by Luke Kincaid
Earlier this week I had a disagreement with someone in our complex which ended up turning into a bit of an argument. Later in the evening I debriefed with Cammie to make sure that I wasn’t out of line in any way and figure out if I had dishonoured Jesus in how I had spoken to this person. In the moments following this debrief I realised that I didn’t feel guilty and didn’t regret this interaction which was strange for me. I am not the best in these situations and often let my emotions get the best of me and end up saying something I probably shouldn’t. But this time was different. And upon pondering on all of this I truly sensed God nudge me and let me know that this was the result of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification in my life.
Sanctification is the process of becoming more and more holy as the Holy Spirit works within us to make us more like Jesus. Something that I struggle with in our instant gratification culture is that sanctification takes time – sometimes a lot of time:
“Sanctification is a slow work. There are numerous reasons for this. I conclude with two. First, we can resist the work of the Spirit. Again, one factor of our sanctification is ourselves. Therefore, when we defy the Spirit’s work, Scripture calling that “quenching” the Spirit. Another way to say this is that through our stubbornness we effectively snuff out the flame of the Spirit in our lives. The result of such “quenching” (cf. 1 Thess. 5:19) may lead to a season of spiritual dryness. Second, there is no part of our human existence unaffected by the fall. Our bodies, minds, emotions, relationships, and more have all been spoiled by the decay of sin. Thus, to find healing and restoration is a lifelong process. Though slow, this process of sanctification is good, because it gives us numerous opportunities to lean upon God and see him consistently glorified in our lives. Like a spouse for whom our affection grows the more we see their beauty, so too is our relationship with God as we grow in our sanctification”
– Coleman Ford.
So, while sanctification is slow and we can actually play a role in hindering the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, I want us to be reminded of the following: 3 For this is God’s will, your sanctification – 1 Thessalonians 4:3. It is God’s will that every disciple of Jesus become more and more holy as we are conformed to the image of Jesus. But be encouraged of the fact that it is a process, that it doesn’t happen overnight. When you continue to stumble in the same ways be reminded of the fact that the Holy Spirit is with you and ask for His help to grow you from a place of weakness to one of strength.
Much love,
Luke
