Consecration

These short devotional have been written by Rev Malcolm Duncan, Elim Minister of Kensington Temple in London. They were written in 2024 to help Elim Ministers and members spend time consecrating their lives to God.

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Success brings with it some dangerous attitudes, unless we are very careful.

We can think that we made something happen, when actually God made something happen through us. In essence, consecration is an acknowledgement that all growth, and all health, and all prospering comes from God and not from us. We can think that we have all the answers, when God has all the answers, and we need to listen to Him. We can turn accolades (which are good) into worship of us or self-promotion (which is bad). The only One who deserves worship is God. We see change in people's lives (which God has used us in helping bring about) and think that we are the ones who bring change (which is wrong). True change only comes from God. Consecration is the deliberate act of stepping out of the centre of the circle so that God can stand in it alone. Our lives revolve around God and His purposes, not the other way round.

We can begin to think that the only thing that we need to make our preaching, pastoral care, strategies, projects, programmes or vocation work is a good business head and clear planning and good funding. All these things are important, but they will never in and of themselves bring transformation. We must resist putting strategy before sanctification, outcomes before obedience, and our glory before God's. If we are not careful, we 'forget' God in our planning! Why do we so often pray at the end of a meeting rather than at the beginning? Why do we tend to ask God to bless what we are doing instead of asking Him to lead us to do what He is blessing? Instead of asking him to direct us to do what His favour rests upon, we fall into the trap of organizing everything then bringing it to God in a short 'lend Your support to our great plans' prayer. By so doing we shift the central focus of all that we do from God to us. To do that might make us feel very important, but it is a death knell to sustainability and authenticity in ministry and life.

Consecration is a deliberate re-centring of our lives and our ministries on the purposes and plans of God – and it is the only posture that brings lasting change in us and then through us and our churches, and our Movement.

For further thought –

Stop and think about the ways in which you deliberately put God at the centre of your life, ministry and work. If words were to be banned for a month in the work you do, how would it clearly show that it was work that sprung from a commitment to God that leads to a commitment to people? Think about the ways in which you could deliberately trust God and lean on His wisdom rather than your own. Make this the topic of your next team meeting in your church, the centre of your line management meeting with those you manage; or ask for it to be an issue you discuss with those who manage you. Ask God to take centre stage in your life and ministry every day for a month and stop and listen for how the Holy Spirit directs you. Do what He asks and then think about the difference that it has made to your life and ministry.