Sanctify Me, Lord!

Photo Courtesy of Lori Kennedy

Sanctify Me, Lord! 

By

Lori Kennedy

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Romans 12:2 (NIV) 

To sanctify means to be set apart.  We are sanctified at the moment of conversion.  It has been done, but it doesn’t end.  Sanctification is the process of being set apart; of transforming into the likeness of Jesus.  Since it is indeed a process, it is ongoing and doesn’t end until we reach heaven.  The goal would be to look a little more like Him and love a little more like Him each day.  God saves us in an instant and we are His forevermore.  He places His Holy Spirit in our hearts and as this process of sanctification takes place, our want to’s begin to change and become more like His want to’s for us.   

As we begin our new lives in Christ and develop into a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), we still bring in all our old learned junk and bad habits into this relationship with us.  We bring in any lies we may believe about ourselves.  We bring in any wounds that we have not dealt with.  All that is a part of us comes along with us into this new relationship.  As God begins the process of sanctification, His desire is for us to be whole and Holy.  Again, we are whole and Holy in the instant of conversion.  But, learning how to live in that truth must be learned.   

All of our lives, we could have possibly been making decisions through a broken filter of self-protection, doubt, fear, and shame.  As we begin to become aware of this and begin to recognize in what ways our filter might be broken, we must use the Word of God to replace any lies we may possibly believe with the message of the truth in scripture.  Just like with any other application in our lives, the more we practice, the better we develop skill.  After much practice, the truth that we have replaced the lie with becomes new truth to us and we begin to restore our filter into a filter of truth.  You see self-protection, doubt, fear, and shame are not from God.

 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  (NKJ) 

Psalm 34:5 says, “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” (NIV) 

When I think of my life ten or five or even two years ago I can see sanctification occurring in my life. I am different today that I used to be and I love that God is continuing to show Himself to me on an ongoing basis.  My yucky stuff still comes up from time to time and I still react out of a false belief or an old wound.  But I find that it’s less often, and the pity party I give myself afterwards occurs for a shorter period of time. 

My friend Shelley Hendrix says, “You don't get to choose what kind of opposition the enemy will send you, but you DO get to choose your response to it.”  As you continue upon the journey of sanctification in Christ, you will get better and better at recognizing the darts and filtering your responses through the loving Hand of Christ.  That is the hope of continued sanctification.