03/07/2024
40-Day Holy Consecration 2024 (Feb 14-March 30)
THURSDAY- DAY 20
--A SEASON TO GROW--
IT'S FOR THE FRUIT!
Today is Day 20, so we have arrived at the MIDWAY POINT of our 40-Day Consecration. I celebrate your devotion to drawing closer to God to improve and deepen your relationship with him thus far!
It's a good time to remind ourselves why we have entered the Consecration. As Jesus did, we go with him into the wilderness to--"consecrate". Meaning, into the wilderness with Christ to: (1) separate and (2) devote ourselves to things spiritual. These things spiritual being: prayer, fasting, and reading our Word (the gospels: Matthew-John).
However, let's be clear, the goal of the Consecration is not for our praying, fasting, and reading the Bible TO BE A RITUAL! Not so we can feel ourselves pious or religious. That's fleshly! That's vanity! That's meaningless! That's not the purpose here!
Rather, we consecrate that our praying, fasting, and reading the Bible would result in this--FRUIT!
This is God's great aim in saving us. This is why we are born again and he put his own Spirit inside of us--TO BEAR SSPIRITUAL FRUIT. Not become self-righteous, haughty, hypocritical, ritualistic Sadducees and Pharisees, but children of God bearing fruit, then going on to bear more fruit, and then going further from there to bear much fruit. As Jesus teaches us:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear MORE FRUIT. 3 You are ALREADY CLEAN because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears MUCH FRUIT; for without Me you can do nothing.... 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear MUCH FRUIT so you will be My disciples (John 15:1-5, 8)
So we consecrate not for it to become a ritualistic show of the flesh! But to get closer to God and get and walk more in Spirit, that--MUCH MORE FRUIT would become manifest on the branches of our tree. As we read in Galatians:
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another...
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16-17, 19-25, NKJV)
So this 40-day Consecration is not designed to be a ritual-- IT'S FOR THE FRUIT!----Pastor Darryl Jones, PhD
TODAY'S CONSECRATION SCHEDULE
1. PRAYER: Like David prayed, in the morning, at noon/midday, and evening
2. Fasting 6am-5pm (or until you are able; if today is your fast day)
3. Bible Reading (Gospels): LUKE 1-2 to learn more about JESUS
SO NOW CONSECRATE!
BE SANCTIFIED! BE HOLY! AND BE BLESSED!
INBOX ME FOR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
