Spiritually Strong Series: Sanctification

“Spiritually Strong Series: Sanctification”
by Pastor Kent Munsey
November 08, 2020

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

• Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

We are called to be strong in the Lord and put on the armor of God. Salvation is not something that we have to put on every day, but rather, we are called to put on the helmet of our savior so that we can fight the good fight of faith. God has given us everything that we need so that we can live a victorious and overcoming life. 

In this series, we have been talking about the unseen spiritual world. The greatest enemies are spiritual, and we have the spiritual tools that we need to win spiritual victories. Right now as Christians, we have been called more than ever to be spiritually strong, so that we can stand in this time and in this season. 

In Joshua 3, the children of Israel are in a great battle. They are in a spiritual fight. God was with them and had delivered them from Egypt. But, they could not get delivered from Egypt within them. They couldn’t defeat the attitude, the mindset of fear, anxiety, and idolatry that were in Egypt. There was an entire generation that did not experience the promises of God because they could not defeat the spiritual battle. 

1. Tomorrow the Lord will do wonders.

“Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among us” (Joshua 3:5). Everyone is looking forward to experiencing a tomorrow where there is no pandemic; a tomorrow where our lives are normal again. This year has been a year of unknowns and uncertainties, detours and disappointments. The word of the Lord promises that tomorrow, he is going to do wonders. He is a good, faithful, and mighty God. Tomorrow, his power is going to be on display for his people.

But, today, he needs us to purify our hearts. The last thing the Israelites did before they entered God’s tomorrow is sanctify themselves. Sanctification is the process of being freed from sin or purified. We are saved by grace, but we are also sanctified by grace so that we can be transformed into the image of our savior. 

2. Go After It

God is working in the middle; he is always at work. He calls men and women of God and invites them into his work. It is so easy for us to get comfortable in temporary circumstances. But when we see men and women of God in the middle of God’s work, we are to move from our place and go after it. The Lord knows when the harvest is right, and if we continue to go after it, in due season, we will reap a harvest. Tomorrow is in God’s hands, but today is in our hands. Engage in the process of being purified in your hearts. 

3. Sanctify Ourselves. 

If we want to know the will of God, it starts with setting ourselves apart and asking God to do a greater work in us. Sanctification is a necessity. When the blessings of God are on our lives, it’s even more critical for us to sanctify ourselves. 

If anyone could be prideful it would be the children of Israel. They saw God deliver them supernaturally from Egypt, parting the Red Sea, and providing manna for them in the wilderness. We will never get to a place in our spiritual walks where we don’t need to be sanctified. As long as it’s today, we need to purify our hearts. We need to rid ourselves of the sin that so easily entangles. 

Oftentimes sanctification hurts before it helps. Part of sanctification is allowing the Lord to cut out the parts of our life that are not pure. The word of God carves and cuts and does surgery on our lives, much like circumcision which is an Old Testament sign of the covenant of God with Israel. Under the new covenant, we must allow the sword of the spirit into our hearts.  

When we have done all we can do to stand, we are to put on the armor of God, and when we do the inner work, we will see wonders in our tomorrow.

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

1. What are you believing God for in your tomorrow? 

2. How are you going after the things of God in this season? 

3. What areas of your life do you believe that God wants to sanctify? 

4. How can you surrender more of your heart to God for sanctification this week, this month, or this year?