The moment we are justified (declared righteous) by our Heavenly Father through our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, God starts to change us to become more like him⏤this is called sanctification. The word sanctification means "set apart." Jesus prayed this prayer to his disciples in John 17:17, "Sanctify them in the truth, your Word is truth." When we surrender our lives to God and put our faith in Him, God starts to set us apart from the wicked ways of this world. He starts to teach us His Word (our Bible) so that we can understand who He is and how He wants us to live our lives. And as we get to know Him and know His ways, then we will be able to live for Him. The Holy Spirit who is in us helps us to grow in our new spiritual life in God. He convicts us of our sin. He helps us to pray and understand the Word of God. He gives us the desire to do good and follow the ways of our Heavenly Father. He helps us with our weaknesses and struggles in life.
God is the only one who can change our hearts. The government, programs, institutions, and organizations are trying to figure out how to change a person from being a criminal to be a productive citizen. But they have not yet figured it out. But we know as believers of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the power of God that can change a person to become a godly person. Here's a testimony of Alexander that God changed: https://youtu.be/QqacC0YkyqU. As the Lord works in our hearts and renewing our minds with His truth, we are changing to be the person that God wants us to be. We start to walk in love. We become kind and forgiving of others. We begin to want to know more about God and want to serve Him.
Our spiritual growth is a sanctifying work of God in our lives. Twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, God is working in our hearts. He is setting us apart for Himself. He is changing us and making us more like Him. So when we feel that we are not growing in our relationship with our Heavenly Father, be encouraged that He is working in our hearts. All we have to do is to surrender our lives to Him, and He will do the rest. We can ask Him to continue to change our hearts and teach us how to live for Him.
Ask yourself these questions: What is sanctification? Who is setting me apart from the ways of this world? What do I have to do to change?
Write down all the worries that you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for your sanctifying work in my life. Please help me to continue to grow in my relationship with you. Thank you for giving me a new life. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.