verse of the week

Sanctification Challenge Week 1

In our search for sanctification, where do we start?

We start at the foot of the cross.

We start where it was made possible for us.

And we linger there.

Until "God himself, the God of peace sanctify you through and through." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Our challenge this week is very simple yet crucial to any Christian life. Every day this week spend time at the foot of the cross and allow God to sanctify you.

Every day do the following (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18):

• Be joyful always
• pray continually
• give thanks in all circumstances

Every day

• Test everything
• Hold on to the good
• Avoid every kind of evil

Remember Romans 12:1 "Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering."

Every 

day

life

We have a tool to help you plan this challenge because if you do not have a plan you plan to fail.... So here is a link to a document that will allow you to check your progress throughout the week. Print it out, put it on your fridge or by your bathroom mirror, inside your Bible, share it with a friend or two.

Do not worry or give up if you missed a day. Life happens. Just continue where you left of. 

Be 

Blessed 

today!

Sanctification Challenge Week 1 by

Believe!

Giveaway

As an army wife I need special encouragement for those times that my husband is gone. Most of you probably have heard of the devotional Faith Deployed. They are now launching their new Bible (New Testament and Psalm). And they are giving away 20 of them. The link is below. Just enter to win!

Faith Deployed

Here is what they say about this Bible:

"Happy official release day for the Military Wives’ New Testament with Psalms & Proverbs! This beautiful hardcover volume includes, in addition to the text of the Scriptures:

• 60 Reinforcements (devotional readings). See an example of one of these below, written by Bettina Dowell.

• 30 Home Front Heroes (inspiration stories of other military wives)

• 10 Basic Training guides for in-depth Bible study

• 10 Classic hymns that speak to military wives

• Topical listing of favorite Bible verses for military wives

I had the privilege to serve as the general editor of this project, and worked with dozens of military wives who shared their insights. To say I am excited for this release is a gigantic understatement.
Even better? Zondervan has generously offered to give away 20 of these Bibles to FaithDeployed.com readers!!!"

Sacrifice

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. 

Romans 12:1-2 The Message

Sacrifice..... 

The word evokes images of pain and suffering. Bloody animals at the altar, things taken that we did not want to let go of. Nothing that we would want to go through or do on our own.
Yet for the Jewish people sacrifice was a regular occurrence that was not only necessary but looked forward to. Without sacrifice there would be no forgiveness, no redemption, no getting closer to God. It was engrained in their minds.

Purposes of QorbanotContrary to popular belief, the purpose of qorbanot is not simply to obtain forgiveness from sin. Although many qorbanot have the effect of expiating sins, there are many other purposes for bringing qorbanot, and the expiatory effect is often incidental, and is subject to significant limitations.The purposes of qorbanot are much the same as the purposes of prayer: we bring qorbanot to praise G-d, to become closer to Him, to express thanks to G-d, love or gratitude. We bring qorbanot to celebrate holidays and festivals. Others are used to cleanse a person of ritual impurity (which does not necessarily have anything to do with sin: childbirth causes such impurity, but is certainly not a sin). And yes, many qorbanot, like many prayers, are brought for purposes of atonement.The atoning aspect of qorbanot is limited. For the most part, qorbanot only expiate unintentional sins, that is, sins committed because a person forgot that this thing was a sin. No atonement is needed for violations committed under duress or through lack of knowledge, and for the most part, qorbanot cannot atone for a malicious, deliberate sin. In addition, qorbanot have no expiating effect unless the person making the offering sincerely repents his or her actions before making the offering, and makes restitution to any person who was harmed by the violation. 

The Jewish sacrifice was mainly to get closer to God, not simply for the forgiveness of sins. It was therefore something that they looked forward to.

Romans 12:1-2 exhort us to take our everyday life and place it before God. Every day life.

Every

Day

Life

What does it look like? Get up in the morning and thank God for another day. As you get up give Him today, as you drink your coffee thank Him for coffee beans, as your kids leave for school, leave them in His hands..... You get the idea.

Every

Day

Life

Give it a try, become a living sacrifice, get closer to the maker of this world. I promise you will not regret it.

What are some things that can be a living sacrifice pleasing to God? Share with us!

Verse of the week

Uplifting Quote