Prayers Of The Spirit: Sanctification – The Threefold Purging Work
Study The Word
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV)
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We move on along to another prayer of the Spirit this time from 1st Thessalonians, and this is the will of God for your life penned down by inspiration of the Spirit of God. It says: the very God of peace—the God of Shalom—His will for you is complete sanctification. Not partial. But wholly, completely, absolutely sanctified in your spirit, in your soul, and in your body!
ἁγιάζω hagiazō sanctify – to make holy, purify, consecrate, separate, set apart for God
Think about this: God is not merely interested in your “spiritual” life while ignoring your soul and body. No! He wants the totality of your being sanctified! Your spirit—that innermost part of you that communes with God. Your soul—your mind, your will, your emotions, your feelings, your thoughts, your desires, your motives. And your body—the vessel, the temple that carries this glorious treasure. Every dimension of your existence is to be sanctified, purified, and made holy.
Now, how does this sanctification happen? The scriptures reveal to us a threefold purging work. First, you are sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Yeshua Mashiach purges your conscience from dead works to serving the living God according to Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” That blood speaks better things and purges. That blood cleanses. That blood purifies. That blood deals with the shame and the guilt of both sin and the consciousness of sin in your life. Every dead work, every pattern of the old life, every residue of carnality—the blood of Jesus purges it out! Is there shame, guilt or anything from the past that the devil keeps using as accusations in your mind? Or memories of the past that keep tormenting you and holding you back? The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to access your conscious and cleanse it. So the blood of Jesus purifies our spirit from the contamination of sin, therefore your human spirit is perpetually cleansed by His blood. Secondly the blood of Jesus Christ has access to the deepest seat of your mind, your conscience. Your conscience is a part of your mind which is a component of your soul. So the blood of Jesus has access to cleanse your soul. Now direct the blood of Jesus Christ to that shame, to that guilt, to that memory in your mind in prayer and demand it to be cleansed by the blood of Yeshua Mashiach! Yes! And start to love free from condemnation! Glory to God!
καθαρίζω katharizō purge/cleanse – to make clean, purify, cleanse from filth, cleanse from guilt, pronounce clean
You are also sanctified in your soul by the Word of God. Jesus said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The Word of God is a purifying agent! When you engage with the Word, when you meditate upon it, when you speak it, when you pray it—it purifies your mind, it transforms your will, it aligns your emotions, it sanctifies your desires and your motives. The Word has washing power! It has cleansing power! It has sanctifying power! That is what James 1:21 is talking about when it says “…receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” And Romans 12:2 is referring to when it says “…but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The word cleanses and renews your mind.
Third, you are sanctified by the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is described as fire—purifying fire, refining fire, sanctifying fire! When the fire of the Holy Spirit moves upon your life, it burns away the dross, it consumes the chaff, it purifies your thoughts, your feelings, your actions. The fire of the Holy Spirit sanctifies your ambitions, your choices, your motives. Everything that is not of God is consumed by this holy fire! As you engage in this prayer of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will fill your physical body, and as your are filled with the Spirit your body is being cleansed and purified.
So what does this mean for you today? It means that sanctification is not something you struggle to achieve in your own strength. No! God Himself—the very God of peace, the God of Shalom—He is the one who sanctifies you! Your part is to pray this will of God over your life, to align yourself with His purposes, and to receive His sanctifying work by the blood, by the Word, and by the fire of His Spirit. You are being purged, cleansed, and made holy—spirit, soul, and body—for the glory of God and in preparation for the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Pray The Word
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the revelation of Your threefold sanctifying work in my life. I receive the purging and cleansing of the blood of Jesus Christ over my spirit, my soul, and my body. I receive the sanctifying power of Your Word to transform my mind, my will, and my emotions. I receive the fire of Your Holy Spirit to purify my thoughts, my motives, my desires, and my actions. Thank You, Father, that You are the very God of peace who sanctifies me completely, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Speak The Word
I am sanctified wholly—spirit, soul, and body—by the blood of Jesus Christ, by the Word of God, and by the fire of the Holy Spirit! My conscience is purged from dead works to serving the living God. My mind, my will, my emotions, my thoughts, my desires, and my motives are cleansed and purified and aligned with the purposes of God. I am being made completely holy by the very God of peace, and I am fully prepared for the glorious appearing of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus!
15 Days Of Prayers Of The Holy Spirit: Day 9: Sanctification