Be Ye Separate, Says the Lord
To have
the Holy Spirit’s abiding anointing on your life, it requires that you live
holy. The Lord says in 1 Peter 1:16, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
The
word “holy” comes from the Greek word hagios
(Strong’s 40). Hagios is defined as: sacred, pure, morally blameless,
consecrated.
Some
synonyms for consecrated include: holy, sacred, sanctified, hallowed, blessed,
set apart, distinguish, differentiate.
Numbers
8:14 says, “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of
Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.” The Levites were considered to be the
priesthood and clergy, and they were commanded to be separate unto the Lord.
That means that they could not do everything that others were free to do. They
were commanded to live up to stricter moral laws.
Also,
they were not given an inheritance of land (as the other tribes were), for the
Lord was their portion.
Second
Corinthians 6:14-18 tells us:
“Do not
be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has
righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And
what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an
unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are
the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will
dwell in them
And
walk among them.
I will
be their God,
And
they shall be My people.”
Therefore:
“Come
out from among them
And be separate,
says the Lord.
Do not
touch what is unclean,
And I
will receive you.”
“I will
be a Father to you,
And you
shall be My sons and daughters,
Says
the Lord Almighty.”
Although
this passage is talking about being unequally yoked in marriage to unbelievers,
it also refers to being unequally yoked to this world in general.
This
means that if a Believer desires to have the Presence of God abiding on their
life, then they cannot participate in all the ways of this world.
For
example, you have to be very careful and selective about what movies at
theaters you see, because most movies do NOT glorify God.
Even in
many so-called family movies, it will be defiled by witchcraft. They try to
present it as harmless, but we all know that most snakes and scorpions are NOT
harmless. They are symbolic of demons.
You
have to be very careful what you watch on television, as most of it depicts
sinful living. Even Westerns are not innocent. It depicts shootings, killings,
murder, running from the law, theft, alcohol intoxication, taverns and
destruction of property in bar fights, rebellion to the authorities,
prostitution, lying, cheating, stealing, violence. The only hope for Westerns
is that in the end the good guys win out.
Even
when it comes to the news media, it’s all filled with doom and gloom, fear-filled
reports, rumors and negativity. After 15 minutes of hearing the news, it does
not edify you to listen to all the killings and shootings, the scandals and
crimes committed, and the economic outlook for the future. God said He would be
our Provider. He said that for those who tithe and give offerings, and who fear
the Lord, that they would be sustained during famine (Psalms 37:19).
To live
set apart, for me personally, means that I have never drank any alcoholic
beverage in my entire life, nor plan on doing so in the future. On my father’s
side of the family, several of his family members were alcoholics and died
young. I have never had a desire for alcohol, not even beer or a glass of wine.
I do not use wine in cooking, or for partaking of Holy Communion. I have no
issues with those who partake of wine during the Eucharist.
To live
separated unto God also means to live sexually pure. That means no sexual
activity outside of marriage, and marriage the way God originally created it is
between a man and a woman. It’s a blessing when you hear about couples who are
virgins getting married, and how they saved their virginity for their husband
or wife. Of course, tragedies happen in life and some people are molested or
raped, and have to work through all the painful emotions and memories. But they
can still live in purity.
Now
days you hear of couples living together outside of marriage. This ought not to
be. God has called us to live pure.
Porn
opens the door to all kinds of demonic spirits and filth, and keeps people
bound in chains to where they cannot get free unless they get outside help.
Porn is a form of adultery and homosexuality. Jesus said that if a man looks
upon a woman to lust after her, that he has committed adultery with her in his
heart (Matthew 5:28). The same principle applies to women as well who view
porn.
Another
way we can live separated unto God is by the kind of music we listen to. Do you
listen to worldly music? The lyrics to worldly music will defile you. It’s all
about worldly love without commitment, worldly wisdom (James 3:15), sexual
immorality, being cheated on, being abandoned, cussing and cursing. Of course,
this does not apply to all types of music, such as Classical. The music we as
born again believers should be listening to should be music that glorifies God.
Some examples include praise and worship, Gospel, Choirs, uplifting music,
Davidic worship.
To live
separate is to avoid going to dance halls, as worldly dancing can be very lewd
and sensual. The Jews in the Bible only danced to Yahweh, and the men and women
danced separate. Some types of dancing is pure, such as ballet.
For me
personally, the avoidance of tattoos and body piercings is one way that I live
separated unto the Lord. Of course, there is mixed feelings about tattoos and
body piercings in the Body of Christ, and I have no judgment against anyone who
practices it. However, for me it would not be right. I do have pierced ears
(just one piercing in each ear), and that is it.
Another
way to live separated unto the Lord is by dressing conservatively. This means
by covering up flesh and cleavage, and covering your legs from the knees up.
Especially among pastors and leaders, there should be holiness in how we dress.
It’s okay to dress in pants and jeans, but just not skin tight clothing.
Gambling
is something Christians should avoid. Casinos are not places that the Holy
Spirit dwells in. Also, God does not bless money that is gained through
gambling and chance.
To live
separate means to be very careful in choosing the right friends and
relationships. People can make or break you, and you have to be cautious who
you come into relationship with. We will become in life like the friends and
relationships we spend the most time with. This also applies to spending time
with people by reading their books and listening to their audios. Eventually,
we start to become more and more like them and talk like them.
There
are some issues, or television shows, that are not considered sinful, but are
secular. For instance, years ago when Benny Hinn was just starting out in
ministry, the Anointing would rest upon him for hours after a service. One
evening after a service, while the Holy Spirit’s anointing was resting on Benny
Hinn, some of his co-workers wanted him to watch a television program called
“Let’s Make a Deal”. As soon as he began to watch the show, the Holy Spirit
lifted His anointing off of Benny Hinn. In this case, it was not a sin issue or
moral issue, but the fact that the show was secular, of this world.
As you
begin to get to know the precious Holy Spirit, and understand more about His
Anointing, you will discover that He will call you more and more away from this
world to spend time in His Presence. Things that you used to do, now you do not
do it any longer.
Recently,
I went to a Honda Dealership with my mother, to their automotive garage for a
minor repair. I was alone in the van and was complaining outloud to the Lord
that I had to be wasting time at the automotive garage when I could be doing
other things. Immediately, I felt His strong Presence and He was a little bit
angry with me for complaining. So I repented. The fact is that my parents have
a van, and it’s in great working condition, and the repair was minor. The Holy
Spirit, that day, showed me that He does not care for complaining. It really
sets Him off.
The
Holy Spirit has been revealing Himself to me more and more recently, and doing
a work of purification in my heart. He’s producing the fruit of the Spirit in
my life, helping me to become more like Jesus.
Holiness
involves all these outward things that I have mentioned in living a separated
life. But God also wants us to develop holiness in our hearts. This means, that
the love of God would be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans
5:5) so that we would truly love God and others in the way He wants us to.
I grew
up in a more legalistic church environment where it was common for many of the
church members to adopt a separated life like I personally live. We were good
at keeping the rules, but it was more difficult to walk in love towards some
people. The Holy Spirit has really been doing a deep work in my heart when it
comes to loving others, and especially when it comes to forgiving those who
have hurt me and caused me pain. I’m still learning to forgive others.
