The Marriage Expedition - Captives to ConquerorsSample

Marriage in Canaan – Marriage Sanctified

“Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Joshua 3:5.

Joshua succeeded Moses. Joshua rose up as a mighty warrior and like Moses, he triumphantly led the Israelites across the Jordan to possess the land of Canaan. He captured the city of Jericho and then invaded the land - one city at a time.

When the Israelites were all ready to cross the river Jordan, Joshua gave them just one instruction “Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” – Joshua 3:5. This was a new experience for the Israelites. In Egypt, God worked on their behalf but now they had to take a step of faith and fight battles in order to possess the land. The preparation for this warfare was SANCTIFICATION. Joshua in faith declared that miracles would follow sanctification.

Marriage Sanctified: Today we are saved. Jesus has redeemed our marriage and all that was lost. We have crossed the Jordan – Jesus has brought us from the darkness into His marvelous light. But God expects something more… He wants our marriages to be SANCTIFIED before we could experience His power and miracles in our marriage. We believe God will be pleased with HOLY MARRIAGES not just happy marriages. We believe God will be pleased with SANCTIFIED MARRIAGES rather than successful marriages. Our marriage has to be washed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus from all its uncleanness and unworthiness.

Some of us may be facing different kinds of challenges – unable to conceive, unable to prosper in our work. Children are disobedient and disrespectful. Maybe we feel lonely in our marriage. Maybe we are struggling with a difficult and unfaithful spouse. You may even say that you have been praying for several years and nothing has happened.

One of us may have opened the door for sin to enter into our lives and marriage. And we may be treating it as small mistakes and even trying to call them new names (like calling adultery an extramarital affair). We may be treating sin casually and as a result, a lot of unwanted stuff like strife, profanity, blaming others and abuse must have entered our homes. The problem is that all this will not be obvious but will be hidden. We have to ask the Holy Spirit of God to search our hearts and show us the hidden things and He would do it.

Today God is calling us to be SANCTIFIED – 1 Thessalonians 5:23. To be sanctified means to be thoroughly washed by the blood of Jesus and be made pure and holy. A thorough CLEAN-UP of our body, soul, and spirit!

The Good News is that God Himself will sanctify us and our marriage because He is Jehovah M’kadesh – God Who Sanctifies – Exodus 31:13

When we and our marriages are sanctified, we will be made pure & holy. Everything unclean in our marriage will become clean. Our intimate relationship will become holy. Our children will be a Godly generation. Our marriage will shine forth the glory of God.

Prayer: Holy God, You have called us to be Holy. I repent of all my sins by thought, word, and deed. I repent for opening the door for sin to defile me and my marriage. Precious Jesus, I pray that You would sanctify my whole spirit, soul, and body. I pray that You would cleanse my marriage and sanctify it with Your precious blood. May my marriage be a God–glorifying and God–honoring marriage. In Jesus’ name, Amen.