temptation to make little compromises for gain may appear so strong. When we can’t see any way out of the pit we find ourselves in, joining the crowd may appear logical, especially if the compromise seems insignificant. Wrong is wrong and the number of people doing wrong does not make the definition of wrong to change. We can find encouragement and direction from the following scriptures and more:

You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. Exodus 23:2

Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! Proverbs 1:10

Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention. Mathew 7: 13 – 14

God knows, God sees and His grace is sufficient. Stay the course and don’t join the crowd. God is able to do it, but even if He doesn’t do it the way expect or when you expect it. He is still faithful.

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December 4, 2022 · 3:39 pm

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Growing up, one thing that I kept trying to do each year was to retain money in my home-made piggy bank, hoping that I would accumulate enough money at the end of the year to buy something that I really wanted to have. All through those years, one thing that remained constant was that I never did it. I either did not start or when I started, I broke the bank mid-way into the year. The fact that I was not able to pull this off in the previous year did not make me stop trying.

At the beginning of each year, the expectations are very high for the days ahead and the excitement is almost palpable. With this euphoria, many of us set goals and write down our lofty aspirations. At that point, nobody sets out not to achieve these goals. We write them down because we hope to see them materialize at the set time. We also write down things that we commit to pray for throughout the year, asking God in faith and believing that they will come to pass.

When the end of the year beckons, most people make out time to look at the year in retrospect. On many occasions, it would be that some of those things we planned to achieve at the beginning of the year are real only on paper or wherever we wrote them down. Also, some of the prayer points may not have materialized the way we expected. It could be disappointing and discouraging.

When this happens, it is easy to focus on those unachieved goals and unanswered prayers. It becomes even more debilitating when we compare ourselves with other people that seem to have everything working for them like clockwork and it appears as if there is something wrong with us or something we are not doing well. A pity party is born. Ingratitude sets in. We wonder why God did not answer our prayers and it goes on and on like that.

When we find ourselves going down this road, we need to make a conscious decision to count our blessings instead of counting the woes by focusing on the things that did not work as expected. What we focus on becomes magnified in our eyes and ultimately shapes our thoughts and lives. When we make a deliberate attempt to count our blessings, we would indeed be surprised like the old hymn says. We would realize that we have so much to be thankful to God for. One thing we will discover when we count is that we made some achievements that were part of our list and also others that came to us as a bonus. In all these things, we ought to remain thankful by default.

I find the words of the hymn Count your Blessings very instructive in this direction and I would like to encourage you to take some time out to sing and think deeply about those words as this year comes to an end.

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February 23, 2022 · 10:04 pm

STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

Recently, I had to go through a test that involved riding a bicycle for 6 minutes at different speeds to generate power. I started with an initial target of 60 Watts and ended at 145 Watts. It was very easy at the beginning as I had full energy and the required effort was not much. As it got harder, my energy waned, the required effort increased but I needed to complete the task. During the last 30 seconds, I almost gave up. The assessor had to count down for me. As he got closer to zero, I managed to pull together a burst of energy to make it to the end. When I almost quit, the countdown from the assessor and his reassurance somehow gave me the courage to persevere to the end. It didn’t matter that my legs were quaking at the end, what was important was that I didn’t give up. I made it!

The first chapter of Joshua has 18 verses and the phrase “Be strong and courageous” appears in 4 of those verses. 3 times God used this phrase to charge Joshua and the last time, it was the response of the people to his ‘commencement’ speech as they prepared to go into Canaan.

This same Joshua was one of the 12 secret agents that saw the giants in the land and had the temerity to bring back good news to the people, telling them that they could take over the land even though they were indeed minuscule when compared to the size of the giants. Even when 10 of them rationalized and buckled. Before then, Joshua had passed through intense mentoring and internship in the school of Moses. He had both theoretical and practical experience. Also, Moses had deposited a measure of the Spirit in him by laying hands on him. Yet, when it was time to lead the people into the land of their promise, God felt he needed this charge. Why?

Moses had put his hands on Joshua and appointed him to be the new leader. Then Joshua, son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom. So, the Israelites began to obey Joshua, and they did what the Lord had commanded Moses. Deuteronomy 34:9

Joshua had the commission to lead the people, the people had the promise that they would inherit the land. God’s promises are sure and steadfast, but it did not mean that there would be no obstacles and hurdles along the way. For God to repeat that phrase multiple times suggests that in spite of the anointing, Joshua’s work experience and the foundation of God’s infallible promise, some of those obstacles had the power to initiate the thoughts of quitting in his mind. If he gave enough thought to the obstacles instead of fixing his mind on the promise, nothing would have stopped him from giving up on the way. That would have made the people to miss the bounty that God promised them.

Joshua went, saw and conquered. The promise of God did not remove the giants that they had seen during their reconnaissance visit. They still had to fight and overcome them. He held on to God’s promise and the charge to be strong and courageous. He led the people to their inheritance. He has left the stage and we are on the scene now. As sure as the rising of the sun each day, we will face our own giants. Reasons to doubt the efficacy of God’s promise will abound. We will get to the brink. When those storms arise, we have the same charge and promise. Indeed, we have more than enough promises to keep us going in the Bible. If He did it for Joshua, He is able to do it for us as long as we remain strong and courageous, fixing our eyes on Him and His word.

Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (CEV)

Image credit: Blue Pea Pod

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December 24, 2019 · 9:01 am

THROUGH THE STORM

Some of my closest friendships bonds till date are those formed in my secondary school days. We were few and tight, everybody knew everybody. Many years after, we still relieve the experiences and fond memories that we shared in those days. A lot of the character traits that have helped us stay above board many years down the line were instilled into us in those days by our wonderful teachers and a Principal like no other. In its first year of establishment, students in three different grades were introduced at the same time. My set was the lowest of the three. We experienced a lot of hardship in those early days because of non-existent basic infrastructure. Hurricane lanterns were essential commodities because we needed them for illumination in the night. The term ‘midnight candle’ was very real to us. To get potable water, we all had to take turns at the only hand pump in the school…that was really an experience because sometimes you could exert a lot of energy in pumping the water and you will be blessed with only a few drops of water. Even though we faced all these hardships and more, we always looked forward to returning to school at the end of each school holiday period. During those days, the experience was unmatched by any other and the people we were with made everything all the more worth the while.

When there’s a greater cause, the temporary pain and struggles are greatly diminished and become insignificant in the scheme of things – we only need to keep our eyes on that ‘greater cause’. The road to where we are headed may be filled with bumps, potholes and dark patches, but we can always count on the grace of God to abound in our weakest moments. His promises are sure and steadfast. He said:

  “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

Remembering these unfailing promises as well as past victories will help us keep our heads above the storms when they come. We brave the storms with joy just like Habakkuk testified.

“Fig trees may no longer bloom, or vineyards produce grapes; olive trees may be fruitless, and harvest time a failure; sheep pens may be empty, and cattle stalls vacant but I will still celebrate because the LORD God is my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:17-18 (CEV)

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When we are in the middle of those stormy days, it’s difficult to steady our ship, the gust often obscures our vision and makes it hard for us to see far enough and we can’t perceive what God is doing. In those times, these lines of the song – Way Maker by Sinach – are very instructive:

“Even when I don’t see it, You’re working                                                                                 Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working                                                                                      You never stop, You never stop working”

We will work hard, we will do everything that we need to do, we will pray hard and we will wait with joy. This ties in nicely with a piece I wrote in the past: WHILE WAITING…

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February 19, 2017 · 10:19 pm

IT’S IN THE SMALL STEPS

Joseph had his great dreams, which got him into some trouble with his brothers. He also had his integrity and the fear of the Lord while in Potiphar’s house and he got into even bigger trouble because of that. At the eventful end of all the trouble, I am sure Joseph would have sat back and appreciated God for all he had gone through on the road to occupying a greatly esteemed office.

When Joseph started dreaming, he did not fully understand what the fulfilment of his dreams would be. He did not know that he was going to become next to Pharaoh in authority someday. He did not know there would be a great famine and that he would be the one to save Israel. He did not know that his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh would be the only second generation people to receive allotments like the other sons of Jacob in the Promised Land. One thing he knew for sure was that he feared the Lord and he was not going to do anything to jeopardize that relationship.

In spite of the big dreams, he followed God one step at a time or indeed one phase at a time – from Pit to Potiphar’s house, to Prison and eventually to Pharaoh’s Palace. He was faithful at each stop over on the journey. When the purpose of each phase had been accomplished, he was moved on to the next phase by God.

Abraham’s life followed a similar plot. God told him to leave his father’s house and hit the road. He didn’t ask for the final destination. He allowed God to lead him one step at a time. He just had unshakable faith that God could not lead him astray. He stayed connected to God and we know the rest of the story.

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We have infallible promises in the Bible that tell us that God is committed to answering our prayers from the following verses among so many other verses:

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matt 7: 7 – 8 (NLT)

You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it. Matt 21:22(NLT)

At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.  You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. John 16: 23 – 24 (NLT)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1John 5:14 (NIV)

God’s word is true and He has promised to bring us to that expected end. However, whatever happens between our current position and our expected end is part of the whole package. The key to getting to that expected end is staying connected to the source, like Joseph and Abraham did. For some people, it may be a very smooth journey. For others, the package may come with different kinds of pain. If you have a clear picture of your destination and the path to that destination, Congratulations! However, if you don’t understand all the things you experience on your way, just follow the Lord one step at a time… you will eventually get there. God is too faithful to fail and in the words of Nathaniel Bassey; “This God is too good o!”

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April 25, 2016 · 9:11 pm

IN RETROSPECT

A while ago, I was going down memory lane with a few friends that I have come a long way with. Having known each other for almost 20 years, we reminisced about the days when we had little or nothing to call our own. We collectively shared the little that anyone had and no one complained about the proportion of individual contributions. The common denominator was that we were all students and we were all Christians. We talked about the years immediately after graduation, remembering how we walked long distances not because we wanted to exercise, but because we could not afford the transport fare. We also survived on meager rations and lived in shared accommodation, all in our bid to become independent men. Looking back at those years together, we all came to one conclusion: God has been good.

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With those memories safely in the recesses of our hearts, we can always look back at how we overcame with God’s help and develop an unshakeable resolve that the same God who has not changed will always come through in whatever present challenge we may have. Little wonder the Israelites were always commanded to tell their Children of their past victories:

Then your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’  And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.’” When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped.                     Exodus 12: 26 – 27 (NLT)

In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?’ “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people.  He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors.                               Deuteronomy 6: 20 – 23 (NLT)

We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”                                            Joshua 4 : 6 – 7 (NLT)

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Challenges will always come our way; however meditating on the problems will only magnify the problems at the expense of our faith. When next the feeling of being overwhelmed by the challenges of life comes, just take a thought down the memory lane and like the ageless song goes, it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Strive to keep the memories of those past victories ever fresh on your mind and

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February 23, 2016 · 11:18 am

FAITH IS NOW

I got the picture below from one of Strive Masiyiwa’s recent posts on Facebook (By the way, I strongly recommend that you follow Strive if you are not already doing so). If you don’t know the story behind the picture, it will pass for just any other nice picture. The photographer’s goal was to get a shot of the eaglet and he had to wait 8 hours to get that shot. 8 hours! It took that long because the mother eagle had the eaglet under wraps for the entire period. His lucky break only came when the father eagle came around and the eaglet popped up to say hello to dad for a few seconds.

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I can only imagine what that wait would have been like. The photographer could not afford to be distracted because the eaglet’s appearance was only going to last a few seconds. It was not just a casual and relaxing wait. He had to maintain absolute focus for the entire period. I’m sure that would have required a lot of patience to pull off. This is similar to the kind of patience that Joseph had to learn while spending time as Potiphar’s chief servant as well as a prisoner, after having those dreams that caused his troubles. David also displayed this scale of patience when running from King Saul, despite the fact that he had been anointed as King of Israel by Prophet Samuel. Abraham received the promise that he would have a son when he was 75 and he had to wait with faith and patience for the promise to be fulfilled 25 years down the line.

Today, how do we begin to speak about this kind of patience when we have been taught that “Faith is NOW…” This is a popular adaptation of Hebrews 11:1, which has been sold to many of us and we have gladly bought into it. We pray now and place God under obligation to answer us immediately or He would no longer be God. The answer must come NOW!

If Abraham lived in our days, he would have ‘travailed’ and demanded that God gave him Isaac at 76 years and David would have had to pray King Saul out of the palace immediately after being anointed by Samuel. The truth is that God still answers prayers like He always did, but on His terms as the sovereign God. My thought is that there is a place for patience when we pray in faith. When the answer does not come as fast as we expect, He is still God. When it appears as if our prayers will not get the expected response, He is still God. When the answer comes faster than we expect, of course He is still God.

Please think on the verses below:

Hebrews 6:12 – 15 (NLT):  13 For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:14 “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” 15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.

Hebrews 10: 36 (NLT):  Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

James 1: 3 – 4 (KJV): 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

2 Peter 1 : 5 – 7 (KJV): 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

Patience is still a priceless virtue.

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January 14, 2016 · 5:04 pm

TWO PHEASANTS AND AN EGG

Over the last holiday season, my kids and I got engaged in paying daily visits to 2 birds -a local breed of pheasants- that decided to breed at our backyard. There were two pheasants and an egg, so we christened one of the birds as Mama Pheasant and the other as Papa Pheasant. Each time we approached the new parents, they would make some noise that sounded like a tiny growl to ensure that we did not cross our limits and get too close. This was their way of ensuring that Baby Pheasant remained unharmed till the day of hatching and “manifestation”. Of course we never crossed our limits, not knowing what surprises the pheasants would spring at us if we dared.

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On one of the days, a thought crossed my mind as we were in the middle of our daily visit: the Baby Pheasant inside the egg had no idea of what was going on outside its shell and had no way of influencing the behaviour of Mama and Papa Pheasant. It had no way of begging its parents for protection; it did not have to do anything to earn the right to be protected. Yet it did not have any reason to fear. The parents were under obligation to offer the protection, even if it meant putting themselves in harm’s way – and they never failed. Day and night, they stood at their duty post, unwavering, unflinching and untiring.
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This is similar to the kind of covenant relationship that believers have with God. What an awesome privilege! Our covenant confers a plethora of promises on us. If we can take out time to understand the terms of this covenant in the Bible, we will live our lives in unimaginable peace. Just living, walking and working in the glory of the covenant. We will no longer give prominent place to enemies and fill our prayers with concerns about them. A highly superior version of the kind of protection that the pheasant in the egg got is just one of the benefits that we enjoy as believers.

If we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6); if we are dead and our lives are hid with Christ (Colossians 3:3); if He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4); if the name of the Lord is a strong tower that the righteous run into and are safe (Proverbs 18:10); If the Lord is around us as the mountains that surround Jerusalem (Psalms 125:2), If the Lord will not allow the rod of the wicked to rest upon the lot of the righteous (Psalms 125:3) why should we be afraid of enemies. We should rather devote time to mediate on these promises day and night until they are ingrained on the tablets of our hearts. This way, we will be steadfast and unmoveable, working in the sound mind that God has given us instead of walking in fear.

The Bible verses referenced above are just a few of the reasons why we should be bold as the lion, living above fear of enemies. We will discover many more if we will be willing to search the scriptures diligently. We would then be able to treat them the way Jesus recommended in Matthew 5:43 – 48

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends] how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

 One thing we can be sure of is this: No enemy in the form of man or devil can harm us if we remain under the shadow of the Almighty. It is our covenant privilege.

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February 16, 2014 · 3:18 pm

SHADES OF HOLY

I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11: 45 (NIV)

Growing up, I have seen HOLINESS mean different things at different times and the evolution is not showing any sign of stopping. The definitions are somehow affected by level of exposure, class, geographical location and who you are relating with at the time.

I remember when it was a grievous sin for ladies to put on trousers on the streets and they dare not go close to a church dressed like that or …. It was a sign of holiness to ensure that your hair is always covered anytime you are in church or when any prayer is being said; that hair cover could well be a strip of cloth or a sheet of paper. Back in the days, even Jeans was a sign of ‘unholiness’ and if you were very rich, there must be something unholy about you. There was also a holy look, there were holy hairstyles and it was easy to spot ‘holy’ people out in a crowd.

It evolved from the way we look to the way we speak. Certain phrases came to be associated with holiness. I’m sure you can think of some of them.  And then the music had to sound in a certain way to be holy. You probably have your own experience on this.

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In all these things, one thing is certain and not in dispute: Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has had one definition of holiness and that definition will remain till the end of time. God really wants us to be holy because that is the only way we can relate with Him as He intends and eventually end up with Him. We can never attain to that level of holiness by our hard work or by trying hard enough. I believe holiness becomes natural to us as we get closer and closer to God. It is a fruit of intimacy with God at the place of prayer, worship and study of the Word. There are no set of rules that can help you get there. God just works it out in you as you spend more time with Him.

I recently heard something which I think summarises the pursuit of holiness:

The more you see God, the more you know Him. The more you know Him, the more you want to know Him. The more you know Him, the more you are changed by God. The more you are changed by God, the more you see Him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 lays more credence to this:

And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

Devote more time, not just to church activities, but to developing your intimacy with God and you will become the definition of holiness. His grace is sufficient!

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