Consecrate Much?

[Christina]

I'm currently chewing on the concept of consecration. I'm seeking to understand what it means, and looks like, to consecrate my life and self daily.

My study bible says that consecration is "to set aside or dedicate for God's use."

The bible tells of both people and objects being consecrated. Sometimes the ritual includes using oil, washing (of self and of clothes), and/or abstaining from sexual relations.

I still don't understand what consecration looks like DAILY.

Oswald Chambers (in "My Utmost for His Highest") helps further with this understanding. He refers to consecration as being "the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one time process but an ongoing one."

My brain connects this with the parable of the seed. Specifically, the seed that allows the thorns to choke it out before it can take root. (thorns = cares of this world like fear, worry...my will)

So then I arrive at this concept that what consecration looks like, from moment to moment each day, is a continual separation of myself from thoughts stemming from my will, not God's will, so that I can myself be set aside for God's use. "Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

2 Corinthians 10:4 - The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (Jack Frost defines strongholds as patterns of thought that are repeated over and over again until they become a habit. These strongholds prevent us from being as consecrated as we could be!!)

Study bible gives examples of spiritual weapons:

Spiritual armour (How to put it on Ephesians 6:13-18) "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waits, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Study bible answers the question "How do we put on spiritual armor?": By daily absorbing Scriptural truth, living in obedience, sharing the gospel and trusting Christ. This spiritual armor will protect us from spiritual attack. Only when we overcome temptation in the spiritual realm can we play out that victory in the physical world.

Physical weakness - (because it can mean spiritual strength in Christ) (2 Corin 12:7-10) -
Paul had a thorn (study bible suggests that some think the thorn was a physical ailment, while others think it may have been a psychological or emotional one like anxiety or anger (or worry or fear...hmmmm???)). He asked God to remove it, but God said "My grace is sufficient for you, for myh power is made perfect in weakness." Paul then said "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak then I am strong.
I am not sure that I can really understand what this would look like manifested in my life. I do know that I have seen God work through my health issues, both in my life and in the lives of others. I do know that I would not know the greatest extent of His grace without having been so desperate and despondent at times about these health challenges. Perhaps what is developing in me is what Paul expressed. Maybe I am starting to see that when I am weak (convinced that I will never be "well", be able to do the things I want to do, etc.), I am learning to turn to Him, which is what gives me strength. Hmmmmmmmmmmm...keeping this on my radar screen.

God-centeredness (because it produces a supernatural authority that self-centeredness cannot - study bible) - I feel like this is pretty clear for me, save for the surrendering of my will. I have surrendered many aspects of my life over the past three years, but when it comes to my will...I am usually not able to even recognize that it is my will. My mind seems to accept my will as absolute truth. That is starting to change...(awareness is the first step). "Consciously choose to commit my life and will to Christ's care and control."

Truth (it overcomes cleverness and deceit) (2 Corin 6:7). The more I spend time in the Word, the more I know His truth and can let go of pseudo truths (borne of my mind and the world).

Suffering, because it can be a means of life (Not sure I understand this yet...hope to one day!)

In Conclusion:
I am now picturing a conveyor belt with thoughts coming down them. As the thoughts arrive at the bottom, there is the Holy Spirit within me pointing and saying "Godly thought" or "UnGodly thought". =) That is where the separation of myself from the thoughts that feed MY will rather than HIS will begins...

Consecration. Setting myself aside (thought, will, emotion, acts) for His use.