Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; or it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV)
In God there is no evil at all. None at all. There is neither spot nor blemish within Him or within His good and pleasing and perfect will. He is pure Holiness, free from every shade of darkness – even the faintest. Free from any defilement. He loves all truth and goodness, hating all things false and evil. He is pure in His being, knowing and doing what is right and what is just. Holiness is His very nature. Further, He has called us to holiness as well – through His power and for His glory. We are not to conform any longer to our evil desires and the pattern of this world rather we are to be transformed in an ever increasing measure - into holiness by the renewing of our hearts and minds - through God’s Word and by His Spirit. This pleases our Lord. It is also God’s desire for us to set our hopes fully on His grace to be given us.
Holiness is an inside job. God always begins with the heart. He works from the inside out. In my opinion, it is the greatest miracle He does – taking the hard heart and giving it a totally different leaning. The heart is the seat of all thoughts and fears, words and actions. As the heart goes, so does the man or woman. We are no longer to be as infants tossed about by every wave of doctrine and conforming to worldly desires. Make no mistake about it, when our hearts are right with the Lord, the fruit we produce will be right. If we allow God to thoroughly search our hearts, He will expose and rebuke the sins within that have poisoned our words, our wills and our ways and give us the power to change them. Create in us a pure heart O Lord and renew a steadfast spirit within us.
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“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37 (NIV)