Mensa Otabil - Let's Live Pure Lives (10/06/2025)
As we claim God’s promises for our lives and make His word real in our lives, it’s always important to live the lives that God wants us to live. This is not a one-way street where we are only receiving promises from God while never fulfilling His will for our lives. Therefore, it’s essential that we live pure lives for the Lord. The Christian life is a life of righteousness lived in holiness, and no matter how difficult it may be, that is the life we are called to. The same God who promises us blessings also commands us to live a holy life.
In Job chapter 15, verse 14, we read: «What is man that he could be pure? He who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous.» This is Job’s contemplation: What is man? How can man live a pure life, and how can man live a righteous life? That is what we all ask ourselves. How can I live a pure life? How can I live a righteous life? To stay pure in God’s sight is the challenge of the Christian life. It requires that we stay close to the Lord, remain in the word of God, read the Bible, and apply its principles to our lives.
When God says, «Thou shalt not do something,» we must not do it. You cannot say, «I want God to bless me and help me to flourish,» but still commit adultery, steal, lie, or gossip simply because you want God’s blessing. That’s not how it works. If you want to reap God’s blessing, then you have to live by God’s standards. His standard is that we live by the Scriptures and according to what He says we should do and what we shouldn’t do.Here are a few points to consider as you seek to live for the Lord.
First, don’t let your emotions lead you. Our emotions can draw us one way or the other. Sometimes we feel so excited about something that we don’t even care about the consequences, or we may feel we are so in love with someone that we disregard whether what we are doing is right or wrong. Love does not exempt us from the word of God. Your feelings do not exempt you from God’s standards. Just because you feel good about something doesn’t mean God says it’s right. Don’t be led by your emotions; they are not reliable enough to guide you.
If you want God’s best for your life, you must learn to be patient. Many people fall into sin because of impatience. They go through temptation, trials, or difficult times and think, «This is so hard; I don’t think I can stand it.» Remember, every temptation has grace for you to overcome; God always provides a way of escape. Don’t be hasty. When life gets tough, don’t look for the easiest way out. Be patient; God will guide you through the situation. He’ll bring you out and give you a testimony. He’ll provide you with a song of victory; just wait on Him and trust Him.
We must also trust God to redeem our mistakes. When we make a mistake, we shouldn’t hold onto it. We should go to the Lord and say, «Lord, I messed up. I spoke to this person in a way I shouldn’t have, or I looked at something I shouldn’t have. Lord, forgive me.» Don’t wait and accumulate your sins; allow God to help you move on from your mistakes so that progressively, you can live a more righteous and holy life. Don’t make excuses for your mistakes; trust God to redeem you from them. Yes, you may make mistakes, but the Lord delivers us. Go to Him frequently in prayer for forgiveness.
This leads us to the last point: We must regularly clear sin out of our lives. Many times, people sin and continue living as though they are unaware of their wrongdoing. We must be mindful when we sin; when we do, we need to go to God and ask for His forgiveness. We must recognize that what we did was wrong. We need to repent, meaning we decide not to repeat the sin and ask God to cleanse us from it. As we live our lives progressively, we should become more and more righteous in our conduct and holier in our actions. This is how we position ourselves to receive all that God has for us.
May we commit to living pure lives this year while the Lord increases us on all sides. Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You appear in all of Your ways. Help me to be holy as You are holy. In Jesus' name, amen.» God will help us, and we shall live pure and holy lives. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. I’ll see you again tomorrow. Shalom, peace, and life to you.