.jpg)
by: Nathaniel F.S.
"Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." (Joshua 3:5). God was speaking to the nations of Israel, who at the particular time in history successfully moved out of their slavery in Egypt. When they were about to enter the promise land, this was the very instruction Joshua told them: "Consecrate yourselves."
Before you could experience a spiritual breakthrough, and really come out as a victor; you will first of all see this need for consecration. There's no other way we can experience the success and the victory that awaits us tomorrow unless we learn to consecrate. To consecrate means to be set apart; it is also identified in the idea of purity and holiness.
There are 3 things that we must understand: Why consecration?
1. Because of who God is.
Our deep understanding of God's holiness is where we will be able to seek consecration. And this is something God has made known to His early people in the Old Testament, and now in our time (1 Peter 1:15-16).
In whatever it is that we do, we need to be holy because the God who has called us is holy. And to be holy is to be separated, to be clean, and to be pure. We need to understand that the reason we are seeking holiness is because we are captured by the holiness of God. That's why in revival, God is the front and the center of everything we do. As God's people, all we want to be is to become the people He wants us to be. And the more holy we are, the more we will see God and His enabling power in our lives.
2. Because of who we are in God.
We are God's possession. We used to be under the slavery of Satan. We used to do the things the world does. But now we are no longer the world's - we are God's. In Greek, this is "kuriakon": "That which belongs to the Lord". And God would not let anyone of His to be forsaken. God has already bought us. He sent His Son Jesus Christ, His Son in heaven, to be our ransom.
Now what is it about us God would desire? Out of His marvelous grace, not minding our sins, He wants to use us, God wants that whatever it is that belongs to Him be clean. We must walk away from sin. We must seek consecration because whoever wants more of God must be holy.
3. Because of what sin does.
Sin destroys (Galatians 6:7-8). Sin is like seed. It begins with a desire, which gives birth to a sin, then when it is full grown it gives birth to death (James 1:14).
Let's examine ourselves at this moment. Are we disobeying something in our lives today in the light of the Scriptures? Is there something about our Christian life that we are not doing? Is there something about our Christian lives today that we are doing and not doing it properly?
Here's the word from the Bible: "Watch out," because eventually it will catch up on upon you. One sinful thought drives an action; one wrong feeling will force a habit. Nothing stays in constant with sin. And prolonged sin could be disastrous. But with consecration, the effect of sin is minimized, because you are nipping sin at the bud; you address the very source of sin.
Consecration is detoxification. You flush out everything that is toxic that just poison you: sinful conversations, thought process, bad company. In consecration, it is just you and God. That is why you spend more time in prayer, you fast, because you want to have more of God.
