Prayer Day – Consecration

 

We don’t talk much about consecration in many of our churches today. But – all believers are to live lives that are fully consecrated to God. That is His design. That is what it means for Jesus to be our LORD. This is what the  “normal” life of a Christian is to be all about.

Quotes about Consecration and Prayer from “The Essentials of Prayer” by E.M. Bounds

“Full consecration is the highest type of Christian life…. It is the one thing at which the believer should aim. Nothing short of entire consecration must satisfy us.”

Consecration is the voluntary and set dedication of one’s self to God, an offering definitely made, and made without any reservation whatever. It is first of all the setting apart to God of all we are, all we have, and all we expect to have or to be. It is not so much the giving of ourselves to the Church, or the mere engaging in some line of Church work. Almighty God is in view and He is the end of all consecration. It is a separation of ourselves to God, a devoting to Him all that we are and have for sacred use… Consecration has a sacred nature. It is devoted to holy ends. It is the voluntary putting of ourselves in God’s hands to be used sacredly, holily, with sanctifying goals in view.

Consecration is not so much setting ourselves apart from sinful things and wicked ends. It is separating ourselves from worldly, secular, and even legitimate things – if they come in conflict with God’s plans, that He might put us to holy use… It is a separation from things questionable, or even legitimate, when the choice is to be made between the things of this life and the claims of God.

The consecration that meets God’s demands and that He accepts is to be full and compete, with no mental reservation and with nothing withheld. It cannot be partial, any more than a whole burnt offering in Old Testament times could have been partial. The whole animal had to be offered in sacrifice…. To make a half-hearted, partial, consecration is to make no consecration at all. It is to fail utterly in securing God’s acceptance.” pg 146

  • “Consecration is the intelligent, voluntary, act of the believer, and is the direct result of praying. No prayerless person ever conceives the idea of a full consecration… A life of prayer naturally leads up to full consecration. It leads nowhere else.” pg 147
  • “Consecration recognizes fully God’s ownership of us.” pg 147
  • “God must hear the Christian wholly given up to God. God cannot deny the requests of those who have renounced all claims to themselves, and who have wholly dedicated themselves to God and His service.” pg 148
  • “This act of consecrated Christians puts them ‘on praying ground and pleading terms’ with God. It puts them in reach of God in prayer. It places them where they can get hold of God, and where they can influence God to do things that He would not otherwise do. Consecration brings answers to prayer. God can depend upon consecrated Christians. God can afford to commit Himself in prayer to those who have fully committed themselves to God. Those who give all to God will get all from God.” pg 148
  • “Here is the true test of consecration. It is a life of prayer. Unless prayer is preeminent, unless prayer is foremost, the consecration is faulty, deceptive, falsely named.” pg 148
  • “Prayerless people are in His way, hinder Him, and prevent the success of His cause… Unconsecrated people are useless to Him and hinder Him in carrying out His gracious plans and executing His noble purposes in redemption. God wants consecrated people because He wants praying people.” pg 149
  • “The first great object of consecration is holiness of heart and of life. It is to glorify God. This can be done in no more effect way than by a holy life flowing from a heart cleansed from all sin.” pg 150
  • “To develop this kin dog life and this kind of heart, we are to watch, pray and diligently use all the means of grace available to us. Christians who are truly and fully consecrated, live holy lives. They seek after holiness of heart and are not satisfied without it… Without much prayer, such a life of holiness will break down.” Pg 150-151

“The consecrated soul is the happiest soul. There is no friction between a soul that is fully given over to God and God’s will. The perfect agreement of the two wills brings rest of soul, absence of friction, and the presence of perfect peace.”

Lord,

You desire each of us to be wholly and fully consecrated to You for Your holy use. Show us where we are holding back from You. Show us where we are not in total submission to Your commands and Your Word. Open our eyes to the places where our pride still reigns and our will reigns supreme in our hearts. Let us repent of every sin that offends Your holiness! Let us get on our faces before You in humility and lay ourselves at Your feet. Let us be a people who delight in consecrating ourselves to You. Let us give up all that we are, all that we have and all that we dream of and hope for and lay our lives on the altar as a daily sacrifice to You. Let us desire what You desire. Let us long for what You long for. Let us love what You love and hate what You hate.

Make us a holy people. Let us die to our sins and crucify our old sinful nature with Christ on the cross, dying to ourselves. Let us live for You alone. Let us seek Your purposes and Your glory alone. Let us give ourselves fully to You. Let us be people of fervent, passionate prayer. Let us be people of great faith in You. Change our hearts, O God! Cleanse us of our filthy sin and make us holy in Your sight by the power of Your Spirit. Let us be still and allow You to do Your work in us. Let us experience Your victory over sin. Let us walk in the Light as You are in the light. Let us have fellowship with You and with each other.

Let us delight in being more and more like Jesus. Let us delight in suffering, knowing You will use it to make us more holy. Thank You that trouble is Your servant to make us more mature and complete and prepared to do Your will. Let us long for holiness. Let us long for Your presence, Your Spirit, Your power and Your Word. Let us hunger and thirst for Your righteousness.

We trust our husbands to Your holy, loving, sovereign hands. We trust our children to You. We trust our own lives to You. We lay everything before You. We hold nothing back. We desire only what You want and Your will in our lives. Make us into a godly generation. Let us leave a holy legacy for those who come behind us by Your Spirit working through us. Let us love You more than life itself, more than our husbands, more than our children, more than anything on this earth. We desire You alone! Let us only have Your Spirit, Your presence, Your Word and Your love and we have EVERYTHING! You are all we need. We will find our contentment, our peace, our hope, our joy, our acceptance, our purpose, our LIFE in You alone. We submit to You as LORD of all in our lives. We belong to You. We were bought with a great price. We are not our own anymore. We will trust You, not ourselves, from this moment on. Teach us Your ways. Let us love Your Word. Fill us with Your Spirit. Let us become the women You desire us to be!

Our prayers for ourselves, our husbands, our children and our sisters in Christ here on this blog and their husbands and children and for Your church around the world:

  • Let there be a Great Awakening by the power of Your Spirit sweeping in our midst!
  • Let us all wholly consecrate ourselves to You.
  • Remove all the worldliness in us.
  • Give us a deep hunger and thirst for Your presence, Your Spirit, Your power, Your Word and the things of heaven.
  • Let us be people of fervent prayer.
  • Empower us to live holy, obedient lives for Christ.
  • Send us as laborers into the harvest for Your kingdom.
  • Cleanse us of our idolatry, unbelief, pride, rebellion, stubbornness, disobedience, self-righteousness and every trace of every sin by the precious blood of Christ.
  • Give us unshakable and great faith in You, Lord!
  • Set us on fire with passion and desire for You alone.
  • Let us be Spirit-filled people, and let the fruit of Your Spirit be evident in our lives every day, in our marriages, at work, with our children, with our coworkers, with our neighbors, at church and everywhere we go.
  • Let us be godly, Christlike people.
  • Refine our faith. Purify our motives.
  • Let us be concerned about You and Your priorities, not ours.
  • Let us die to our old self, crucifying our sinful nature with Christ and burying it with Him and let us put on our new nature in Christ.
  • Let us love one another with Your love.
  • Let us respect and honor one another.
  • Let us fear You, God and tremble before You.
  • Let us fully submit to You as LORD.
  • Let us be unconcerned with worldly things.
  • Let us be about Your business.
  • Equip and prepare us for spiritual battle and warfare.
  • Let us love You more than anything by FAR in this life. Let us hunger for Your Word and Your presence.
  • Let us repent from every sin, turning completely away from it and turning to You.
  • Let us be sensitive to Your Spirit.
  • Give us Your Spirit of unity.
  • Let us pray together in one accord.
  • Give us Your love and compassion for others – for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the multitudes who are lost and dying apart from Jesus each day. Our mission is urgent. Let us not get distracted by things that are unnecessary and insignificant and unimportant.
  • Let us forsake materialism, greed, heresy, lies and every form of idolatry.
  • Let us leave a godly legacy for our children.
  • Let us begin to understand GRACE more and more and let us extend it to everyone around us and let us live in the power of God’s grace.
  • Let us rest in Your sovereignty in total faith and trust, allowing Your perfect love to cast out every fear and doubt.

In the Name, power and will of Christ!

Amen!

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