Living Set Apart for God
The salvation that is offered by God through Jesus Christ is awesome! Our sins are forgiven. God gives us a new heart with new desires. Heaven is our final destination! And He gives us life abundant here on earth.
But there is work to do. How do we get started on this journey of sanctification? What can I do to grow in my Christian walk? How can I be more like Jesus?
Sanctification means to be set apart or to be holy – it is a process of being freed from sin and purified. But wait a minute, didn’t Jesus set me free me from sin and purify me already? Yes, that is an internal reality in your spirit.
Sanctification is working that out in your daily life as relates to your soul and body (the things you think, say, and do).
Join with me as we review the 5 R’s of Sanctification which will help you live set apart for God and his purposes for your life.
1. Renew your mind
God calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
Renew your mind through the reading of God’s word. The world’s ways run counter to God’s kingdom. Feed on God’s word. Read a Psalm a day to lead you into worship. Try Proverbs for daily wisdom. Go through the gospels to get to know Jesus – to know Jesus is to know the Father. And read the New Testament epistles (letters) to understand what God expects of us as Christians.
Go deeper on the topic: renew your mind.
2. Rebuild your worldview
God calls us to live kingdom-focused
Second, whether you were saved early and brought up in the church or saved later in life after being educated in the world, you need to rebuild your worldview. Building a kingdom-focused, Christian worldview rearranges priorities and realigns with God’s priorities. We see with new eyes as this world is not all there is – we live in the spiritual reality that exists. The charge in the Christian life is to walk by faith and not by sight. Developing a kingdom mindset contributes to the process of sanctification by guiding our focus to what matters. We stay close to God’s way of thinking and doing his will which diverts us from our own desires that would take us back toward sin.
Go deeper on the topic: rebuild your worldview.
3. Resist the devil
God calls us to stand against the devil and his schemes.
Third, you have an adversary but he is a defeated foe. However, the devil will continue to deceive and lie to destroy the life of a Christian. Some may experience direct attacks of the enemy while others may find themselves lulled to sleep by the sweet-sounding deceptions woven into our culture. We must be on guard against the devil to actively reject his lies, renounce his ties, and regard his guise.
Go deeper on the topic: resist the devil.
4. Renounce strongholds
God calls us to freedom for He has set us free.
We partner with God in achieving the freedom He has won for us. In our spirit, believers in Jesus are clean and made new. Freedom from the law of sin and death is ours in Christ. But there can be soul ties that burden us. Generational curses can hold us back and hinder progress, Habitual sin can ensnare and produce a guilt cycle that leads to hopelessness. However, we will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Our job is to Reckon ourselves dead to sin, Refuel with the Holy Spirit, and Reclaim our mind.
Go deeper on the topic: renounce strongholds.
5. Run the race
God calls us to run in such a way as to get the prize.
Finally, Paul did not want to be disqualified when he got to the end of his race. He practiced self-control and endurance and ran to win the prize. His focus remained on the high calling of God in Christ Jesus – his heavenly reward. Sanctification is a process in which we pursue God. Our desire is to know Him and to be like Him. Pursue God with perseverance. Preach the gospel with patience. In addition, run the race with zeal but take time to rest and recharge as God instructs us to do on our Sabbath.
Go deeper on the topic: run the race.
Summary
Sanctification is a lifelong process that conforms us to the image of God’s Son. Being like Jesus is our goal. God desires us to walk in holiness as He is holy – for us to be set apart to do His will. We align ourselves with God’s way of thinking when we renew our minds and rebuild our worldview. Next, we fend off distractions when we resist the devil and renounce strongholds. Finally, we run the race unencumbered to fulfill the call of God on our lives by being his ambassadors to a lost and dying world.
Posts to read for Going Deeper:
- Renew Your Mind
- Rebuild Your Worldview
- Resist the Devil: Prepare for the Battle, Engage in the Battle, Fight like Jesus
Recommended Reading: The Victorious Christian Life by Tony Evans