John Bevere - The Secret to Elevating Your Thoughts, Intentions, and Actions

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I’m talking about seeing God. Now wait a minute—what do you mean, see God? Wait a minute, let me explain it to you like this: we just read chapter 20, and I want to expand on this statement: pursue holiness, without which no man will see the Lord. I mentioned it in the last chapter, and I really want to dive into it now. Okay, pursue—what does that word mean? Listen to this: in the original Greek, it means to chase after with the intent to apprehend. Now, pursue holiness, without which no man will see the Lord. Does that mean we’re not going to see God in heaven? Well, I’m not going to answer that. I’m talking about seeing God now.

Wait a minute—what do you mean, see God? Wait a minute, let me explain it to you like this: I’ve been under 11 presidents of the United States of America in my 63 years of living here. Their rule and decisions have affected my life. I have a relationship with them in the sense that they are my president, but I’ve never seen a United States president in person. What do I mean? I’ve never been in the presence of a United States president.

Now, there are people in the church who are under Jesus’s rule; His decisions affect their lives. However, are they in His manifest presence? Many of them are not. Why? Because they’re not chasing after holiness. Now, that can’t be positional holiness. Why? Well, can you imagine Lisa saying, «I’m just chasing after being John’s wife»? Her friends would laugh at her and say, «Lisa, you already are John’s wife.» Now, she can say, «I’m chasing after, with the intent to apprehend, the behavior of a good wife to John.» That is something she can chase after.

So we know the writer of Hebrews isn’t talking about positional holiness; he’s talking about behavioral holiness. This is why Peter says that we are to be holy in all our conduct or behavior. Why? Because as God is holy, He’s called us to be holy. Therefore, we should live in holy fear, because fear is what gives us the ability to live in holy behavior.

So, here’s the thing: we meet believers in church day after day, saying, «You know, how come I don’t sense the presence of God? How come I never get into His presence?» I want you to ask yourself an honest question: Am I pursuing the fear of the Lord? And then, in pursuing the fear of the Lord, am I receiving the empowerment that gives me the ability to obey God?

If you say, «John, I just don’t have the ability to walk away from sin,» then check your holy fear of God. Because if you have a holy fear of God, it gives you the ability to say no when you didn’t have it before. That’s the value of the fear of the Lord, and that is what keeps us living an obedient life.

You say, «But John, I make mistakes.» You know what the Bible says? If a righteous man falls seven times, he’ll get back up. What does that mean? If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just. But not only confess— the Bible also says whoever confesses and forsakes, in other words, we do it in such a way that, like, «I sinned, but I’m not doing this again by the grace of God.» What if I do it again? I repent. You have to look at it like a marriage relationship. Have I done something wrong with Lisa more than once? Yes. Did I come to her and say, «Babe, I’m so sorry,» and really mean it, more than once? Yes. Did she forgive me more than once? Yes.

God says seven times seventy. But when you come, you have to really mean, «God, I really, really repent. I don’t want to do this anymore. By Your help and grace, I’m not going to do it.» This is a holy fear of God that motivates that and keeps us close to Jesus.