God Blesses Holiness, Not Pastoral Talent from Crossway on Vimeo
Be Filled with the Word
A clean sword is an awesome weapon in the hand of God. So, first of all, it’s a matter of constantly coming before the Lord to have your heart cleansed in repentance. And then you need to be in the word of God. You need to be in the word of God consistently because as David said, Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Ps. 119:11). If you spend time in the word of God, it does its purifying work.
Or, as Jesus said, Sanctify them by thy truth, thy word is truth. (John 17:17) If you spend time in the word of God, it does its purifying work. An openhearted, constant repentance from sin and a heart filled with the deep riches of the word of God are means of grace. These are the tools that the Spirit of God uses to sanctify you. If you think you have an effect now without those things, it’s superficial. Step into that zone and watch what the Lord will do with your life on an eternal basis.
This is a guest article by John MacArthur, author of Sanctification: God’s Passion for His People. This post originally appeared on crossway.org; used with permission.
John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where he has served since 1969. He is known around the world for his verse-by-verse expository preaching and his pulpit ministry via his daily radio program, Grace to You. He has also written or edited nearly four hundred books and study guides. MacArthur serves as the president of the Master’s University and Seminary. He and his wife, Patricia, live in Southern California and have four grown children.