“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 20:7 KJV)
Sanctify means “to be set apart.” We are set apart for God, not for the devil or the world, nor even for ourselves.
A young Christian man once told me that he couldn’t read his Bible. I asked him why. He said, “Because the devil won’t let me. When I open my Bible, it is as though an evil spirit comes into the room and harasses me, and I can’t read my Bible.”
“Don’t you know,” I said, “that you are set apart under God and have authority over the devil?”
I gave him the Scripture of authority in Luke 10:19: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
Then I said, “Go back to your room and begin to read your Bible. If the devil tries to harass you, tell him to get out, in Jesus’ Name; that you have been sanctified and set apart, that you have the authority in the Name of Jesus.”
At dinner that evening, the young man told me that when he began to read his Bible, sure enough, the devil tried to harass him. But the man stood his ground and used his authority in Jesus.
The devil fled! The devil is dumb, but he is smart enough to fear the Name of Jesus. And when the devil looks at us, what does he see? He sees Jesus in us!
Dear Heavenly Father, we pray today that we will see that we are set apart to bring glory to You. We are set apart to achieve and do great and mighty exploits in Your Name. Amen!