There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. Exodus 29:43
And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. John 17:19
In Hebrew the word sanctified (qadash) means to consecrate, sanctify, set apart, and make holy. In Greek the word sanctified (hagiazó) means to make holy, to consecrate, and to set apart. Biblehub states: “The verb “hagiazó” primarily means to sanctify or make holy. It involves the act of setting something or someone apart for a sacred purpose or dedicating them to God. In the New Testament, it is used to describe the process by which believers are made holy through the work of the Holy Spirit, aligning them with God’s will and character. It also refers to the consecration of objects or places for divine use.” In the cultural and historical background, “in the Jewish tradition, holiness was a central concept, with the Temple, priests, and sacrifices being set apart for God’s service. The early Christian understanding of sanctification built upon this foundation, emphasizing the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives. Sanctification was seen as both a positional reality, achieved through Christ’s sacrifice, and a progressive process, as believers grow in holiness.”
Has God set you apart for His purposes? Have you allowed Him to do so – or are you still living your life … instead of His? How does this process work with God?
He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30
We must decrease. This is an act and choice we must make. God never moves backward but through Jesus He is moving forward. Are you progressing daily with the Holy Spirit while He increases in your life? Are you attempting to do the ‘work’ for Him, rather than submitting and surrendering to His will and plan?
What exactly does it mean that we decrease? Chip Brogdon says, “It is not an outward decreasing, but an inward decreasing, a coming to the end of ourselves.” Jesus states in the sermon on the mount that Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3. How are we ‘poor in spirit’? John the Baptist says in John 3:27 A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. Now we may have accumulated quite a bit and accomplished all sorts of things, but… if we obtained it from a source other than Christ, it amounts to nothing. Chip goes on to say “This poverty cannot be achieved through self-effort. In fact, part of the decreasing process is the realization that I can do nothing of myself, including decreasing myself. Just as I cannot commit suicide by crucifixion, so I cannot crucify my flesh. The only way to learn this is to fail hundreds, even thousands of times. Then we will learn to say, “I have no confidence in the flesh.”
So how much are you trying to accomplish? By what methods? Through whom? Is Jesus increasing His holiness in you? Are you letting Him?
Are you allowing Jesus and the Holy Spirit to sanctify you for His purposes? What is the Holy Spirit asking you to do in this process? Surrender? To what depths and in what?
The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12
Pray and ponder. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you.