God Is Looking For Holy People To Use
Below is an article that spoke to me greatly. I was speaking in the Fil service last Sunday on being the type of person that God will use. How timely is it for me to read this article!
I want to be used by God and I need to be holy... May we all grow into His likeness.
God is looking for holy people to use
by Rick Warren
God is looking for people he can use – those he can bless and honor in great ways. And he’s looking to use people who want to be holy.
When you, as a leader, want to be holy, you’ll see God. Hebrews 12:14 (TLB) says, “Try to stay out of all quarrels, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for one who is not holy will not see the Lord.”
That’s what we want as Christian leaders – to see the Lord and then help others see the Lord. As a Christian leader, there’s no greater way to be used. And we’ve got to be holy to do that.
What does it mean to be holy? Psalm 24:3-5 (TLB) says, “Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord and who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart who does not lift up his soul unto an idol nor swear by what is false. He will receive the blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his savior.”
In this passage we find four characteristics of holy people:
1. You’ve got to have clean hands. “Clean hands” simply means a clear conscience. Does that mean we’re perfect? No. None of us is perfect. But we can keep short accounts with God. 1 John 1:9 (TLB) says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” So when we sin, we just say, “God, I was wrong. I confess it.” There is no power without a clear conscience.
2. We need a pure heart. We need to lead with pure motives. God can do tremendous things through people who don’t care who gets the credit. In our private moments, we need to be saying, “God, examine my heart, clear out the dross, and make my motives pure before you.” Jeremiah 48:10 (KJV) says, “Cursed be he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully.” We can’t lead with mixed motives.
3. We must remain humble. Psalm 24 says that a holy person “does not lift up his soul unto an idol.” We are our own most dangerous idols. When we’re prideful, we’re making ourselves into idols; we’re putting ourselves before God. Pride goes before destruction. There is no sin God judges faster than the sin of pride. The Bible says, “Before honor is humility” (Prov. 18:12).
4. We must be honest. The psalm also says that the person who doesn’t “swear by what is false” will receive the blessing from the Lord. To be holy, we’ve got to be honest. Even broader than that, as leaders we’ve got to watch what we say. Psalms 39:1 (NIV) says, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
I’ve needed a muzzle on my mouth many times! We must watch our words. You lose spiritual power by talkativeness. It’s like a steam engine. If a steam engine is always letting off steam through the whistle, it builds up no power and it has nothing to move with. But if it stores up that steam, when it lets it loose it moves an engine. We need to ask, “God, where do I need to watch my words? Do I tend to share angry words or sarcastic words or put-downs?” If so, you’ll need to muzzle your mouth.
If we want to be the kind of leader that God uses, then we’ve got to have a clear conscience and pure motives, remain humble, and watch our lips. Do that and you’ll be pursuing holiness.
And God uses holy people.
I want to be used by God and I need to be holy... May we all grow into His likeness.
God is looking for holy people to use
by Rick Warren
God is looking for people he can use – those he can bless and honor in great ways. And he’s looking to use people who want to be holy.
When you, as a leader, want to be holy, you’ll see God. Hebrews 12:14 (TLB) says, “Try to stay out of all quarrels, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for one who is not holy will not see the Lord.”
That’s what we want as Christian leaders – to see the Lord and then help others see the Lord. As a Christian leader, there’s no greater way to be used. And we’ve got to be holy to do that.
What does it mean to be holy? Psalm 24:3-5 (TLB) says, “Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord and who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart who does not lift up his soul unto an idol nor swear by what is false. He will receive the blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his savior.”
In this passage we find four characteristics of holy people:
1. You’ve got to have clean hands. “Clean hands” simply means a clear conscience. Does that mean we’re perfect? No. None of us is perfect. But we can keep short accounts with God. 1 John 1:9 (TLB) says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” So when we sin, we just say, “God, I was wrong. I confess it.” There is no power without a clear conscience.
2. We need a pure heart. We need to lead with pure motives. God can do tremendous things through people who don’t care who gets the credit. In our private moments, we need to be saying, “God, examine my heart, clear out the dross, and make my motives pure before you.” Jeremiah 48:10 (KJV) says, “Cursed be he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully.” We can’t lead with mixed motives.
3. We must remain humble. Psalm 24 says that a holy person “does not lift up his soul unto an idol.” We are our own most dangerous idols. When we’re prideful, we’re making ourselves into idols; we’re putting ourselves before God. Pride goes before destruction. There is no sin God judges faster than the sin of pride. The Bible says, “Before honor is humility” (Prov. 18:12).
4. We must be honest. The psalm also says that the person who doesn’t “swear by what is false” will receive the blessing from the Lord. To be holy, we’ve got to be honest. Even broader than that, as leaders we’ve got to watch what we say. Psalms 39:1 (NIV) says, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
I’ve needed a muzzle on my mouth many times! We must watch our words. You lose spiritual power by talkativeness. It’s like a steam engine. If a steam engine is always letting off steam through the whistle, it builds up no power and it has nothing to move with. But if it stores up that steam, when it lets it loose it moves an engine. We need to ask, “God, where do I need to watch my words? Do I tend to share angry words or sarcastic words or put-downs?” If so, you’ll need to muzzle your mouth.
If we want to be the kind of leader that God uses, then we’ve got to have a clear conscience and pure motives, remain humble, and watch our lips. Do that and you’ll be pursuing holiness.
And God uses holy people.
posted by Jeff Chong at 12:11 am
10 Comments:
Wow! :D Thanks Ps Jeff for posting this article... it really is very helpful!
Thanks pastor jeff!!!
your post has reconfirm me of my believe.
Hey brothers, it is great that this articles have helped you both! May it produce life transfomring change in us all!
AMEN!!!
haha.
Hi Ps Jeff, Wayne here from Hope Kuching. Thanks very much for sharing this article with us here. A very timely article to coincide with our WFL teachings for this quarter, A Sanctified Church. Looking forward to seeing you at the end of the year during our MNC. Take care. GBU Ps.
Hey Wayne, looking forward to seeing you in Dec! Take god care.
Just my additional thoughts...
We also need to be wary that we do not be to overly "Holy" till we got no earthy use where non-believers see us as being wishy washy or irrelevant in this world.
That sometimes happen when we literally take the meaning of "being set apart" and do not engage culture with its views, values and beliefs in our daily living.
Agree with you Andrew 110%! That is a wrong understanding of what holiness is all about. That's man-made and not God's idea.
Jesus is totally holy but check out how relevant and engaging he is to the world that he was living in.
Thanks Ps! good material for my dmms :) Thanks for being interested in all our lives!
Hi Christine, will do my best to be a blessing to as many people as possible!
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