DAY 1

For the next 52 days from July 23- Sept 12 we are taking extra time to “consecrate” ourselves in a whole new way to God. Wait a minute WHAT is consecrate and why at this time? Glad you asked. J

If you look in the dictionary consecrate means to “with all our heart set yourself apart to worship God.” The way you start is by a “solemn assembly” where we declare- NO GOING BACK – WE PROMISE TO BE TOTALLY DEVOTED to worship God.

Have you ever gone to a wedding ceremony? I have many times, and actually I went to one today. What happened there, besides the groom getting to kiss the bride? The bride looked gorgeous and had spent all sorts of time and money to look her best. She was all dressed in white and the groom was in a fancy tux.

See a wedding ceremony is very important to getting married; you have to have some kind of ceremony in order to have a marriage. It is an example of a “Solemn Assembly” because of what is promised. It can be a small wedding with only a few witnesses or a HUGE wedding with all the flowers and music like you see in the Sound Of Music.  It is a time where the people that are getting married tell every one there, “we belong to each other and we promise to love each other forever…NO TURNING BACK- WE PROMISE TO BE TOTALLY DEVOTED to each other. BUT this promise is only the start of a life of living together in a whole new way. The couple is set apart from all other people and the Bible says they are now “one flesh”. You can’t get closer than that!

In the Bible there were a group of people that were set apart to worship God. They were called the Levites. Let’s to check out what set them apart and how that can apply to you and your family.

Levites – Who are they and what did they do?

Deut 10-8-9 tells us how the Levites were set apart from every other tribe of Israel.  God chose them to be his special servants and to lead worship.  They didn’t have any inheritance (land that belonged to them) in the Promised Land, because God Himself was their inheritance.  Wow!  That meant that they had to trust God for all their needs. 

They took care of the tabernacle or temple, and the priests, who were a special part of the tribe of Levi, were responsible for the sacrifices and offerings and spoke blessings over the people. 

Why did God set this particular group of people apart?

Open your Bible and look up Exodus 32:1-26. What happened here? 

Here we read the story of the time the Israelites sinned by worshipping the Golden Calf. When   Moses came down from the mountain he was stunned when he saw that the people were running wild totally out of control., ESPECIALLY after God had just before given them the 10 commandments and had spoken to them!  So he stood at the entrance to the camp and called out with a loud voice, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come to me.” 

And what happened?  All the Levites came to his side.  They had to take a radical stand to follow God.  It was this obedience and faithfulness that earned them the special privilege of ministering to the Lord.

So how does this apply to you today? As we prepare for this Consecration call there are a lot of things in our nation that look like the people at the foot of Mount Sinai with the Golden calf.  Many people and situations are totally out of control and are running wild. Just take a look at the newspapers.  Because of this we have felt God say as he did in Joel 1:16

“Gather the people, Consecrate the assembly, bring together the elders. Gather the children and nursing babes...”   So this call is not only for the older people but for kids and teens as well.

ACTIVITY

Materials needed:

Masking tape

Bowl of water

We’re going to take part in several actions now, which symbolize this call.

1. Have someone in your family draw a “line in the sand”, with masking tape and ask, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come and step over the line in an act of dedication to God”.

Don’t automatically step over the line but ask yourself are you ready to totally follow God and obey Him no matter what the cost?

If you are not ready now, God knows, and He values your honesty. But keep on with the devotions during this time and maybe later on you will be able to make that stand.

Take the words of this song by Brian Doerksen and declare it as you cross over the line.

Today, I choose to follow you

Today, I choose to give my “yes” to you

Today, I choose to hear your voice and live

Today, I choose to follow you

As for me and my house, we will serve you

As for me and my house, we will spend our lives on you

Today

2. Purity (set up some basins with water and a towel)

Another character trait of the Levites was that they were true to God and avoided sin.  This heart attitude made them what they were.  Outward purity was required as well and when they washed it was a picture of what was happening in their hearts.

A time of consecration is also like getting your “inside home”, or your heart, ready for a special guest. This Special Guest, Jesus you want to have stay. What are the dust bunnies in your inside home that need to be cleaned out? What are the things you have hidden “under the bed” in your heart?

So let’s wash our hands together in these basins to show that we like the Levites want to have our hearts and hands clean before God. (Wash hands)  As you do, pray this prayer and wait for God to speak to you. We are asking God to show us anything in our lives, our families that does not reflect the Kingdom of God.

Ps 139: Search me Oh God and know my heart, try me and see if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Confess anything God brings to mind and then pray the following prayer:

LET THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH AND THE MEDITATION OF MY HEART (my thoughts) BE ACCEPTABLE IN THY SIGHT O GOD. Ps 19:14

Carolin has been working with King’s Kids (a ministry of Youth With A Mission) for 11 years.  She has written 3 books, "Warrior Bride Arise", "On Daddy’s Knees", and "The Blessing".  She also is the moderator of a blog for equipping kids called Kids of the King Arise! (http://kidsofthekingarise.blog.com/)  Her work with her husband Doug has led them to equipping kids and teens in intercession and international reconciliation ventures. At present she lives in Winnipeg and is the mother of 3 grown children.

Carolin can be reached by email at carolin@watchmen.org