Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you. Leviticus 20:7–8 ESV

I struggled to keep my eyes open but finished reading an article. I looked at the clock. How can it be 11:20pm already? I need to get up in five hours! I crawled into bed and scolded myself for missing my Bible reading. I meant to spend time with God. I fell asleep while praying.

My late night affected my spiritual life. It also carried into my health and my emotions. I know my lack of sleep made me less patient. I’m frustrated with the choices I made.

Has that ever happened to you?

The Struggle and the Deliverance

Spending time with Christ should be my priority, not an afterthought. I struggle with doing what I know I should not do, and I don’t do what I know I should. Sin pulls me into war with what God wants for me. The Apostle Paul struggled with this, too (Romans 7:15–23). He exclaimed,

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:24–25 NIV

I’m so thankful that I don’t have to become holy on my own. I can never measure up. None of us can. It is Jesus Christ who delivers us!

God’s Call for Us

God wants each of us to be sanctified, or set apart for His use and purpose. In Leviticus He tells us,

Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 20:7 NIV

What does it mean to consecrate ourselves? What does that look like?

If one is consecrated, she is dedicated and devoted to someone. Dedicated employees show up and do what is expected. We learn what we need to so that the job can get done. If we are dedicated to our family and friends, we spend time with them. We look out for their best interests. If we are devoted to them, our love is evident to them.

If we are consecrated to God, we are dedicated and devoted to Him. We spend time with the Lord in worship, in prayer, by listening to Him, and by reading the Bible. We grow in our love for Him. We learn what He wants us to do and then we obey Him. We train ourselves to live holy lives so we become more like Jesus. We express our faith in Sovereign God.

How can you live out Leviticus 20:7–8?

Here’s a few things that help me:

• Schedule time to pray and to read and reflect on God’s Word daily. Without a commitment to an appointment with God, I sometimes find myself ignoring my time with Him.
• Attend church every week unless I’m ill.
• I recently put a timer on my phone to limit my time on a game or social media. (No more article reading until 11:20 pm.)
• Obedience- Post reminders of something I’m trying to obey God in, such as not complaining or having self-control.

It is the Lord Who Sanctifies Us

We are to obey, but it is the Lord who sanctifies us (Leviticus 20:8). He sets us apart in three ways.

1. The Lord makes us holy and free from sin through the blood of Jesus when we believe and put our faith in Him.
2. We become more like Jesus with the ongoing work of God in our lives. The Holy Spirit lives within believers to help us remember Scripture. He empowers us to obey God and live for Him.
3. Our sanctification will be complete when we see Jesus and He makes us perfect in Him.

I look forward to seeing Jesus Christ. In the meantime, I want Him to find me faithful.

Dear Lord, Thank you for being the one who sanctifies me. Free me of sin and purify me. I want to be used by You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scriptures marked ESV are taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV): Scriptures taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION ® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan.

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