Simple Holiness?

THE MOST HOLY men I know live VERY simple lives.

It seems the farther men are from the world’s influences the closer they are to God. But is it true? Is that a key to Holiness? How far is enough?

Should we all be hermits, for instance?
I don’t think so.

So how separate is “Holy”?

Remember John the Baptiser? You can’t get much more ‘separated.’ Jesus Himself called John GREATEST among men on earth (Luke 7:28). But, He then said that even the least in Heaven is greater than John. I take this to mean then that to be by God is to be as separated from the World, as Holy, as ANYONE can get. That is to say that even John, in his animals skins, sucking on the leg of a grasshopper, and with all his scoffing at the worldly, even he was still left open to the world’s influence. I mean, to just BE here, to not be in Heaven, does that., apparently. Come quickly LORD.
Remember Moses? He was so changed by being close to God his very face was shining, and then SO brightly the people could not STAND it. They made him wear a veil until the glowing stopped. I’ve met people like that, have had people say that of me at times, that the face just shines on Godly people. But the glory fades doesn’t it? So what is it that makes the glow wane? To hear the Bible, it’s the world; the cares of this life, the ‘pride of life’, that causes the loss of holiness.

Was there anyone on earth more Holy than Jesus?
Was He a hermit?

Can silence be the key, because when you turn everything off you get a lot more quiet. There are days I just want to unplug and have silence for a few days. But I’m married, with children, so silence is a rare commodity.

Are you really being Holy, or are we just being “holier than thou”, to think so?

There are some in this life who seem to get what holiness is… Their ability to hear God, to weather hardship, to be a calming influence in trials, shows they have something more.

Now let’s not forget there are many who lose their minds about holiness. Legalism is ever present in a “holiness” meeting.

So what do the Holy do that is so different?

I remember a man of God named Gary Kroeze. He answered questions I never asked anyone of but God, and then that was only in my own thoughts. The Spirit told him what I was struggling with (what to CALL God when I pray) and he answered me for God, straight out, how that I needed to read the Bible for God’s Names. He just said it right “out of the blue”, as it seemed to me. I was STUNNED. I had not said anything about my question to ANYONE, having thought about that the very morning he said this.
This is one of those times I learned the reality of the Spirit of God and that He interacts JUST FINE with men who have “ears to hear.” So where do we get the ‘ears’ from?

He who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit says…

EVERY one of those rare men, those who I know hear from God directly, live simple lives.

The Messiah says to take up your Cross daily and follow after Him. Now, I have heard MANY interpretations of what Jesus meant by this, but the context is clear as to what the meaning is: Jesus is saying to die to your self every day and follow Him. What I have noted in my OWN walk is that the more caught up, mesmerized, I am by the world, the LESS Holy I feel. I am not led about by my feelings, being a man, but this is one of those times where ‘feeling it’ really matters. The more I ‘beat my flesh into submission’, as Paul said, the closer to God I feel, and the more I actually hear from the Spirit.
Or is that just an illusion?

There was a moment I was used by God to speak at the EXACT MOMENT someone was praying, answering with the EXACT WORDS they were just asking God, in their mind. The Spirit told me what to say and I didn’t hesitate to say it. The girl was moved deeply to know God heard her and had used a complete stranger to prove His love for her. I know she never forgot that day God touched her personally because I haven’t.
So, was I particularly “holy” or separated from the world that day? Well no, exactly the opposite! I had actually been COMPLAINING to God about my job that day and had just worked through back to gratitude when the Spirit told me what to speak to the girl, and to do so immediately. I was just as stunned as she was. She told me she was in mid sentence in her prayer when I spoke.

So what is it that makes one “Holy”? I mean, is it merely a coincidence that George Mueller lived day to day, by whatever God provided to him and his children? Is it merely circumstantial that Brother Kroeze lived a simpler life, when he could hear God speak what I was THINKING? I was there, that was NO parlour trick. Is it of no importance that my friends Lee and Kathy live simply, being used by God to rescue me when I called on Him, sending them ALL THE WAY FROM PERU to my little town in North Carolina, to the church I was attending, God arranging the circumstances for us to meet to be used of God in my rescue? Are you so blind as to believe in coincidence? I cannot TELL you the number of times they stunned me with supernatural knowledge about me.
But Gary Kroeze is more Holy than even they are. He lives real simple. When I mean simple I really mean SIMPLE. His daily meals consisted of whatever Yahweh provided THAT DAY. If he got corn he ate corn; kale, then kale he ate: that was it.
I’ve been pondering this call to simplicity I keep hearing from God; this yearning to be free of the cares of this world, to be closer to JESUS. I want to hear His Voice. I want to be near Him. If Jesus was here in the flesh I would sell all I have and wander after Him, wherever He went. Who wouldn’t, right? Well…Oddly enough…

Many who profess Jesus would not “sell all”: NARROW is the Way that leads to life and FEW there are that find it. This is a mark of the Believer, that he will do whatever it takes to be close to Jesus, will do whatever He says.
I remember when I recognized Jesus in these friends who introduced me to Him. When they moved away I went with them. They thought I wasn’t going to go but I would have walked to wherever they went, I was THAT determined. I sold all I needed to, left everything I needed to, following them until I KNEW I had what they have. Even when I was ready to go out on my own finally I was upset because I truly feared Jesus would not go with me, that He was only there in their house, the Presence of God in them was so rare among those who professed him that I had known. And let me say I have lived in three countries and ~20 US States; I’ve known MANY who claimed the name of Jesus. And yet, at this moment I can count on two hands those I KNOW are Christ’s; TWO HANDS.

Few indeed…

This is the Mark of the Believer, that they would rather die than not be close to Jesus, distraught if they thought they could not be His in every way. The mark that someone is His shows when you can’t get rid of them! You have Jesus and they want to know Him, to BE His. So they will follow you until you give then what they need. Follow up? I’m so SURE.

The Called of God are like the old lady who came to a judge day after day, pestering him to get her case heard and judged on justly. Even though the judge was corrupt he still relented and heard her case because she was SO persistent. If even a worldly corrupt judge will give justice to the persistent how much more will the Father give us the Holy Spirit who ask?

So ASK ALREADY!
I’ve been a Believer since December 24th, 1993, the day I realized there was nothing more to be done; nothing more that I needed to know; that I had no more questions about how to be a Christian; knew all of what God required of me. I had to DECIDE that day, that second, then. I had to make that leap of faith I had heard so much about; There was no way I could intellectually glean any more useful information. I had to Trust and Obey or be done with following.

I stood at a cliff of my own making, sure of death at my own hand.
Knowing how God could do the saving, needing no more than to lift my hand.
What would I do, standing there in the wind, knowing my sins, that Jesus was waiting?
Needing the Rescue Only Jesus can give, wanting my life to be only His?
Falling I sang, not sure of the outcome; only that He was worth it all to live.

The Bible shows we cannot be lovers of this world and love God too, we have to choose between the two, every day. How far you have to go with that I think the Spirit decides for us individually. But I know this: NOTHING gets between me and Jesus. NOTHING. If I perceive anything is starting to encroach on my relationship with Christ I get rid of it.

I had to tell my fiance’ at the time I was born again that we could no longer do what we were because I knew it was between me and Jesus, between her and Jesus. When she turned her back on me I had to choose between them. She married someone else not that long after.

In NO way am I perfect in this; I fail to choose Jesus sometimes; I transgress. But the Spirit is faithful to bring me right back around to that choice again in Christ’s forgiveness, to teach me where to choose Jesus in it the next time. But sometimes that choice is gone forever; Be very careful to obey the first time… VERY CAREFUL. There are many moments I will not be proud of in eternity.

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

I’m not sure if hermitage is a requirement for holiness for most of us but Scripture is pretty clear friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God. Seek Yahweh for just what that means in your life. But do remember what Jesus Himself said the “works of God” are:

John 6:29 (WEB)
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

My experience with God is that He does in you what He demonstrates you are lacking, especially in Holiness. After all, if we could ‘work up’ holiness why would we need the Spirit of God to make us New Creations?

Think about it…

Note that God says, “You shall be holy; for I am holy.” (1Peter 1:16 WEB)
Not “You must strive to be holy” but that “You shall be holy…”.

If the first fruit is holy, so is the lump. If the root is holy, so are the branches. (Romans 11:16 -WEB)

I am reminded that in my childhood I have always been set apart, different, peculiar. There is never a time in my life when I did not feel ‘outside’, until I came to Jesus. I found then that it was they, those mocked me, who are outside; the world, the lost, the unrepentant. And they shall be set outside, where they are set to go, those who do not desire the things of God, to obey Him.

Who but God Himself can rescue such lost people? Praise be to Yahweh, Jesus can and does, Y’Shua Himself, the Atonement, the Savior, the One and ONLY Messiah of all who love God and look for His coming Kingdom.

Fill me with The Holy Spirit, Father; make me like you, Jesus. Draw me closer and make me yours, more, every day, as You Will it. Amen.

Luke 1:49
For He who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his Name.

Patrick Burwell
OnlyJesusSaves.com Ministries