Choose to Live a Consecrated Life
ICS Daily Devotions
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Praying in faith or confidence is not easy because we often lack the assurance that our prayer will be answered, but when God’s will is known, we can pray in faith and confidence. Therefore, it is our responsibility to seek out God’s will and plan for our lives. Nonetheless, walking in God’s will doesn’t mean smooth sailing all the way, but the Lord promises us that He hears us and will give us our petition especially when we are walking out His will in our lives. What gives substance to our faith is when we know and are confident that we are walking in what He has called us to do and He has endorsed the work that He has for us.
How do we know whether something is God’s will? Jesus teaches us in the Lord’s Prayer that the Heavenly Father’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. There is a heavenly plan for each and every one of our lives. He is the master craftsman who created each of us uniquely with different talents and gifts for a purpose.
The prayer of consecration will help us to know whether it is God’s will. In Matthew 26:36-45, Jesus modelled for us how to pray to be in God’s will and have His leading in our decisions. Jesus did not pray to receive anything from the Father but about becoming the sin sacrifice for the world. Jesus was praying about the will of God for His life when He said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane with two wills but came out with only one—the will of the Father.
A prayer of consecration seeks God’s will for our lives. We are effectively praying “if it is your will” because we don’t know God’s will. However, it can be a struggle for many Christians because it deals with the Lordship of Christ in our lives. It is challenging for our flesh to live a consecrated life because we need to submit our flesh to the Spirit. Other hindrances are pride, lack of faith in God, fear of the unknown, loss of control of our lives, and uncertainty about God’s character or goodness.
Nonetheless, we need to choose to be yoked with God and allow Him to be the stronger partner in the calling of our lives. We will come to a situation where we don’t get to do what we like but what is right in God’s eyes and plan. Although righteousness is imputed to us, sanctification and consecration is a lifelong process. This is something that all Christians should be doing or living out, and we are enabled to do so through the Spirit of God living in us.
Sermon Series: Consecration
