Dear Friend whom Jesus Loves,
Perhaps it is likely that you have never stopped and asked yourself, “How do I obtain sanctification?” However, you may have said to yourself once before, “I need to change, I need to do better, and I need to quit this bad habit or that bad habit.” Perhaps there has been times in the lonely hours of the night when you knew in your heart that you were lost, lonely, and disobedient to your own conscious. Perhaps you look in the mirror and know deep down that there is discontentment and unrest within your own self. The good news is this, Jesus Christ is an expert at changing sinners to saints. However, there is some things you must do first. So, if you are lost, lonely, hurting, and enslaved by sin I invite you to read on.
Conviction, this is the 1st step toward God and sanctification. Conviction is a realization that you are lost and that you are a sinner against God. The devil will try to overcomplicate conviction and God’s “tug” at your heart. Do not let him, you need not thunder and lightning or some great light to shine down upon you. If you feel or have felt God tug at your heart or if you feel or have felt a unrest within you because of your sinful deeds that is all you need; believe God is calling you and answer the call. A good example of conviction can be found in 2 Samuel chapter 12. In this text Nathan the prophet represents the Holy Ghost. David represents the common sinner. The Holy Ghost revels our sin and David shows to us the proper response (confession and repentance, his testimony of repentance is found in Psalm chapter 51). This leads us to the next course of action in your quest for sanctification; conversion.
Conversion or to be converted, once again, is complicated by the devil. However, it is far from being complex. In fact, I dare say it is a nature response to conviction. A testimony of being “converted” is found in the place of repentance. Repentance is a confession, a confession of your sins against God and coupled with that confession it is a promise to “turn away” from your sin and follow after Him. A call to repentance is found throughout the scripture, but for now you can look to Matthew chapter 3 and 1 John chapter 1; also, the book of Act’s is full of examples of repentance.
Now that you have been converted……. “Wait, how do I know I am converted?” Well, you just know. You see, the thing about Christianity is that ultimately it comes down to faith. Faith is belief in action. You believe what God says, you do what God says, and believe that God will do what he says he will do. It’s just that simple, and for that reason you will just, know. Ok, now that you have been converted you are prepared for the coming of the Holy Ghost (sanctification, see Act’s chapter 2). If it helps, think of sanctification like this: back in the day before Jesus, the way they used to get rid of sin was to sacrifice an animal. The way they did that was to first build an alter (you can make an alter right by your bed by simply kneeling). Then they brought a prepared sacrifice (you are prepared at conversion), killed it, and put it on the alter. Finally, they burnt the sacrifice on the alter with fire. The Holy Ghost is the fire in your life, it consumes all sin, and brings light into your life. The light of God will make you want to go to church, want to read your Bible, want to pray, want to love, it will make you: holy, righteous, and godly. You don’t do it, the light of God does it, and the light of God is Jesus and Jesus is the Holy Ghost.
So, to the question “how do I obtain this sanctification to which I am now seeking?” “How do I not only quit sinning, but quit wanting to sin?” Simply put: “how do I live the way Jesus wants me to live?” You need the fire, you need the Holy Ghost, you need to be sanctified, and the way to get the fire to come down and ignite your sacrifice is by putting it on the alter. Your sacrifice is yourself; and you must put yourself on the alter. This is done by making the vow, by making the commitment, by simply saying “Lord not my will but thine be done.” Your plans, your ambitions, your wishes, all that you are all that you ever will be is committed to God by a solemn vow. When you do that you are on the alter, the fire will come, and the journey with God to heaven begins.
In closing, I beg of you, make the vow, fall at an alter and pray. For this letter could be the last you ever read, and it could be the last I ever write. We know not what tomorrow may bring. I leave you with this one last verse.
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.” – Matthew 16:25
Sincerely,
He whom Jesus Loves
