Joshua 3:5 “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will work wonders among you!” That is a statement that continually rings in my ear as I prepare myself for High Praise Ministries and In God’s Hands Mime Ministry’s “No Limits Tour”. I continually hear this and am beginning to focus in on the statement that is being made by God to Israel by way of Joshua. This scripture is all about preparation and anticipation. There was a work that they needed God to do for them. They were in need of God to do something they couldn’t do themselves. And as Joshua began to seek God and hear direction from Him, he knew that in order to get His attention Israel was going to have to do something that was much needed anyway. So Joshua stood firm and said to the people Sanctify Yourselves.
What does sanctify mean? What is sanctification? Unfortunately this is a term not usually heard in churches anymore. People stop preaching about the process of sanctification because it means that they also have to clean up their lives. I mean their secret lives as well. Because in order to truly instruct the people of God to be sanctified you as a leader need to be sanctified. Joshua couldn’t have the people seeking God for an answer and he was laid back relaxing, No. As a leader his job is to lead them to where they need to go so he needed to be the first person to seek God for answers. But what then is sanctification? Sanctification in its most basic and general definition means to be set apart and to be cleaned up. It is the process of Holiness. Sanctification changes your lifestyle because it causes you to consecrate yourself to God (wholly). We as Christians have this misnomer about us that once we are saved (born again) we are good but the devil is a liar. Salvation is just the start, it is the key to getting in to see Jesus and live with Him (which should be our ultimate goal). But salvation and being covered under the blood of Jesus Christ can only guarantee your spot into heaven as long as you continue to walk in the obedience of Christ, as long as you continue to set yourself apart and away from the lust of the flesh and the fulfillment thereof. As long as you make the conscious effort and choice to walk in Holiness and His Righteousness then your ticket to heaven is solidified. Salvation is free but it costs you your life. You must begin the process of being made clean and separate from the what generations past used to call the “old man” and draw closer to what they called the “new man” for he who is in Christ is a new creature old things are passed away and behold all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
One can not continue in the things you used to do once you have gotten saved and been chosen by God. There must be a strive for continued change. Sanctify yourselves was the statement that Joshua made, but as I told you this was a scripture about anticipation and preparation. Not only did Joshua say sanctify yourselves but he declared that when you do the Lord will work wonders among you. There is the anticipation of it. Here’s the catch, see Joshua told the people to sanctify (today) and (tomorrow) God is going to work wonders. Today is the preparation for the anticipation of what God is going to do tomorrow. The problem with us is that we want God to do something for us and we aren’t in position because we haven’t sanctified. We are still doing the same old crap and we expect God to bless our mess. We want to hold on to our past and the habits and people that were in them but wonder why we are stuck and living paycheck to paycheck and our health is fading our children are acting like they have no sense. The best part is we have the audacity to blame it on the devil and it’s our ignorant selves that have caused the mess in the first place because we don’t want to let go. We don’t want to remove ourselves from the things that are familiar to us. The devil has nothing to do with it. You have everything to do with it. If you are looking for God to do something for you, you must first being to sanctify yourself. That’s the other part of this. Joshua didn’t tell the people to allow God to sanctify them. I’m so tired of this ignorant, trifling, ungodly ideology that teaches people that God is going to wash you clean and make you whiter than snow. That you can’t get right on your own. Yes it’s true you need Jesus to cover you with His blood but even then you have to ask for it. But you have to do the work; you have to recognize you are as a filthy rag before God and need to be clean. You have to recognize that the things you are doing aren’t pleasing to God and then simply let them go. My daughter Ashley has a statement she made once about a member she saw at the church we attend. She watched this person go up every week to be prayed for, she watched her every week cry out before God, she watched her break down in front of everyone. EVERY WEEK! My wife, daughter, and I went out for dinner one Sunday afternoon and my daughter asked the question why does that person continually hold on to her demon, it’s like she is holding it hostage. Even the demon wants to leave because of the power of God but no she keeps holding it and holding it. She brings it to church for it to be beat up by God so that it can leave her and her family but she keeps holding on it’s almost like she is in an abusive relationship with her demon. Why won’t she just let it go? My wife and I sat astounded at that observation by my daughter because she was absolutely right. This member was holding her demon. But this is what we do all the time we hold on to what we are supposed to let go of and that’s the reason we aren’t blessed like we should be. That’s the reason we don’t have the power we should. That’s the reason we aren’t as effective as we ought to be. The anointing has been stopped up by our mess that we refuse to let go of.
So Joshua said sanctify yourselves. You do it today. You begin to let go of the mess that isn’t Godly. You begin to allow the power of God to take full effect in your life. You begin to make yourself ready and prepare through the process of sanctification. As you begin to do make yourself ready and you begin to clean yourself up and you start today. As you stop making excuses for your sin and stop lying and saying you are waiting on God to do something He told you to do. As you do that today, God today is making and preparing His wonder to be unleashed in your life as a present tomorrow. He’s ready to make your life different but first needs to see your commitment to Him. Will you love like He’s called you to love, including loving your enemies? Will you forgive no matter what has been done to you? Will you pray for mercy to those who have wronged you and are deserving of the Lord’s justice. Will you begin to truly live for Him and not just with your foul lip service but with your life? Because once you sanctify yourself which is to consecrate and set yourself apart, once you sanctify yourself, tomorrow the Lord will work a wonder among you. God bless and remember as always Grow in God’s Grace and Abide in His Love!
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