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Believing the promises of God gives peace to my life, looking back at chapter 6 we see that we are the temple of the living God and He has promised to dwell in us and walk among us and to be God and Father to us. What this means to me is I'll always have someone on my side, someone to give me a way of escape when temptation comes and loves me like a father really caring about me. This verse tells me because I have these promises from God I can shun evil and flee to God. Because I love Him i desire to please Him and to confess my sins and receive His Forgiveness and to take joy in the salvation He has provided for me

Cleanse ourselves is not a reference to Christian baptism but to the daily spiritual cleaning that believers are to experience (John 13:10). Perfecting holiness indicates that growth in sanctification is not optinal. Believers are to become as mature and Christlike in this lifetime as they can, but the work will be completed only on the day of Christ (Php. 1:6).

2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. I believe it's easier to deal with the filthiness of the flesh than the filthiness of the spirit. Jesus had no problems with the prostitutes, tax collectors and other such sinners, it was the Pharisees with their religiosity, legalism, judgementalism and accusation that refused to receive any of Jesus teaching, repentance or salvation. I see that same spirit among many church goers today. Notice here that Paul includes himself among those who needed this cleansing. If he struggled with those yucky pucky's, then why would anyone calling themselves a Christian think just because they're a Christian they don't have any of these yucky pucky's? As Dr Henry Wright says, it's not whether a Christian can have a demon, but can a demon have a Christian. It doesn't matter where the demon is, if you're listening to it, and not bringing those thoughts into the obedience of Christ and casting the vain thoughts down, you're gonna comply with the yucky thought, period. The biggest lie from the devil himself is that a Christian can't be bothered with demons. No a demon can't possess your spirit, that belongs to God, if you've received the free gift of eternal life, but he can sure access it thru thoughts you allow to enter in. It's also important that we take our own spiritual inventory and not others. Every one has to answer to God for their own sins. Thank You Papa God for showing us how easy it is to fall for the tricks and lies of the enemy, and that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the Word of our testimony.

Perfecting holiness is not always an easy task and it's not meant to be easy in our lives, but the attempts we make daily to reach towards that goal determines how we live and approach every day. We are not expected to be perfect, but we are expected to strive for that condition and live our lives as our Savior Jesus Christ did....to treat others with respect and to give thanks to God everyday that we have yet another day to walk in the steps of our Lord.

Many believers do not have a dedicated commitment to the Lord, which shows in their “walk” and life that is lived guardedly before others. Cardboard Christians….Lukewarm Christians. Many have never been taught from the Word that God has given His decree, "Sanctify yourselves therefore and be ye holy, for I am the Lord your God." 
Others have been challenged to live such a life, but have shunned it, unwilling to surrender and make a commitment to the Lord. Paul had this problem in Corinth. He saw in the walk and worship of many new converts the influences and habits from an old lifestyle. He says, "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Cor. 6:19)
Most Christians have no concept of the reality of being indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Their spiritual life depends largely upon their own efforts to maintain their walk and worship. They live on the perimeter of all God wants to do in and through them. Christ died for us, that He might manifest His life through us.
Paul is pleading with these believers, "that they receive not the grace of God in vain." In this chapter Paul is encouraging them (and us) to enter into all God has for you and all He wants to do in you. You are the temple in which dwells the Spirit of God. So yield yourselves to Christ so that He can live His life through you. Not only separate yourselves from all that's unclean, but also sanctify yourselves unto Him. 
And what will He do? "For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord." (2 Cor. 6:18) This is the exalted position of every believer. Who can comprehend this? God not only has redeemed us, but he "indwells" us with His Spirit! This is infinite unsearchable love!
Paul challenges them, as he does us: "Having therefore these promises, let us cleanse ourselves, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." The promises in His Word become effective only when they dwell in our hearts. As we appropriate them with a committed faith, they become "real and operational" in our walk and worship. How can we perfect "holiness in the fear of God?" In awe and profound reverence, "work out your own salvation in fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12) Delight yourselves in His presence. Depend on His care and provision. Have a zeal for His glory. Be sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit as He probes, cleanses, leads, and reveals God's Word to us.
We should ask God to give us a hunger and thirst for an intimate relationship with Christ and the commitment to be diligent in studying His Word and applying it to our lives...desiring above all things that the whole of our being be filled with the fullness of His presence, so He will perfect His holiness in us! Jesus says to the lukewarm Laodicean church in Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”  Let us be about “perfecting holiness out of reverence for God”. God would rather have us on the wrong side of the fence than sitting on the fence!

Its all about pleasing the Lord in every area of our lives.

We must be ready for the Lord. Humble ourselves and receive his word and promises. Believe in the Lord so that our body and spirit will be perfected in holiness out of respect for God.

We have to watch what we put into these temples. God doesn't want us to put sinful things into our bodies, or either do sinful things to corrupt us. He want's us to remain clean, and holy and presentable before him. Let's keep our bodies clean, and reverence the almighty God.

The idea is, that as we have a promise that God would dwell in us, that he would be our God, that he would be to us a Father, we should remove from us whatever is offensive in his sight, and become perfectly holy. The unceasing and steady aim of every Christian should be perfection - perfection in all things - in the love of God, of Christ, of man; perfection of heart, and feeling, and emotion; perfection in his words, and plans, and dealings with people; perfection in his prayers, and in his submission to the will of God. No man can be a Christian who does not sincerely desire it. and who does not constantly aim at it. No man is a friend of God who can acquiesce in a state of sin, and who is satisfied and contented that he is not as holy as God is holy. And any man who has no desire to be perfect as God is, and who does not make it his daily and constant aim to be as perfect as God, may set it down as demonstrably certain that he has no true religion, How can a man be a Christian who is willing to acquiesce in a state of sin, and who does not desire to be just like his Master and Lord? From a regard to his commands, and a reverence for his name. We as Christians should strive to be a image that our fellow man can follow to the Lord. If we are sinful and continue in that path, then the people we are trying to bring to Jesus, will say "Your no different then me, what is so special." We always need to shine for the Lord, so his coming believers will see that shine and know that Jesus world is different. Amen

Purifying ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit is something we must do as a believer. It reminds me of having to weed our gardens - our responsibility, if we want our flower and vegetable gardens to be productive and also look good. I am not a great gardener . because it takes discipline and commitment and work which is what we also needed to "purify ourselves" as we look at the weeds (sins) in our lives and confess them (1John 1:9). Help me Lord see the weeds in my life and pull them out by the roots!