This is the will of God, your sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20.

I loved this today in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers: “Sanctification is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me – is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me everything that has been made possible through the atonement of the Cross of Christ?….All that Jesus made possible becomes mine through the free and loving gift of God on the basis of what Christ accomplished on the cross. And my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound, humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness). It is a holiness based on agonizing repentance, a sense of inexpressible shame and degradation, and also on the amazing realization that the love of God demonstrated itself to me while I cared nothing about Him (see Romans 5:8). He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification. No wonder Paul said that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).”

Why read Scripture? How else can we begin to comprehend Creator God – Father…Son…Spirit? There is so much we cannot understand today without God helping us. Our chapter, Isaiah 36, is a wonderful example of what lies can do and why we need to know God. In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. v. 1-2. All that they were afraid of has happened. Egypt was no help. And the field commander begins…But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God” – isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar?”…Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord Himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.”…Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand.” v. 7, 10, 18-20. Remember, Samaria was Israel. They turned away from the worship of God to the worship of idols. They went to the high places to worship those idols. So did Judah. So do we if we do not know God.

We can read about these ancient civilizations buried in the dust of the ground today. Assyria is no more. And God is. And we live today with His love and truth refreshing and renewing us in Him; or we live today going our own way without any regard for God who provides each day we live. We can choose ignorance and live a stunted life; or we can choose to turn to God and ask for His help to walk with Him now. That way with Him leads to understanding and hope and awe because God is and He alone is Sovereign. There is a purpose to this life we live. Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. John 17:3. Do you know God? Do you understand what Jesus Christ has done for you? Do you understand why what He did was needed? Satan asked Eve did God truly say…and that refrain plays out in lies to this day. That way leads to death. The way to eternal life is with God guiding us forward into His love and His truth. He’s ready. Are you?