WALKING IN THE WAY OF HOLINESS
By: Dawn Hill
https://lovesickscribe.com/2019/01/18/walking-in-the-way-of-holiness/
And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not wander in it. Isaiah 35:8 ESV
One of the things that really stands out to me in this hour is the power and the urgency for a consecrated life. The heart of the Father is drawing His children to be holy as He is holy. Jesus beckons us to be sanctified in Him. This is not a religious act or ritual. It is not a means to be superior to others, but it is a desire to have pure intimacy with God and to truly know His very nature so that His nature is evident in us. I was meditating on the many passages of Scripture that reference the call to holiness when I came upon Isaiah 35.
The verse above speaks of a highway in the wilderness and the desert called the Way of Holiness. Prior this passage, there is a picture described of this same landscape transforming into what sounds like a garden oasis. I truly believe that we are being called back to the heart of the matters, and holiness is one of those virtues.
There is not much talk these days of holiness, consecration and sanctification. The call to walk on this highway of Holiness is an amazing thing. This is truly important to God because to be holy is to display His nature. He is undefiled and without impurity, and He desires us to be the same. According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, holiness in Isaiah 35:8 means, “a holy thing and sacredness. It indicates something consecrated and set aside for sacred use only; it was not to be put into common use, for if it was, it became profaned and common, not holy.”
This is a wake up call. Saints, we are called to be set aside for sacred use. We are not made for common use. We are not to look and act like the world. We belong to another Kingdom. We are not our own.
When I read Isaiah 35, my spirit leapt because of the beauty of this passage. The Way of Holiness is not a path fraught with complacency and compromise. The Word explicitly says that the unclean shall not pass over it. Impurity is prohibited on this path. There is no wandering in it, even if one is a fool or despises wisdom and morality. Isn’t it refreshing that in the midst of the wilderness season or in a state of being dry, God wants the landscape to change to rejoice in His glory and His majesty. In the middle of this gladness and fruitfulness with miracles, signs and wonders (Isaiah 35:5-6), there is a highway called the Way of Holiness leading to Zion. He does not just want the external atmosphere to change, but He wants the inward man to be transformed in preparation for eternity.
As citizens of heaven, we are to demonstrate intimacy with God and the fragrance of having been with Jesus. You can be in the wilderness and yet experience the bloom of that fellowship with Him. We demonstrate the Kingdom of God in obeying the commission of Jesus Christ to minister the gospel, lay hands on the sick, cast out devils and to be Spirit filled, and running through this entire landscape of our lives surrendered to Him is a Way of sanctification and consecration that can only be found through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We cannot afford to abandon the significance of holiness in this time. Without being set apart for uncommon use, we will yield to passions and things that will pollute our union with God.
I know without a doubt that God is calling us back to the things that matter to Him. They are things that we do not stress much out of fear of offending others or losing relationships, but they are beautiful things because they are close to His heart. Demonstrating the Kingdom of God matters to Him. Setting the captives free matters to Him. Being filled with His Spirit matters to Him. Repentance matters to Him.
Purity matters to Him, and holiness and consecration still matter to Him. May we desire to walk on this highway of Holiness that leads straight to God.