Holy In All You Do

By Rose H.

1 Peter 1:14-15 (NIV)  As obedient children, do not conform 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;

We are now the children of God. Called, loved, set-apart, and redeemed.

In this verse Paul encourages us to not conform to our evil desires, but to be holy.

Not conforming or giving into evil desires can be hard sometimes. Especially when it sounds so attractive. Evil desires never come up and present themselves as evil. It’s always under some guise of being good or fun. “Well, this movie won’t be so bad. I mean the graphics are so amazing.” “Doing this one little thing won’t hurt all that much.” “After all I’m sure it will be good for me in the end.” And so we deceive ourselves. We think that it’s not so bad. It’s not so evil. It won’t hurt anyone.

But anytime we choose to give into an evil desire it always ends up with bad results. James 1:15 (NIV) Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Being holy begins with saying no to these evil desires, no matter how harmless they seem.

One thing that I find helps stop evil desire is not to put myself in situations where I am tempted to do evil. Sometimes this has meant giving up something I love. But it has always been worth it.

Sadly though because we live in a sin-filled world, evil desires will rise within. Therefore we prepare to combat them.

First step back and take this desire and thought captive to God. Tackle this desire together. Be honest and open. Tell God how you are struggling and ask Him for a way of escape. Many times I find that the desires of evil lessening as I talk to my Heavenly Father. As I turn my eyes to Him, my heart is drawn away from the world and closer to God.

The next step is to walk away. Say no, get out of the closing trap, pray for a change in attitude. This is a simple action and takes obedience. But again, it’s well worth it.

Now it’s easy to think that by avoiding evil that we are holy. Yet God calls us to do more than just not do evil things. He calls us to be holy in all that we do. All that covers everything. From getting dressed in the morning, to responding to e-mails, to cleaning, to cooking, to working, to reading, to getting back into bed at night.

One thing to remember He has already given us His holiness. We are covered by His blood, cleansed from all sin. What Paul is inviting us to do us to live out this holiness in all that we do. It’s something we get to live in through God’s power. As we live in Him He will help us to live a holy life.

So as you respond to e-mails, clean your room, or do the dishes, invite Him to join you. Live in the holiness that He has provided for you. Do everything with an attitude that says, “I’m set-apart to God. I bring Him into everything I do.” Live and breathe in Him and in His holiness.