7. Sanctified people refuse to worship idols (Dan. 3:12) Remember an idol is anything that takes the allegiance that belongs to God. Holy people refuse to surrender that allegiance to sports, entertainment, career, or community. Sanctified people will be in worship when the Super Bowl is on TV if the two activities coincide. Sanctified people have time for Bible study. Sanctified people make an effort to evangelize their neighbors. All of these things and more are wrapped up in allegiance to the Holy God.
8. Sanctified people do not need to re-think a decision when persecution begins (3:16). I noticed last week that one of the more well-known leaders in the movement to “denominationalize” the body has stated that it’s time for us to stop talking about homosexuality as a sin. He states that the day is past when our society will accept our teachings of marriage consisting of a man and a woman. The day was over when the society around Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would accept their narrow interpretation of the identity of God. But that did not stop their boldness in declaring it. Do you know someone who just keeps on saying the unpopular truths? You may know a sanctified person!
9. Sanctified people have a strong faith (3:17). Have you watched someone face death without wavering? My friend, Arnold Wright said it over and over again: “I’m just not afraid to die.” My friend Jane McWhorter said “I am ready to go be with Don. Please do not be sad for me.” My friend Hope Shull perhaps said it best when she simply said, “Either way, it will be okay.” I think I have known some sanctified people.
10. Sanctified people have a plan B. It’s sort of an exit strategy. It’s a “but-if-not” clause. Sanctified people trust God to provide for them, but they know that one day that provision will be the eternal provision of heaven. All of us should have that “but-if-not” clause. It should drive us to a faith that makes us stand up even if the whole world is bowing to the gods of the culture. I imagine you know some people who are “but-if-not” (KJV) Christians.
11. Sanctified people yield their bodies (3:28). Are you someone who has made her body a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1,2)? Sanctified people are very protective of the temple of the Holy Spirit. They protect its health, but, more importantly they protect its purity (I Corinthians 6: 18-20). In life’s final analysis, though, when it comes to deciding which is more precious–body or soul–sanctified people surrender body and give the soul to the angels who will bear it to glory (Matthew 24:31).
12. Sanctified people say the tough things (4:19). I know some people who will say the truth when it needs to be said, even if the whole room full of people who are hearing it are going to come unglued. I have heard my husband, for one, say things from the scriptures in his gospel meetings, knowing full well that he was eliciting some very uncomfortable conversations as he did so and that he would likely never be invited back. Sanctified people do not “water down” truth to adapt it to their friends or audiences.
13. Sanctified people don’t do the right thing merely for material gain (5:17). Do you know someone who’s been willing to take a demotion at work because he refuses to take the job that requires Sunday work? Do you know someone who has decided not to take a lucrative position in another city because it would put his family at spiritual risk? You might know a sanctified man!
14. Sanctified people do not mince words even when it comes to “family sin” (5:21).Sometimes blood becomes thicker than truth when we take God’s message to families that are hurting because of sin. God’s holiness requires us to speak the truth to the lost even if it means implicating family members.
15. Sanctified people do not pull punches with truth, even when speaking to very important people (5:22). It’s very hard to be plain-spoken about sin when sin is at the door-step of the wealthy, the powerful, or the popular. Sanctified people speak out with humility, but clarity, even when the tough teachings fall on the ears of the influential.
