Strive to Live Holy.

Holiness is the goal this year.

I’m beginning this year with God.

I’m praying that I remain steadfast in Him.

I’m determined that He remains to be my first priority.

Im not holy yet, but I’m striving to be holy. When I remember the Bible says, “follow peace and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord,” I tremble with fear.

Choosing to live for God doesn’t guarantee a flawless path ahead. It doesn’t mean every decision will be the right one. Followers of God, like everyone else, encounter daily choices and challenges. Sadly, others sometimes assume that by committing to follow God, a person will be incapable of making mistakes.

When a follower of God stumbles, I’ve often heard people say, “I thought they were a Christian.” But being a Christian doesn’t imply instant perfection. Instead, it signifies that someone has recognized their imperfections and seeks a savior to guide them through life’s journey.

Anyone who claims that living a Christ-like life is easy is not telling the truth, for Christ is Holy. Holiness is the standard of God, the precepts of God, the way of God and the characteristics of God.

The devil has made sin appear appealing, pleasurable, effortless, and acceptable in the eyes of people. Many openly engage in wrongdoing with confidence and smiles, showing no hesitation. Some without even the knowledge of it. The fear of the Lord has disappeared. 

The devil has deceived and misled people so much that they will even quote Bible verses to justify their wrong actions. Few are willing to accept guidance or correction, and when their mistakes are pointed out, they quickly take offense, claiming they are being judged.

Look at how men and women indulge in drunkenness, sing, and dance to worldly music, laughing and enjoying every moment. Look at how people engage in fornication and adultery, changing partners without a second thought. Some fight ruthlessly to obtain wealth, uncaring whether it’s through theft or corruption. They crave power and status, seeking riches to be honored by society. The poor are despised, while the rich are exalted.

Notice how young men and women embrace certain fashions, boldly declaring, "My dress, my choice," with tattoos and piercings adorning their bodies. Look at the rise of the LGTBQ community. Look at how easy it is to tell a lie or gossip. Look at at how many people are trapped into various addictions.

Renouncing these worldly pleasures can be both difficult and painful. 

Paul says in Romans 7:19-24;

19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

What people tend to forget is that sin is only sweet for a season but the end of it, tears-pain and death.

Following the teachings of the Bible, as we are called to do, requires a life completely transformed—where our will must give way to the will of the Lord. I’m not any special person but also struggling to stay right.

In 2 Timothy 2:3-5, Paul writes: “Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.”

To live right, we must battle against our thoughts and guard our actions. No longer can we frequent the places we once went, speak as we used to, or keep the company we once did just to stay in the book. The Bible commands us to distinguish between what is holy and unholy, clean and unclean. 

When you set your heart on living right, there are far more things you cannot do than those you can. As Galatians 5:19-21 warns, we must combat the works of the flesh: 

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, 

20 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, 

21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Yet, if you truly desire to live right and serve God with sincerity, He promises to give you strength. In Isaiah 41:10, He says: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

We cannot serve two masters. It’s impossible to serve both God and the devil, just as a spring cannot produce both sweet and bitter water. Therefore, it’s impossible to please God while we still indulge in the sinful pleasures of the world. 

Friends, it is not easy, but strive to do right. Fight with all your strength. Take a firm stand and do not be ashamed. 

In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul reflects: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” May these words be something we can also say.

The saints that will get to heaven will be a people who worked hard to deny themselves the pleasures of the world, sanctify themselves and made sacrifices to live holy while enduring the tough commands of the Lord written in Scripture.

Along the way, you might fall or backslide but pray that you have the strength to rise again and keep going. As Matthew 24:13 says, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

God is full of understanding and recognizes that change is a gradual process. Just as a baby learns to walk—sometimes crawling, taking a few unsteady steps, and falling until they find their balance—so too is our journey of growth in the Lord. Keep striving for righteousness.

Ephesians 4:24 says, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and TRUE HOLINESS.” 

Galatians 6:7-9 states:

7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Friends, whatever it takes for God to keep us in His book, let us be willing to do it. Humility, repentance and obedience must be part and parcel of our daily lives. 

Strive to be Holy, seeking after God’s Kingdom this year, 2025.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” 🙏