Consecration

Being such an important word, it is amazing how little we hear it. So long as we as Christians are not consecrated to the Lord, we will accomplish extremely little or nothing for Heaven. We must learn what this word means and how we can become consecrated to our God. Here is the meaning of the word consecration: set apart for the Lord's use. What a tremendous need for the Church of Jesus Christ to be set apart in this day that we live! Perhaps the number one ailment that the Body of Christ suffers today is our failure to be consecrated. Rather, we are defiled! How then can we be useful to the Master? This helps to explain our degraded beloved North America. The quicker we acknowledge this, the quicker we can fix it, the quicker we can transform our societies, shut the lion's mouth and save dying lost souls. Consecration is the key to all spiritual success. So the question is: How does a person become consecrated? 1. DEDICATION When the Israelites were building the Tabernacle in the desert, the people came and presented gifts and articles to the Lord for use in His service. "And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD." (Exodus 35:22) Whatever was to be used regarding the temple of the Lord required the first act of dedication. Notice is says "as many as were willing hearted." Once an article was offered to the Lord there was no getting it back. Gold used in the construction of the temple was never to be used for anything else again. As it is today, God is searching for people whose hearts are willing to dedicate themselves to His service without the thought of serving the world any longer. The verse for us in the New Testament is Romans 12:1-2, "...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Present your bodies. The first step to consecration is dedication, a willing act of the heart to serve the Lord. 2. SEPARATION Once we are dedicated we then must be separated. It is not enough to simply offer yourself to the Lord one Sunday night and then go shrinking back to the world on Monday. The body must be separated. This is a subject many people do not like to think about, for they love the world too much. However, the only way to be used by God effectively is to be separated from the world and it's contaminations. There is no getting around this. You cannot serve God and this world. "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." (1 Corinthians 10:21) Too many Christians have lived a life of duplicity. Did you know that the devil has a communion table as well? It says right here in this verse... he too has a table prepared for whosoever will. His table is filled with all the delicacies of the world, enough to seduce any lustful appetite. Yes, his food is much sweeter than the simple bread and wine, but in deceitfulness he has loaded his menu with poison, enough poison to kill even a foolish Christian who thinks he can feast from both sides. In the end you are only fooling yourself and you are the one who loses. This duplicity will not do. If we are to grow up into the full stature of Christ and obtain spiritual victories against the devil we must separate ourselves from all that defiles the body. There are five gates of entry that must be guarded at all times. These are the eyes, the mouth, the ears, the nose, and the hands/feet. We must separate ourselves from all things that defile any of these gates and so defiles God's temple, our body (1 Corinthians 6:19). Unclean words, thoughts, actions, appetites, habits, etc... unclean movies, music, games, books, television, company, settings, food, etc... All things that defile must go if we are to be consecrated unto the Lord, useful for His service. "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." (2 Timothy 2:20-21) The defining factor between a Christian who is useful and consecrated to God and a Christian who is useless and a vexation to God is whether they are separated from the world. This sets a man apart from the multitudes in the Lord's sight. He then can say, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him." (Job 1:8) 3. CONSECRATION When a person is dedicated and separated, they then become consecrated and the Holy Spirit is able to flow through them unhindered and without measure. "...So Moses finished the work. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle." (Exodus 40:33-34) Powerful! Are you willing to say to God today: "Lord, I offer myself to You for use in Your holy service?" and then make your promise good by going all the way for the glory? May God stir our hearts to be willing and obedient, a people set apart for the use of the Lord!