THE POWER OF HOLINESS
Proverbs 14:11
The house of the wicked shall be overthrown but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.
Proverbs 15:6
In the house of the righteous is much treasure but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.
Proverbs 3:33
The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just.
Friend, holiness speaks louder than prayer! Holiness is basically walking in the fear of God. When your life is separated from the world to follow God, that is holiness. Holiness naturally attracts the presence of God. Prayer is different from holiness. You can be a man of prayer but you have not separated yourself from the world to follow God. This separation is not something that you do by human ability, but by the help of the Holy Spirit. That’s why it does not matter how prayerful you are in life; as long you are living in sin, you can’t attract God’s presence. Why? Because God is a holy God, and His presence is holy!
Hence, any prayer offered while living in sin doesn’t attract God (Isaiah 59:1-3). And God will close His ears to your prayers! Sometimes people do not understand that God does not listen to every prayer offered (Genesis 4:1-16). When you learn to live in holiness even your prayers will make sense to God. Otherwise, living in wickedness will hinder your prayers from reaching heaven or God’s ears. Holiness is the only way to make prayer work!
Psalm 66:18-19
If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Obviously, in the above scripture God regarded David’s prayer because he offered it from a pure heart! Then what did David do to have attained a pure heart that commanded God’s attention? Well, he did not regard iniquity in his heart. In other words, he walked in consecration to God. The journey of answered prayer and greatness begins with a holy walk with God. “What do you mean, pastor George?” If you want God to listen to your prayer, then walk in holiness to Him (Hebrews 12:14). Holiness is not an option, but a must!
Just simple wisdom: anytime you commit sin, ask God for forgiveness. God is faithful and He will forgive all your sins. Holiness will provoke God’s attention to have your prayers answered without much effort. Holiness is not wished or imagined, but yielded to. “But pastor George, how can I live a holy life?” Well, it is not your effort, but by God’s grace! However, do not feel guilty because of the previous mistakes that you have made in life. I believe everyone makes mistakes in life from time to time but they don’t focus on mistakes all their lifetime.
Don’t let mistakes that you have made in life weigh your spirit down. Everyone makes mistakes in life but all they do is to get up and move on after repentance. I believe God loves you despite the mistakes that you have made in life. I really encourage you to focus on the love of God. Did you know that out of the billion thoughts God has, you will never find one thought that will condemn and wish you destruction? No! Why? This is because God loves you with an everlasting love.