Set Apart for God Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Set Apart for God--------------------------------------- Date: 7/24/2000 Keywords: "sanctify" "truth" "word" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: John 17:17-19* 17. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. Questions 1. What's all this stuff about "sanctify"?   2. What is it that truth does for us?   3. Can you live in the world but not "of the world" if you aren't living in truth?   Practical help Truth is a key to godliness. If you want to be sanctified, you have to live in truth. If you don't have a clue what it means to be sanctified, you're not alone. It's kind of an overused (and sometimes misused) religious word that means basically to be set apart for God's purposes. It has the same root as "saint," which describes people who have become Christians by accepting Jesus' blood as the only possible sacrifice to pay for their sins. It also has the same root as "sanctuary," which is a place that has been earmarked for the purpose of worship. It implies a designation for a purpose, in this case for glorifying God. You might find it hard to live in total devotion to God; in fact, it probably feels impossible. Don't let that drive you to despair. It's important to know that the only person ever given the task of sanctifying himself was Jesus. For everyone else, the job of becoming sanctified is not his own, but God's, through his word of truth. Our job is to live in truth. The first step of truthfulness is to admit your sin, and your inability to live a perfect life. Especially with difficult issues like pornography, sin likes to stay secret. It doesn't go away because it is hidden. Take a good hard look at the hidden areas in your life, trust that God is strong enough to handle it, and let him separate you, set you apart, from your sinfulness. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2000 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version, © copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.