Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend from college, he came to my house in Gainesville and we were able to spend time together.
Something he noticed really registered in my spirit.
He could tell the people who have not been on the World Race, by the way they carry themselves and interact with others.
He could tell by the way that I spoke that I had changed.
It blew me away and really shifted my mindset of what happened while I was on a Kingdom journey for a year.
It shifted because I have limited sight on how I have changed. An outside perspective on your life helps you to realize the ways the Father has changed your heart over the past years or ways that you have matured. Ask someone how you have changed in the past year, I'm sure your vision of your life will change if you get an outside perspective.
I want to set a context for this next verse by giving you this definition of sanctify it means literally to set apart for special use or purpose or set apart as or declare holy; consecrate.
Jesus said, "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world… Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."
John 17:14, 17-19 (NIV)
It seemed that amongst everything that was happening, he could tell that we were set apart for a special purpose.
That it wasn't in our actions but in our emotions that he could see how we were set apart.
It wasn't in the way we wanted him to perceive us or the "front" that we put on but by our hearts that he could see we were set apart.
He said to me, "You are more compassionate and the sound of you voice might have changed a little."
We are often looking for rules or ways to show that we are Christians.
Sometimes falling into Legalism because of a lie the devil plants into our minds.
But we are sons and daughters and our greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."
If our hearts continually turn to Him for everything, the boundaries we are putting into place wouldn't be needed.
