Back on campus, we had a phrase we used during group pictures: “Give holiness gap.” It was our light-hearted way of saying, “Brothers and sisters, keep a godly distance.” No unnecessary squeezing, no awkward closeness. We said it softly, but we meant it. It was our code for purity among believers.
Friend, where is the holiness gap in your life today? God’s standard has not shifted. It won’t. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever — not just in power, but in purity (Hebrews 13:8). Cultures change. Churches adjust styles. But God’s foundation stands sure across every generation, city, and season (2 Timothy 2:19).
There’s no level of growth where holiness becomes optional (1 Corinthians 9:27). Not in Akure, not in Lagos or the UK, not online. Not when you are single, married, a worker, or a pastor. New creation realities don’t cancel moral responsibility. Sin is still sin (1 John 3:1-10). Grace is not a cover-up; it’s an empowerment.
When it comes to sexual immorality, the Bible’s instruction is simple: FLEE (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22). Your deliverance is in your feet, not your theology. It’s easier to run from Potiphar’s wife than to explain righteousness while trapped in her room (Genesis 39:12). Run first. Teach later.
It is better to be called “too strict” than to be caught in compromise (1 Peter 4:1-5). Give the holiness gap. Stop casual hugs that stir emotions you pretend are not there (Proverbs 6:27). Why sit alone with your fiancé/fiancée in a dark room and call it “fellowship”? If you are not married, create distance.
No one has an anointed flesh. The strongest people fall through presumption (1 Corinthians 10:12). The moment you say “I cannot fall” is the moment you start falling. Grace is not a license to sin; it’s a teacher that trains us to say no to ungodliness (Titus 2:11-12). Grace teaches you to give the holiness gap. Keep it. Amen.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria