For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.     Hebrews 10:14 NKJV

But your iniquities have separated you from God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.     Isaiah 59:2 NKJV

We need to ask ourselves if we are sanctified by God or separated from God. Our first Scripture passage speaks of how Jesus’ death on the cross has forever perfected those who are sanctified. What does it mean to be sanctified? Well, the dictionary offers these definitions: set apart as or declare holy; consecrate, make legitimate or binding by religious sanction, free from sin; purify, or cause to be or seem morally right or acceptable.

In the Old Testament, we know God sanctified the Israelites. They were to be set apart and consecrated as God’s chosen people. But time and time again they separated themselves from God by their sin as explained in our second Scripture passage in Isaiah. When we sin, we create a barrier between us and God.

Marriage is about one man and one woman setting themselves apart for each other for life. It’s about their personal relationship. This is how it is with our salvation it’s about the personal relationship you have with Jesus Christ. God created us in His image to be in close fellowship with Him. When we fail to fellowship with Him, we fall short of what He has called us to do.

When we surrender our lives to Him, we are sanctified or set apart for His service. This means a separation from the world and worldly things. This means we don’t cater to our flesh; we conquer it with His help. We are told in Romans 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

In order to live a life, set apart from the world, we must separate ourselves from the sin of the world. James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”

We have to make a choice. We will either surrender to God and be sanctified or set apart from the world or we will conform to the world and be separated from God. There is no middle ground. We must choose.

I won’t tell you it’s an easy decision. It seems like it would be a no-brainer, but it took me a while to really get it. I thought I could be of the world and also be surrendered to God. It just doesn’t work that way. The flesh, or the worldly ways are in direct contract with the Spirit or our relationship with the Lord.

How do we separate ourselves from the world and be set apart to serve God? Well, first we must surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ. We must accept Him as our Savior and be willing to let go of the works of the flesh. We are told these are evident and Paul lists them in Galatians 5:19-21. They are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

When we let go of these things and surrender to Christ, we will exhibit the fruits of the Spirit which include, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

If you don’t know if you are sanctified by God or separated from God, just ask those around you. As Paul said in Galatians, the works of the flesh are evident. When we are separated from God, it is painfully obvious.

When we exhibit the fruits of a life lived with a heart filled by the Holy Spirit, it shows.

We are either surrendered to Christ and sanctified or we are holding on to our sin and separated. We must understand that there are two choices for our eternal destiny. Those who are sanctified will go to heaven to spend eternity with God the Father. Those who are separated from God will face eternal damnation and separation in hell.

It’s your choice to make. Choose wisely.

Have a great day!