The best way to pursue holy passion is to keep the lights on. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. Think about it for a moment. What would happen if you entered a room plunged into total darkness and tried to find your Bible? You would have to move slowly, taking small steps. Even if a sliver of light crept into the room, it would still take a long time to find your Bible because your eyes would need to adjust to the darkness.

You’d probably bump into a wall and walk away with a nice bump on your forehead. But if you entered the room and turned on the light, you would find your Bible quickly. When it comes to seeking holiness, it works the same way: if you focus on all your impurities, flaws, and sins, if you adjust your eyes to the darkness, you will take small steps toward freedom and constantly hit the wall.

Similarly, when you turn on the light, when you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, you will find yourself transformed into His image. When you focus on Jesus, on the beauty of His holiness and His love for you, you find the strength to overcome the dark temptations of all kinds, from lying to bitterness, from pride to greed and immorality.

Light always triumphs over darkness. Where light increases, darkness decreases. So, focus on the light. A relentless pursuit of God is a recipe for resisting the lusts of the flesh. If your eyes are fixed on Him and you connect with Him at the heart level, you won’t even want to look at what the enemy dangles before you or listen to his evil whispers. When you become lovesick for God, you will no longer desire to seek the fleeting pleasures of sin. John Piper once said:

“Sin is what we do when our heart is not satisfied with God. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.“

It’s a shift in mindset. Paul put it this way:

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness.” Romans 6:11–13.

You are dead to sin. Keep that in mind always. You are alive to God in Christ. Christ lives in you. Meditate on who you are in Christ. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. You are endowed with the power to overcome all the enemy’s power. Act as if you believe it. See the light. This revelation of who you are in Christ is more important than any prophecy course you could take.

If you know who Christ is and who you are in Him, you will be able to discern truth from falsehood, and your prophetic declarations will be more accurate.

Fully Submit to God

Passion for holiness means holding nothing back. You cannot cling to your favorite sin and claim you are passionate about holiness. I’m not talking about the character flaws that the Holy Spirit works with us to overcome, one by one, over the course of our lives. We will never be perfect as long as we are in these fleshly bodies. I’m talking about knowingly holding on to sin and even justifying it.

During the creation process, God will teach you how to walk according to the principles of the Spirit so that you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh (see Galatians 5:16). It is your task to cooperate with His grace. How do you know you are walking according to the Spirit’s principles? Examine the fruits. The works of the flesh are:

“Adultery, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21).

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Ultimately, we must submit to God. This is the theme that runs through every season of your creation. Submitting to God is an insurance policy against sin.

If we submit to God and resist the devil, the devil will flee (see James 4:7). The devil may not flee immediately, but he will flee. When you submit to God, when you submit to the principles of the Word and the Spirit, you resist the devil.

Youthful and carnal lusts are resistible. When lust knocks at the door of your mind, don’t ignore it. Confront it with the weapons of your warfare, which “are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds“—including lust (2 Corinthians 10:4). If you pursue holiness, you will soon be freed from sin, and God will increase the prophetic anointing on your life. The translation of James 4:7-10 from The Message puts it well:

“Let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.”

This text is an excerpt from the book The Making of a Prophet by Jennifer LeClaire.

We invite you to read the next article, Healing Spiritual Pride.

Holy Passion. Holy Passion.