The Holy Spirit works lots of different ways in you to accomplish your sanctification. parts: God the Father and our creation; God the Son and our deliverance; God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification the Catechism encompasses all of these roles under one concept: the Holy Spirit is working out your sanctification

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed. Bible.com LAST CHANCE DRAWING IS DECEMBER 12 AT MIDNIGHT Psalm 34 Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left. 1   I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2  I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3   Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. 4   I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5   Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6   This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7   The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8   Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 9   Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10  The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11  Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12  Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13  keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. 14  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15   The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16  but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. 17  The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18  The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19  The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20  he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21  Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22  The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 12 - The Lifestyle Assurance Brings This assurance of perseverance, however, so far from making true believers proud and carnally self-assured, is rather the true root of humility, of childlike respect, of genuine godliness, of endurance in every conflict, of fervent prayers, of steadfastness in crossbearing and in confessing the truth, and of well-founded joy in God. Reflecting on this benefit provides an incentive to a serious and continual practice of thanksgiving and good works, as is evident from the testimonies of Scripture and the examples of the saints. Summary It's probably been awhile since you've read the story of David's pretending to be insane - and many of you likely have never read it at all! You can catch up on those details in 1 Samuel 21, but long story short, David was fleeing from King Saul and hid out in a Philistine city. But by this point, David had killed thousands of Philistines in military conflicts, so he naturally feared what the Philistine king would do when he found out David was hiding in his territory. So David feigned insanity - drooling on his beard and everything - and the rouse worked. The king left the 'insane' David alone. But this psalm isn't a celebration of David's ability to save his own skin, but rather it's an acknowledgement that when David sought the LORD, and He answered him; He delivered David from all his fears . Whereas David needed to make himself look shameful before the kings of the world, those who look to the LORD are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. There's a pretty good chance that you're not going to need act insane while hiding out from a truly insane king (Saul) in a pagan city where everybody wants you dead. But no matter what it is that you're facing in your own life, you can still benefit from David's psalm, for it reminds you that as the LORD's holy person, you lack nothing when you fear Him.   Dig Deeper   It's the final few verses that brought us to Psalm 34 today as we continue to unpack this doctrine of the perseverance of the saints (saints = the LORD's holy people = you). You already know that being a Christian doesn't mean you get a pass from the problems and afflictions of this world. Sometimes, in fact, you experience those problems more acutely! David acknowledges this in the final five verses of this psalm. The righteous (that's you by the way!) cry out... They have troubles; they're brokenhearted and crushed in spirit; In fact, the righteous person may have many troubles! But the LORD preserves His people - you - in the midst of these trials. He delivers you from your troubles, is close to you and saves you. And don't miss how Psalm 34 points you to Christ! Remember that the soldiers overseeing Jesus' execution broke the legs of the other condemned me who hung beside Jesus, but not Jesus' because He had already died, because the LORD protected all the bones of the righteous man; not one of them will be broken. You're likely reading this near the end of another week. Don't miss the opportunity you'll have on the Lord's Day to gather with the saints and cry out to the LORD, for no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father who is attentive to the cry of His people; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for strength to keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: LAST CHANCE DRAWING IS DECEMBER 12 AT MIDNIGHT Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 10

Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 24: The Sanctification of Sinners We call this lifelong process sanctification , a word which literally means to make holy.

What's important here is the connection the psalmist makes between sin, suffering and sanctification. we are often subjected to divinely ordained suffering because of our sin, suffering that God uses to sanctify

Whereas you were fully justified the moment you put your faith in Christ, this process of sanctification

Dig Deeper   Both regeneration (being 'born again') and sanctification (the ongoing process of becoming

But on the other hand, passages like this remind us that salvation also involves a lifetime of sanctification

This battle will continue to rage on until the end of the age when our sanctification is complete.

Father, who made you in His image; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will steadily grow in sanctification

completed once-for-all in the past, “he has perfected [past tense] for all time those who are being sanctified Of course, there is a process that is not yet complete, but a Christian’s sanctification is so certain