Category Archives: holiness

Slave to Sin… Caught in Anxieties Grip — WOW Devotion February 29, 2024

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“I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”  
Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

For several years, I lived my life subjected to the cruel taskmaster of anxiety. It ruled over my life. Anxiety dictated my daily routine: Get out of bed. Take your first anxiety pill of the day: Do your daily exercise of Eastern Meditation on Headspace. Now start your day. Throughout the day anxiety would exercise its control over my feelings and emotions. Time to do breathing techniques, practice mindfulness, engage in the 5,4,3,2,1 method, then repeat. Often, I could not shake the feelings of a tight throat and a tight chest. Then it was time for my evening anxiety pill. I crawled into bed. I hoped for a night free of an anxious awakening at 2 am, lying awake for hours, and experiencing what I did in the day. This scenario was repeated day after day, night after night. I was a slave to my sin of anxiety. I was subject to its control, and it was producing death, darkness, and destruction inside of me.

Our verses this week are once again about holiness. This holiness is a benefit as we live our lives as “slaves to righteousness.” It is a life of freedom from sin as we live our lives set apart for His sacred use – a life of love, faith, holiness, and prayer. In this life, we are “slaves to God,” under His control and His rule. This submission to Him is always for our benefit, because He is a good Lord and Master. Being His slave results in more than holiness. Through it we experience “eternal life.”

Three years ago, I learned that we were created to serve someone. The words of this verse were proved true in my life. I came to understand that I had a choice. I could continue to “offer the parts of my body in slavery to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness” that the sin of anxiety was producing, or I could become a “slave to God.” I would either serve an evil master of sin or our loving and Holy God. I could not serve them both. I had to choose. This is the truth for each and every one of us. To not choose God is to choose the enemy.

God is holy. He is perfectly and impeccably pure, completely immaculate, and uncompromisingly righteous and just. He desires for us to be in relationship with Him, but in order for us to be close to Him, we must be holy as He is holy. To do so, we must “offer ourselves as slaves to righteousness.” The benefit we receive is a pure heart and freedom from sin and sinful affections, conformed to the image of God. We will be holy and the “result will be eternal life” with Him.

As you have read the words above, have you become aware that you are a “slave to impurity?”  Is there an addiction or a sin that keeps you from experiencing a close relationship with God and the freedom from sin that He alone gives? God desires for us to live our lives surrendered to Him as a “slave to righteousness” that will lead to holiness. He desires us to be close to Him in a relationship of intimacy filled with His goodness, joy, peace, and love. We can only experience this when we live our lives fully surrendered to Him!

Our song this week is once again by Charity Gayle, “Because of Jesus.” Because of what Jesus has done, we can know that we are finally free of the sin that destroys! He has redeemed us and made us holy as He is holy. May our hearts desire to serve Him in complete obedience to His Word. May we live as His “slaves to righteousness” which leads to holiness – holiness in heart and in everything we do!

Love,

Janet

https://www.wowjcmo.com/

https://mailchi.mp/wowjcmo/wow-devotion-john-6219253?e=6c56f70e45

His Beautiful Bride — Holy to the Lord (WOW Devotion February 15, 2024)

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“…be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart… to be my own.” 
Leviticus 20:26 NIV

On a cold and icy day thirty-one years ago, my husband and I were married. The ceremony for our wedding holds so many wonderful memories for me. Among them is our first kiss as husband and wife. Rich seemed to eagerly anticipate that moment. He was beaming from ear to ear when the pastor said, “Richard, you may now kiss your bride.” Moments later we stood facing our friends and family. We were introduced for the first time as, “Mr. and Mrs. Richard Nelson.” During those moments I gained a title and a position in our relationship, I was Rich’s bride. I did not fully understand at that moment what that would mean. I have grown in my appreciation of being his bride throughout the years of our exclusive relationship as husband and wife. Thirty-one years later my husband often calls me his “beautiful bride.” I alone hold this title because I belong to him.

A holy man is pure in heart and free from sin and sinful affections; he has a heart conformed to the image of God and is set apart for His sacred use or to the service or worship of God. Our verse this week speaks of this exclusive relationship. It is a relationship of belonging to God for His sacred use. To belong to God is to be strictly His, fully possessed by Him. In this relationship of belonging, God tells us that we must be holy to Him. Nothing else should compete for our affections. Our verse this week tells us it is God’s desire for us to “be holy to [him] because [He is] holy.”

As we come to Him, desiring to be His alone, set apart for His sacred and exclusive use, He will begin the process of purifying our hearts. If we totally submit our heart to Him, He will set us apart. He will declare and make us holy. He will separate us from sin, our flesh, the world, and the devil. We will be His alone. It is very much like the day that I became exclusively the bride of Rich Nelson. My affections, my desires, and my relationship were focused on him alone as my husband. I was no longer available to pursue others, only him.

The beauty of a relationship of holiness to God is a realization of closeness to God. As we allow the ways of the world and the sin in our hearts to be circumcised, we will be more and more conformed to His image. The more we are like Him, the closer we will come to God. We will know Him intimately. We will be one with Him.

As you read the words I have written, do you feel a longing in your heart to be close to God? Do you desire to leave behind the competing affections that you have held in your heart and to pursue God alone? Do you long to be holy to Him? This is God’s greatest desire for us. He longs for us much like my groom 31 years ago longed for me. He wanted me to belong to him as his beautiful bride for the rest of our lives. God longs for us to “be holy … because [He is] holy, and [He has] set us apart to be his own.”

The first steps in being holy is to be totally submitted to God and be purified through the circumcision of our hearts. Our song this week is “Purify My Heart” by Brian Doerksen. As you listen or even sing along, may you renew or start anew in submitting your heart to God’s circumcision so that you may be holy as He is holy.

Love,

Janet Nelson, Devoted and Determined

https://www.wowjcmo.com/

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My Father’s Girl– Reflecting His Holiness (WOW Devotion February 22, 2024)

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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;” 
1 Peter 1:14-15 NIV

Back in my college days a group of my friends and I went to Olive Garden for dinner. As we were waiting to be seated, we stood in a small circle laughing, joking, and enjoying each other’s company. A woman that I did not know walked up to our group and asked me a question: “Are you Jim’s daughter?” At first, I thought, “uh oh… what have I done wrong? My dad lives two hours away from Columbia. How does she know whose daughter I am?” I must have looked shocked. She continued, “You have to be! You look just like him. Your mannerisms are just like his. It is obvious that you are his.” Then she continued, “I am your dad’s first cousin. You probably don’t even know me, but I know your dad.”

Our verses this week for WOW are once again about holiness. To be holy is to be Godlike; it is to have a will and disposition of the heart that is like His. When we are holy, our character will be like God’s. God has called us to “be holy in all you do.” He desires us to be holy as He is holy. God gives us His holiness as a gift. It is His sanctifying work in us.

A holy man is pure in heart and free from sin and sinful affections; he has a heart conformed to the image of God and is set apart for His sacred use or to the service or worship of God. We learned last week that this is an exclusive relationship. It is a relationship of belonging to God. When we belong to God, we are strictly His, fully possessed by Him. We display our belonging to God as His holy, set apart, people by our obedience. Obedience is evidence of a heart that is holy. When we have a holy heart, we will not live like we used to, conforming to evil desires, or our fleshly self-life. Instead, we will obey God. We will display to all of those we are around everything that God is: His love, His joy, His peace, His holiness and more.

As I am writing these words, they challenge me. Perhaps they challenge you too? I wonder, am I displaying not only God’s love, joy, and peace in my life, but His holiness? Is His holiness evidenced within my life by my obedience to Him, or am I still living my life conformed to the evil desires I had when I lived in ignorance of God and His ways?

Jesus came as our invitation to be holy. He lived, died, was buried, and rose again so that we could know and experience Him fully in a relationship of oneness. He provides all that we need to live connected to God, united with Him. When we accept Him as the Lord of our lives and totally submit our heart to Him, He works in us to produce a loving obedience to God’s Word. As we allow God to circumcise our hearts, the holy heart God has given us will be revealed more and more.  

May our hearts long for His holiness, and may we pursue His holiness by submitting our hearts to be transformed into His likeness. As we live our lives for God, we will maintain our holiness moment by moment through active love for, faith in, and obedience to Him. We will fully realize how wonderful it is to be His “obedient children.” We will be in a close and intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father, and we will display Him to everyone we encounter. They will find themselves asking us, “Are you God’s daughter? You have to be! Your mannerisms are just like His. It is obvious that you belong to Him.”

Our song this week is by Charity Gayle, “Because of Jesus.” Because He came, because we believe in Him as the Son of God, our Redeemer, we have been redeemed and made holy, as God is holy. Because of Jesus, and His work in us, we may be holy in all we do.

Love,

Janet Nelson, Devoted and Determined

https://www.wowjcmo.com

https://mailchi.mp/wowjcmo/wow-devotion-john-6218677?e=6c56f70e45

You Alone are Holy — Devotion Written for Women on Wednesday’s Ministry (WOW)

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This is the Latest devotion that God has blessed me with. This is truthfully one of my favorite ones. Have you ever stood before God and been amazed of who He really is? Writing this and contemplating this section of scripture has been one of those times for me. ❤️

“…the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: 

‘Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty. 
Just and true are your ways, 
King of the nations. 
Who will not fear you, Lord, 
and bring glory to your name? 
For you alone are holy. 
All nations will come 
and worship before you, 
for your righteous acts have been revealed.’”

Revelations 15:3-4 NIV

A little over a year ago my husband and I went to Hawaii to celebrate our 30th Anniversary. While we were there, we took a scenic drive to a lookout over the Na Pali Coast. As I approached the lookout, I stood in complete awe. This Missouri girl had never seen or experienced anything like it. The ocean view was breathtaking. The sounds of waves crashing and the sea birds squawking, the smell of the ocean, and the wind blowing against us as we stood perched high upon a cliff overlook, left me speechless. All I could say over and over was, “WOW! WOW! WOW!” I wanted to stand there for as long as I could and take it all in. The vast ocean was intricate and grand at the same time. It was beauty and power combined. It demanded the utmost respect, because if I were to be dropped into the middle of it, I would not survive. Yet, I had the feeling that it was inviting me to come and explore. That moment is marked in my memories for a lifetime.

This month our verses at WOW will be focusing on the word, holy. To be holy is to be perfectly and impeccably pure, immaculate, complete in moral character, sinless, uncompromisingly righteous, and just. Our verses this week tell us that God “alone is holy.”As I have contemplated what this means, I have been left with the same awe that I felt the day I stood on that lookout. God’s holiness is beyond my human ability to comprehend, yet God is inviting me to come and know Him as holy. God’s holiness is intricate, and it is grand. It is beauty and power combined. I am filled with reverential awe of God as I think about it. God cannot be separated from His holiness just as He cannot be separated from His love. It is who He is. God alone is holy. He is absolute perfection. His holiness pervades His entire being and shapes all His attributes. His love is holy love, His goodness is holy goodness, His life is holy life. The more I gaze at His holiness, the more I see Him rightly. The more I see Him rightly, the more I love Him, trust Him, and desire to obey Him.

The verses this week are a “song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb.”They are a song of worship and relationship that expresses the worthiness of our God. Those who sing this song see God rightly, they have experienced the fear of the Lord — a reverential awe of Him. They see God’s “great and marvelous… deeds.” They know God as “just and true” in His ways. They know God alone is holy so the only response to such an awesome God is to simply say “WOW! WOW! WOW!” or as they proclaim in heaven, “HOLY! HOLY! HOLY! is the Lord God Almighty!” over and over again (Revelation 4:8).  

As you read these words, do you feel this sense of amazement and awe as you stand looking at the characteristics of a Holy God? Does it fill your heart with worship as the song in our verses proclaim? God desires for us to experience this very thing. This is where a true relationship with God is formed. When we see Him for who He is, holy, and we understand He has invited us to come and experience His holiness, we will see the only appropriate response to God is: “Yes, Lord! Anything for my Holy God, ‘for you alone are holy.’”May our hearts be marked by the beauty and power of His holiness for the entirety of our lifetime!

Our song this week is “What Do I Know of Holy?” sung by Addison Road. My prayer is that as you meditate on the verses of Scripture above and listen to the song below that you will hunger and thirst to know Him rightly and experience the genuine and reverential awe of our Holy God. To know God is to love God, is to trust God, is to obey God. Amen

Love, Janet Nelson, Devoted and Determined

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Polluted— Reflections on Proverbs 25

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We had an above ground pool when the kids were younger. I worked and worked at keeping that pool clean. The right balance of chemicals and diligent maintenance was required. The waters in my pool often looked less than desirable as I was trying to figure out that balance, murky waters, bugs not getting skimmed off, slime on the sides… It was a constant battle. Every once in awhile I would find the pool looking good until the kids got in and kicked up the dirt I didn’t get completely vacuumed off the bottom. Murky again… the battle went on.

Today’s Proverb has a verse that reminded me of that pool we had years ago.

”Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked.“Proverbs 25:26 NIV

Our lives are meant to be lived in righteousness. God created us to be in His image, righteous and holy. When we live our lives set apart to Him, observing and obeying what He commands in His Word, our lives are beautiful! They are filled with joy, peace, and contentment.

BUT, when we “give way” to sin. Our lives become like a “muddied spring or a polluted well.” Or like my old above ground pool when the PH balance was off, the bottom wasn’t being vacuumed off, and the skimmer bucket wasn’t working…slimy, green, NASTY! Our lives are unable to be enjoyed.

The entire book of Proverbs has much to say about living a righteous life and warnings against unrighteousness. This is because it pollutes our hearts, and if left unattended to by prayer, time in the Word, and repentance from sin, our waters of our heart will be destroyed…NASTY too!

How we live out lives matters! Don’t let the wicked ways of the world pollute you!

What’s in Your Heart — Reflections on Proverbs 21

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”A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.“ Proverbs 21:2 NIV

What is in your heart? Your spiritual heart is the most important thing about you and me. It is very important for us to understand this. We are free to choose our ways. We often think our ways we choose are the best for us. Simply put we think we are right.

The problem is our desires often are self focused. This comes from a heart that is not entirely, totally and completely given up to God.

God weighs our heart. He examines it. If we ask Him to, He will reveal it to us. This is why David prayed:

”Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.“ Psalms 139:23-24 NIV

If we want to live the blessed life, the life that is happy in God, our hearts need to be cleansed of any offensive or wicked way it may have. Sin needs to be cut away from it!

”Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.“ Proverbs 21:21 NIV

Pursuing righteousness, purity of heart, by obedience to God and what He says in His Word is how we give our hearts to God. Pursuing love or denying all our selfish wants and desires to give ourselves to God in total obedience is how we “find life.”

The question becomes “What is in my heart? What does it desire and pursue more than anything?”

What God finds when He examines or “weighs” our hearts is very important. It is a matter of spiritual life or spiritual death.

Live It… Your Children Will Be Blessed- Reflections on Proverbs 20

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Practical wisdom, Proverbs offers plenty of it: working with diligence, living in faithfulness, dealing with honesty, avoiding gossip… even warnings of being led astray by wine and beer are just a few of the topics of this chapter.

As I read it, there is a promise that stands out to me summarizing the result of practicing all the practical wisdom the entire book of Proverbs contains:

”The righteous man walks in his integrity; blessed (happy, fortunate, enviable) are his children after him.“
Proverbs 20:7 AMPC

The righteous or Godly man is the man who lives his life set apart to God. The one who obeys what God has commanded in His Word. The promise is that his children will be blessed or happy.

As parents we want what is best for our kids. The BEST thing you can give your kids is to live your life in complete surrender to God and His ways. This comes by learning what it is that He, out of His great love, has commanded in His Word… i.e. study your Bible, and OBEY what it says. This also comes by a relationship with God. We hear Him speak through His Word, and we talk to Him in prayer throughout our day. It is a continual, moment by moment, focus on God.

Long ago, as a young mom, I heard it said, “If you want your kids to love God and know Him, you have to love God yourself. You cannot impart what you Do Not Have!” Simply put, if you want your kids to have the blessings — joy, peace , and happiness of knowing God, you must have a deep relationship with Him as well. Model it in front of them! Your children are following your lead!

The Testing Fire- Reflections on Proverbs 17

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What’s inside of us will always come out… It will be displayed in our words, our actions, even the way we present ourselves to others — our body language.

We were meant to display or bear the image of God. When we come to God and allow Him to pour Himself into us, His image of peace, joy, and love will reflect everywhere we go. But if we are full of sin and selfishness that image of death, darkness, and destruction will be reflected everywhere we go as well.

God’s desire is for our lives to reflect Him. This is why He tests our hearts.

”The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.“ Proverbs 17:3 NIV

Things we go through can be unpleasant at times. Sometimes they are downright hard, but God does not waste anything in our lives. He uses our circumstances to purify us as silver is purified. The heat will remove the impurities so the silversmith can see his reflection in the silver. Our reactions to our circumstances are opportunities to have what is not of God, sin, repented of and cleansed from us so we can display the image of our Divine Silversmith, God. His image reflected in us is always for our good. Because He alone is goodness!

Who is the Lord? — Reflections on Proverbs 14 and the Fear of the Lord

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“Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD…” Exodus 5:2

“Who is the Lord that I should obey Him?” This is the disposition of heart that many have. It springs from the truth Pharaoh spoke about himself, “I do not know the Lord.” Simply put… Pharaoh did not fear the Lord. Many in our time do not fear the Lord as well.

There is much said in Proverbs about the fear of the Lord. Today’s Proverb talks about why it is so important.

”Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.“ Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The fear of the Lord is a “secure fortress… a refuge…a fountain of life.”

When we fear the Lord, we have a reverential awe of Him. This comes from a just view of Him. We see Him rightly. If we truly see Him for who He is, we will love Him. Then we will hate sin and aim for perfect obedience. We will not want anything to separate us from such a great and awesome God. (Websters 1828 Dictionary)

When we see God rightly, we know that we are secure in Him. He is our fortress. We know that our God is the place we can hide away and can experience His protection and provision because He is the greatest love. He is always working for our good!

As we shun evil or love God/Hate sin, we will know Him as the “fountain of life.” Because sin destroys and causes nothing but death, darkness, and destruction in our lives.

Pharaoh missed so much because he refused to know God for who He is and worship Him. We will miss so much as well if we refuse Him.

To Know God
Is to
Love God
Is to
Trust God
Is to
Obey God

May we come to a greater understanding of what it is to fear the Lord and to walk in His ways!

The Benefit of Righteousness— A Blessed Life — Reflections on Proverbs 10

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Many are seeking for a life of success. Our libraries are filled with self help books that give “The key to happiness, fulfillment, wealth, etc.” Google search after Google search will point you to the ways to happiness, peace of mind, prosperity, etc. But Proverbs 10 lays out THE TRUE KEY to what we are all looking for— a blessed life. That key is “righteousness”.

Righteousness is defined as having a holy heart, a heart set apart for a sacred use, God’s use. When our thoughts, our decisions, and our feelings are completely submitted to God, obedient to God and depending upon God, we experience a life of fulfillment, joy, and happiness. (Verses 6, 7, 16) We experience the blessed life!

The blessings of a righteous person are many: The righteous person is delivered from spiritual death. (Verse 2) They are spiritually fulfilled. (Verse 3) A righteous person’s mouth is a fountain of life. It is life giving. (Verse 11) It has the good fruit of wisdom (Verse 31). The prospect— hope or expectation — of the righteous is joy…” They are firmly planted not uprooted. They know what finds favor (Verse 32).

How do we experience this blessed life of righteousness? This righteousness that pours out blessing after blessing in our lives isn’t found in all the good works we may do. It is found in Jesus alone! He give His righteousness to us so we can live the blessed life. Our role is to receive what He has given and live His way— submitted to Him. This is the only place we can experience what so many are searching for the true life of blessings in His righteousness.