SANCTIFICATION OF A BELIEVER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2020.

SUBJECT : SANCTIFICATION OF A BELIEVER!

Memory verse: "Sanctify them Your truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17 vs 17.) 

READ: Hebrews 4 vs 12:

4:12: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

INTIMATION:

To sanctify literally means “to separate,” to purify, to cleanse or set apart for sacred use; to declare or make holy. Becoming more and more like Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament days, the priests symbolically separate themselves from sin and evil. This was done by washing themselves  and their clothing in a special ceremony (Numbers 8 vs 5 - 8). But we are not required to carry out such ceremonies today; we can purify ourselves by reading God’s Word, thoughtfully applying it to our lives, and preparing our hearts to participate in worship through anticipation, self-examination, and meditation. Just as we ‘set apart’ time to worship, we also ‘set apart’ to be in God’s presence. 

It is God’s will for you to be holy, but how can you go about doing that? The Bible teaches that holiness is not a state of being that you must manufacture on your own with hard work and good deeds and constant fear of failure. Instead, being made holy (sanctified) occurs in the process of living the Christian life. If you have accepted Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf, then you are considered holy and complete in God’s eyes. Yet you must continue to learn and grow during your time on earth. The Holy Spirit works in you, conforming you to the image of Christ (Romans 8 vs 29).Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” (John 15 vs 3.) 

Followers of Christ becomes sanctified through believing and obeying the Word of God He or she has already accepted forgiveness through Christ’s sacrificial death (Hebrews 7 vs 26 - 27). But daily application of God’s Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. Scripture points out sin, motivates us to confess, renews our relationship with Christ, and guides us back to the right path. 

After people commit their lives to Christ, they sometimes still feel a pull back to their old ways. The Scripture tells us to be like our Heavenly Father—holy in everything we do. We are to be set apart and different, not blending in with the crowd, yet not being different just for the sake of being different. God’s qualities in our lives make us different. Our focus and priorities must be His. All this is in direct contrast to our old ways. The sons of God, therefore, should behave themselves after the nature of God. They must lead godly lives because they have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus, and thus made holy. Since they have been made spiritually holy by the cleansing blood of Jesus, they are obligated to live lives that are separated from the ways of the world.

The Word of God is not simply a collection of words from God, a vehicle of communicating ideas: it is living, life-changing, and dynamic, as it works in us. With the incisiveness of a surgeon’s knife, God’s Word reveals who we are and what we are not. It penetrates the core of our morals and spiritual life. It discerns what is within us, both good and evil. The demands of God’s Word require decisions. We must not only listen to the Word; we must also let it shape our lives.

God’s Word is living because God is lives. It is a two edged sword that is able to cut both ways in correcting one’s behavior. No realm of human life escapes its penetrating power of judgements. The effectiveness of its power is illustrated every day by the transformed lives of formally hardened sinners who have yielded to God’s promise of an eternal rest to come. Transformed lives that are revealed in the gentle and humble servants of God are a continual testimony to the awesome power of God’s word upon a meek and subjective hearts. 

When one trusts in the promise of God, then God’s Word is able to transform his or her life. Therefore, there can be no change in life unless one focuses his or her attention on the promise that God will justly reward those who remain faithful. It is imperative that Christians maintain a strong faith in reference to what God has promised. If they do, then their lives will conform to that which they believe. They would mold their lives around God’s Word of promise in order to make their calling and election sure.

Prayer: Abba Father, forever Your Word is settled in heaven. Give me the grace to study and meditate on Your Word daily that I may be continually be cleansed and sanctified by Your Word, in the mighty Name of Jesus I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!