Set Apart Unto Himself

I remember when God first gave me this message. It was the year 2000, a few months after we had left a Church we were affiliated with for 15 years. It was a difficult time for us. God was starting to reveal some error in some of the teachings. It was pretty devastating for us. That Church group was like family! A great sense of abandonment – a feeling of rejection came upon me. A fear of wondering, what's next? Where do we go from here? This group was all we knew! We went through a lonely period - A time of isolation. Where do we turn now? I just wanted to crawl in a hole and hide.

Good News! We were finally in a place where God could be everything we thought He was; everything He has been trying to be to us for a long time; a God of unconditional love; a God of comfort; a Friend who sticks by us no matter what and a God who will never reject us!

I remember that day so clearly when God let me know that we had been “Set Apart Unto Himself!” That's what He told me. This is the Scripture that God showed me that brought comfort to me, and reassurance that we were in the right place with Him. This Scripture has become one of my favorites!

Psalm 4:3 “But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.”

You had to understand the place we were at. We could no longer receive from a man to teach us. We trusted no one. We needed to hear from GOD. It was two years before we ever walked into another Church. But during those two years, we were taught by HIM. I refused to stay in that pit of isolation, so I searched and prayed and studied. If what we were taught wasn't right? Then what was Truth?

For Paul (Saul), it was for three years that God had “set him apart”. Galatians 1:15-17. “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.”

Paul had just been struck down on the road to Damascus. Jesus revealed to him who He truly was and also began to tell Paul of his error in what he was doing. Paul was “kicking” against God's purpose. Not only his religion views were wrong, but his whole religious character had been an entire mistake. His whole future now was completely blank and he was able to have absolute confidence in Jesus and was ready to take in all His teachings and to carry out His directions for his life. Jesus had not only been revealed to his eyes but also to his soul.

You see, I realized the time in our former Church, our faith and trust was put more in the leaders (man) and man-made teachings. This began to cloud our minds of what God truly wanted for our life. Once we began to understand, we knew why we had to be removed from this “path” we were traveling which was leading us away from our relationship with God. God was calling us out of this Church and calling us unto Himself so that He could teach us. We are now able to see God for who He really is and able to accept this time of being “set apart unto Himself” as being students of the Word. There was so much sorting out that needed to be done. And only God could do it for us.

Even today, God still pulls us away at times, to set us apart unto Himself. People around us may not understand, but we do! The times when things start to become cloudy and confusion tries to fight its way in, and untruths bombard us from all sides, it can be hard to overcome. The only way to overcome and to begin seeing clearly is to be removed completely from that environment and allow God to cleanse our minds of all the untruths and confusion.

God is continually showing us more and more of His great truths and always protects us from deception. Now we wait patiently for Him to reveal to us the way in which we are to go next. It is an amazing journey knowing we are being completely guided by God Himself and not man. Man's influence can be such a stronghold. Just to know we are being “set apart unto Himself”, gives me confidence that God most definitely knows exactly where we are in our walk with Him and He walks beside us all the way. It's all about what He thinks, not what people think. It's all about relationship – a relationship with God.

If you find yourself in a situation that is confusing you to the point that your life has become full of frustration, let me tell you that there is nothing wrong with taking some time away from everything, if need be, to seek God for clarity. He loves the time we take to spend only with Him! If it seems you have been struck down by life's circumstances and confusion is constantly setting in, you are not alone. Do not lose hope. It may be that this exact time for you, as well, is to be “Set Apart Unto Himself”, just to take time to sit at His feet and learn.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”