“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:14-15

“They shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up My treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”

Malachi 3:17-18

Lord God, I pray for holiness to spread through Your people. I pray for a spirit of obedience to rise up within us that will say no to our former passions, our former way of living and speaking and thinking, and say yes to Your ways that are all together different. Father, may Your Church walk in holiness as never before, drawing a holy line in the sand which we will refuse to cross. I pray You will come against every unholy relationship among us, break up our friendship with the world, and call us once again to “come out from among them”.

Your have distinguished Your people from all other people of the earth. We are covered in the blood of Christ, set free from sin, given hearts of flesh in place of hearts of stone, rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of Your Son. We are different, because we belong to You. I pray the distinction will become unblurred, Lord. I pray that Your Church will take up the call to be “other than”, instead of “similar to”. I pray that we will love the lost and speak truth to the lost, but that we will not lose our distinction from them.

Holy Spirit of God, we are the Lord’s treasured possession. Make us holy. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.