ICS Daily Devotions
Live A Sanctified Life
1 Thes 4:1-5 (NKJV) Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to POSSESS HIS OWN VESSEL IN SANCTIFICATION AND HONOR, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God.
Paul talks about the application of faith in our daily walk. Christianity is not a set of do’s and dont’s but a relationship in which believers desire to please their heavenly Father. God revealed His will to us and that is to live a sanctified life.
The Apostle Paul in this epistle to the church in Thessalonica revealed that God requires us to abstain from sexual immorality by taking control of our body. Our body and the lust of the flesh should not be dictating our lifestyle. Sexual immorality covers fornication, co-habitation, visiting of prostitutes, homosexuality, adultery and any other abnormal or improper relationship outside of marriage. These kinds of activities do not please God. These kinds of lifestyle destroy relationships within a marriage and also destroy individuals. There will be individuals who will be hurt and feel betrayed in the relationship. God knows the pain of betrayal and the suffering involved when trust is destroyed in a relationship. Therefore, a believer needs to CHOOSE to live a sanctified life and reign in his flesh so as not to continue in this kind of lifestyle.
What is a sanctified life? God’s will is for us to be holy. Becoming “holy” involves a process called “sanctification”. This process continues throughout the believers’ lifetime on earth. God has given us the ability and the enablement in the new identity to reign over the old patterns and behavior. Besides having an understanding of our new identity in Christ, the responsibility lies in the believer to take control over his body or vessel and not allow the passion of lust to take control like the Gentiles do.
There is a huge difference between us and the Gentiles or the unbelievers who are not born again. We have new identity and they don’t. They are in the Kingdom of darkness and we are in the Kingdom of light. We serve different kings. The Kingdom of darkness which is Satan has no more power or control over our lives because we are no longer under his control, neither do we have the sin nature in us. We are a new creation and the old has passed and the new has come. What is left is for us to deal with our flesh that wants to live independent from God and does not bow to God.
Our Christian walk must please God and that He is reigning in life. Thank God that He and His Word are One. He watches over His Word to perform it in our lives. There is a transformation of our lives after we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. There is an absolute change in our identity and we need to have our identity in Christ in order to live victoriously. We have to be intentional about renewing our mind with the Word and exercise sanctification.
Sermon Series: Living out the New Identity
