“You can’t get holy in a hurry — but you start taking steps in that direction right away. Beg God, ‘Put within me some holy motivation.’ “
-Malcolm Cronk-

Augustine is considered one of the great theologians of church history, but his lifestyle before coming to Christ was rebellious & sensuous. He was quite the “life of the party.”
One day after becoming a Christian, he was walking in front of a bar he used to frequent. In front of him & walking toward him was a prostitute, smiling as she assumed Augustine had finally returned after his ridiculous little “phase” of religion. As they approached each other, however, he continued to look forward & would pass her without even looking at her. “Augustine,” she said. “Don’t you recognize who you just walked by? It’s me!” For a moment, he stopped, turned to her and simply said, “Yes — but I’m no longer me!”

In 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul writes, “Since we have these promises…,” we should perfect holiness in our lives. In other words, the promises should affect our behavior. But what promises is he talking about? And, how do they affect our conduct? The promises are from the previous chapters, telling the readers who they are, and what they have in Christ(2 Corinthians
5:17, 21). Holiness is an internal quality perfected or completed in our lives by our claiming those promises of a new identity/possessions, and by faith letting that changed self-image change our behavior. What we see is what we get. We tend to live out what we see within.

Conclusions about Holiness:
Becoming holy is accomplished by faith, just like salvation.
Therefore, God is the source of it, no your human effort.
We partake of His divine nature as we allow His exceeding great & precious promises to paint the picture inside us of who we are: The righteousness of God in Christ.

My Time With God
Preparation Time
2 Peter 1:2-4 – “Grace and peace be multiplied to you …seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness…for by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature….”

In what specific areas of your life are you NOT experiencing holiness or God’s divine nature?

Personal Life –
Family Life –
Church Life –
Business Life –
Other –

Waiting Time
During your waiting time, Let God…

Love You:
“God, I feel Your love today, especially in the area of…”

Search You:
“God, You have permission to reveal any fleshly or unclean areas in my life…”

Show You:
“God, is there any truth from Your Word that I need to embrace as I pursue holiness?

Confession Time
Romans 6:11-14 – “Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

Confess areas in which you have drifted away from the holiness of God because you’ve not considered yourself “dead” to sin:

Bible Time
We can never pray out of God’s will when we pray God’s Word.

…Read 1 Peter 1:13-16 slowly a couple of times.
…Close your eyes & allow a main truth to surface in your heart.
…Pray this Scripture & allow God to minister to you.

Meditation Time
After praying the Scripture, write down the thoughts that God has impressed upon your mind.

Intercession Time – Praying for Others
Begin this time with a prayer for holiness for the people of whom you will now intercede.
Name Request

Petition Time – Praying for Yourself
Begin to ask God to paint a picture inside of you of what your righteous position in Christ is to look like. Then, pray for that to come to pass in your life.
Prayer Requests:

Application Time
The smallest obedient act is better than the greatest intention.

Q: What is the main thing that God has impressed upon me today?

Q: What am I going to do about it?

Steps To Take In My Obedience to God This Week:

My Goal: To implement the above steps in the next 7 days.

Faith Time
Faith is our positive response to what God has said. Spend a few minutes praying through the eyes of faith. Tell God the positive things you see happening because of His goodness!

Praise & Thanksgiving Time
Praise God by recognizing WHO HE IS!
Thank God by recognizing WHAT HE HAS DONE!

This week’s memory verses:
2 Corinthians 7:1
2 Peter 1:4

This Week’s Time Alone With God

Monday – This Lesson

Tuesday – Read 2 Timothy 1:9. What a great truth this Scripture contains. We learn here that God not only “saved” you from the consequences of sin & hell, but He called you with a “holy” calling. What are the practical implications of being called out with a holy calling? What does that mean to your daily life? Now, check out the good news about this calling. Note the last half of vs. 9. What is this call NOT based on? What is it based on?

Write a prayer below on how this truth liberates you from the “performance trap.” Celebrate God’s power and His faith in you!

Wednesday – Read Paul’s prayer in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13.

What does he pray will increase in their lives? What is God’s goal or ultimate outcome for us, according to this prayer (vs. 13)? How are your answers to the above questions related?

List the changes in your own heart/mind that still need to happen before you are “established unblameable in holiness.”


Thursday – Exercise in Holiness

Go to a trusted friend who knows both you and God very well. Ask them how they define holiness. Ask them how they can spot it in the life of someone else. Finally, ask them what areas of your life exhibit “holiness unto the Lord,” and which areas need improvement, in their opinion.

Friday – Read Romans 12:1-2
This is a classic text on what we are to do to cooperate with God in the sanctification process in our lives. Note the four areas the apostle Paul speaks of, and list what is happening (or needing to happen!) in your life, concerning these specific areas. He makes a plea for the:

Presentation…of your body (vs.1) How are you doing this?

Separation…of your lifestyle (vs. 2a) How are you doing this?

Transformation…of your mind (vs. 2b) How are you doing this?

Demonstration…of God’s will (vs. 2c) How are you doing this?