Consecration

Happy New Year Everyone!!! It’s gonna be an amazing 2021 …. I sense it in my whole being!!! With 2020 in our rearview mirror…. yay!! I clearly see that God has used this past year as a “preparation year” for those that are serious about Him!! With that said, let’s study a little on being “set apart”!
Consecration… To most it’s a scary word! It represents a “giving up” of things, it means a moving “into” or an “embracing” of things…and It definitely means some serious stretching! Let’s define the word consecration according to the word of God. Romans 12:1, “ Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies (DEDICATING ALL OF YOURSELVES, set apart) as a LIVING SACRIFICE, holy and well pleasing to God, which is your rational, reasonable, logical, intelligent act of worship.” Well, that can take us in many different directions… But let’s stick to the “dedicating all of yourselves” and “living sacrifice”. I can tell you from my family’s view that this past year has NOT BEEN one of fear, one of floating around in “limbo”, NOR has it been “UNPRECEDENTED” (if one more Christian uses that word I’m going to explode!!!!). Do y’all know what the word unprecedented means?? Well, here’s the definition…”never done or never known before”…. PRETTY SURE God has described himself as the “Alpha and Omega” , the “beginning and the end”, AND HE “knows the end from the beginning”, “He’s ALL KNOWING”! This pandemic was NOT NEWS to God at all!!! Certainly it is not been unprecedented for those that have left themselves open to the Holy Spirit’s leading!! Frankly, I’m really tired of hearing my fellow ministers speak that way!!! As Christians, our focus needs to be steady, and on Him! When we have the leading of the Holy Spirit it is not unprecedented!! God already knows the way!!! It should not be a fearful place, and we certainly are not in some floaty limbo state in our lives!!! If you’ve allowed yourself to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and nudging you’ll have noticed the direction HE’S pointing …..a “dedicating of ALL of our selves“…… as opposed to a dedicating of only “parts of our lives”! It has been an obvious this past year……there’s been a “setting a part”! There has definitely been a big shift among the Christians… Yes, the body of Christ! There has been those that choose to be set apart, stand their ground of biblical convictions, and speak the truth regardless of the loss or persecution! And there’s been a “weeding out” if you will. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, The Lord tells us that “He, himself will sanctify us completely; ….. and that WE are too dedicate our WHOLE spirits, souls, and bodies to Him”! So there’s two parts in this… God will sanctify us, He will bring us from Glory to Glory as we cooperate with Him….bringing us into new places in our character, in our convictions, in our behavior, and in our spiritual maturity. OUR PART is to present our entire lives as a sacrifice for his plan and purpose in the earth! I believe God is weeding out the idea that the culmination of our Christianity is strictly “salvation- I’M GOING TO HEAVEN”. Meaning, when we give our lives over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, our Christian journey has just begun! LORDSHIP… is the KEY WORD HERE!!! We (Us and the God of Heaven and Earth) have a plan and a purpose in the earth for God Himself! So in going back to the scripture in Thessalonians, we have to ask ourselves…. HAVE I presented my WHOLE self… My SPIRIT, my SOUL (remember your soul is your mind -what and how you think, you’re will -your decision making, and emotions – your behavior) and BODY??? Or are you just riding the wave of salvation into heaven?? I don’t know about you, but I CHOOSE to be set apart… I CHOOSE to be strong in my Godly convictions… I CHOOSE MY GOD and HIS principles to guide and represent my life! Remember….. Romans 12 tells us “it is our REASONABLE, LOGICAL act of worship”. Meaning ….it’s an OBVIOUS what’s expected of us as the children of God! We are to be SET APART in Conviction, behavior, and Fruit!!!
ARE YOU???