or
The Life of "Abiding
in Christ"
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord"
"Urgently do we need a revival of personal godliness."-
Charles H. Spurgeon
"Personal holiness in its
simplest and highest form is loving God with all our hearts, and our neighbors
as ourselves. To love anyone or anything more than we love God is sin. In the
Old Testament, God declared, 'You shall have no other gods before Me'"
(Exodus 20:3, NKJ). - Dr. Thomas Hermiz
May God, the Holy Spirit, guide
you as you peruse this page and its links. We have included those items we have
found valuable and helpful in our search to know God better and live a life
well pleasing to Him. As always, The Holy Bible is the final authority. Is not
the scripture in Hebrews 12:14, "Follow peace with all men, and
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" sufficient for us
to seek to live a holy life before him and others?
The author of Personal Holiness:
Unlocking the Door to Effective Prayer explains this prerequisite for answered prayer.
What Jesus said, (quoting from
scripture)
"THE LORD OUR
GOD IS ONE LORD: AND THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND
WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND, AND WITH ALL THY STRENGTH: THIS IS
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT." Mark
12: 29b-30.
"Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8
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The Apostle Paul wrote,
"... follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a
pure heart."
2 Timothy 2:22
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What others have said:
Andrew Murray - "The condition of God's blessing is absolute
surrender of all into His hands. If our hearts are willing for that, there is
no end to what God will do for us, and to the blessings God will bestow."
Charles H. Spurgeon, in his sermon Holiness Demanded, says,
"Holiness deals with the thoughts and intents, the purposes, the aims, the
objects, the motives of men. Morality does but skim the surface, holiness
goes into the very caverns of the great deep; holiness requires that the heart
shall be set on God, and that it shall beat with love to him."
A. W. Tozer, author of The
Pursuit of God, says "You cannot study the Bible diligently and
earnestly without being struck by an obvious fact--the whole matter of
personal holiness is highly important to God."
A. W. Tozer, regarding feelings or emotions, says, "I believe in
what the old writers called religious affection--and we have so little of it
because we have not laid the groundwork for it. The groundwork is repentance
and obedience and separation and holy living!"
Leonard Ravenhill - "I think the greatest miracle that God can do
is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world, and make that unholy man holy
and put him back in an unholy world and keep him holy. But we are more afraid
of holiness today in the church than we are of sinfulness."
Dwight Moody - "A holy life will produce the deepest impression.
Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine."
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Where are You?
2 Corinthians 13:5 reads: "Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that
Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" If you don't have a deep yearning in your heart to
live a holy life, you need to question whether your faith in Christ is genuine.
Having come this far, I believe you do have a yearning to have all God has for
you, so please read on. Personalize the following spiritual checklist. The
checklist is not mine. Proper credit is given at its conclusion.
We also have a few copies of a "soul
searching" pamphlet entitled, O God Revive Us Again.
For the free booklet, send your e-mail request to us at LiftUpUSA@LiftUpUSA.com and
we'll send you an e-mail copy.
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Spiritual Checklist for
Personal Revival
Suggestions for use:
Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, this
Spiritual Check List can be a tremendous help in crusade preparation. It leads
Christians to identify and confess sins which often hinder genuine revival. A
leader merely reads the scriptures and slowly asks the questions pausing
between each question. As one honestly answers the questions in this Check
List, he will agree with God that he has sinned.
This Spiritual Check List may be used with a sermon just prior to an
evangelistic crusade. It may also be used at a pre-crusade prayer retreat or
during the Sunday School hour with adults on the first Sunday of a crusade.
These questions are based on the quest: "Search me, O God and know my heart, try me, and know my
thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). They
are designed to lead Christians to claim the promise of 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." This Check List will help Christians obey the command:
"Be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Eph. 5:8). When our known
sins are confessed (agreed to) the Holy Spirit can take control of our lives
and use us to bring the lost to Christ.
Spiritual
Check List
1. Matthew 6:12, 14-15 – "And forgive us our debts as we
forgive our debtors ... for if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses." Is there anyone against whom you hold a grudge?
Anyone you haven't forgiven? Anyone you hate? Anyone you do not love? Are there
any misunderstandings that you are unwilling to forget? Is there any person
against whom you are harboring bitterness, resentment, or jealousy? Anyone you
dislike to hear praised or well-spoken of? Do you allow anything to justify a
wrong attitude toward another?
2. Matthew 6:33 – "But
seek ye first the
3. Mark 16:15 – "...
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Have you failed to witness consistently for the Lord
Jesus Christ? Has your life failed to show the Lord Jesus to lost people?
4. John 13:35 – "By
this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another." Are you secretly
pleased over the misfortunes of another? Are you secretly annoyed over the
accomplishments or advancements of another? Are you guilty of any contention or
strife? Do you quarrel, argue or engage in heated discussions? Are you a
partaker in any division or party spirit? Are there people whom you
deliberately slight?
5. Acts 20:35 – "
... ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Have you robbed God by withholding His due of time,
talents and money? Have you given less than a tenth of your income to God's
work? Have you failed to support mission work either in prayer or in offerings?
6. 1 Cor. 4:2 – "Moreover
it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." Are you irresponsible so that you cannot be trusted
with responsibilities in the Lord's work? Are you allowing your emotions to be
stirred for things of the Lord but doing nothing about it?
7. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 – "What?
Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." Are you in any way careless with your body? Do you
fail to care for it as the temple of the Holy Spirit? Are you guilty of
intemperance in eating? Do you have any habits which are defiling to the body?
8. 1 Cor. 10:31 – "Whether
therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God." Do you take the
slightest credit for anything good about you, rather than give all the glory to
God? Do you talk of what you have done rather than of what Christ has done? Are
your statements mainly about "I"? Are your feelings easily hurt? Have
you made a pretense of being something you are not?
9. Eph. 3:20 – "
... him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us." Are you self-conscious rather than Christ-conscious?
Do you allow feelings of inferiority to keep you from attempting challenging
goals in serving God?
10. Eph. 4:28 – "Let
him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands
the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth." Do you underpay? Do you do very little in your work?
Have you been careless in the payment of your debts? Have you sought to evade
payment of your debts? Do you waste time? Do you waste time for others?
11. Eph. 4:31 – "Let
all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put
away from you with all malice." Do you complain? Do you find fault? Do you have a critical attitude
toward any person? Are you irritable or cranky? Do you ever carry hidden anger?
Do you get angry? Do you become impatient with others? Are you ever harsh or
unkind?
12. Eph. 5:16 – "Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil." Do you listen to unedifying radio or TV programs? Do
you read unworthy magazines? Do you partake in worldly amusements? Do you find
it necessary to seek satisfaction from any questionable source? Are you doing
certain things that indicate you are not satisfied with the Lord Jesus Christ?
13. Eph. 5:20 – "Giving
thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ." Have you
neglected to thank Him for all things, the seemingly bad as well as the good?
Have you virtually called God a liar by doubting His Word? Is your spiritual
temperature based on your feelings instead of the facts of God's Word?
14. Phil. 1:21 – "For
me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Are you taken up with the cares of this life? Is your
conversation primarily about "things" rather than the Lord and His
word? Does anything mean more to you than living for and pleasing Christ?
15. Phil. 2:14 – "Do
all things without murmurings and disputings." Do you ever by word or deed seek to hurt someone? Do
you gossip? Do you speak unkindly concerning people when they are not present?
Are you prejudiced against others because of their race, social status, or
beliefs?
16. Phil. 4:4 – "Rejoice
in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." Do you carry any bitterness toward God? Have you
complained against Him in any way? Have you been dissatisfied with His
provision for you? Is there in your heart any unwillingness to obey God fully?
Do you have any reservations as to what you would or would not do concerning
anything that might be His will? Have you disobeyed any direct leading from the
Holy Spirit?
17.
18. 11 Tim. 2:22 – "Flee
also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, -- with
them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." Do you have any personal habits that are not pure? Do
you allow impure thoughts about the opposite sex to stay in your mind? Do you
read that which is impure or suggests unholy things? Do you indulge in any
unclean entertainment? Are you guilty of the lustful look?
19. Heb. 10:25 – "not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together ..." Do you whisper or think about other things while
God's Word is being read or preached? Are you irregular in attendance at
worship services? Do you neglect to attend or participate in prayer meetings?
Have you neglected private prayer? Have you neglected God's Word? Do you find
the Bible and prayer uninteresting? Have you neglected thanksgiving at meals?
Have you neglected daily family devotions?
20. Heb. 13:17 – "Obey
them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for
your souls, as they that must give account that they may do it with joy, and
not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." Do you hesitate to submit to leaders in the church or
elsewhere? Are you lazy? Do you rebel at requests to help in the work of the
Lord? Do you in any way have a stubborn or unteachable spirit?
21. James 1:27 – "Pure
religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this ... to keep ...
unspotted from the world." Have
you allowed yourself to become "spotted" by the world? Do you spend
beyond what is pleasing to God on anything? Do you neglect to pray about things
that you buy? Are your deeds displeasing to God?
22. James 4:6 – "...
God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." Do you feel that you are doing quite well as a
Christian? That you are not so bad? That you are good enough? Are you stubborn?
Do you insist on having your own way? Do you insist on your "rights"?
23. James 4:11 – "Speak
not evil one of another, brethren, ..." Have you dishonored Him and hindered His work by
criticizing His servants? Have you failed to pray regularly for your pastor or
other spiritual leaders? Do you find it hard to be corrected? Is there
rebellion toward one who wants to restore you? Are you more concerned about
what people will think than about what will be pleasing to God?
Conclusion If you have been honest in admitting your sins, ask God's
forgiveness right now. Claim His promise to forgive and remove your sins "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12). Remember three things:
(1) Every sin is against
God so confess your sins to Him and make things right with Him.
(2) If your sin is also against another person, make things right with that
person.
(3) If your sin is against a group, make it right with the group.
Don't be afraid to say "I am sorry" to God, a business associate, a
classmate, a member of your family, a fellow Christian, a Sunday School class,
or anyone else against whom you have sinned.
Genuine revival has always started in the hearts of God's people as they have
confessed their sins, allowed the Holy Spirit to control their lives and made
themselves available for service.
Arthur Davenport Associates, Inc.
Helpful Links
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Scripture
- O.T. text with Audio (New 9/24/04) Scripture
- N.T. text with Audio (New 9/24/04) I Want a Principle Within - by Charles Wesley Why
God Used D. L. Moody - by R. A. Torrey "Men Must Get
Right..." - Article by Oswald Smith Chapter 5, "The Deeper Christian Life" by A. Murray Inspiration! -
Meaningful for committed Christians Heartlight Devotionals - Charles Spurgeon, Oswald Chambers, and more! (added 12/6/04) Devotional Poems/Songs -
"Himself," "None of Self,"etc Cyber Hymnal -Another treasury of hymns Jeremy
Taylor - Prayer and Devotions Biblical Prayers to Pray Daily Daily Prayers – A week
of prayers from 1904 Spend
an Hour with God - 12 five minute
segments |
Personal Revival - Fasting and Prayer, by Bill Bright Sanctification - Dr. Thomas Hermiz. Brief and excellent explanation of
an oft misunderstood term. Online
Sermons and Books Online Commentaries - by Studylight (added
8/30/05) A Spiritual Checkup - Winkey Pratney Self-Examination - Sermon by Spurgeon The Deeper Christian Life - Book by Andrew Murray Holiness
- Sermon by J. C. Ryle Absolute
Surrender - Book by Andrew Murray Christian's
Secret of a Happy Life - Hannah W. Smith Plain Account of Christian Perfection - John Wesley Matthew Henry's
Commentary - Excellent
commentary for Bible study. Free download! Pursuit
of God - Book by A. W. Tozer
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Recommended
reading
Email: LiftUpUSA@LiftUpUSA.com