Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Joshua 3:5
If you are a church attendee (or have been one in the past), the word “consecration” is probably familiar to you. Likely, this is something your church community implemented, usually during the month of January. Although this term is commonly referenced in a traditional church setting, you do not need to be part of a local church body to partake in spiritual consecration (although ALL believers should be a part of a local church body. But that’s a different conversation for a different day.) It’s for this reason I wanted to take a moment to take about consecration: what it means to the believer and why EVERY believer in Christ should partake.
What exactly is consecration?
Consecration is the spiritual act of setting aside your own personal pleasures for an extended period of time, to focus on spiritual growth and holiness (becoming one with God).
When should I do consecration and how long should I do it?
Consecration can be done at any time and for any duration of time. However, most church bodies dedicate the entire month of January for consecration. As the Bishop at my house of worship teaches, using January – the first month of the year – to do your consecration holds significant weight because it demonstrates to the Lord that you are using January – the first month of a new year – as a First Fruit; a sacrifice on to Him to show Him that He is first in your life. January is also a time in which we all “reset” after the holidays. Therefore, it is a great opportunity to get your spiritual disciplines (daily prayer, scripture mediations, fasting, etc.) back on track.
Why is dedicating time for consecration important?
Consecration can be viewed as a time of “purification” and “holiness”. It’s a time to get re-focused on who really matters (Jesus) and what really matter (our relationship with God and the purposes for which we’ve been created and called). When we kill the noise of “busyness” and make time to consistently communion with our Father in Heaven, we begin to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit living inside us more clearly. When there is no static on the line, we can clearly hear the Holy Spirit tell us what moves we need to make in this upcoming year to position us for success in God. I heard a preacher once say, “we cannot have success in God without (1) Obedience to His Word, (2) Submission to His Will, and (3) Accountability for our actions. The only way to achieve success in God, is to do things God’s way.” Consecration puts our spirits in a prostrate position to be disciplined in obeying, submitting, and being accountable. It puts us back in position of discipline to do things God’s way.
Also, when we place a hard stop on many of the secular things that keep our daily lives busy, we realize how much time we spent doing things that are not spiritually edifying us. In fact, much of the time spent in our day is not edifying in any sense. Scrolling social media hours at a time is not edifying us in any sense. Improper management of social media is a time waster and (in some cases) is toxin to our souls and spirits. Consecration will also reveal to us who and what need to be permanently removed from our lives, because they are growth killers.
What actions do I need to take to consecrate myself to the Lord?
Consecration requires commitment, focus, and discipline. We cannot fully consecrate ourselves to the Lord without these things. Once you are committed to being focused and disciplined, determine the time frame of your consecration. I believe January is best for the reasons I described above. Next, determine at what times you will pray, mediate on the Word of God, listen to worship music, and listen to the spoken word of God from a Bible teaching preacher. If you are fasting from social media, do not using social media to listen to preachers. This will only put you in a position of temptation to begin scrolling and looking at secular things. If possible, try to listen to a podcast or television sermon. Lastly and most importantly, get your heart in a prostrate position so you can hear and receive an audible word from God. This is not a time for you to share what God has spoken to you for someone else. This time of consecration is all about you so that God can continue to strengthen, grow, and do a great work in you!
What are things I should refrain from doing during my time of consecration?
Consecration should be a time set aside for holiness. Therefore, you should refrain from any and everything that is not edifying to God. This includes binge watching secular things on television and social media, listening to secular music, involving yourself in secular conversations that are not edifying.
Drinking any amount of alcohol is also not encouraged during consecration as we want to keep the temple holy and spiritual lines of communication between ourselves, and God open.
The refraining from sex with your husband (women) or wife (men) should be an agreed upon decision. While it is biblical to refrain from sex during consecration it is to be agreed upon and only for a short period (see 1 Corinthians 7:5).
You may also choose to refrain from eating certain pleasure foods or fast for a specific timeframe during the day. This is an especially good idea for us who NEED to detox after all that unhealthy holiday binge eating!
How You Do It Is Up to You
When and how you choose to consecrate yourself to the Lord, is ultimately between you and God. Just remember consecration is meant to be an intimate time between yourself and your creator that should not be taken lightly. Pray to God and ask Him how He would like you to dedicate yourself to Him and stick to that sacrificial time. Be disciplined in prayer, study, and fasting. When it’s over, you will feel a refreshing, an anointing, a power within you that you have never felt before.
See you in 30 days,
Christ led Diva