Walking With Christ

⚓ Floatie:  The War Within, The Call to Die Daily

Luke 9:23–24  (23)And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  (24)For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.(ESV)

Holiness isn’t about being untouchable.  It’s about being owned.  To be holy is to be set apart unto God, not simply separated from sin.  Every morning we wake to the same invitation:  die to the cult of self or serve it.  There is no middle ground.  The enemy isn’t out there somewhere—it’s the uncrucified self still arguing for its own religion.  Every act of obedience is a strike against that insurgency.

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✒️ Forge:  The Religion of Self

Genesis 3:3  but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”(ESV)

That line wasn’t God’s command; it was Adam’s addition.  The first man of faith tried to improve on perfection.  From that moment, humanity began building fences around God’s words, creating rules to manage fear rather than deepen trust.  It was the birth of the religion of self—obedience as image management.

Isaiah confronted it centuries later:

Isaiah 29:13  And the Lord said:  “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,(ESV)

Different era, same heresy.  The cult of self survives every generation because it hides behind morality.  It prays loudly, fasts publicly, and seeks virtue for applause.  Its worship song has never changed:  “I will ascend.” (Isaiah 14:13–14)(ESV)

True holiness is rebellion against that religion.  It refuses the spotlight and kneels in surrender.  It stops explaining right behavior and starts examining right motive.  It isn’t sin-avoidance—it’s God-alignment.

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⚒️ Anvil:  The War of Holiness

Holiness is not passive purity; it’s active warfare.  Every disciple fights the same civil war—spirit against flesh, God’s will against self-will.  Paul said it plainly:

1 Corinthians 15:31  I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!(ESV)

Here’s the combat manual for that war.

1. Reconnaissance:  Know the Enemy

Self wears disguises.  It pretends to be prudence, compassion, or humility, but its motive is always control.  Ask:  Would I still do this if no one knew?  If this fails, would I still thank God for the chance to obey?  Psalm 139:23–24 becomes the soldier’s prayer:  “Search me, O God… and lead me in the way everlasting.”(ESV)

2. Weaponry:  Train with the Tools

• Scripture:  Calibrates the sight line between feeling and truth.  “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)(ESV)  It is also the forge of our armor.  Paul wrote:
  Ephesians 6:13–17  (13)Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  (14)Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15)and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  (16)In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (17)and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.(ESV)
  • Each piece reinforces a specific front in the war of holiness:
    • Belt of Truth:  Holds everything together—truth keeps conviction from falling apart.
    • Breastplate of Righteousness:  Guards the heart from self-justification.
    • Shoes of Peace:  Advance the gospel without trampling others.
    • Shield of Faith:  Blocks lies that question God’s goodness.
    • Helmet of Salvation:  Protects the mind from identity theft—the enemy’s oldest trick.
    • Sword of the Spirit:  The only offensive weapon, forged from the very Word that exposes and disarms the self within.
• Prayer:  Daily surrender of command.  Holiness dies the moment self becomes the general.
• Fasting:  Reminds the flesh who’s in charge.
• Silence & Solitude:  Starve the noise where pride hides.
• Community:  Brothers and sisters who will call you out without losing you.

These weapons don’t wound flesh—they train it.

3. Engagement:  Fight in Real Time

Every action is a presentation:

Romans 6:13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.(ESV)

Holiness happens before the decision, not after the apology.  When failure comes, confession is tactical withdrawal—returning to the Commander for regrouping, not retreating from battle.

4. Supply Lines:  Stay Connected

Cut off grace and discipline becomes cruelty.  Grace is the resupply convoy.  Fellowship keeps morale; worship keeps the banner raised.  John 15:5  “Apart from me you can do nothing.”  Holiness starves in isolation.

5. After-Action Review:  Posture, Not Performance

At day’s end, evaluate the heart, not the scoreboard.  Did love remain motive?  Did repentance come quickly?  Did pride die one more inch?  Victory in holiness isn’t perfection—it’s persistence in surrender.

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🔥 Ember:  The Quiet Battlefield

The most dangerous battles of holiness are silent.  No one sees them but God.  That’s why the Pharisee’s holiness died in public—he fought for audience approval instead of God’s pleasure.  The holy man or woman prays in secret, forgives before being asked, serves without reposting proof. Holiness isn’t fragile glass—it’s tempered steel, shaped by the blows of repentance and grace.  The absence of applause is where its shine grows brightest.

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🌿 Covenant Triumph:  The Death That Keeps You Alive

Galatians 2:20  I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.(ESV)

Holiness isn’t our achievement; it’s Christ’s residence.  Every day we lower the flag of self so His banner can rise again.  To die daily is to live eternally.  The war of holiness doesn’t end in exhaustion—it ends in resurrection.  And when the cult of self finally falls silent, what remains is the still, unmistakable voice of God saying, “You are mine.”

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[⚓ Floatie] [✒️ Forge] [⚒️ Anvil] [🔥 Ember] [🌿 Covenant Triumph]
This post follows the Forge Baseline Rule—layered truth for the discerning remnant.