AS THE SINNER NEEDS HEART PURGING, THE BELIEVER NEEDS HEART SANCTIFICATION

EVERY WORD OF GOD FOR DAILY LIVING
BY PASTOR PAUL RIKA:
INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide

TITLE: AS THE SINNER NEEDS HEART PURGING, THE BELIEVER NEEDS HEART SANCTIFICATION

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2021

TEXT: JOHN 17:4-20 (Please refer to your Bible for scripture reference)

KEY VERSE: JOHN 17:17
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

God demands the heart of a sinner. He told the sinner, “Give Me your …heart”. What for? “I want to save it from …sin”. There are things you do, evil places you go and evil activities you engage in. Come for your heart cleansing. “Give Me your heart to break the power of those things. You will not find yourself doing them anymore.”  That is what He tells the sinner. “Give Me your heart, and I will break the power of sin in your heart. You will not find yourself committing fornication, adultery, drunkenness, lying and other sins again. You will not do that anymore because “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

God comes again to the believer and says “Give Me your heart.” You are following God already, but have you noticed that there are some inner tensions in you? Have you noticed that although the work of salvation has been done in you, you have not seen the perfection as it should be? There are still some struggles within you. You struggle, you pray, yet you experience some forces within you and once in a while, they overcome you (Romans 7:22-23). This scripture agrees with the state of your heart because of the Adamic nature, inbred sin and inner depravity that pulls on your heart, which can only be cleansed at sanctification. God does things line upon line, precept upon precept. He did the first one, so you do not commit adultery or steal anymore. There is something that still needs to be done in that heart, and it is called SANCTIFICATION.

In today’s devotional text, Jesus prayed to the Father concerning His disciples. These people were born again and were already following Jesus for some years but they needed an experience of grace to make them better and holy Christians, fully victorious over sin.  What was needed is called Sanctification. Jesus prayed this prayer for them (v.17) and for you too if you are a believer in Christ (v. 20). It, therefore, means that to believe in Christ and be born again is different from being sanctified. This is very clear. Everybody who believes in Christ needs sanctification, which is a second package that goes along with salvation. It improves the saved man and lifts him to a higher position of holiness.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A born again Christian needs a second touch to perfect him/her for heaven.

SONG FOR THE DAY:
Jesus leads me near the cross….
 
BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY:
 Isaiah 19-21; Ephesians 2