Sanctification! Take it one step at a time…
Hey Yall!
Sanctification can be a topic we don’t discuss often. It may even seem scary or an outdated construct but I assure you, IT’S NOT! Sanctification is the act of making or declaring something holy or the action or process of being freed from sin or purified. The Bible tells us in Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was born in iniquity, and in sin hath my mother conceived me, so because we entered the world this way, we must be reborn(John 3:1-21). It’s the process of being reborn that brings us to our topic of Sanctification!
When you reach a point in life where you come to the understanding of who Jesus is, what he did for you, and how much he loves you, etc. You believe that He died, was buried, and rose again so that you may have eternal life. You have this newfound love and admiration for our beautiful Savior and all you want to do is serve Him, right? Right! But that thought can feel so overwhelming! Don’t let it! Slow down, let’s take this thing one step at a time ok?!
Life Before Christ…
Before you arrived at the revelation of Christ you more than likely lived as the rest of the world; fornication, hatred, unforgiveness, malicious toward others, lying, cheating, stealing, and all the things in between and beyond. All those things must be cleared out so that the character of Christ can be revealed through you. Often times the new believer gets caught up in this process of dying to the old self and embracing the new self. But I have news for you!
Jesus will do all the heavy lifting!
This is great news! You don’t have to change yourself cause guess what? If you could, you would have a long time ago! Jesus is the potter and you are His clay. He’s shaping and molding you into a vessel to be used by the Most High God! Don’t allow the enemy to trap you into thinking you have to be perfect now that you’re following Christ. There are none perfect except Jesus! You must keep that in mind. As you pursue your relationship with Jesus, he will start revealing and uncovering things in your life that must be changed one thing at a time. All you have to do is submit to His prompting and bend to His will. As with any relationship, as you build trust and familiarity, you began to understand each other more. As that understanding and trust grow, your submission grows all the more!
Hebrews 4:7 if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion
It’s imperative that we touch on the above scripture before we wrap up our chat here. Sanctification is a never-ending process. You will continue being perfected until the day of Jesus Christ. This sounds nice in its simplicity but it can be incredibly discouraging to those of us that lack discipline or have a hard time receiving critique or criticism. When our Lord reveals another area that needs refining, after you just went through a battle of deliverance in a different area, it can feel like a personal attack or that you’ll never be good enough. Don’t allow the enemy to deceive you. Jesus loves you so much and wants you to look just like Him, so this refining can hurt, but it’s all for your good and God’s glory! Don’t allow your heart to be hardened.