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(1) " The horse is prepared for the day of battle but SAFETY belongs to God Almighty " - Proverbs 21:31.
AND He gives it to ONLY PERSONS WHO FOLLOW AFTER HOLY LIVING.
(2) "...it is written ' Be ye holy because I (God Almighty) AM holy '". - 1Peter 1:16.
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(a) " In this world, your ONLY GUARANTEE of safety and peace is HOLY LIVING ".
(b) " After this world, your only guarantee of safety and peace THAT TIME is HOLY LIVING NOW ".
(c) " Holy Living is POSSIBLE ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST ".
Jesus Christ says "... without Me, you can do NOTHING " - John 15:5.
(d) " Jesus Christ has to be RESIDING INSIDE YOU before you can POSSIBLY live a holy life ".
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WHAT IS HOLY LIVING ?
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Holy Living = Sober Living plus (+) Righteous Living plus (+) Godly Living.
" The Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to everybody teaching us that we should keep off UNGODLINESS and WORLDLY LUSTS and that we should live SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY and GODLY in this present world " - Titus 2:11-12.
This Grace of God is Jesus Christ.
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SOBER LIVING
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SOBER LIVING, here, refers to " SERIOUSNESS WITH GOD in one's way of living ".
{A} SOBER LIVING BEGINS WITH THE TYPE OF THINGS YOU SAY WITH YOUR MOUTH. (see Acts Of The Apostles 26:25 and note how the word " soberness " was used there).
(a) " And the human tongue is a fire and a world of sin. So is the tongue among our body parts " - James 3:6.
(b) "... the human tongue can NOBODY tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison " - James 3:8.
These two bible verses above tell us that EVERYBODY always faces problem with his or her tongue.
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SOME rules to follow in the use of our tongues are listed below.
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(1) " Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6).
Do not curse anybody. Do not use abusive language on anybody. Do not swear. Do not gossip. Do not be a tale bearer (hearing the matter of one person from another person and then going to tell the person concerned what you heard about him or her) - Leviticus 19:16.
(2) " As a MAD MAN who throws firebrands, arrows and death, so is the person who deceives his neighbour and says I WAS ONLY JOKING " - Proverbs 26:18-19.
Never tell a lie or deceive people in the name of making a joke. Never behave like a MAD PERSON.
(3) MISUSE OF MOUTH in talking made Prophetess Miriam (a daughter of God) to become a leper. She made UNCHARITABLE COMMENTS about Moses the man of God. The account of this is in Numbers chapter 12.
(4) Never be a TALKATIVE. Because " in the multitude of words (i.e talkativeness) there is bound to be sin " - Proverbs 10:19.
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{B} MODERATION IN ALL THINGS. DO NOT OVERDO ANYTHING. " Let your moderation be known to everybody " - Philippians 4:5.
(a) DRESSING MODERATION
Dressing can be easily overdone. DRESS MODERATELY always to AVOID DISPLEASING GOD.
(b) BODY ADORNMENT MODERATION
Body MAKE-UP is ACCEPTABLE TO GOD. God accepts body adornment or body make-up that makes one more good-looking.
FACE POWDER is body-make up that is acceptable to God. Wearing WRIST WATCH is body adornment that is acceptable to God. Wearing EAR RINGS by women is acceptable to God.
Apostle Peter, in 1 Peter 3:3, DID NOT FORBID wearing of GOLD ADORNMENT, COSTLY CLOTHES AND PLAITED HAIR by women. He only admonished them to add INWARD ADORNMENT. Otherwise, it would have been wrong for women to wear plaited hair.
God did not ANYWHERE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT tell women not to adorn their bodies with ornaments.
BUT, body adornment and use of make-up must NOT BE IN EXCESS and MUST NOT be made with the INTENTION OF SEDUCING PEOPLE.
LIP-PAINTING, EYE-LID PAINTING and
NAIL-PAINTING are always meant for seducing people and are FORBIDDEN BY GOD.
(c) DRESSING MODE FOR PRAYER
God is PARTICULAR ABOUT HOW YOU ARE DRESSED when you are PRAYING or MINISTERING for Him.
(1) EXCEPT IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, only CLEAN CLOTHES must be worn while making prayers or while ministering for God.
God made reference to this in Exodus 19:10-11 where He ORDERED the Israelites, two (2) days in advance, to wash the clothes they would wear to meet Him at Mount Sinai on the third day.
(2) FEMALE PEOPLE MUST COVER THEIR HEADS
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THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS THAT GO INTO SOBER LIVING. Aim at IMPRESSING GOD with the way you live.
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REMEMBER : " The Almighty God knows them that are His; let everybody who mentions the name of Christ KEEP AWAY FROM SIN " - 2 Timothy 2:19.
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RIGHTEOUS LIVING
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RIGHTEOUSNESS REFERS TO SERVICE FOR GOD.
RIGHTEOUS LIVING HAS TO DO WITH FILLING ONE'S LIFE WITH ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (GOOD WORKS; PIETY).
(a) " We are the worksmanship of God, CREATED in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS which God has before purposed that WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM " - Ephesians 2:10.
(b) " ... thou, O man of God, flee these things (i.e sins) AND FOLLOW AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS ... " - 1 Timothy 6:11.
(c) " Let Your priests, O LORD, be CLOTHED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS " - Psalm 132:9.
Every born-again Christian is a PRIEST OF GOD (1 Peter 2:5 and 9) and he or she should live CLOTHED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS (i.e with his or her life filled with acts of righteousness).
Look Up Revelation 19:7-8.
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SOME OF THE GOOD WORKS ONE SHOULD FILL HIS OR HER LIFE WITH ARE LISTED BELOW.
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{A} WORSHIP PRAYERS.
( " Fear God ... and worship Him ... " - Revelation 14:7 ).
The first duty of every Christian as a priest is WORSHIP of God AT LEAST TWICE A DAY (in the morning and at night).
" Pray without stopping " - (1Thessalonians 5:17). The prayer referred to in this bible verse is WORSHIP PRAYER.
When you are making prayers to God, you are facing Him directly. During worship prayer, one says NICE THINGS about God to Him, one thanks Him and one praises Him.
ALL THESE CAN BE DONE WITH SONGS. All prayers should begin with " In the name of Jesus Christ ".
A worship prayer is NOT COMPLETE except one's TWO HANDS ARE LIFTED UP TO GOD at least at one stage during the prayer.
King David said " Let my prayer be set forth before YOU as INCENSE and the LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS as the evening sacrifice " - Psalm 141:2.
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Psalm 8 is a short WORSHIP PRAYER while Psalm 145 is a long WORSHIP PRAYER.
MEMORISE both of them and be RECITING them to God AS PRAYER.
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{B} FASTING
FASTING IS SERVICE (MINISTRATION) TO GOD. This is confirmed from Acts Of The Apostles 13 :1-3.
FASTING is = Abstinence From Food OR Drinks OR Sexual Activities OR Sleep FOR THE PURPOSE OF Concentrating On Making Prayers OR Meditation On God's Words OR Preaching God's Words OR Engaging In Physical Activities For God.
NIGHT PRAYER VIGIL IS FASTING.
FAST REGULARLY. By doing this you impress God. By doing this, you get SPECIAL ATTENTION and MEDALS (special powers which some people call ANOINTING) from God.
This was the case with the man called CORNELIUS (Acts of the Apostles 10).
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{C} CHURCH ATTENDANCE
(Regular Communal Gathering With Others Before God).
(a) Church Service is FAMILY MEETING. No member is allowed to be absent except with VALID REASONS.
(b) This FAMILY MEETING takes place regularly in HEAVEN. Angels gather themselves together to God for meeting with Him. See Job 1:6 & 2:1.
(c) VALID REASONS for which one may be absent from church service include (i) Official (Work-Place) Duties, (ii) Matrimonial (Home) Duties and (iii) Personal Difficulties.
(d) HEBREWS 10:25 says " Do not take to the Habit Of Absenting Yourself From Church ".
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{D} MONEY ! MONEY !! MONEY !!! YOUR MONEY SERVICE (MINISTRATION) TO GOD.
(a) EVERY CHRISTIAN HAS FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS TO GOD.
Spending part of your money for God IS A DUTY (A SERVICE) which you must discharge faithfully.
Making THIS POST (this write-up) available for people to read consumed and consumes money. Evangelism consumes money. Pastoring consumes money. Setting up a church consumes money. Running a church consumes money. Visiting people, BY GOD'S SERVANTS, in their localities to do God's work among them consumes money.
THESE MONIES will come from YOU, ME and some other people.
(b) The HEALING, TEACHING, PASTORING and VISITATION ministry of Jesus Christ on earth was FUNDED MAINLY with monies from Mary Magdalene, Joanna Chuza, Suzanna and some other members of His ministry.
This is evident from Luke 8:1-3.
(c) In the EARLY CHURCH (i.e immediately after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven), some church members sold their personal properties and gave the monies from the sales to the church to meet church needs.
This is recorded in Acts Of The Apostles 4:34-37. This is SERVICE TO GOD.
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{E} TITHE PAYMENT IS NOT COMPULSORY BUT GIVING OFFERINGS IS COMPULSORY.
(a) TITHE PAYMENT belongs to the Religion called JUDAISM (the religion of Israelites).
(b) NEITHER Jesus Christ nor Apostle Peter nor Apostle Paul nor any other minister of God mentioned in the NEW TESTAMENT taught that Christians should pay tithes.
(c) TITHE PAYMENT is not part of Christianity. God did not ANYWHERE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT tell Christians to be paying tithes.
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{F} DO TO OTHER PEOPLE AS YOU WANT THEM TO DO TO YOU.
{G} PREACHING FOR GOD.
{H} And the King shall say to them on His right hand ...
{I} True religion and undefiled ...
