72 - The Beauty of Holiness

But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct be set apart from the world by your godly character and moral courage; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY set apart, FOR I AM HOLY.” (1 Pe 1:15-16 AMP)

And do not be conformed to this world any longer with its superficial values and customs, but be transformed and progressively changed as you mature spiritually by the renewing of your mind focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes, so that you may prove for yourselves what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect in His plan and purpose for you. (Rom 12:2 AMP)

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A special PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were NOT A PEOPLE at all, but now you are GOD’S PEOPLE; once you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. (1 Pe 2:9-10 AMP)

In Christ, we are crucified with Him, separated from the world for Himself. Christ in us makes us holy, righteous, and pure. There exists a fine line, but a great difference, between striving for holiness through our own efforts and recognizing our true righteousness and holiness as a state of being given to us through God's act of salvation, a free gift through faith in His Son. We must see ourselves as God has made us—holy, righteous, and pure—so that we naturally desire to live out a holy walk, reflecting our true identity in Him.

Transformation through the renewing of our minds has nothing to do with personal efforts to become holy before God. It is not about self-transformation, self-will, self-power, or self-glory. True transformation, as God desires, comes entirely from the renewing of our minds. This renewal involves rising from who we thought we were before Christ and relinquishing the past for the present reality of who we are in Him. This acknowledgment of our new identity is the process of renewing the mind, and it is God's work through His Holy Spirit that transforms our walk.

Believing in our new identity is the ultimate acknowledgment of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit working in us. It acknowledges what has been done for us and what is continually being done in and through us. True spiritual growth comes from the renewing of our minds and the transformation that results. It is a profound belief in who He says we are, to the praise of His glory.

We love the holy walk because we are holy. Transformation through the renewing of the mind is a lifelong process, taking us from one degree of glory to another, reflecting God's glory. Do not be deceived by satan into thinking that we fall in and out of our true nature or our security with God. You have been recreated; the old is gone, and the new has come. The transformation of your walk through the renewing of your mind is a spiritual process that God understands and in which He is continually at work with you.

Be truly set free in Christ. Believe in who you are now. Let go of yourself; you have been saved and made holy. Set your mind on things above. Enjoy your new life process with Christ. Be present. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Be still. Embrace who He has made you to be. Take hold of the beauty of your holiness, Christ in you.