A Sanctified Heart

Our physical heart is a vital organ in our body, and we cannot function without it. Our heart is imperative to our health. However, as important as our physical heart is, our spiritual heart is even more vital to our well-being. When we are having issues in our spiritual life, it can always be traced to the condition of our hearts. As believers, God requires us to have a sanctified heart that is set-apart unto Him. 

When dealing with any physical condition, it is always important to get to the root cause of the ailment. So many times, doctors just treat the symptoms without finding the root issue. In the same way, when we are dealing with troubles in our spiritual walks, we need to investigate the root issues plaguing our hearts.

Are you having trouble with your spiritual walk?

If we are being honest, we all have some area we need to work on. Today we are going to do a spiritual heart check-up. So I ask you…

How is your heart attitude today? Are you seeking the LORD with ALL of your heart?

Deuteronomy 4:29, “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”

Having a vibrant walk with the Lord requires seeking Him with every fiber of our being. Today so many Christians believe they can serve God with a lackadaisical attitude. However, following Christ requires a passionate commitment. We want the blessing of eternal life without the burden of living a committed life.

1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

The word SANCTIFY in a general sense, means to cleanse, purify, or make holy. It also means to separate, set apart or appoint to a holy, sacred or religious use.

---

Having a Sanctified Heart Requires a Relationship with Jesus Christ

Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour? There is no greater decision a person can make than determining their eternal destiny. When you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells the believers heart enabling her to live a holy, purified life. Apart from this indwelling, we cannot have a sanctified heart. 

Becoming a believer is so simple even a child can understand. 

First, we must realize we are sinners and that our sin separates from a holy God. 

Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” 

The price for our sing is death and eternal separation from God. 

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die in your place.

John 3:15-17, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” 

We must call upon the name of the Lord and ask Him to save us. 

Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” 

---

Having a Sanctified Heart Requires Living a Pure Life

Ask the Lord to reveal the sin in your heart

If we want to be holy, we must ask the Lord to search our hearts and show us the sin in our lives. Personally, even we cannot understand the desperate wickedness of our own hearts. Only the Lord fully comprehends its deceitfulness. It is pretty easy to convince ourselves that we are much better than we really are.

Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

We cannot be sanctified if we are living with one foot in the world and the other foot in the church. God wants us to be holy and demands obedience to His Word. Silver is not purified until the dross is removed. We cannot be purified until sin and worldliness are removed from our lives.

Confess your sins

Once God has shown us the sin in our hearts, we must confess it so the Lord can cleanse our hearts.

I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

Unconfessed sin in our lives hinders our relationship with God. Just as if we hurt our friend’s feelings and refused to apologize. If we choose to ignore it, the offence will ruin our relationship. When we are saved, our position in Christ is made secure. However, when we allow sin to remain in our lives, it hinders our fellowship with the Lord.

The hymn writer Charles Tindley wrote:

“Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen;
Nothing preventing the least of His favor,
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.”

Seek the Lord with a purified heart

After we have confessed our sin, we can then seek the Lord with a pure heart.

Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”

When we seek the Lord with a pure heart, His presence will be revealed in our lives.

Have you experienced God for yourself? Do you have personal stories of His work in your life?

There are some older people who can sit around all day telling stories about the great things God has done in their lives. God is no different today. He wants to reveal Himself to you just as He has done for them. He is still in the miracle performing business. The issue is not that God has changed. The difficulty is we are no longer seeking Him with pure hearts.

II Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Seeking the Lord requires running away from youthful fleshly desires. It involves following the path of righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

There are two key words in this verse – “with them.” Choosing right friends is absolutely essential to having a close walk with the Lord.

Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Who are your friends? Are they following the Lord with a pure heart? Or do they scorn the things of the Lord?

If you have friends who are scorners, I would encourage you to run away from them as fast as you possibly can. There is nothing that drags us down faster than wrong friendships.

Do your friends push you closer to God or pull you further away from Him?

James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

As we draw closer to God, He will draw closer to us. The story of the Prodigal Son gives us an example of this principle. The father in the story represents God. As the son returns home to his father, the father sees him afar off and runs to meet him.

As we make the decision to return into God’s presence, He will run to meet us. He is waiting expectantly for us to come to Him, just as the father was looking expectantly for the return of his son. God wants us to draw nigh to Him with a sanctified heart.

---

Final thoughts…

Having a sanctified heart requires a life that is set-apart unto Christ. This is not a matter of keeping a list of religious rules, but rather having a heart that is pure, holy, and fully committed to Christ. While man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. And eventually what is on our hearts will be displayed externally through our attitudes and actions. 

Let me challenge you to consecrate your heart wholly unto the Lord! When we are separated unto Him, He can use us in mighty ways for His kingdom!