SANCTIFICATION....Personal Liberty and your Faith

 



SANCTIFICATION AND CONTRADICTORY BEHAVIOURS


Salvation is a work of God that begins when a person is born again and continues till we are made into the full image of Christ. Sanctification, therefore, is the next level after we are saved.  It is the process of spiritual growth.  


Sanctification is the process by which we apply our salvation to a lifestyle that becomes more Christlike.  It's a continuous process of changing beliefs and attitudes until we become like Jesus.  


In sanctification, you are supposed to be changing for the better every day.  Paul speaking to the Philippians, challenged them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)  


This statement means that sanctification is not a gift, you have to work it out.  You know those things you're doing that are not godly, those filthy jokes, abusive languages and the likes decide to stop them.  If you're weak, ask the Holy Spirit to help you, the Lord sent Him to help you.


What is sanctification?    

Sanctification is the pathway to holiness and letting Christ live His life through you. It takes your determination and the help of the Holy Spirit to achieve.  Tell yourself the truth, that God demands holiness and you are able to live holy by His grace.  Apostle Paul says, “God works in us to will and does of his good pleasure.” He gives us the very desire to grow in Christ and He works in us to do it.

 

A strong desire is the most important step to receiving this grace. The Lord is waiting to see your determination and the Holy Ghost will help you step-by-step, and from a personal experience, you will first receive a new heart, that loves righteousness and hate evil, just as Jesus did, while He was in the world.

This spirit of God changes your thinking and imagination for the better. You will begin to see things as they are in the spirit, and from that moment, you will hate all forms of deceit and lies.  Many believers decide never to tell lies anymore.


Deception must be far from you if it is the Holy Spirit that is leading because He is holy and cannot live in a filthy or dirty body.  Believe me, if you allow the Holy Spirit to be your Lord, you will be a man of your word to your wife/husband, friends and business partners.  Sanctification makes a good Christian and husband out of you.


Imagine that you are a born again husband and you have a side-chick in your office, then you are not converted, neither are you sanctified.  Sanctification occurs as we follow Jesus in discipleship through the Word and obedience to His voice. And as we proceed, we begin to understand what the love of God means and how to show it to people.


Sanctification is leading a life that brings glory to His name, in our conversation, dressing and thoughts and actions.  In choosing friends and even what to do and where to work.  It requires a lot of personal consecration and self-denial. You will deliberately deny yourself some pleasures and seek close intimacy with the Lord and desire to live in His presence.


Sanctification is a life-long process of spiritual, emotional and physical transformation.  You are constantly changing from what is not pleasing to God to those things that bring glory to His name.  Your decision and choices make people around you know who is in control of your life, Jesus or worldliness. 


Requirements for Sanctification 

For your sanctification to be evident, you must allow God to work in you and through you.  You should live by the word of God and make it your lifestyle.

1. Seek to know God and His grace

2. Study and meditate on the word of God each day, and pray to God.

3. Let the Holy Spirit dwell in you and live in obedience to the Word of God.

4. Live a disciplined, humble and honest life.

5. Fear the Lord and desire to bring honour to His holy name

6. Live a patient and forgiving life.


Dangers of lack of Sanctification

Believers should know that unsanctified Christians are discouraging many people around them with their behaviours.  We are called to be holy and different and that call has not been altered.  In the church itself, when people struggling to live holy sees their leaders falling into avoidable sin due to indiscipline, they simply relax and say maybe that's how to live the Christian life, but that's not true because God cannot compromise His holiness.


Lack of sanctification discourages people around you in their pursuit of holy living.  People who say it does not matter what the bible says are very dangerous in preventing holiness.  Imagine a Pastor's wife wearing a tight dress from head to toe, saying after all her dressing covered her body, yet she knows that by dressing in that way, she is promoting sexual appeal.  She wants people to see her shape and lust after her, Is she sanctified?  NO!


Many people have decided they will not go to church because the Christians they have known are not better individuals in any way. They have discovered lies in their mouth, and some of them talk and walk in the same way as unbelievers.  


Personal Liberty

Sanctification is living a morally upright lifestyle that encourages others to get closer to God.  It is living a life that put the flesh under control in the choices we make. in order to glorify the Lord.  The opposite is true also. 

 

           Worldly dressing

Dressing like this shows the lady is not sanctified at all.  Christians keep their flesh under control. Dresses that reveal the shape of a woman are not modest dressings, they are dressings looking for public attention.  They can also be described as sex-appeal dresses and the lady dressing that way knows what she is doing.


She may care less about the effect of her dressing on men, young girls and boys, but she knows she is polluting the environment with sex appeal.  That is easy when a person is not under the control of the Holy Spirit of God.  Born-again sisters should avoid dresses that are modest.


       Ungodly dressing

When people are not sanctified, many times they will profess one thing, and their character will be pointing to another thing.  A born-again sister dresses in mini skirts and mini blouses, no matter how expensive the dress may be, contradicting their faith, such dresses are not Christ-like.


Imagine the Pastor preaching that sisters should dress properly and ensure they cover their bodies very well.  Then, you say okay. you know what to do.  Then, the following week, you come to church with a silky tight dress that reveals your entire body shape, are you sanctified, or converted...NO! 




Such a lady is allowing her flesh to dictate her dressing and the effect is that inside the church, she is discouraging those who want to serve the Lord and encouraging girls who are not yet born again.  When unbelievers see her coming from the church in such dress, they will say (In their heart) if that is the way Christianity work, they better continue their life as they are.


Imagine also, that you are in the choir with many younger girls. When you respond in such a way to the Pastor's call to holiness, you could be misleading young girls around you, and embolden them to copy your style, thereby discouraging the young girls who want to serve the Lord. 

 
  Worldly and trending style - Born again sisters beware!

A Christian must always consider the implications of his or her action to the name of Jesus Christ we profess, to the youth watching us and to society in general. Mini gowns, mini gowns and other dresses that are opened up in different places may be trending for the world, they are all together ungodly.

In Marriage

Your lifestyle and the things you do are expected to showcase our spiritual progress in life, crossing from darkness to light in our conversation, appearance and actions. Sanctification is easy when we have yielded our dreams and earthly goal under the will of God for our individual lives.  

           No Bitterness, forgive


Love your spouse and be happy with God's blessing always. Even when you're unhappy, don't keep malice and let go of bitterness.  Commit every matter to God in prayer and trust Him to resolve them as it pleases Him.  Stop trying to help yourself all the time.



No matter the argument, don't allow it to get into a fight, whether in marriage or friendship. Christ never fought anyone, and the bible says His voice was never heard in the street.



If a person is born again, and yet cannot control his/her appetite, he can hardly control his body and the flesh.  Such a person will fall into trouble, one after another.  He/she will discover their actions will conflict with their words because of internal weakness.


Paul says he worked harder than everybody else but not him, the grace of God within him. The reality is that God’s grace works in each one of us to grow spiritually when we yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  We must work with God in the process of sanctification, and allow Him to empower us to accomplish His will for our lives.


                    Be patient!

Sanctification is never by power or might, but by the Spirit of the Lord.  That is why every believer should not trust in his or her ability, instead, depend on the Holy Spirit for help, and ask for mercy and grace.  It is the Lord that gives the new spirit and nature of God to enable us to desire and pursue holy living.


Conclusion


Finally, my beloved friends, Jesus is coming back very soon, to take believers into a life of peace and joy, without trouble and pains in paradise. If you will receive Him as your Lord and Saviour today, He will give you the power to succeed in life and make heaven at last.


For those who are considering whether to surrender their heart to Him or not, I plead with them to do so without delay, tomorrow may be too late. Let them say this simple prayer:


Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus. I am a sinner and I believe Jesus died for my sins, and He arose for my justification. I, therefore, open my heart to receive Him as my Lord and Savior. 

Lord Jesus Christ, come and reign in my heart.  Thank You for saving my life, make me Your own from today, and write my name in the book of life.

You're born again!


Shalom!


FIRE...


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