Beginning Friday of this past weekend, I was struggling with an unusually deep darkness. It pressed down on my soul so much that—I was completely at a loss about what to do. I was afraid to take a step in any direction. It was like I was immobilized by fear and a sense of complete worthlessness. It was overwhelming.
I’ve never been more grateful for God’s light.
God promises that His Word is a “lamp” to our feet and a “light” to our path. (Psalms 119:105)
In the fog, one thing was clear—I needed to draw near to the light; that is, spend some SIGNIFICANT time in God’s Word and seeking His presence. So from Friday afternoon through a good part of Monday (a holiday) I was able to spend significant time alone with God—really applying myself to studying His Word and opening my soul to Him. As I did, He showed me things in my life that were blocking His light. They were things that I had not really considered might be unholy—but when I asked God to show me for sure—He did. He made it clear that I needed to re-consecrate myself to Him.
To consecrate yourself to God doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take a Nazarite vow or live in seclusion; rather, it is a determination to dedicate everything you are and you do—to HIM. As part of that daily decision, you move away from doing things that are unholy and contaminate your relationship with Him. Sometimes it’s even the small decisions like giving up time-wasters and unhealthy thought patterns.
You might be wondering what “consecration” looks like for people like you and me who work and live in the world! After all, I’m not a nun—I’m a lawyer. So how can I possibly set myself apart from evil when it’s all around me??? Well, when we are born-again, our inner man has been regenerated by the holiness and purity of God. He dwells within us. But—our body wants what it wants and—it has a voracious appetite for sin. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 7:14-22, aptly describes the warfare between his born-again spirit and his wayward body:
- For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
- For what I would like to do, I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
- For the good that I want to do, I do not do; but the evil I don’t want to do, that I practice.
- I find then a law, that evil is present with me—even when I want to do good.
When you understand that God made you with a body, soul, and spirit, you understand this warfare. (Otherwise Paul would just sound like a crazy person—right?) Our enemies are three-fold:
- the sinful bent of our flesh;
- the sin of the people around us; and of course,
- the devil.
Thus, if we want to rise in TRIUMPH in this darkness, we MUST seek more than to just escape the enemy—we must understand the vital importance of consecration! Consecration opens up our life to the miracles that happen when we walk in the power of God. For example, when Joshua gave the Israelites the command to consecrate themselves; he followed that command with a promise from God:
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”
Joshua 3:5
Just as God opened the Red Sea to deliver them from Egyptian bondage, He opened the Jordan River and took them into the Promised Land. This was just the beginning of the miracles God performed for them in the conquest of the Promised Land.
Holiness brings us into the sphere of God’s miracles. The Psalmist wrote:
“Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.“
Psalms 77:13-14
When Paul urges in Romans 12:1 to “offer your body as a living sacrifice” and “be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” he is reminding us that we belong to the the King of Kings. We are Divine Royalty. The blood of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah flows through our spiritual veins.
