January 15th: Sanctify Them
We are now 2/3 of our way through the 21 days of prayer. We’ve been taking time each day, learning to pray the way Jesus prayed, over the things Jesus prayed about. Here in John 17:17, in the midst of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, He prayed: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
Sanctification refers to the lifelong process that believers undergo, as we become less influenced by the world (it’s desires, value systems and behaviors) and more influenced by Christ, as we learn to think, desire, and act like Christ. Jesus indicates here that this process occurs as we think, believe, and live in accordance with the truth, i.e. the Word of God.
As you spend time in prayer today, spend time praying that you and the other members of Mission Baptist Church would be sanctified by God’s truth, that we would no longer be conformed to the patterns of this world, but that we would be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2), sanctified as we grow in our knowledge, love, and obedience to God’s truth.