“Our Daily Bread”
http://odb.org/2012/09/08/your-heart/
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht
Hebrews 10:9-10… then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.”He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (NKJV)
Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, so that the sins of those who become sanctified in God’s eyes…will be forgiven of their lifetime of sins… So what does the word sanctify mean ?? Let’s look at some scripture to get an idea… Jesus tells us this, in…John 17:16-18… “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” (NKJV)
In this scripture, Jesus was praying to His Father in heaven; praying for His disciples, shortly before He was arrested by a mob led by Judas…as recorded in John chapter 18… Notice what Jesus says in this scripture… “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”… Jesus had hand picked all 12 of His disciples…taking them away from their life in this world; and setting them apart as the men He would use to build His church, after Jesus ascended into heaven to be with His Father…
Indeed, to be sanctified means to be “set apart” from the people of the world, that are still living in sin and shame, with Satan as their father…John 8:44… What is the Lord’s promise for those He has called to be “set apart” as a true Christian, and a child of God ?? The apostle Paul reveals this, in…Philippians 1:6… being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (NKJV)
If we are Christians, this lifelong process of being conformed to the image of Christ is called sanctification… It is like baking a cake, that has no choice but to eventually become fully cooked to perfection… We can best see this lifelong process of being called by God…being conformed to the image of Christ…and to eventually become glorified like Christ at our death (Romans 8:18-19), in this scripture written by the apostle Paul, in…
Romans 8:28-30… And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to beconformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (NKJV)
Repeating from the scripture above, what Jesus Himself tells us about becoming a Christian…“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” …This “truth” is found in God’s “word”… And this truth is that sinners have to come to Christ, as they turn and repent of their sins… They must seek Christ to come into their hearts and lives to become their personal Lord, their Master, and their Savior… This is known as understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… There is no other way into heaven, except through Jesus Christ…John 14:6…
Being a Christian in God’s eyes is a full time proposition… Those that go to church on Sunday, and believe they have fulfilled their duties to God for the week…have not yet become sanctified by the truth found in God’s Word… It’s not about self-righteous works done in the name of the Lord (Matthew 7:21-23)… Being sanctified is a gift of grace; given by God through saving faith in Jesus Christ…Ephesians 2:8-9…
Don’t be a half baked Christian, believing Satan’s lies and being deceived that you are a child of God… I was blinded by Satan and believed I was a Christian for 52 years (2 Corinthians 4:4)… Open God’s Word, and diligently read the 4 Gospels and the Book of Romans… Or speak to a pastor from a church that preaches the gospel of Christ on a regular basis… There will be absolutely no doubt in someone’s mind that they are indeed sanctified by God…
Romans 8:16-17… The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (NKJV)
It is now 6:22 a.m. I wrote this yesterday, to be pre-approved for Bible accuracy… I woke up 3 times last night; all 3 times thinking about what I have written here yesterday… I believe the Holy Spirit wanted to remind me Himself, what scripture tells us…that the “Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit”… Do you absolutely, positively know for sure you are sanctified by God ??…1 John 5:13… These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (NKJV)
Heavenly Father, I pray that You open the eyes of those that are still in need of being sanctified by You… I pray Father, that You would draw them to Yourself…John 6:44… I pray Father, that they would find little rest until they understand and obey the gospel of Your Son Jesus Christ… And Lord, I pray that You would urge all of Your children to be diligently working on their own progression of sanctification…as they seek to live by Your will and Your ways… I pray for all of us, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
written by bruce r mills
P.S. The gospel of Christ is presented in the link below, to plant the seed toward salvation for those who want to become part of God’s family; to be sure they are righteous in God’s eyes, and filled with the awesome power of the Holy Spirit…
God's group 