HOW TO BE MORE COMMITTED TO CHRIST
There was a time in my life, when I felt a struggle within, after I was born again. It was a time when I was yet in the entertainment field, and did not really want to mind the Lord. He wanted me to leave the entertainment world to do a ministry for Him. My song, "Your Love Has Touched Me," tells about that experience. It was a time in my life when I really straddled the spiritual fence. Half of me wanted to go the way of the world, or the flesh - MY way. The other half of me wanted to do God's will for my life - HIS way. Several people have described the "straddled fence" experience that they have also had.
The Bible describes this inner struggle. Galatians 5:17 and 24 - 25 says, "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…And they that are CHRIST'S have CRUCIFIED the FLESH with the affections and lusts. If we LIVE IN the Spirit, let us also WALK IN the Spirit."
This inner struggle develops when our carnal selfish nature wants to take over as the lord of our heart and life. If we have such a struggle, it means that we have not turned our complete ALL over to Jesus Christ, to let Him become LORD of our heart and life. He wants ALL of us.
The Indian Gives At the Altar
A former pastor, now deceased, used to tell a story about an Indian. An evangelist gave an altar call or invitation after the camp meeting sermon.. A native American Indian walked up and placed his favorite blanket on the altar. The Lord said, "No, Indian. That is not ENOUGH."
Next, the Indian took his favorite Tomahawk up and placed it on the altar. "No, Indian," the Lord said. "That is not ENOUGH."
Then the puzzled, frustrated Indian gathered several freshly made spear heads in his hands, and placed them on the altar.
The Lord said, "No, Indian. That is not ENOUGH, either. I don't just want your possessions from this Earth I put you on. I want YOU on the altar. I want YOUR TOTAL ALL on the altar. If I have ALL of YOU on the altar, then I also have your possessions. I want ALL of YOU." So the Indian gave his ALL to Jesus Christ.
That is what all of us Christians need to do. We need to give Jesus ALL of ourselves, and claim Him as THE LORD of our heart and life, with NO holding back! That sinful nature, also called the "carnal" man or heart, must GO! We must "die out" to sin for Christ, in order to learn to "live" more abundantly with Him now and forever.
I Corinthians 3:1 and 3 says, "And, I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto CARNAL, even as unto babes in Christ. For ye are yet CARNAL: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are yet not CARNAL, and walk as men?"
Romans 8:6 - 8 tells us, "For to be CARNALLY MINDED is DEATH; but to be SPIRITUALLY MINDED is LIFE and PEACE. Because the CARNAL MIND is ENMITY AGAINST GOD: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are IN the flesh cannot please God."
"Knowing this, that our OLD MAN [carnal nature] is CRUCIFIED with Him [Christ], that the body of sin MIGHT be DESTROYED, that henceforth we SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN." (Romans 6:6)
What Is the Old Carnal Nature?
So what is the old carnal nature again? The inner old carnal nature is much like a huge spiritual spider, securing the spiritually lost person in sin. It spins a web of hatred, confusion, worldly desires, disbelief in God, feelings that we have plenty of time to get saved another day, and so forth. Strands of the Godless web binds the heart, mind and soul with all the sin it helps to produce. Only Jesus can get rid of that old sin-producing spider, the old carnal nature. ONLY Jesus can exterminate or free us of that spiritual binding problem.
James 4:8 adds, "…PURIFY your hearts, ye DOUBLE-MINDED." James 1:8 explains that a "double-minded man is UNSTABLE in all his ways." A person who straddles a spiritual fence are "double-minded" and "unstable." Get Rid Of that Stump!
The late evangelist, Uncle Buddy Robinson, often described the old carnal nature. According to his description, when we are born again, Jesus will forgive and free us from our sins, PLURAL, that we have committed. However, it is like a tree that is chopped down. The main tree bark, branches, leaves, and other parts of the tree are gone, but the tree stump is still there, with all of its roots, and potential for growing another tree.
The old binding carnal nature, sin-maker, or spiritual stump, has not disappeared yet, either, after we have been born again. We have to get rid of that spiritual stump, with all of its roots of sin. That spiritual experience is referred to as "entire sanctification," which is a second definite work of grace - an experience that can only happen after we have been saved first. The Holy Spirit bears witness to this, too, and can cleanse us from ALL sin. Yes, we are able to get rid of that sin-maker. We can ask Jesus, in faith, to release His sweet Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost to CLEANSE OUT our sinful selfishness, and to give us POWER to live a WHOLE and HOLY life. Through our faith in God we can accept another Gift He has promised to give to us - His sanctifying Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost.
The experience of entire sanctification is also sometimes called "Christian perfection," "perfect love," "heart purity," "the baptism with the Holy Spirit," "the fullness of the blessing," and "Christian holiness." We can then grow in grace, thank God!
We are told in II Thessalonians 4:3 that we need to be sanctified. It explains, "For this is the WILL of God, even your SANCTIFICATION." Some people also refer to it as "holiness." Hebrews 12:14 further tells about holiness. It says, "Follow peace with all men, and HOLINESS WITHOUT WHICH NO MAN SHALL SEE THE LORD." How can we become sanctified and set apart from the world?
How Can We Become Sanctified?
Make Sure All Sins Have Been Confessed, and We Are Staying In God's Will
We must first make sure we are saved before we can become sanctified. If we have committed any sins since that time, we need to confess these to Jesus and repent of them. If we truly love Jesus, we must obey Him.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but y know Him; for He dwelleth WITH YOU, and shall be IN YOU." (John 14:15 - 17)
"And we are His witnesses of these things; and so also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to THEM THAT OBEY HIM." (Acts 5:32)
Consecrate Your Whole Life to God - Our ALL
We must consecrate our whole life to God. When we got saved, we repented of all the sins we had committed up to that time, and said we would turn away from sinning again. This time we come as a Christian - a child of God - and surrender to Him our complete ALL, like the Indian in the story I mentioned earlier. Do not hold anything back. Jesus wants our ALL on the altar. We are to become TOTALLY HIS!
"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield YOURSELVES unto God, as those that are ALIVE from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." (Romans 6:13) "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)
"And the very God of peace SANCTIFY YOU WHOLLY; and I pray God YOUR WHOLE spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Thessalonians 5:23)
Be Cleansed and Filled With the Holy Spirit
We need the Lord to get rid of the sin-maker, the old carnal nature. He will cleanse our heart from all sinfulness and the carnal nature, in Jesus' name. Then He will fill us with His Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost, and empower us to live and witness for Him. We become free from the original sin, and enter an experience of total consecration to God. Holy obedience of love becomes perfect. Sanctification demonstrates more love from and to God, and to others. All of this happens when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit.
"Entire sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought instantaneously by faith, preceded by entire consecration; and to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness." (From the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene - 1997 - 2001; Page 31, # 13)
"And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, GIVING THEM THE HOLY GHOST, even as He did unto us; and put no difference between us an them, PURIFYING THEIR HEARTS by faith." (Acts 15:8 - 9)
"If ye than, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT to them that ask Him?" (Luke 11:13)
The Psalmist said, "WASH ME throughly from mine iniquity [sin] and CLEANSE me FROM my SIN." (Psalm 51:2)
"And I will CLEANSE them from ALL their iniquity [sin], whereby they have sinned against Me, and I will PARDON ALL their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against Me." (Jeremiah 33:8)
"But IF we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son CLEANSETH us from ALL sin." (I John 1:7)
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT." (Ephesians 5:18)
God does not get rid of our human will, though. We could still will to sin. However, we need to keep our faith in Jesus and obey Him out of love. Then the Holy Spirit will stay with us, and give us an abundant life.
By Faith, Receive Sanctification In The Fullness of the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost
Just as we are saved by faith, we can also be sanctified by faith - a sanctifying fullness of the Holy Spirit. Romans 6:11 says, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be DEAD INDEED unto SIN, but ALIVE unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
"…that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them who are SANCTIFIED by FAITH that is in Me [Christ]." (Acts 26:18)
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, BELIEVE that ye receive them, and ye SHALL HAVE THEM." (Mark 11:24) "…that we might receive the promise of the Spirit THROUGH FAITH." (Galatians 3:14)
The Holy Spirit witnesses to us when we get saved, and assures us that we have become a child of God. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit.
"The SPIRIT ITSELF BEARETH WITNESS with OUR spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, than heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:16 - 17)
When we are sanctified, the Holy Spirit also witnesses to His sanctifying work.
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the SPIRIT which is OF GOD; that we might KNOW the things that are freely given to us of God." (I Corinthians 2:12)
"And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we KNOW that He ABIDETH in us, by the SPIRIT which He HATH GIVEN US." (I John 3:24)
This is not just a "feeling." We can have deep conviction that God has kept His promise to do His sanctifying work.
"And this is the CONFIDENCE that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: And if we KNOW that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (I John 5:14 - 15)
Our consecration must be complete, and our heart must be open always. With faith we must expect the Lord to do as He promised. Reassurance will then come.
Witness and Let the Holy Spirit Guide In Your Life
We need to witness to others about our experience. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our life becomes more full and complete. When we witness to someone, for example, the Spirit will empower us and guide us with what to say to others. The Christian becomes empowered by the Holy Spirit for life and service. Of course, we need to stay willing to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Who will ALWAYS lead us into the Truth and pathway of righteousness.
"When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come." (John 16:13)
"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
"The very God of peace SANCTIFY YOU WHOLLY; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."" (I Thessalonians 5:23 --24)
Grow closer and closer to Jesus Christ. It is very important to GROW your relationship with Jesus Christ, on a daily basis. Especially during your daily "special time" with Him, ask Him to bring you into His Presence. He will. There is no more awesome place to be than to be in His Presence, sanctified, and knowing we are in the CENTER of God's will. There is no greater high than being filled with God's Holy Spirit, and to know we are staying in touch with the Lord on High!
If you would like to be sanctified wholly, and filled with God's Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost, pray in faith, similar to this:
Our dear Heavenly Father,
I love and thank You for my salvation through Jesus Christ. I know that through Jesus I can also have a more abundant life, sanctified wholly. Lord, I consecrate my whole life to You, and to doing Your will in my life. In Jesus' name, I ask You to cleanse my heart of all sinful selfishness. I want the old carnal nature to be gone, so I can be free from sin. Please fill me with Your sweet Holy Spirit, to empower me to do more work for You, in helping to build Thy Kingdom. I want You to be number one in my life - the Lord of my life. I am willing to do whatever the Holy Spirit leads me to do. I now accept by faith Thy sanctifying fullness of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for sanctifying me and giving me an abundant life in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
If you have just prayed a similar prayer as above, and have been sanctified wholly, I would appreciate it if you would let me know, below.
I was Just Sanctified Wholly - please click this link to let me know
I Have Still Have a Question About Sanctification - please click this link
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