"SET APART" - January 2010

SET APART by God... or from God?

"You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."

Leviticus 20:26 NIV

"Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him."

Psalm 4:3 NIV

""Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

The words 'set apart' are 2 action verbs that together mean, 
1. To reserve for a specific use.
2. To make noticeable: character traits that set her apart.

1. set apart - select something or someone for a specific purpose; "The teacher assigned him to lead his classmates in the exercise"

assign, specify, choose, pick out, select, take - pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her"
dedicate - set apart to sacred uses with solemn rites, of a church
detail - assign to a specific task; "The ambulances were detailed to the fire station"


2. set apart - set apart from others; "The dentist sequesters the tooth he is working on"
keep apart, sequestrate, isolate, sequester, disunite, separate, part, divide - force, take, or pull apart; "He separated the fighting children"; "Moses parted the Red Sea"

How are you living your life? Did you even know that God has set you apart? He picked us even before we were born, when we were in our mother's womb. (Jeremiah 1:5 see above). Each person on earth was created by Him, and made to worship Him and do His good work that He has set for us to do. However, due to SIN and worldy views, only a few that He has picked or selected will choose or have chosen to take up our crosses and follow Him. He has set us apart from this world on purpose. As the first definition above states, He has 'reserved us for a specific use'. We are in this world, but not of this world. He has called us all to be His children. However, few are chosen to do His Will and to walk in His ways. Matthew 22:14 says, "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Are YOU set apart BY God? Don't YOU want to be one of the CHOSEN?

As I have said above, we were all made to worship God. Unfortunately some have chosen their own path of life, and they choose to be set apart FROM God. What a world of dismay, bitterness, sadness & hurt it would be without the love and mercy of our Father. Making the conscious (& sometimes sub-conscious) decision to set yourself apart FROM God, is the worst mistake you can make in your lifetime. The only option at the end of your life here on earth is the fiery pit of Hell. It's not all fun and games, and dancing with the devil. It's an eternal burning... just like the Energizer bunny keeps going, Hell keeps on burning and burning and burning. I myself would not want to imagine being in an eternal fire of pain and torture, and mass destruction. Choose LIFE! Eternal life and freedom. Choose to set yourself apart... apart from the ways of this world!

So what does a life show that is SET APART (for God)? Taking the 2nd definition above, 'To make noticeable: character traits that set her apart.' A life that is set apart for God will be noticeable to the world. The easiest difference to see is LIGHT in the DARKNESS. But we should have other characteristics that show forth as well. One of the main ones is LOVE. "The world will know us by our love." There are many different attributes that we should exhibit. Rather than go on our own means, we should follow the example that was set for us by Christ himself. The 'Fruit of the Spirit' are a good start to follow. (Galatians 5:22) Another important one that we should be showing forth is FAITH. We need to be men and women walking in faith. We need to trust the Lord God who created us, and Him who has great plans for our lives.

If we are SET APART for God, and by God we will strive to live the life of worship to our Lord. Worship that is in spirit and in truth. According to Scripture that is what the Lord is looking for in His believers. "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24 NIV

The keywords here are SET APART. God didn't set us aside, to leave us on our own, He set us apart as His own to do the Will of God. Jesus came to this earth, and knew even at the young age of 12 that He was sent to do the work of the Father.

The choice is up to you... You have already been chosen, but you now have to choose whether to be a part of God's team or not. Just as Joshua asked his men in the Word, I am asking you, "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living." As Joshua continued and declared, I proudly declare with him, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15 NIV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father we come to you, as those you have SET APART and chosen to live an eternal life with you. God I pray for others who may have set themselves apart FROM you, that they may choose this day whom they will serve. I pray that You will grant us wisdom and discernment in our times of dismay and uncertainty. This world has so much to offer us, and I know that You are offering us that which is greater and better for us. Help us to make the right decisions in life, and to do the Will of You our Father in Heaven. Encourage us in times of trials, uplift us in times of sadness, grant us your Heavenly peace in times of turmoil, and love us and continue to show us Your mercy when we least deserve it. Hold us in Your arms and never let us go. Help us be the shining lights that You call us to be, as we set an example to those around us. Help us choose to do that which is right, and to exhibit characteristics of Jesus Your son, so that they in turn will choose who they will serve. Let us know that You are here, and that You are in control of everything in our lives, from the small to the great. I ask all these things in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

Be blessed and CHOOSE this day whom you will serve, and live the life of one who is SET APART.

Day 23: October 23rd - - Deuteronomy 30:16

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 23Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)
I command you today to love the Lord your God, to do what he wants you to do, and to keep his commands, his rules, and his laws. Then you will live and grow in number, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your own. Deuteronomy 30:16 NCV

I thank God for His servants that are obedient, and speak His Words of truth. I am blessed to be a ‘chosen’ one of God, and I am attending a Conference this weekend called Outpour. We are praying for an outpouring of the Spirit of God, to help us walk as the ‘chosen’ ones of God. The guest speaker moves in the prophetic evangelism anointing, and he is an amazing man of God. For those of you who are attending the conference too, take notes, and listen to the words of the Lord. He will speak to you through the Pastor, and new revelations will come to you during this time as well. You can live a ‘chosen’ lifestyle too – it all comes down to making the right choices. But as this verse also says, part of those right choices include; loving God, obeying God, & listening to God’s voice. He promises that we will live and multiply (grow in number in NCV). This does not just mean ‘babies’, it is your spiritual children too. The people you lead to Christ, also fit into this category. Are you multiplying the kingdom?? WOW! I am totally excited about this conference, not with hype or those feelings of the moment, but for the message of truth that will be shared. The Bible tells us that ‘many are called, but few are chosen’ (Matthew 22:14 NKJV). Even if you do not have a personal relationship with the Father, He is still YOUR God. We are all called to follow Him. However, several of us do not feel worthy of the calling, and turn away from God. But there are a select few that choose God, and choose to be ‘chosen’.

If YOU do not know Jesus as your personal friend, brother, and Saviour then please do not hesitate any further. Take that step today - - It’s as simple as A.B.C., and it only takes a moment, to change your life forever. If you so desire, you can re-commit your life to Him as well too ~ it's never too late, while you are alive anyway.
A - - Admit to God you are a sinner, and repent and turn away from your sin.
B - - Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He gave His life for you and me.
C- - Confess your faith in Jesus as your Saviour and your Lord forevermore.
This simple prayer will change you from the inside out.

The verse today says, ‘the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your own.’ Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to receive more blessings, in the new places you are entering… the changes you are making in your life? I sure do. This verse reminds us of the greatest commandment, to love the Lord with all our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. Loving God means obeying Him, listening to Him, and putting Him first in your life. Those are tough to live out, but they are possible. We have a ‘cloud of witnesses’ standing by cheering us on. All things are possible to him who believes. We know that Jesus has the ultimate victory, and because He has risen, we can rise above all our failures too. He gives us the peace to go through each day, no matter what storms may rise. Please listen to the song below, and let it sink deep into your mind and spirit. Remember that you are an over-comer too. Rise on wings like eagles today, and take time to fall on your knees to praise Him. (No excuses, as the pastor tonight said, if it’s too hard to kneel, and you are good at making excuses why you can’t, then just lay prostrate and worship Him.)

‘I Will Rise’ by Chris Tomlin – ‘Jesus has overcome, and the grave is overwhelmed. The victory is won. He has risen from the dead. And I will rise when He calls my name. No more sorrow, no more pain. I will rise on eagles wings, before my God, fall on my knees and rise. I will rise!’





Prayer: Hallelujah God! Father we thank You that we are over-comers with Jesus, and that we can rise on eagles wings. We can run and not grow weary, we can walk and not faint, if only we wait on You. Help us to set aside weaknesses or selfish thoughts of embarrassment, and allow us to seek You on our knees, or laying prostrate, knowing that You will come and speak with us. Help us live the life of a ‘chosen’ one. Thank You Lord for choosing us, and for allowing us the choice to choose You as well. Help my friends and family who may be walking in doubt and unbelief. Let them pray the simple ABC prayer, to start changing their life today. Convict by the power of Your Holy Spirit. I ask You to bless the rest of the Outpour Conference, and the guest speaker, the worship team, the host pastors, and their church, and all the attendees. Come outpour Your Spirit and anointing as we walk the paths You have laid out for Your ‘chosen’ ones. Bless the rest of the weekend conferences as well, and the Grand opening service of The Sanctuary Worship Centre. We ask all these things in the name of JESUS, AMEN!

Be blessed, and be a blessing as you choose to be ‘chosen’ out of the multitude.