Since a week or two before Go Deep went to C4C, living a sanctified, set apart life has been the topic of prayer and discussion in our household. And when I was recently listening to a teaching series by Mark Hankins about the Blood of Jesus, it really got my full attention when he started talking about sanctification in one part of the teaching. He said that God cannot fully use us the way He wants to when we let everything else use us.
How do we let everything else use us? We expose our spirits to all kinds of worldly junk that would have made us cringe 20 or 30 years ago and we say, "it's not that bad." (I like the analogy Pastor Kevin used about the poop in the brownies. I've used that with my girls all their lives!)
Then he said, if you were in an operating room about to undergo a surgery, and the surgeon said, "where's my knife?" and one of the nurses said, "oh, it's in the kitchen. We were making ham sandwiches with it." Brother Mark said, you wouldn't want that thing used on you because it is an instrument set apart for a particular use. Just as we are to be for God, to be pure for what He needs.
In the past, I have let sanctification and consecration be a product of my trying to change my own life to be good enough. Then when I really started listening to the Holy Spirit, I realized a few things. In and of myself, I know nothing. In and of myself, I have nothing. In and of myself, I can do nothing. Jack Myers said, "Holiness is not an outward show, but it is a continual working of the Holy Spirit to bring pureness to one's heart." I see now that the only thing I do to make this successful is to submit to the Holy Spirit. When I am trying to figure out how to get "there," I don't hear the Holy Spirit as the Lord is trying to prune me.
What a great analogy Mark Hankins made. I love that. Makes things so clear!! Great post Staci!
ReplyDeleteI too have tried to fix myself. Not because I thought I could do it, but because I was confused. I was always taught that God had already done ALL that He was going to do. Therefore to get Godliness in my life I had to confess, confess, confess so I could change. I've had some great teachers in my life, I must have missed something. But NOW I know better, AMEN.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, hope to read more!!
I do love that analogy too. When I heard it, I stopped in my tracks, backed up the cd to listen to it again! I am glad to know that the Holy Spirit is working diligently along side us to help us be all we can be for God.
ReplyDeletePS Wow, Becky! You were up early this morning!