This week we were blessed to have Pastor Dan Cronin visit us and share the message that
has been placed on his heart by God.
We are now at that awkward point of the month where we are not sure if it’s too late to wish
someone a Happy New year. It may be too late but it’s never too late to still ask one another
how you are doing? How are you actually doing as you step into 2022?
In Dan Cronin’s family, the past 8 weeks have been a whirlwind. At the start of the 8 weeks, his pregnant wife Becky needed to go to the hospital to run some tests as her blood pressure was too high and a day later had to be induced. 2 days after that, Becky and Judah tested positive for Covid, although he thankfully somehow managed to stay negative. The house that they had hoped would be completed on by September 2021, was finally completed on the 21 December and so they postponed moving in until the new year so that they could concentrate instead on the long awaited family gathering with both his and Becky’s family. This was especially important for his family as they hadn’t been together in so long, and his brother had spent the year battling cancer. He then tried to decorate at least one room of the new house before moving in but realised they would need to tear down the ceiling. What should have been completed quickly ended up taking much longer due to an ankle injury sustained at a birthday party and redecorating took a little longer than planned. Finally, they were able to move into the house on the 8th January.
Although this season was filled with many blessings for him and his family, Dan found it
difficult to stay rooted in the season with so many things going on. His relationship with God
during this season was neither where he wanted it to be nor where it should be. Yet during
those busy times, God impressed on him this verse:
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing
things among you.
(Joshua 3:5)
What does consecrate mean?
Put into context, this verse talks about a time when the people of Israel were on the verge of
entering the promised land. God asked them to dedicate their lives afresh to Him before
stepping over the threshold and claiming what had been promised to them. He was asking
them to consecrate themselves for Him.
Is our church on the verge of something new and are we being asked to consecrate
ourselves afresh before stepping into our new season? Are we dedicating our whole lives to
God so that we can experience the amazing things He has planned for us?
God promises to do amazing things through us, for us and with us that will amaze not only
you but all those around you. But we need to be wholly available to Him, not just offer Him a
couple of hours on a Sunday, or 2 hours at a life group every other week. We need to offer
Him our whole life. We are being asked to set ourselves apart with a new level of purity and
holiness for His Kingdom and purpose.
Great things happen not when we try harder, or do more, or get busier but rather when we are
obedient to God, when we consecrate ourselves to God and make ourselves available for
His work to be done through us.
Consecration is more than just going to church, following the 10 commandments,
worshiping, tithing etc. Although all these things are pleasing to God, consecration is
different. Consecration means shifting your dedication to God to another level. We need to
dethrone ourselves and enthrone Jesus as Lord and King and the master of our lives. It is
the simple recognition that as a Christian, it Is not all about us but rather that it is all about
Him.
It’s surrendering our whole life, seeking His purity, His holiness, choosing to be fully and
wholly surrendered to Him. Every second of your time, every ounce of your energy and
every penny of your money is a gift from God, for God.
Just like a good spring cleaning in your house helps you to declutter it so that you can use it
as it was intended to be used, so is the process of consecration. The amazing thing about
consecration is it allows us to come to God and give Him our hang ups, our hurts, our
regrets, our guilt over our sins and our mistakes. In doing so, we open ourselves up to
finding out what God really wants from us.
Which habits He wants us to have,
which areas He wants us to focus on,
which relationships He wants us to concentrate on
so that we can begin living a life that He is calling us to live. A life where we are set apart and are wholly and solely available to Him, not just in one section of our lives but in all the parts of our lives.
So as we step into 2022 we may not know what it holds for us but we can ask God to purify
and refine us so that we can be filled with a new freedom, a new purpose, a consecration
that will deepen our relationship with God so that whatever we are called to do, we do WITH
God at the centre of it all. Reject any apathy, any luke warmness that you may experience
so that you can wholeheartedly embrace whatever God has in store for you. Pray that the
distance between doing what He asks us to do and our obedience in doing it is shorter
and shorter.
And as we begin our journey into this new year, make that decision to consecrate yourself.
Invite the Holy Spirit afresh to speak to you so that God can show you what to let go of. Let
God claim your spirit. Let God set you free from the chains holding you and let God have his
rightful place as King in your life. Surrender to His way as His way is HIGHER and
GREATER and the BEST.
Let God set you apart.