Tag: sanctification

The Bible Made Easy to Understand

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Why would we miss the opportunity to seek the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives? He has been sent to us by the Father in the name of His Son, Jesus. There is no consultant on earth with those credentials. Why would we seek others or rely on our own thinking when such a resource has been given to us?

No matter how intelligent we might be, the teachings of the Bible will remain a mystery to us without the influence of the Holy Spirit to aid us. Our understanding is no better than the early listeners to Jesus’ parables who “did not have ears to hear”. We cannot be disciples of Jesus Christ without the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It is the work and business of the Holy Spirit, to teach, interpret, and explain all things to us which Christ had taught to His disciples. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to make the Bible plain and easy to for us to understand. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to draw us to and instruct us in all things necessary for salvation. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to prepare us to teach what we have learned to others.

Let us seek the fullness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the meaning of the Holy Scriptures and how we should apply them to our lives. Let us prepare ourselves to share what we have been taught with others.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to be Our Helper, Our Comforter and Our Guide on our journey of sanctification. We pray that the Holy Spirit will instruct us in all things necessary for our salvation. We ask, Lord, for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives help us to interpret Your Holy Word. May Your teachings become easy for us to understand and apply to our lives. May the Holy Spirit show us how to share this precious gift with others. We ask all these things in the name of the power of God in our lives, Jesus Christ.

Providing Light to Those in Darkness

Acts 26:18
To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.

Paul was sent before King Agrippa by the Jews in an effort to have him killed or at least imprisoned. Paul explained to King Agrippa how he had been led by an encounter with Jesus to abandon his efforts to oppose the message of Jesus of Nazareth and to then turn to a life of proclaiming the message of Jesus to the world.

In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul is describing to King Agrippa the directive and the message that Jesus gave him to bring to the people. The message summarizes for us the fullness of our blessing in Christ, but it also provides us with the responsibility that we share with Paul. For we are all called to spread the Good News that we have received.

It is not uncommon to hear and see people in all walks of life openly professing their disdain for Jesus Christ. People around us need to know and we need to be constantly aware that without our precious Savior, we are doomed to eternal damnation. The sin nature absolutely blocks any possibility that we would choose the light of Jesus Christ over the darkness of Satan. Fortunately for all mankind, Our Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us to overcome our frailty. Through His mercy, He provides a pathway to victory over the darkness in our lives. Through His perfect love and forgiveness, He has given us His Son to be Our Savior. Through His salvation plan, He calls each of us to participate in sharing His salvation story.

Let us choose the Light of the World. Let us choose to be lights to the world. Let us boldly spread the message of the salvation story. Let us insure that everyone around us knows that Jesus washes us clean with His blood so that we can bath in His light and abide with Him for all eternity.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Son, Jesus, to atone for our sins and allow us to live in Your magnificent light for all eternity. Your Word tells us that there will be no need for the sun or the moon in eternity for Your light will be sufficient. We pray, Lord, that you will show us how to live in Your perfect light and share it with the world around us. Help us to become living testimony of the loving kindness, mercy and grace that you have provided to us through the sacrifice of Your Son. Father, may our Christian experience be marked by the light that we provide to those around us that are in the darkness. We ask these things in the name of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

Realizing Our Full Potential in Christ

Psalm 139:23
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

It is hard to understand, but we are in many ways strangers to ourselves. We may hate sin and we may repent of all the sin in our lives, yet our natural eye is unable to see the depths of our iniquities. Our human nature with its sin stained flesh is simply incapable of making an unbiased assessment of the darkness within us. We must do as the psalmist did. We must ask God to search our hearts and reveal to us everything that is displeasing to Him.

Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that we could stand blameless before the Father. To prepare us for this time, the Holy Spirit dwells within us to guide us through the sanctification process. The Holy Spirit takes us beyond the carnal limits of our own understanding. Inspired by the light of Our Savior, we are allowed to see the full depth of the darkness of our sin and the full height of our potential in Christ. Rest assured that we would never properly examine ourselves without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Let us report for full inspection in humble recognition of our need. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will search our hearts. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to uncover every speck of darkness in our hearts, especially those that we do not see ourselves. Let us faithfully repent of what is revealed to us so that we may live in the fullness of a life in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us righteous through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for providing the grace that we need and the ever present assistance of the Holy Spirit so that we may submit to the transformation process from sinner to saint. We pray that You open the gateways of our minds so that we may see and repent of all of the shackles of sin on our lives. We pray that we may see and grasp the fullness of your plans for our lives as revealed to us by Your Holy Spirit. We ask these things in the name of the purifier of our souls, Jesus Christ.

The Joy of a Fully Repentant Life

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Our merciful Lord bears with our wicked world. He defers His anger as so many, all of us included at some level, turn to idolatry, superstition, heresy, disobedience, profaneness, immorality and general lack of reverence for Almighty God. Through it all, Our Father in heaven is steadfast in seeking His will that none shall perish. Having already sacrificed His Son to atone for our sins, He sends His Holy Spirit to set in us a desire to repent of our sins. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins so that we see the desperate need that we have to accept the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ.

Aided by the Holy Spirit to accept the atoning work of Our Savior, we are washed clean of our sins. We then enter into a new period of repentance as we battle our flesh daily. God knows that we must still deal with the corrupt nature of our flesh, so He provides the the Holy Spirit to stand beside us. In our continuous battle against our sin nature, the Holy Spirit will never leave our side. God’s endless patience is evident.

During this daily battle of sanctification, the Holy Spirit shows us our sins in an entirely different light. Instead of just seeing our sins as the iniquity that damns us, we begin to see our sins in light of the pain and suffering that they caused and continue to cause Our Lord. The Holy Spirit helps us take the agony we experience when we realize what we have done and turn it into sorrow and repentance as we consider our past, present and future sin. The Holy Spirit then guides us into a deeper relationship with Our Savior. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit strengthens us as we fall and leads us to victory over sin, sanctifying us for our eternal place of glory.

Let us seek the Holy Spirit for the supernatural aid that we need to recognize and fully repent of our sins. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts to reveal those dark spots that we keep hidden even from ourselves. Let us learn to live in the joy of a fully repentant life.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love and forgiveness as expressed through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. We ask for Your forgiveness, Father, for our sins that sent Your Son to the Cross on our behalf. We praise Your Name for the patience that You have with us as we continue to struggle with our sin natures. We thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to aid and guide us as we battle against our flesh. We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will strengthens us to turn away from the darkness in our lives today so that we may turn toward the marvelous light of Our Savior for all eternity. We ask all these things in the name of the Chief Cornerstone of our lives, Jesus Christ.

A Life of Trials Prepares Us for Our Place in the Kingdom of God

Genesis 41:40
You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”

The Pharaoh gave Joseph great power and responsibility in his kingdom. He proclaimed Joseph to be his equal except in the final level of authority. In a sudden change of condition, Joseph went from imprisoned slave to a ruler of great standing.

So it will be for us one day as we take our places in the kingdom of God. We will escape our carnal lives where we are enslaved to sin. We will then stand before God in the image of His Son with the same glorified body. We will be given the power and responsibility to rule and reign under the authority of Jesus Christ for all eternity.

Joseph went through many trials and tribulations in his life that prepared him to rule over Egypt. None of it was easy, nor was it brief. Joseph went from the pit to the prison to the throne room all under the hand of Almighty God. All of it was necessary for Joseph to be able to handle all that he would be given by the Pharaoh.

So it is with us. We have a lifetime of trial and tribulation. God uses all of it to prepare us for our place in His kingdom. We will grow in wisdom and discernment just as Joseph did. All we have to do is submit to the will of God in our lives, just as Joseph did.

Let us follow in Joseph’s footsteps. Let us take hold of the vision that God has given us for our lives. Let us trust completely in Our Lord as we encounter challenges that would seem to deter us. Let us work our way obediently along the pathway of sanctification that the Holy Spirit has laid out for us. Let us rejoice in knowing that one day we will rule and reign with Jesus at the Throne of Almighty God.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for preparing a place for us in Your kingdom. We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to be rescued from the prison that is this earth. We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us into submission to Our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we learn to lean on Him in all things. May we learn to live under His absolute control. May we claim our rightful places in Your kingdom. We rejoice in knowing that one day we will escape our slavery in this world to become bond servants of the King of Kings for all eternity. We ask all these things in the name of our mighty and holy King, Jesus Christ.

Moving From a Natural to a Supernatural Level of Devotion

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Jesus taught His disciples that they would receive far greater powers after He left them. He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to remind them of His teachings and to release in them the power that He promised to them.

When we receive Jesus Christ as Our Savior, we are indwelled by His Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit fulfills His calling to glorify Jesus, He declares the things that are to come into our lives through our relationship with Jesus. Just like the apostles did, we enter into a new phase of our lives. We move from whatever natural level of piety, prayer and devotion that we might have had in the past into a new supernatural level of devotion in our daily lives. We are then directed by the Holy Spirit into a personal, passionate relationship with Jesus.

Simultaneously, the Holy Spirit begins to lead us through the sanctification process. From that first moment of accepting Jesus and until our death, the Holy Spirit is shaping us into the person that God created us to be. As we go through the sanctification process, we go through a supernatural transformation. As we respond to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, our spiritual faculty is quickened so that we may understand and respond to unfathomed treasures that are in Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, as the Holy Spirit reveals the fullness of Jesus Christ to us, our manifest destiny that Jesus has prepared for us is also revealed. As we mature in Christ, we start walking in the life that God had planned for us from the beginning.

Let us invite the Holy Spirit to reveal our callings to us. Let us solicit the Holy Spirit to release the supernatural power that Jesus promised to His disciples of all times and seasons. Let us begin to walk the pathways of our manifest destinies in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Holy Spirit who reveals to us the treasures that are ours through Your Son, Jesus. We rejoice as the Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus to lean on Him for every good thing through time and for all eternity. We pray, Lord, that we may join the Holy Spirit as He glorifies the name of Our Savior. May our work be derived from our devotion to Your Son. May those around us know us by our calling and may they be called in the same manner. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Our Sanctifier, Jesus Christ.

Walking in the Fullness of Our New Life in Christ

Romans 6:6
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

The tree that gave its life, so that the formation of the cross was possible, allowed the Cross to meet its responsibility. Without taking the life of the tree, there would be no crucifixion story.

In a similar fashion, Jesus Christ gave up His life so we could meet the requirements necessary for us to be children of God. Without the taking of the life of Our Savior, there would be no salvation story.

Along the same lines, we put our old man to death so that we might shed the ways of wickedness, error and ignorance that are inherent in the will and understanding of our sin nature. By allowing our old man to be crucified with Christ, we take on our new lives in Jesus Christ in which we rely on Him for everything. Without us giving up the life of our sin nature, there would be no sanctification story.

Let us embrace the sanctification process. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to look into our hearts and reveal everything that the old man is trying to hang on to. Let us repent of everything the Holy Spirit shows us so that we may walk in the fullness of our new nature in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the endless grace that You provide us so that we are able to accept Your Son as Our Savior and are able to submit to His rule and reign in our lives. We bless the name of Jesus who died for our sins to make it all possible. We praise the name of the Holy Spirit for preparing our hearts to receive Our Savior and for revealing the darkness in our hearts so that we may submit our old lives for crucifixion with Our Savior. We pray, Father, that You will empower us to go out to tell the world about our salvation story. May we bring honor to Your name, the name of Your Son, Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the Worthy Lamb, Jesus Christ.

The Way to Real and Lasting Self-Improvement

Galatians 6:14
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Man throughout the ages has always tried to define what creates a better and more satisfying lifestyle. From a secular standpoint, many different types of programs, processes and religions have taken turns being touted as the new thing that will change lives for the better. But none of these have stood the test of time, nor will they ever. In the end, the secular programs and processes are about as effective as New Year’s resolutions.

No plan except the salvation plan of Our Savior has real and lasting merit. As the apostle Paul taught repeatedly, vain and carnal hearts will never come up with a plan that even approaches the way, the truth and the life that is offered to us through the Cross of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We can read every single book on how to improve ourselves. We can attend every seminar that promises to make positive changes in how we live our lives. Life changes that are instituted from any of these will produce nothing of real and lasting value. No matter how much we believe that we have improved ourselves, it will not be sufficient. Until our minds and hearts are changed supernaturally by the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, we will only change the elements of this world. Only through the Cross will we truly change and claim victory over the foolishness that the world offers and that our flesh demands.

Let us claim the promise of Our Savior to perfect His strength in our weakness. Let us call on the Holy Spirit to guide us on our path of sanctification. Let us rejoice as God reveals His plans for our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to give us victory over the weakness that is our flesh. We rejoice in knowing that by accepting Your Son as Our Savior that we can overcome all of the trials and tribulations that the world offers to us. We pray that we will be given the grace and the wisdom to see the folly that we will undertake if we arrogantly look to our own abilities to secure our future. We ask that the influence of the Holy Spirit will keep us in humble submission to Our Lord and Savior at the foot of His Cross. May we deny all riches, praises, honors and pleasures of the world in exchange for our renewed lives in Jesus Christ. We ask all these things in name of Our Savior King, Jesus Christ.

He Perfects His Strength in Our Weakness

John 8:34
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

In Ephesians, Paul taught that before we accepted Our Savior that we all once walked the course of the world, following the spirit that is at work in the lives of the disobedient. Through the teachings of Paul and John in the Holy Word, we learn that Jesus is the only way that we can attain freedom from the slavery of sin that we have been born into.

It is through Jesus Christ that we have victory over our sins. Once we have accepted Jesus as Our Savior, He comes to dwell within us. With the presence of His Holy Spirit within us, we are set free from the bonds of slavery of sin. Sin is no longer the ruler in our house, Jesus Christ is.

Because our freedom of choice is never taken away, our flesh constantly battles to take control over our lives and Satan constantly works to deceive us in an effort to make us slaves to sin again. But Jesus Christ stands with us and, in accordance with His promises, He perfects His strength in our weaknesses and He provides victory over all evil. He provides all that we need to overcome our sins.

Let us seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we face the challenges associated with our walk of sanctification. Let us choose to submit to the urgings of the Holy Spirit each time our flesh and the enemy try to take us off our pathway to holiness. Let rejoice in our victory over sin through Jesus Christ as we strive to be holy as Our Savior is holy.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love that provided Your Son to free us from the slavery of sin. We praise the name of Jesus for taking on all sin so that we may become heirs to Your holy kingdom. We ask forgiveness for all the times that we have chosen to offend You through our sins. We repent of these sins and ask for the fullness of the promise of Jesus to perfect His strength in our weakness. We pray for the grace to surrender today and live forever as bond servants to Our Savior. We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Becoming Fit Habitats for Our Savior

1 Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

As Christians, our bodies become sanctuaries of the Holy Spirit. This is a certain sign that we have been washed clean by the blood of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Because God is holy, holy, holy, He cannot tolerate the presence of sin. If there were any sin in us, the Holy Spirit could not dwell within us. Thus the Holy Spirit is witness to the atoning work of salvation in our lives.

Because in the flesh, we still hold on to the sin nature, there is perfecting work ahead for the Holy Spirit. Upon His indwelling, He immediately begins in us the process of regeneration and sanctification. When He begins the good work of grace, He takes full possession of the body, mind and spirit of each of us. He supernaturally influences our lives, our bodies and our conversations. He works to insure our bodies are fit habitats for Our Savior King.

As we submit to the sanctifying process of the Holy Spirit, we can anticipate that there will be trials in our lives. Jesus Himself told us that it would be so as we followed Him. These trials that create brokenness in our lives are the experiences that the Holy Spirit uses to complete and perfect our regeneration.

Let us surrender to the perfecting work of the Holy Spirit. Let us seek the grace that we need to keep ourselves firmly on the path of sanctification that prepares us for our places in heaven.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to be temples of Your Holy Spirit. We rejoice in knowing that through shed blood of Your Son, Jesus, and through the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit in our lives that You can use us to be instruments of Your good work. We pray for the aid of the Holy Spirit to build us up in Christ so that we can endure in faith all of our trials. We ask, Father, that we may become free flowing vessels of Your redemptive work. As the Holy Spirit witnesses to Our Savior in our lives, may we witness to Our Savior in the lives of those around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.