John Bevere - Why You Are Not Experiencing the Presence of God?
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All right, I’m going to open up with what some of you may think is kind of a downer, but it’s something we’ve got to talk about. In 2022, I believe it was Barna that conducted a really big study. They were funded by a very large group of businessmen and women who wanted an answer; they wanted to see the kingdom manifest in the country. So they actually funded Barna to do a massive study on just how many people have walked away from the faith. What Barna discovered after this extensive study was that in the past 24 years, over 23 million people have transitioned from practicing Christians to non-practicing Christians. Barna took it one step further, stating that not only are they non-practicing Christians, but many are now professing atheists, agnostics, and spiritualists.
I have a friend who is a pastor, and he shared that just the other day, a couple approached him. They have three sons who were called to ministry, but after all three sons went to university, they are now all professing agnostics. If you consider that over 23 million represents one out of every 14 Americans, it’s not just one out of every 14 people that go to church; it’s one out of every 14 Americans who have literally walked away from the faith. They went from attending regularly and praying regularly to not even attending or praying at all and now professing to be agnostic.
That really troubles me, as a 65-year-old man looking at the church that I love so much. I’m thinking, wait a minute, why are we losing so many people? The conclusion I’ve reached is that they have not experienced the true presence of God. I believe the reason so many have left the church is because they didn’t experience the true presence of God, which is a very real aspect of Christianity. Jesus makes a statement in John chapter 14: «I will love him, and I will manifest myself to him.» The word «manifest» is an amazing word; it means to be fully known by clearly revealing oneself. It means to bring to light; it means to disclose. It’s when God makes Himself real to you, when your physical senses literally sense Him. That’s a real part of Christianity.
To put it simply, it is the tangible presence of God. I am concerned that there are many believers in the United States who have learned to live satisfied without the presence of God. Yet Moses made a statement: «It is your presence that separates your people and me from all the other people on the earth.» We are told that in His presence is the fullness of joy, and what is joy? The joy of the Lord is our strength. So why are people losing this battle? Why are they slipping away? Why are they burning out? Why are they going shipwrecked? Because they don’t have the strength to endure the tribulations, the trials, the afflictions, and the onslaughts that are present in this day and time. Trust me, it’s more intense now than it has ever been in my entire life.
The next question we must ask ourselves is why are there people who are not experiencing the presence of God? Why are there Christians who aren’t experiencing His presence? I believe the answer is simple: they are not pursuing authentic holiness. Now, I have to be careful with this one. I was raised Catholic, but I know some people here were not. I understand that «holiness» is a word that strikes fear in a lot of people, and it should. Why? Because of the legalism attached to it. Many pastors, teachers, and ministers have used this word «holiness» to beat people up, control them, and enforce a behavior satisfying to the teacher. It’s astounding; these teachers don’t even like people! Can I say this? You shouldn’t be teaching the Bible if you don’t like people; you should be teaching physics— that’s what you should be doing.
They would beat us up with a behavior that they felt was acceptable. The result is reflected in a Chinese proverb: a cat that has been scalded with boiling water will even fear cool water. In other words, if you pour boiling water on a cat and then offer cool water, the cat will run from it, even though the cool water gives life. The sad thing is, C.S. Lewis made a statement: «How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it’s irresistible.» I hope to show you the irresistible aspect of holiness tonight. I think what happened as a result of legalism is we swung the pendulum to the complete other side. Clever teachers started coming along, stating things like, «Holiness? You don’t need to be concerned about it. Jesus is your holiness. You’re a human being with needs. We live in a real world; don’t worry about holiness; Jesus is your holiness.»
The really sad thing about this is that there is truth in what they’re saying, but it’s not the complete truth. They have lumped all holiness into one bucket, when in reality, there are actually two buckets. Number one would be positional holiness. What do I mean by positional holiness? Here’s just one of many examples: Ephesians 1:4 states, «He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.» In other words, from the foundations of the world, God decided to create mankind. God knows the end from the beginning because He is not bound by time. He says, «These guys are going to mess up. Son, would you be willing to die for them?» Jesus responds, «I’ll die for them.» So from the foundations of the world, God created this plan, stating that Jesus' blood is what purchases them back, cleanses them from sin, and enables them to stand before Him as holy and righteous.
So today, when a person receives Jesus Christ as their Lord, Master, and Savior, God declares them holy. Positionally, you are as holy as you will ever be, and you are never going to be more holy. Let me give you an example: 42 years ago, on October 2nd, Lisa Toscano walked down the aisle of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lafayette, Indiana, and became my wife. Lisa and I have now been married 42 years, and she is not more my wife today than she was on the day I married her. She is also not going to be more my wife 40 years from now than she was on the day I married her. It’s settled; she’s my wife. This is what Paul speaks about here, and you’ll see this theme throughout the New Testament. There is a position that God has given us, and He declares that position to be holy.
After Lisa and I got married, her behavior changed. I had the privilege of leading Lisa to the Lord on our first date before we got married. While dating, she flirted with guys and gave them her phone number. After we got married, however, she stopped giving other men her phone number and stopped going on dates with them. Are you following this? What has happened now is that she has a behavior that aligns with her position. This is called behavioral holiness.
Look at what Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:14–15: «Live as obedient children. Do not conform yourselves 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.» What Peter is discussing is a behavior that aligns with our relationship with our bridegroom. This requires our cooperation. If we say, «Hey, don’t worry about holiness; Jesus is your holiness,» we’ve told the truth regarding our positional holiness, but we have entirely left off the aspect of holiness that the Bible says is extremely important.
Now, why am I bringing this up in regard to the presence of God? It’s very simple. The writer of Hebrews states, «Pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.» Now, I want to dwell on this for a few minutes. The word «pursue» is interesting. It means to chase after with the intent to apprehend. This word carries intensity and urgency. So, let’s stop and think about this: chasing after with the intent to apprehend something. Now, let’s revert back to our question. Is he talking about positional holiness or behavioral holiness?
Let’s go back to the example of Lisa. Lisa has a Wednesday morning Bible study that she attends with several ladies. Can you imagine Lisa walking into that Bible study tomorrow morning and saying, «Girls, my prayer request today is: just pray that I am chasing after with the intent to apprehend being John B’s wife. I just want to be John B’s wife»? They’d all laugh at her, saying, «Lisa, you became his wife 42 years ago; that makes no sense.» But if she goes in there tomorrow morning and says, «Girls, can you pray for me? I want to be a better wife to John than I’ve been,» that makes a lot of sense.
So we know right away that the writer of Hebrews is not discussing positional holiness; he is addressing the part where our behavior comes in. We are to chase after the behavior that aligns with our position. Now notice he states, «Without which, no one will see the Lord.» I want them to see that again. Without this, no one is going to see the Lord. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa—stop for a moment. What does this mean? No one is going to see the Lord?
Revelation 1:7 states, «Behold, He comes in the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.» At the Great White Throne judgment, every human being who has ever lived will see God. So it’s not about seeing the Lord at the judgment or when He comes back. What is this talking about? Let me illustrate this: I have been under, I think, 12 United States presidents in my lifetime. Their decisions have affected my life, and I am under their rulership. They make decisions I must abide by, right? Unless, of course, they violate God’s law! But do you know that in my 65 years of living, I’ve never seen a United States president? I’ve never been in the presence of a United States president.
Now don’t get me wrong; they have friends who see him daily. He has people he works with who are in his presence every day. I have never been in the presence of a United States president. Conversely, there are Christians who are under the rulership of Jesus. His decisions affect their lives; they are under His rulership, but they’re not in His presence. They’re not seeing Him. I’ll show you. I’m not taking this out of context. Let’s revisit what John said or what Jesus said in John 14. This is out of the Amplified, and it’s so clear: «The person who has my commandments—and keeps them—is the one who really loves me. And I will love him, and I will show, reveal, and manifest myself to him.» Notice this: «I will let myself be clearly seen by him.»
Pursue holiness, without which no man will see the Lord. Now why is seeing the Lord so important? Because the Bible says, «As we behold Him, we are changed from glory to glory.» If we’re not beholding Him, we’re not changing.
Here’s my concern: I know this is very serious; it’s not a rah-rah message tonight, and it’s not supposed to be. I believe the Word of God you’re hearing tonight will protect you because there is so much deception out there today, which has caused many to walk away. In the last days, people will turn aside from the truth and find teachers who will tickle their ears.
Now, why don’t I commit adultery against my wife Lisa? I want to set up a relationship with Jesus after giving you this example. There’s a reason I don’t want to commit adultery against Lisa. Let me give you the two top reasons: number one, I fear God; number two, I would be dead. She is a sharpshooter! I’m not kidding; she told me if I commit adultery, I’ll never feel any pain. Sicilian Italians feed you; Sicilians kill you! Just go watch The Godfather.
Now let’s get back to being serious. There is a reason I don’t commit adultery against my wife. Why? Here’s the deal: I got a marriage certificate 42 years ago. That certificate says I am legally married to Lisa. I could hold that certificate up and say, «Hey, I’m married to you,» but if I’m committing adultery, I may technically be married, but it’s not going to last long. Here’s what I lose: I lose those moments when her head is on the pillow next to mine, and she shares with me the intimate secrets of her heart that she doesn’t share with anyone else. The reason I don’t commit adultery against Lisa is that I don’t ever want to lose that intimacy when she looks me in the eye and shares things she would never tell another human being. I don’t ever want to lose that. That is more valuable to me than anything.
Do you want to know why I don’t commit adultery against Jesus? Wait, what? Commit adultery? Stop! James writes 15 times, «My brothers and sisters"—he’s not talking to unbelievers; he’s talking to the church—"Are you seeking a friendship with the world? You are an adulterer.» He actually repeats it again for emphasis, stating, «You are an adulterer.» Can you imagine any young man in America—let’s say his name is Matt—getting down on his knees, opening a little ring box, looking at Angela and saying, «Baby, will you marry me?» Angela squeals, «Yes! I’ll marry you!» They’re so excited. Then she says, «You know, Matt, we’re going to have an amazing life together, but I did date Peter for two years in college, and I want to spend a couple nights a year with him. And Tony was my high school boyfriend, so I’d like to give him a couple nights a year. But don’t worry, you’ll still be my favorite; I love you more than Tony or Peter, and you’ll have 360 nights a year.»
Is there any young man in the United States of America who would accept that? Not a single one! Yet we look at our bridegroom who is our Creator, who chooses to come into this cursed world knowing He will be despised, mocked, insulted, lied about, spit in the face, punched in the mouth, and have His beard plucked out. He knows He will have thorns jammed into His skull, whipped with lead-tipped whips, and beaten so severely that by the time He gets to the cross, His appearance will no longer even be recognizable as a human being. He knows all of this, and yet He says, «Yes,» because He loves you that much.
And we think He will have a bride that says, «Let me just have two or three nights in bed with the world each year. Let me just flirt with them and give them my phone number.» Then we wonder why we aren’t experiencing His presence. It’s not legalism; it’s not legalism because here’s the deal, and I will show you this before the night is over. He gave us the ability to live this way, to live a holy life. Not only did He tell us, «I want you to have a behavior that matches your holiness,» but He empowered us to live that behavior.
Still with me? Paul says something that I believe often gets overlooked. He writes in 2 Corinthians, «As God has said, 'I will live in them and walk among them.'» We read that and think, «That’s nice; yes, He lives in me and walks with me.» But stop and think about who He’s talking about. Isaiah is a godly man; he’s the most godly man in all of Israel. In Isaiah 5, he says, «Woe to the wicked! Woe to those who are proud! Woe to those who call evil good and good evil!» In Isaiah 6, God decides, «I’m going to bring him and put him right in front of the throne.» He takes him out of his body and places him before the throne room. When Isaiah sees the Lord, he sees massive angels, and one angel is crying out to the other, «Holy!»
These angels are not singing a song; they’re responding to what they see. Every moment another facet of His glory is revealed, and all they can do is cry, «Holy!» When Isaiah sees the Lord, he doesn’t say, «Dude, man! There He is! Wow, I finally see the man upstairs; this is a cool moment!» No! This man is on his face, crying out, «Woe is me!» I wish you would give us some scriptures, guys! I promise you! «Woe is me!» This godly man, who has one glimpse of the Lord, now realizes who he really is before this holy God. It’s no longer, «Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.» It’s not about the sinner anymore; it’s now, «Woe is me!»
God Himself said there is no one on the planet more righteous than Job. Job has one glimpse, and when he sees, he says, «Woe is me! For my eyes have seen the King!» He makes the statement, «I’ve heard you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you, and I utterly abhor myself.» He realizes who he truly is before this magnificent holy God. So all of us have heard Him by the hearing of the ear; we have preachers preaching it all the time in every church in America, every Sunday, every conference. So did Job, but now he sees Him, and he says, «I utterly abhor myself.»
Moses sees the Lord—Moses, who is so close to God, possibly the most godly man on the planet at that time, the most humble man. He says, «So terrifying was the sight, I was exceedingly afraid» when he saw Him. John the Apostle, who was so close to Jesus, sees Him on the island of Patmos, and he falls down like a dead man. This is why we need to see Him. Here’s what God did: He stated, «I hide myself.» Isaiah 45:15 says, «You are God who hides Yourself.» He hides Himself to see if we’ll turn in by pursuing holiness and get a glimpse, being changed like Job, like Isaiah, like Moses, like John. Or if we just hear Him by the hearing of the ear and become complainers like Job for 30 chapters.
Oswald Chambers said, «Oh no, no, I don’t want to read that…» I want to keep going because I don’t want… Okay, let me help you understand this: We are being bombarded with talented athletes, beautiful Hollywood actors and actresses, guru businessmen, and all forms of media making it hard to turn in.
When my boys were about 12 to 4 years old, it was the mid-1990s. There was a particular NBA basketball player who was considered the best of all time; you all know his name: Michael. I walked around my house, hearing about Michael too much. Their friends came over, talking about Michael, and posters went up in the room featuring him. It started annoying me. I’m friends with Michael’s mother, Dolores—I have nothing against Michael. In fact, I think he’s the best basketball player that ever played. However, I didn’t like how enamored they were with the glory of this man. So I became more and more frustrated. We were invited to preach at a church on the east coast of America, and this church put us up right on the beach. I remember how the Atlantic was stirred up that day. The boys were body surfing and being thrown by the waves, getting sand everywhere. When we came in, they wrapped themselves in towels, and I opened the sliding glass door so they could hear the pounding ocean. I looked at them and said, «Guys, that’s a pretty big ocean out there, isn’t it?» They agreed.
I said, «It’s also a powerful ocean, isn’t it?» They also agreed. I continued, «You know what? You can only see one mile, but that ocean goes another 4,000 miles. There’s another ocean on the other side that’s even bigger, and there are two others beside that.» I told them, «You know God weighed every drop of water in that ocean in the palm of His hand. And you’re impressed that this guy can jump from the 15-foot line, have the ball in the palm of his hand, and put it through a little hole?» They responded, «Dad, we get it.» They still enjoyed the NBA games, but now they had a healthy perspective.
Now, let’s return to this. God has said, and He’s about to make a string of promises here: «I will live in them.» So stop and think about what you’re hearing in 2 Corinthians 6:16: «I will live in them.» The one I’ve just discussed for the past several minutes. «I will live in them.» He hides His glory. Are we going to be enamored by what surrounds us in this world, which has no glory in comparison, or are we going to see His glory in our hearts? The glory of God is revealed in the face of Christ Jesus, and we have this treasure in earthen vessels. If I pursue holiness, I get a greater glimpse. The better the glimpse I get, the more I change.
God says, «I will live in them. I’ll walk among them. I’ll be their God, and they shall be my people.» I counted seven promises there. Here’s the key statement in 2 Corinthians 7:1: «Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness…» Everybody say «all.» Notice it doesn’t say 99%. In other words, Lisa didn’t say to me, «I’ll give up every boyfriend except for one» when we got married. She didn’t say that! «Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness.» Notice it doesn’t say the blood of Jesus will cleanse us. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! John, are you telling me the blood of Jesus doesn’t cleanse me? Never! What I am saying is, «Don’t confuse the work of justification with the work of sanctification.»
There’s a big difference. The moment I got saved, the blood of Jesus cleansed me from all unrighteousness, all sin, and I was declared righteous, right? Positional holiness was achieved. But the work of sanctification is what is done inside of us and works its way out. We have to cooperate. We are to cleanse ourselves by the power of His grace from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness not in the love of God, but in the fear of God. We’ll discuss that shortly.
Now look at this: I want to focus in on «cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.» The flesh is pretty obvious. I don’t need to elaborate on that. First Thessalonians 4:3 states, «God’s will for you is to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.» Why aren’t we discussing this more? How come I keep meeting people who tell me they are born-again Christians and are living with their boyfriends? I don’t get it; it’s because we’re not talking about it.
Do you know how many people are actually living together? I know of someone who works for an international ministry. Her boyfriend asked, «Why don’t you move in with me?» He’s a born-again believer, thank God she possessed enough sense to say, «There is no way I’m moving in with you!» God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from sexual sin. The Bible further states, «He who rejects this, rejects God.» We have to have honest discussions about this. Hebrews 13:4 states, «The marriage bed is undefiled, but those who commit adultery and have sex before marriage, God will judge.»
How come we don’t talk about pornography? Sixty-seven percent of men who go to church regularly watch pornography regularly. It was a struggle for me; it was a six-year struggle to get free from it. I was bound to it. I’m not casting stones; I had a six-year battle, but on May 6th, 1985, God set me free, and I’m still free today! Thank God! It’s because I had teachers—fathers—one of whom was Lester Sumrall, who addressed the reality of sin. He didn’t skirt it; he went right at it and told me to stop. That challenge led me to search, and during a four-day fast, I was completely set free!
I remember being on a radio interview discussing Matthew 7, where many will call Him Lord yet He will say, «I don’t even know who you are, you who practice sin.» The radio announcer said, «Wait a minute! What about these guys looking at pornography? Come on!» I said, «Are you trying to tell me that the blood of Jesus is only strong enough to free us from the penalty of sin but not from the bondage of sin? Is that what you’re suggesting on a live radio program broadcasted throughout Minneapolis? Sorry! You’re too late with me; you can’t convince me of that because I was in bondage from age 11 to 25. After being saved, I said I got free, and I’m free today!»
Paul states, «Don’t fool yourselves! Those who indulge in sexual sin, who worship idols, who commit adultery, practice homosexuality, or are thieves or greedy people, or drunkards, or abusive, or cheap people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.» Don’t be fooled! I want to focus on this one for the last couple of minutes I have with you: filthiness of the spirit. What is that? That’s our intentions, thoughts, and motives.
Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians that our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. This is huge—motives are driven by who we desire to please. To understand this better, you must realize that every human being has three images. Everybody say, «I have three images.»
What are our three images? First, our perceived image, which is the way people perceive us; second, our projected image, which is the way we project ourselves; and third, our actual image, which is the image God sees. This is also the image that will be revealed before everyone at the Judgment Seat.
Our perceived image is not always positive. Many people thought Jesus was a drunkard, a glutton, a wine bibber, a friend of sinners. His perceived image was not great, but God the Father declared His actual image: «This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.» Now the question becomes: Are we going to be motivated by how people perceive us, which focuses on our projected image? Or will we be motivated by our actual image, which is the way God sees us? That will drive our motives and intentions.
Do you remember the man and woman in the church in Jerusalem who brought an offering and laid it at Peter’s feet? There is absolutely nothing wrong with them bringing that offering and giving it to the work of God. What was wrong was their motive. Many are confused about this situation, but if you look at Acts 5:1, it says, «But there was a certain man named Ananias.» This is Acts 5:1, the very beginning of the chapter. Let me tell you, as an author, I have never started a chapter with the word «but.» These chapters and verses were added later. This is one long letter.
In the very last verse of chapter 4, we have Barnabas, a Levite from the country of Cyprus, who sold land and put the money at the apostles' feet. If you own land in Cyprus back then, it’s like owning land in Manhattan or Newport Beach today; you’re rich. Barnabas sells that land and probably puts around $8 million at Peter’s feet. I can only imagine his genuine joy.
But then we see, «But there was a certain man named Ananias.» Barnabas' offering inspired Ananias and Sapphira. They had the gift of giving, which is a celebrated gift in the church. They were likely driven by gratitude and excitement. They wanted attention, so they went and sold their land. Ananias and Sapphira probably decided to sell their biggest plot of land, but then they thought, «This is too much money to give.»
See, this is a projected image; they brought the rest—let’s say they sold for $12 million and presented $6 million at Peter’s feet. There is nothing wrong with the offering; what’s wrong is the motive. They wanted to appear generous, but they were not being honest. Their insecurity in their relationship with Jesus wasn’t strong enough. They derived satisfaction from their gifts rather than from their connection with God.
Why do ministers end up shipwrecked? Because on social media, their friends project certain images, and suddenly, they wonder why their church hasn’t grown in two years from 2,000 to 2,000. They question themselves: What’s wrong with me? While all this projected image is out there, they fail to recognize that their greatest treasure is their relationship with Jesus.
You know, one significant event for me was during COVID. I know it was terrible for most people, but it was wonderful for me. That year, I decided to pull away every single day. I wanted to connect with God and achieve that connection. When you pray and you don’t connect, you know it. That year changed my life. It solidified what truly matters to me. I’ve stood in front of so many people—probably millions—if you include media and live settings. I realized that it doesn’t bring satisfaction because my relationship here is overwhelmingly greater.
Ananias and Sapphira were deriving their satisfaction from their gifts instead of their relationship, and now they are projecting something. Social media almost teaches us to do that. Now don’t get me wrong; we have millions of followers. I mean, I’ve got 750,000 followers on just Instagram. We use it, but I don’t care what people think. My wife always says, «You don’t seem phased at all.» I said, «No, I’m not!» To be honest with you, Lisa, I use it as a tool to talk to people.
Then they fell over dead. Peter said, «Why has Satan filled your heart so that you would lie to the Holy Spirit?» He falls over dead, and his wife falls over dead as well. Remember what the Bible says: great fear came upon the whole church. I want you to see that. Put it up for me: great fear! Everybody say, «Great fear!» The word «great» there is the Greek word megas. We derive our English word «mega» from it. Mega fear filled the entire church.
What do we have here? We have a church that loved God but lacked a healthy fear of God. What brings that fear of God? The realization of His glory and greatness creates awe. The fear of God is not about being scared of God; rather, it’s about being terrified at the thought of being away from Him. The fear of God was actually Jesus’s delight, which kept Him strong all the way through the cross. Do you know the Bible tells us that the fear of God is God’s treasure? It’s Jesus’s delight! This is why Paul states that holiness is perfected or matured in the fear of the Lord.
I’ve gone over time, and I want to say this. I believe back in the early 1990s, God spoke to me. I got saved at the very tail end of the Jesus Revolution. I love that movie! Oh, Andy Irwin is a good friend. I have told him many times that I am thankful to him and John for making it. I was saved at the tail end of the Jesus Revolution. We found out our Daddy loved us! We got delivered from legalism; we discovered God is love! It was wonderful! But I believe with all my heart that in 1990, God spoke to me, stating that the next major move of His Spirit on the earth would be—though we’ve had Brownsville and pockets—we have yet to see a movement that genuinely covers the entire country.
God spoke to me in 1990, declaring, «The next one that comes to cover the earth will feature a move of the holy fear of God.» After He spoke that to me, I began reading my Bible and noticed that there is only one description of the church that Jesus is coming back for. One description! It’s not a leadership church; I believe in leadership. It’s not a community church; I believe in community. It’s not even a relevant church, though you’ll never win the lost without relevance.
The one and only description of the church that Jesus is coming back for is a holy church without spot or wrinkle. This means we are unspotted from the world; we’re not tarnished by the world. We’re not flirting with the world. We are a glorious church! What makes us glorious? It’s our holiness! Look at the angels as they behold God and cry out, «Holy!» Because every moment of His glory is being revealed, they cry, «Holy!»
When the world sees a church so committed to Him to the point of death—whether I live or die—may Christ be magnified in my body, that’s what Paul says. When the church begins to walk this way—and it is available! —the treasure of God’s ability to walk in holiness is granted. This does not put you into bondage; it empowers you because the fear of the Lord… The reason Jesus delighted in Him was that He knew that holiness would be maintained throughout His life; they would not be away from the Father if He walked in the fear of God.
When we begin to pursue holiness in the fear of the Lord, that is when we will start walking away from things we couldn’t get free from. I’m telling you it’s true, because that’s when God’s grace comes into our lives and changes us. I hope you can see tonight that God is asking no more from us than what we would ask of our spouse. All Lisa asks of me is that I keep my heart loyal to her.
I make stupid mistakes. Oh boy, she has been so mad at me! She has had every right to be angry. But she loves me so deeply because she knows my heart is loyal to her. I am 100% loyal to her.