Contributor: Okwudili Prince-Isaac
INTRODUCTION
Consecration is the amount of our unconditional surrender to God! Consecration is a process or practice of making something or someone sacred. Dedicated and set apart for the Lord. It also means the devoting or setting apart of anything or anyone to the worship or service of God (Exodus 28:41).
In Matthew 26, we see Jesus praying the prayer of dedication. These verses give us an example of His devotion to consecrate Himself to do the Father’s will.
“36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:36, 39)
What was Jesus talking about when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane? He knew the cross was before Him. He knew He was about to be made the sacrifice for sin on our behalf (Heb. 9:26). Jesus battled the temptation to draw back from what was to come and prayed, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me!”
It wasn’t easy for Jesus to fulfill the Father’s plan. But He knew the outcome of redemption meant salvation for mankind. So, for the joy set before Him, He surrendered to His Father’s will (Heb. 12:2). Jesus’ prayer of consecration was “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” (Matt. 26:42).
God is looking for believers who will consecrate themselves entirely to Him to carry out His plan for their lives, just as Jesus did at Gethsemane and throughout His earthly ministry. God is looking for believers who will say as Jesus did, “Not my will, Father, but Your will be done.”
The prayer of consecration is not a one-time prayer. Jesus virtually prayed the same prayer three times (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44). It is a prayer we pray throughout our lives. We will only be able to follow God’s plan if we always maintain an attitude of consecration and surrender to His will, whatever it might be.
God is looking for believers who will say as Jesus did, “Not my will, Father, but Your will be done.”
Other Texts: Romans 6, Romans 12, Exodus 28:41, Heb. 9:26, Heb. 12:2
Five Stages of Consecration
•Salvation [Romans 7:6, Col 1:13]
•Self [Eph. 4:22]
•Surrender [Gal 2:20]
•Servanthood [Col 3:23]
•Slave (Finish Line) – [Romans 6:18, Jn 21:18]
Be Willing to Do Anything for God
It’s important to be willing to do anything God asks. We need to commit ourselves to obey Him and do His will every day for the rest of our lives. Unwillingness to obey God can hinder or delay His plan for us from being fulfilled.
We will only experience the fullness of God’s plan and the full measure of His anointing and blessing on us if we are willing to obey Him in every area of our lives. We’ve all had to “drink some cups” that we would rather have passed up. But when we know that the cup is God’s will, we can rest assured the outcome will be for our good and to God’s glory.
Many Christians have never surrendered everything to the Lord. They only are willing to make Jesus Lord of part of their lives. But sometimes they aren’t willing to give up control of certain areas their carnal nature holds dear.
It’s critical to make a quality decision to follow God’s plan for our lives. That decision becomes an anchor to our souls that keeps us in His perfect will when the devil brings temptations to distract us from the plans of God. If we’re never fully surrendered to Him, we stand in danger of being persuaded by the devil’s temptations to pursue our will and desires. As a result, we lose out on God’s best.
The Crossroad of Decision
Many Christians are at a crossroad. They face decisions that will influence the course of their lives. The road of obedience is what we must choose if we want to follow God’s plan. Although it seems hard to say ‘no’ to our will and plans, the result of obedience will cause our spirits to rejoice. We will make our way prosperous and be fulfilled beyond anything we can imagine.
No comparison can be made between a life of walking in the flesh and one of living according to God’s perfect plan! As we choose daily to obey the Lord’s will, we will be a blessing to many. And God will lead us to places of abundance in every area of our lives!
Outcome of Consecration
The first result is described in Romans 6, and the second result is described in Romans 12.
• Our Benefit (Romans 6)
• God’s Benefit (Romans 12)
Our Benefit
The consecration in Romans 6 is for one’s own benefit; it is to bear the fruit of righteousness. The result of consecration in Romans 6 is deliverance from sin to be a slave of God in order to bear fruit unto sanctification. This is what it means to live out the overcoming life day by day. Our hands, feet, and mouths belong to the Lord. We dare not use them ourselves. Every time temptations come, we have to say that we do not have our hands with us. When we consecrate ourselves this way, we will be sanctified and bear the fruit of sanctification. Hence, consecrating ourselves is the first thing we should do after the overcoming experience, and it is also the firstfruit of the overcoming experience.
There is a true story of a Christian brother who had consecrated himself fully to the Lord. When he was on a train ride, a few friends decided to have a card game. Three people were present, and they were short one person, so they invited him to join in. He answered, "Sorry, friends. I do not have my hands with me. These hands are not mine but Another’s.” While the friend still struggled to understand his response, he continued “They are merely placed on my body. I dare not use them."
God’s Benefit
The consecration in Romans 12 is for God’s benefit; it is for the accomplishment of God’s will and for acceptable service to Him. The result of the
consecration in Romans 12 is not just God’s pleasure but the proving of God’s good, well-pleasing, and perfect will.
The result of the presenting is in Romans 12:2. "Do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect."
This is our ultimate goal today. God has an eternal purpose, which is accomplished through His Son. God created everything through Him for this purpose. Redemption is for this purpose, the defeat of Satan is for this purpose, and the salvation of sinners is for this purpose. We have to know God’s eternal purpose before we can accomplish what God wants us to accomplish. We are not here merely for the salvation of sinners; we are here for the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose. Every kind of work must be linked up with God’s eternal purpose.
“There the true story Asian Preacher coming back home from short visit to part of town. He was about to board a bus but the driver told him to “get off”. Stunned, he looked carefully, and realised that it was not an ordinary bus, but a chartered bus. The Spirit used the incidence to teach him lesson - Every Christian should be a "chartered" person, and not a "public" Christian. We are not public, but "chartered," fully reserved for God’s will and separated.”
Lack of Consecration in Believers
In our days many believers seem willing to lay some things on the altar, but not all! God’s plan for their lives is hindered. Many of His blessings are withheld because they haven’t wholly consecrated themselves to do His will instead of their own.
Benefits of Consecration
1.Overflowing blessings (Exodus 32:29).
2.Overflowing anointing (Hebrews 1:9;10:38; Acts 5:12).
3.Becoming a chosen vessel of God (II Timothy 2:21; Acts 9:15).
4.Ever abiding presence of God (Psalm 91:1; Matthew 28:19-20).
5.Outstanding victory without a fight (Proverbs 16:7; II chronicles 20:15-19).
Summary
Every Christian should consecrate himself; it is wrong to assume that only special Christians should consecrate themselves. His blood has purchased us, and we are His. His love has constrained us, and we live for Him. Let’s consider how consecrated we are to the Lord. Let’s consider whether we’re able to say from our hearts, “I’ll do whatever You ask of me. I’ll go anywhere You send me. I’ll stay wherever You want me. No matter where You lead me, I’ll carry the Good News of Jesus Christ to others.” We must ‘let go’ in order for the Lord to mature us and lead us deeper, like he did to Prophet Ezekiel –Ezek. 47:2-5
Closing
If we do not consecrate ourselves, we will never realize that this will is good. God’s will is not only good but also perfect. All of God’s will toward those who love Him is profitable. If we know this, we will not reject His will. Presenting our bodies to Him is holy and well pleasing to Him. Christ ultimately lived out John 21:18 “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go”
May we find His will well-pleasing to us and find that His will is good and perfect. Amen
