What Is Consecration?
According to Britannica: “Consecration, an act by which a person or a thing is separated from secular or profane use and dedicated permanently to the sacred by prayers, rites, and ceremonies.”

This means: when it is consecrated, it is set aside; separated from secular or profane and dedicated permanently to sacred use. It also means, it underwent prayers, rites and spiritual rituals and could either be a person or thing.

In consecration the person or thing undergoes an intimate transformation, the one to whom you have be set aside for takes ownership and possession. This is the reason Apostle Paul in Romans 12:1, said: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” NKJV.

Looking at it from another translation it reads: “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect,” (NLT).

When we become ‘born again,’ we are converted and transformed, spiritually empowered as God’s own (John 1:12). Becoming a child of God carries certain rights and authority. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not,” 1John 3:1 (KJV).

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1John3:8

The devil is at work and his works are manifested in different forms. When we see, hear or experience evil, it is attributed to the devil. When we make mistakes, have family misunderstanding, or even as little as forget something we point at the devil; that is because his purpose is evil, his programme is evil; he only comes to do evil: “The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,” John 10:10.

The devil achieves this agenda by not settling in a place, but by moving from place to place seeking a prey, seeking a victim, hence, God’s word warns: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” 1 Peter 5:8.

In verses 9 and 10, God’s word says: “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

The Benefits Of Consecration (Daniel 6:10-27)
When the actions of a child of God are weighed by ‘worldly’ standard and found to be in order it could only mean that such action is either not consistent with God’s standard or such worldly standard was influenced by God’s standard.

The man Daniel loved the Lord and gave himself to Him; as a Jew he was by birth God’s own; beyond that, he consecrated himself through prayer and fellowship to God that those around him noticed; they, therefore, sought occasion to fault him. In every other means they could not except to formulate laws that will be inimical to his faith. Daniel knew the law of his God, understood the red flag, and marked those things that were detrimental to the law. Therefore, he stood his ground even when he knew the consequences. By their standard, they found him guilty and threw him into the lion’s den. Be assured, God is always with His own.

God has given His Angels charge concerning each and every of His own; no harm can come to any child of God without His permission and if He permits it, then it must be for the ultimate good. The lions, therefore, could not harm Daniel as he came out unharmed. Trusting in God and following God guarantees victory over the devil, sin and the world.

Beware of sin. Joshua 7:13 says: “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, there are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.”

As long as there were accused things among the people they could not stand before the smallest of their enemies. Compromise is attractive, but ruins our stand before God. Holiness might be demanding, but it enables us to soar at the face of the storm.

Those things inimical to our faith empower the enemy to overthrow us; our family, business, health, environment, among others. They empower the devil to want to prey on us. Therefore, draw near to God; surrender your life, time, talent and treasure to Him, make your body a living sacrifice to him, then He will rebuke kings for your sake and would suffer no man to do you harm.

• The Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu is Rector, Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State.