How do I set myself apart for God?

How do I set myself apart for God? This question pops up a lot and it may seem complex to many. In this passage I am going to simplify it for you with practical steps you can take to be set apart for God. Firstly, I’d like to say this doesn’t happen overnight; there is no button or prayer you can pray that will make you set apart for God in an instant. We live in a fast-food society where the current culture has made it the norm to have what we desire as soon as possible, you can now order a package on amazon and it’ll arrive the next morning, in fact in some cases you may receive it on the same day. Fast food restaurants are making food faster than ever and the internet is gives us instant access to information and data. I think you get my point; we live in a world that has made us crave instant access to our deepest desires. However, being set apart for God is not something you can acquire in an instant.

Being set apart for God is a lifestyle, it’s about decisions we make to choose Him instead of everything else that’s on offer, being set apart is about a life of sacrifice; sacrificing your own personal desires to follow the plan God has set for you. This is all easier said than done. How do I actually live a life of sacrifice?

It all starts with creating room for God. Let me take you on a quick detour; a few months ago, I wanted to revamp my wardrobe, as the seasons where changing I took the opportunity to buy some new clothes to match the weather. I came home with new shopping only to discover that I had nowhere to put all the clothes I had just impulsively bought. I had to go through my wardrobe and remove all the old clothes that where no longer of use to me in order to make space for the new ones. I’m sure you see where I’m taking this; the first step to being set apart for God is by removing old habits or patterns to create space for Him. An example would be to go a church connect group instead of going out clubbing, spending less time binging Netflix shows and using that time to study the word. You see to be set apart means to be separated from something meaning we have to separate ourselves from worldly ways and spend time in His presence.

Romans 12:1 - 2 The Message versions says “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

It says it in God’s word that we are called to be set apart, to be different, to not conform to the ways of this world. The amazing thing about all of this is that God doesn’t leave us to do it by ourselves; He promises to be with us on the journey as He says in Joshua 1:5 that “he will never leave nor forsake you” how fantastic is that? Through it all he won’t let us fall even if we make mistakes and fail and we pursue to be set apart for him, he will continue to hold us up.

A few practical steps for you to take with you to live a life set apart for God:

- Create space for him (remove what drains you and holds you down)

- Spend time with God daily (start and end your day in His presence)

- Change your belief system (walk by faith and not by sight)

- Spend time in prayer and in His word (this is our lifeline)

Keep going and keep pursuing after Him whole heartedly! He will change and transform your life! Remember that you are chosen, fearfully and wonderfully made. God loves you and he is rooting for you! What will you change in your life today to be set apart for Him?