1 Thessalonians 5:23 – Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul prays for the sanctification of the Christians. The source of your sanctification is the God of peace. The scope of your sanctification is found in the word completely, meaning “every part of your being.” There are three general types of sanctification, there is ‘positional’ sanctification (Heb. 10:10); you have once and for all been set apart for God. There is also ‘practical’ sanctification (2 Cor. 7:1), which is a daily dealing with your sin and growing in holy living. Finally, all of this culminates in ‘perfect’ sanctification (1 John 3:2), when you ultimately see Christ and become eternally like Him. Expecting to see Jesus Christ is a great motivation for holy living.

Challenge:

If you believe in Jesus Christ, you already possess positional sanctification and when Jesus Christ returns, you will obtain perfect sanctification. So all that remains for you to work on is your practical sanctification. Practical sanctification requires you to constantly overcome worldly temptations and earthly lusts. Your challenge this week is to look at every situation that you are confronted with as an opportunity for God to show you how He is setting you apart for Him. For example, say someone gets mad at you for no real reason this week, before you respond back to them in anger, first allow God to show you exactly how He wants you to reply to them. You see, He is the God of peace and He knows best how you should handle every situation in your life. Give the Lord a chance to sanctify you a bit more this week. May God bless you.