Consecrate Yourself: How Holiness Opens the Door to God's Wonders
There is a moment in every believer's life when God speaks a simple but weighty command, set yourself apart. Not for the sake of appearing different, not to follow a checklist of religious rules, but to be positioned for something greater than what you have yet experienced. That command is found in Joshua 3:5, where Joshua tells the people of Israel, on the eve of entering the Promised Land, to consecrate themselves because the Lord was about to do wonders among them.
What makes that moment so striking is that God had already been doing wonders. For forty years in the wilderness, the people had witnessed supernatural provision, divine protection, and the visible glory of God. Yet God was essentially saying, “You have not seen anything yet.” A new season was coming, and it required a fresh consecration.
That same invitation is extended to every believer today.
What Consecration Actually Means
The word consecration, in both Hebrew and Greek, is rooted in the concept of holiness and sanctification. To consecrate yourself means to set yourself apart from God so that he can make a difference not only in your life but through your life to others. It is not about becoming rigid or joyless, or about a long list of restrictions. Holiness, rightly understood, is about wholeness.
The English word integrity offers a helpful picture. Integrity comes from the same root as integer, meaning a whole number, and integrated, meaning broken pieces brought back together. Sin splinters a life. It fragments identity, distorts love, and corrupts purpose. Holiness is God's answer to that splintering. It is his way of repairing what sin has broken and restoring what it has stolen.
When holiness is reduced to morality codes and religious performance, something essential is lost. True holiness is an invitation into the abundant life, not a barrier to it.
The Pattern of Consecration in Scripture
Two powerful biblical accounts illustrate the same pattern of how consecration works in the life of someone God is preparing to use.
The first is the commissioning of the prophet Isaiah, recorded in Isaiah 6. In a vision, Isaiah sees the Lord seated on his throne, high and lifted up. Seraphim surround the throne, crying out a word that is repeated not twice but three times: Holy, Holy, Holy. In Hebrew writing, repetition signals emphasis. When something is mentioned three times, it reaches a supreme level. Holiness is not just one of God's attributes among many, it is the totality of who he is. Because he is holy, his love is complete and perfect. Because he is holy, his power, faithfulness, wisdom, and righteousness are without limit or flaw.
When Isaiah encounters this holiness, his immediate response is not confidence. It is collapse. He cries out that he is undone, a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips. A genuine encounter with God's holiness always reveals our unholiness. But the story does not end there. A seraph takes a live coal from the altar and touches Isaiah's lips. His unholiness is taken away and his sin is purged. Then, when God asks who will go and carry his message, Isaiah does not hesitate. He presents himself, “Here am I, send me.”
The pattern is clear. God reveals his holiness. That revelation exposes our brokenness. We cry out, God heals, and then he commissions.
The second account follows the same pattern in the New Testament. In Luke 5, Jesus tells Simon Peter, a professional fisherman who has just endured a fruitless night on the water, to launch out into the deep and let down his nets. Peter's professional instincts resist the instruction. He knows the water, he knows the fish, he knows the time of day is all wrong. But, he says one of the most important phrases in the Gospels, “Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net.”
The catch that follows is so enormous that nets begin to break and boats begin to sink. Peter's response to this miracle mirrors Isaiah's response to the throne room vision. He falls at Jesus' knees and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” He is undone, and Jesus does not depart. Instead, he speaks commissioning words, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”
God revealed his holiness. Peter's unholiness was exposed. He cried out. God did not condemn him. He healed and commissioned him.
The Living Sacrifice
The Apostle Paul brings this same truth into sharp focus in Romans 12:1-2. On the basis of God's mercy, Paul urges believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This, he says, is true and proper worship. The image is drawn from the Old Testament burnt offering, where an animal was presented wholly and completely to God with nothing held back.
Paul then connects consecration directly to knowing God's will. Many believers long to understand what God wants for their lives. Paul's answer is straightforward: consecrate yourself, allow your mind to be renewed by God's word and Spirit, and you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. The path to clarity about God's direction runs directly through surrender.
The Question of What You Are Bringing
There is a story of a Native American chief who, under deep conviction during a time of prayer, brought his hunting blanket to the altar and no relief came. He brought his rifle, still with no relief. He brought his horse, but still the conviction remained. Finally, he understood what God was asking for. He stood and said simply: “Lord, Indian brings Indian.”
The fire fell.
When God has the person, he has everything the person possesses. The question is never really about what you are willing to give up, but about whether you are willing to give yourself.
If you will stay hungry, choose humility, and pursue holiness, no purpose of God will be withheld from you. Consecrate yourself, for the wonders are coming.
