The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series “Back to the Basics,” written by IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles.

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:13–16).

View Comments (4)

The disciples understood personal holiness. They understood sanctification. They knew they were saved and called for a purpose. They were set apart for the Lord and walked in His ways. This is not to say that they were sinless or that any of this came easy. Sanctification is something the disciples had to learn, and it is something we must learn from as well. It is about bringing the body, soul, and spirit into surrender and submission to the Lord. It’s a lifelong process of dying to the self and living a crucified life. Sanctification and holiness are about the Lord, but we have made holiness all about us.

Post a prayer for your state!

Jesus said that those who are sick, not those who are whole, are the ones in need of a doctor. It has become very apparent that the Church is sick. We are not walking in holiness or wholeness. Some of the most broken, bound, and unhealed people are sitting right next to us in church. How did we get here? By reducing holiness to a formula of dos and don’ts. The intentions may have been good, but the results are not, and this has become a breeding ground for legalistic Christianity. Many Christians are in bondage or walking in defeat, trying to obtain perfectionism rather than holiness. And even when we do pursue holiness, we are not whole either. How can we have one without the other?

Sanctification is about spirit, body, and soul being kept blameless unto the day of the Lord (see 1 Thess. 5:23). This is where we have missed the mark. At the moment of salvation, the human spirit is born again (see John 3:1–5). But the body is not born again. It actually wants to continue doing as it did before conversion, living in accordance with the sinful nature. There is a constant war within us, as Paul addressed in Romans 7:21–24.

The soul is our mind, will, and emotions. This is the battleground for us as believers. It is where many battles will be lost or won. But the Lord has not left us unequipped: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

We need the word of God to come and sever our soul from our spirit. Our mind, will, and emotions can get us into a lot of trouble. Thankfully, when we read, obey, and apply the word, the Lord brings His sword and carefully separates soul from spirit. This is necessary, because our thoughts are not His thoughts, and our ways are not His ways, though at times we think they are. We need the sword to come and show us the true intentions of our hearts. This can be painful, but oh, how we need it.

Where the soul goes, the heart will eventually follow. This is why we have been given His Spirit. We are called to be a holy people. It seems like an impossible call, but it is one for which He has equipped us. We need His Holy Spirit. We can’t be holy without Him. He teaches us (2 Tim. 3:16–17). He empowers us to witness (Acts 1:8). He convicts us of sin and righteousness (John 16:8). He brings freedom (2 Cor. 3:17). This is why we are told to walk in the power of the Spirit and not the soul or flesh. It involves our partnership with His Spirit. The Lord would not ask us to do what we could never do. If He asks us to be holy, it is because He knows we are able to be holy.

Reflection:

Examine your personal holiness before the Lord. Are you clean and without spot or blemish, or is there room to let the Spirit make some alterations in your life? Have you been guilty of legalism? Have you preached holiness while not even being whole yourself? If you answered yes, bring your confession to the Lord. Repent of trying to be holy in your own strength and not by His Spirit. Surrender your body, soul, and spirit to the Lord. He wants all of you, not one- or two-thirds of you. As you read, allow Him to expose any hidden motives of which you may not even be aware. As painful as this can be, it’s for your benefit. Allow it as being for the purpose of a more intimate relationship with the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, I confess that I have made a big mess in this area. I’ve tried to be holy in my own strength, and I have failed You time and time again. I surrender any unhealed and unsurrendered areas of my life, so that I may be healed and begin to walk in wholeness and holiness. Take Your sword and sever anything and everything in my soul that is not of You. Pierce my heart, and expose my true intentions, and lead me to repentance and into Your presence. You are holy, Lord, and I long to be holy too. Let me love You more. Let me know You more. It’s all about You, Lord, and not about me. Holy Spirit, teach me how to live a life that is completely set apart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41).

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:4–5 NIV).

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Gal. 5:16–18).

… for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever (Rom. 8:13 AMP).

What is the Lord stirring in you after reading this article? Share your thoughts, prayers, and scriptures below.

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Bjorn Brekelmans/Getty Images.