SANCTIFYING THE LORD

1 Peter 3: 15; 1 Peter 2: 19

Sanctifying the Lord means that, in all life's circumstances, in all situations, and at all times, you set the Lord apart from and above all else, so that He is always before your eyes and exalted, so that He affects your attitudes, actions, and disposition. No matter what other people do or do to you, no matter what you're tempted to do, no matter how much others are blessed when you think they shouldn't be, no matter what happens, you are aware of His presence, of His being there, of His eyes upon you, and of His ears listening. You conduct yourself with this awareness of Him. You do what He says rather than what the situation tempts you to do. You act with a conscience toward God. Your actions are directed by what pleases Him, rather than by the rationalizations of the flesh.

CONSCIENCE TOWARD GOD
Live your life "as unto the Lord," as if your actions were being done unto Him. You will be judged by that measure. You will be judged as if you had done it unto Him.
Matthew 25: 31-46. "you did it unto me."
Psalm 51: 4. "against you have I sinned."
2 Samuel 12: 13. “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Acts 9: 4. "Why do you persecute me?"
1 Samuel 8:7. "They have not rejected you, but me."
Colossians 3: 23-25. "as unto the Lord"
Ephesians 5: 22; 6:5. "as to Christ"

NUMBERS 20: 10-12 (LEVITICUS 10: 3)
Sanctifying the Lord means you do not use the sins of others as an excuse for your own. Someone else's sin against you is no reason for you to sin against the Lord. Sanctifying the Lord means that, when you sin, you know that it is against the Lord rather than simply against those to whom you direct it (Psalm 51: 4).

JOHN 21: 18-22
When Peter pointed to John and asked, "What about this man," Jesus answered, "What is that to you? You follow me." Sanctifying the Lord means that no matter what happens to other people, no matter what God does to them, for them, with them, in them, or through them, you follow Jesus. No matter what the other man's portion, you are responsible to do what Jesus requires of you and to drink the cup He gives you. In all circumstances you are to follow Jesus. Your responses and actions are to please Him and reflect obedience to His word and ways. You are not to react in an ungodly way to the actions and lives of other people. Jesus says to you, "You follow me." In practical application this means that, in reacting to other people, you do not allow anything in your spirit that will hinder or break your fellowship and obedience to Jesus. This rules out rationalizations that attempt to justify the works of the flesh (Galatians 5: 19-21), such as competition, ambition, jealousy, and comparison.

If you do not have a heart to please the Lord, the hand of the wicked (the acts of wicked men) will turn you away from God (Psalm 36: 11). If you don't sanctify the Lord, the enemy can turn you away simply by using the acts and lives of other men. We should respond to the Lord rather than reacting to man.

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