SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
1 Thessalonians 5:16-28
1 Thessalonians 5:23

"…the very God of peace
sanctify you wholly;…
your whole spirit and soul and body…"

A SANCTIFIED SPIRIT (7)

According to God’s order, we must have a sanctified spirit and a sanctified body (1 Thess 5:23). Without a sanctified spirit dedicated unto the Lord and filled with the Holy Spirit and His Truth, many are deceived by Satan with false beliefs and false doctrines unawares, leading to unbiblical practices. It is most dangerous when they strongly believe that they are right and serve the Lord with all their zeal, while they are actually still in spiritual darkness like the Roman Catholics (RCs), the Jehovah Witnesses (JWs), Mormons and many other cultic groups today!

For example, the Roman Catholics believe in prayer to the Virgin Mary and to the saints with statues and images, in baptismal regeneration, the Mass (Eucharist), the papacy, purgatory, etc. These unbiblical beliefs from their unregenerate spirit will move their faculties of knowledge, understanding and reasoning to reason and defend their beliefs; to select some parts of the Scriptures, Apocrypha and church traditions to support their beliefs; to teach and preach false doctrines; to move their body with their legs to go to a RC church and with their lips to sing and pray to Mary and the saints! The same happens with the JWs who deny the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Personal Deity of the Holy Spirit. They twist the Scriptures to defend their false beliefs and practices while thinking that only their group is saved! It is so dangerous!

Looking at other religions, we see the same. As they are not born again and do not have a sanctified spirit filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s Truth, Satan is able to mislead them to believe false gods and religious leaders. Then, their beliefs move their unregenerate minds to reason and support their beliefs with strong desires. Then their heart and desires move them to go to a temple or a shrine, their lips to pray to their gods, and their body to perform their religious practices. They focus on their conduct and deeds while their mind and heart are still full of sin and unclean things! How important it is to have a sanctified spirit!

THOUGHT: My spirit must be sanctified first then my body.
PRAYER: Lord, keep my spirit sanctified and filled with Thy Truth.