“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives”
2 Peter 3:11 [NIV]

Holy means to set apart, separate. It means to be discriminating and discerning, to be holy as God is holy. Let us be discerning Christians in seven regards.

One: Sleep
As Christians, we must show self-control and discipline when it comes to sleep. It’s best to designate a time and place to sleep and stick to that schedule. Every person’s situation is different, and according to your circumstance, you should set a time and place for sleep. I have set my sleeping time for eight. I turn off my lights at 8 pm, which stops me from doing a lot of unnecessary things and keeps a lot of temptations at bay. I wake up at 4 am, which allows me eight hours of sleep. I might be wide awake, but lying in my bed in the dark gives me time to meditate and reflect on my day. It’s a great time to repent, discuss matters with God, and ask for His advice. I place importance on sleep because I realized it was the reason for many of my failures. When making decisions like this, do not decide on some out-of-reach ideal: decide on something doable and execute. Decide on a time. Designate a location. Sleep in your bed at a designated time every day. Wake up at the same time every day, and your life will change.

Two: Eating
Eating is related to our economic situation. We must appraise our finances and live within our means. We must first repent stealing from God. Pay tithe, recognize all things belong to God, use money thankfully, and use money according to God’s wishes. We have financial responsibilities to our church, family, society, and country. We must do the calculations, decide on a standard of living, and stick to it. In other words, use money properly. Success in faith means economic success. Failure in faith leads to financial failure. And in the more literal sense, we must be discriminating about what we eat, how much we eat, and when we eat. I have tried and failed my entire life. It is such a hassle to eat, and I’m still working on it. In the end, we must control how and when we sleep and how and when we eat, or we can never succeed in life. Get these two things under control.

Three: Bible Reading
After being fastidious regarding carnal matters, we turn our attention to spiritual matters. We must have a discerning approach when reading the Bible. For me, I have divided my method of learning the principles of Holy Inspiration into three parts: reading the Bible, listening to sermons, and meditating. Just as we did with sleeping and eating, we must examine time, place, and circumstances. We must designate a time and place to read the Bible. Some people might read the Bible while doing kitchen work or riding the bus. Some might not be able to read, but decide to memorize verses while working or meeting people. Decide on the bare minimum you can do and stick to it. Create a Bible-reading schedule or ritual and stick to it.

Four: Prayer
Designate prayer times. Some will decide to pray for a certain time after dinner. Some may pray after breakfast or lunch. Just as we did with the others, examine your conditions, health, and time, and then create a prayer plan and stick to it. Instead of obtuse prayers, create specific prayer topics, and be discerning about what you pray for! We must be holy regarding our prayers.

Five: Work
What kind of work should I do? What type of work did I do in the past? What kind of work am I doing now? What kind of work should I do in the future? Examine the work you did in the past. What were the results? Financially, religiously, and character-wise, am I better or worse after doing the work? Is my family better or worse off? Take this into consideration and examine what you are doing now. Am I doing the same thing? If you are, you can expect the same results. Instead, we must be holy regarding work. Stop doing what yielded terrible results. Continue what is good. Fix what is bad. Examine your work, devise a plan, and execute accordingly.

Six: People, Events, and Objects
We must be holy regarding people, events, and objects. Instead of haphazardly interacting with people, events, and objects, we should, once again, be discerning. Am I better off? Am I worse off? Is my faith stronger or weaker after the encounter? Once we examine our past interactions, we must make decisions. Some people, events, or objects will lead us to sin; they tempt and seduce us with desire, ambition, glory, and lust. There are times we know something is wrong. We promise never to do it again, but when the opportunity arises, we succumb. Instead of repeatedly failing, armed with reason, a good conscience, Biblical knowledge, and faith, we should approach people, events, and objects and make the right decisions. We should be critical, pray in advance, examine, and stick to the right course of action. Cut out bad things. Reinforce and add good things.

Seven: Free Time
As Christians, the blood, Holy Spirit, and Truth are our foundation; they are the core elements of our lives. Our lives should center around these three things and become our way of life. What is the best way to have fun and play in our lives? Doing things that fall in line with these three things! We must critically examine how we use our free time. Do we spend our time watching television? Do we spend time talking with friends? Do we hit a lazy spell and do nothing? As believers, our free time is critical because we can sin and stray from God in these moments of laxness. Don’t waste your time watching television! Choose the right hobbies. Stop wasting time sinning in your free time. Instead, choose the right things to do in your free time. Spend your free time doing things that help, not hurt your faith.

Examine your past, present, and future. Make new plans, and a holy life springs from those plans!

Summary

Let’s live holy and godly lives when it comes to…

1. Sleeping!
2.Eating!
3.Reading the Bible!
4.Praying!
5.Working!
6.Meeting people!
7.Playing!

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