08/01/2024
Are we consecrated men and women or are we fooling ourselves? Most Christians view themselves as being consecrated, but are we doing those things in our lives that insures that this is true? To know the truth we must first understand what consecration actually means. It is the dedication of ourselves to God; allowing Him to sanctify us and make us holy. If we are consecrated then we must dedicate ourselves to God and His use; our lives should be centered on prayer, worship, and service to God.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
Pastor E.M. Bounds helped us understand consecration further when he wrote these words:
"Here is the true test of consecration: it is a life of prayer. Unless prayer is in the forefront, the consecration is faulty, deceptive, and falsely named." – E. M. Bounds
Humility and a full Prayer Life is central to consecration. Without humbling ourselves and immersing in prayer we are falling short of consecration... We are fooling ourselves into believing we are leading a devoutly religious life when in fact our faith is superficially based. However, if we concentrate on prayer, humility, and answering Gods call, then consecration follows. We become devout, God fearing, holy, spiritual, dedicated, righteous, and yes, to the chagrin of some… made to be religious.
To live and walk as Jesus did requires much more than saying we believe, it requires consecrating ourselves to Him, and God the Father. As the old saying goes..."talk is cheap." We can go to church each Sunday morningand return to worldly lives each Sunday afternoon. Consecration and true faith involves more than just acknowledging that God and Jesus are Lord... It involves living and worshiping each moment of every day as they have taught us. A life dedicated to God begins with prayer.
And what are the fruits of consecration? First and foremost is that God hears our voices when we pray…
“But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.”
Psalms 4:3 KJV
So don't be complacent in faint and unsatisfying prayer, present yourself to God with all of your might. Pray fervently and unceasingly as you let Jesus lead you through life and you will be changed, you will find yourself consecrated, and be in a position in which God can sanctify you.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Romans 12:1-2 KJV
This is not an easy calling, consecration requires determined effort. So this morning my prayer for us is that God provide us with a singularity of mind, and the determination of effort required to consecrate ourselves to Him. I ask that He then join us fully in prayer and through those prayers bring us into a holy and sanctified relationship with Him. I pray that we present ourselves to Him and that He finds us a complete and consecrated offering.
Consecration is still a part of faith today…
In the early 1970s Paul Simon (of Simon and Garfunkel fame) wrote and sang a song about the love of his mother and faith, but woven all through it was the idea of consecration and resisting the devil through it. I have included this today so that you would hear how it is more than an abstract thought… it is something that songwriters weave into music, poets write of, and is an integral part of a faithful life today… taught by mothers, and made to come alive by our prayers and efforts… listen to Paul Simon…
https://youtu.be/5xV23NbBtMA
Are you willing to join with me today in this effort to become consecrated to God? If so say “Amen!”
Prayer:
Father, thank you for prayer which leads us to a transformation that consecrates us to you. Thank you for strengthening us in faith and resolve as we walk with you each day, and serve you as we should. Help us Father to not only say the right things regarding who you are, and how Jesus is your Son, but help us to do as you command, and as Jesus taught us, by living a life dedicated to you, and spent focused in unceasing prayer on your Word. In this way I pray that you will lead us in our faith, and that we will be consecrated, made righteous, holy, and perfect in your eyes. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is worthy of our praise, worship, prayers, and our efforts to become fully devoted; to be consecrated to you our God. Help us in all our ways to love and serve you always Abba, and to believe that you are eternally our God, and Jesus is your Son who you sent in love, and who has redeemed us from sin and saved us from death’s cold grip. Forgive us of our sins and transgressions Father, and see only perfection and consecration as you look upon us in judgement… see holy children washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and in our salvation and consecration we will give you all the glory, and by your grace we will find ourselves at your table forevermore… there we will be called holy, set aside for your use, and consecrated for all eternity… before, now, and beyond.
Amen
“Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.””
Joshua 3:5 ESV
Rich Forbes