2012 is “The Year of Divine Order”. God has promised us that “If you put your life in order, you can order the life you want.” In order to put our lives in order, we have committed to “Strengthening the 12 Pillars of Life”, each month focusing on an important area of life that we want to set in order. This month, the pillar is “Your Relationship With God”. This month, we have dialogued about “Putting God First”, the fact that “There Is Power In Your Mouth” through prayer, and our desire to have “A Praise that Pleases God.” This week, we are shifting our attention to “Consecrated Living.”
To “consecrate” means to “set aside for service to God.” The 23rd Psalm reminds us that “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” We belong to God. But God never asks us to do toward us what He Himself is not willing to do toward us and then some. Here are some important aspects of consecration to remember:
1) Glorify God in your Body.
I Corinthians 6:19-20
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
It is important to note that we cannot save ourselves. The finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary and our faith in the same does the saving – but the work of glorifying God in our bodies is ours to do.
2) Exchange your mind for His mind.
Philippians 2:5-11
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;
11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Being born in sin and shapen in iniquity, we are not naturally prone to thinking the way the Lord intended for us to. As born again believers, we begin the process of renewing our minds. Many a veteran believer will tell you….the battle is either won or lost in the mind. We should make it a practice to think upon the things of God and subject suspect thoughts to the Word of God before acting upon them.
3) Strengthen your spirit-man to reign in your life.
Galatians 5:16-25
16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Finally, what you feed will grow. If you want to be a victorious believer with a closer walk with the Lord then you must feed your spirit man and not your flesh. Consecration almost always involves a level of fasting and prayer. Jesus instructs us to take up our cross and follow Him. Denying our flesh while simultaneously surrendering to the Lord brings a deeper walk with the Lord as we are able to focus and attain an ear to hear the Lord speak to us concerning our own lives.
As I conclude this post, Vashawn Mitchell’s song, “Chasing After You” comes to mind. As you continue to pursue a deeper relationship with God this month, be encouraged…seek and you shall find! J
Bishop & Co-Pastor Hardin
wow this is powerful. what you feed it will grow....man this made me consider all I feed me from tv, music, books I read, people I talk to, the entertainment I pay for, the food I eat and the things i meditate on! WOW it was not pretty!
AMEN!!!!!!!!!
There's a stanza, a piece of poetry, that I've shared before that this reminds me of; "2 natures beat within my breast, 1 is cursed the other is blessed, 1 i love the other i hate, the 1 that i feed will dominate." Thought it was powerful. Good stuff, Pastor(s).