2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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A HEART IN WHICH GOD IS SANCTIFIED (IV)
SATURDAY, MAY 15
1 Peter 3:13-16
Isaiah 8:11-15
“…sanctify the Lord God
in your hearts…”
A HEART IN WHICH GOD IS SANCTIFIED (IV)
Our preparation to give an answer. Two parts or aspects of this preparation are laid out here by the Apostle Peter; both of these are linked. The first is that we should “sanctify the Lord God” in our hearts (1 Pet 3:15). To “sanctify” means to set apart or to consecrate. The sense here is that God must have a special place in our hearts: in other words, He must be enthroned in our hearts. Even in that innermost core of our being, He must rule and direct ‒ not anyone or anything else! Specifically, the context here has to do with fear. In the midst of suffering and persecution, the natural temptation would be to fear man, and to act accordingly. But it is the fear of God, not the fear of man, which must fill our hearts. Thus we are commanded, “be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled” (v 14).
These words find an echo in the Old Testament, where the prophet Isaiah was told, “Neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (Isa 8:12- 13). Judah at the time was facing the threat of a coalition of enemies, the king of Syria and the king of Israel (Isa 7:1-2). The people were terrified. But instead of fearing God, and trusting in His aid, the wicked king Ahaz had sought help from the Assyrians (cf. 2 Kings 16:7).
Dear reader, it is obvious that what we fear will greatly impact our confidence. If it is the fear of man; or the fear of some uncertain future; or any other fear that reigns supreme in our hearts, then it is that fear that will dictate our reactions to life’s circumstances. We will deny God, and forsake His way, because we fear something else more than Him ‒ this was what happened to Ahaz: and, tragically, to the Apostle Peter as well. Surely he speaks here with a bitter consciousness of his own failure when he, out of fear, denied the Lord three times!
But we have the same tendency, and the same weakness. How we need the fear of God so that we are not afraid to stand on what He has revealed to be true! Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and trust in Him to give you utterance as you speak for Him.
THOUGHT: What I fear takes the place of God in my heart.
PRAYER: O Father, help me to fear Thee as I ought!