Sanctification means to be set apart; to consecrate; to free from sin; to purify. It is the process of being made holy. Sanctification is a gift given to us from God, but what we fail to realize often is that this is a process that requires action on our part. This is God’s will for those who profess to follow Jesus. 1 Peter 1:15 “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” That is what we should be striving for daily! The process of sanctification and transformation come by the Holy Spirit working in us and He will always do His part, but we have to do ours. In 2 Peter 3:18 we are told to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” Grow is an action. Growing in grace is our increasing in Christ likeness and growth in knowledge is growing in our relationship with the Lord through the study of His Word and placing our lives under its authority.

Another verse that shows that we are to be active in the process of sanctification is Romans 12:2 “Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” If we aren’t changing, we aren’t growing. We are told to grow. We are told NOT to copy the behavior and customs of this world. Those sound a lot like commands. We are called to be set apart, but so many in the Church today blend in with the world more than they do Christ. As we step into this new year, I want to encourage you to be a woman who lives her life daily ‘set apart’! Will it be easy? No. Will it be uncomfortable? At times, because you might find yourself having to let go of people (even other Christians), things, or activities in order to live a life set apart for Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit find those ugly bumps and be willing to let Him grind them down!