Key Text: Numbers 11:16-25
In a general sense, the term “consecration” refers to the act of dedicating oneself to a specific purpose or intention. To “consecrate” yourself essentially means to wholly dedicate yourself to something of greatest important. Said clearly however, “consecration” refers to the act of setting yourself aside and dedicating yourself God.
The term can also be used to refer to ordination into a sacred office. For most believers, however, it only refers to a basic, personal act of dedication.
To “consecrate” something, makes that thing holy or sacred set apart for the purposes of God.
In Joshua 3:5 After wandering through the wilderness for 40 years, the people of Israel were commanded to consecrate themselves before entering the Promised Land. To follow the Lord’s command was to be assured that God would do great things and fulfil the promises He made to them.
The act of consecration is also referred to in the N. T. In 2 Corinthians 6:17, God instructs His followers to ‘touch no unclean thing’ and promises to receive them in response.
Similarly, in Romans 12:1-2, Paul describes the necessity of viewing the body as a living sacrifice to God, set aside wholly for the worship of God and no longer for the ways of the world.
God calls us and humanity to be consecrated to Him. The ability to consecrate yourself is only made possible by God and the calling to do so comes directly from God.
All holiness comes from God and any holiness demonstrated in us is given by God. Only God has the power to transform us into something sacred, making us Holy once we decide to set ourselves apart for the purposes of God.
As the Creator of all things, God wants each of us to live in His image and likeness. As such, God wants to dedicate each person to a sacred or consecrated life.
To consecrate ourselves is to answer God’s call to a life of purpose. This means making a conscious, willing decision to dedicate our soul, mind, heart, and body to God. This decision must be one of will, intelligence, and affection. Only you can make the decision to consecrate yourself to God. No one else can push you into it. Because consecration is something that must be done voluntarily, we need to ask ourself if we are truly dedicated or if we are posturing to outward pressures.
Only us and God knows our heart, so don’t worry about whether we appear to have the right motive We should view your commitment to Christ as a priority, not a secondary option or passive experience.
We should also be able to feel gratitude and love in our heart for God. If our heart is ready to be consecrated to God, it will love God in response to the love God has for us.
Repentance is one of the first acts we should undertake when we make the decision to consecrate ourself to God. The act of repenting involves the acknowledgment of our sins and the need for the salvation offered to us by Christ. Repentance is a personal experience and it’s also a fairly straightforward one. Upon gaining the desire to repent, all we need to do is pray for forgiveness and ask God to help us fight against temptation in the future.
Draw closer to God. Rejecting the wicked ways of the world will not be enough to truly transform us. The human spirit always needs to “drink” from some source. If we do not drink from a worldly source, we must drink from a divine source. Just as the body hungers for the ways of the world, the spirit thirsts of the ways of God. The more we train ourself to cave into the desire of our spirit, the easier it will become to continually turn to God.
There are practical things we can do to draw closer to God. Regular prayer is one of the most important. Weekly worship at a church and study of the Scriptures are two other common and highly effective practices Any activity that allows us to keep God as the focus of our life and encourages us to approach God can be used as a tool for that purpose.
Stay committed. Consecration is not a single, one-time-only decision. It is a way of living. When we make the decision to consecrate ourself, we must be prepared to continue pursuing God for the rest of our life.
Even though can only draw near to God after consecrating ourself, our consecration will never be “complete.” We will never achieve perfect righteousness and holiness.
God does not demand complete perfection, though. We are only asked to make the commitment and to actively pursue it. We can stumble as we walk the path but we must choose to keep walking even when we do.
What does God want to burn up? What does He want to fan into flame?