Superficial Sanctification: Merely Touching the Surface of God’S Powerful Word

By Monica Martinez

This tome unveils the truth of why so many Christians live burdensome lives in captivity to the enemy of their souls while professing to be born-again believers in Christ. Although Gods Word declares that He bestowed upon His people a divine inheritance to be experienced here on earth, many fail to partake in their God-given promises of abundance due to their superficially sanctified living. This book gives the specific keys in Gods Word in unlocking the chains that hold so many of Gods people in bondage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504978101

Monica Martinez

Dr. Monica Martinez, ThD, and her husband, Dr. Paul Martinez, are the pastors of the congregation Greater Faith Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. They have been pastoring for fifteen years now. Pastor Monica has been a licensed minister of the State of Texas since 1993 and was ordained a minister of the gospel in 2003. She faithfully ministered ten years as a volunteer chaplain in the Nueces County Jail (Clergy). She holds an associate in arts psychology degree (Del Mar College); bachelor of arts in biblical studies and theology with honors (Corpus Christi Theological Seminary); master of arts in biblical studies and theology with honors, cum laude (Minnesota Graduate School of Theology); doctor of theology with honors, cum laude (Minnesota Graduate School of Theology); and is a permanent member of the dean’s list from South Texas Bible Institute. She continues to labor in the love of God alongside her husband in pursuing the vision that God has imparted into their lives in making disciples of Christ in the Coastal Bend area. This vision is established and confirmed in the gospel according to Matthew 28:19, which declares, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (NIV).

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2016 Monica Martinez. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/08/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7811-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7809-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7810-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016901954

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

The Imprisonment of Superficial Sanctification

The Chief Cornerstone—Jesus

Failure to Heed God’s Deed

The Vessels in God’s Great House

Superficial Sanctification

Depart From Iniquity

Tired of Playing the Game of Fame

Justification—the Pathway to Sanctification

Chapter 1 The Meaning of True Sanctification

To Be Humbled is to Be Noticed

Foes that Obstruct the Sanctification Process

Breaking Covenant with God

The Believer’s Choice to Remain Diligent

Chapter 2 God’s Divine Inheritance through Sanctity

The Inheritance Inclusion

Seeking for God’s Visionaries

God’s Processing Leads to God’s Destiny

Wrong Heeding Creates Wrong Seeding

The Stiff Necked Christians of Today

Envisioning New Identity for Destiny’s Sake

Seeking Deeper will Bring Life

Chapter 3 The Skilled Sanctified Vessel

The Holy Spirit—the Key to Preservation

The Armor of God versus the Armor of the Flesh

The Sanctified Armor of God

The Pursuit of the Holy Spirit’s Gifts

Ridding the Foe of the Flesh

Superficial Sanctification Seeks the Spot Light

Ignorance—the Foe of the Soul

Chapter 4 The War with Thoughts

God’s Sheep and the Devil’s Thieves

The Nemesis of Thinking

The Owner or Tenant

The Mental Real Estate

Learning from Past Failures

Edifying the Sanctuary of God

Chapter 5 The House Required and Desired

The Divine Law of Dominion

The Antichrist Spirit and Cohorts

Destiny Desired to Construct or Destruct

Chapter 6 Resident Evil

Satan’s Origin

Satan’s Soldiers

Satan’s Hierarchy of Militias

Striking the Head

Capturing the Brain

The Image Aimed to Distort

Chapter 7 To Leave or Not to Leave

The I Will Doctrine

The Pride Syndrome

The Same Old Method

When the Going gets Tough

Chapter 8 Recognition of the Enemy’s Tactics

The Divine Pathway to God’s Powerful Word

Defeating the Enemy Through God’s Word

Shutting All Doors to the Enemy

The Purging Process of God’s Temple

Conclusion

Works Cited

INTRODUCTION

The Imprisonment of Superficial Sanctification

It is evident that many Christians live superficial lives displaying a lack of diligence for their God-given inheritance. Notwithstanding the fact that believers in Christ Jesus acquire His divine gift of salvation,¹ they live burdensome lives in bondage to the enemies of their souls. Numerous believers in Christ Jesus are held captive by these spiritual antagonists that are eager to abolish their faith in God. While God’s gift of salvation arrives with a package bursting with spiritual birthrights that embrace His goodness and abundant living, the superficial sanctification of many has given room for illegal spiritual occupants to enter the area of their soul realm. The Word of God defines the soul realm as the mind, the will, and the emotions of mankind. These inhibitors, who inhabit the soul realm of the believer, have only done so by the negligence of those who have been given the privilege to be stewards of the Owner’s (God’s) property. To clarify, the foes that inhabit the soul realm are not owners of the believer’s property, nor do they possess the legal Power of Attorney. It is God Who stamps everyone who believes and receives Jesus with the seal of the long promised Holy Spirit, Who is, likewise, the assurance of their inheritance. God’s Word declares, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed² with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14, KJV).

The Chief Cornerstone—Jesus

The bestowed and lavished inheritance, which is guaranteed to every believer, is laid on the foundation of the Chief Cornerstone—Jesus. Any house built on this Sure Foundation will stand in times of adversity for it is inscribed with the executive deed of God’s prevailing Word. The Lord declares, "…Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes (trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone) will not be ashamed or give way or hasten away [in sudden panic]" (Isaiah 28:16, AMP). This transcendent and binding contract holds the keys that unlock any and all sorts of strongholds that attempt to hinder or obstruct the manifestation of God’s fullness in all who have given their life to Him. As soon as one receives God’s gift of salvation/redemption, seeds of greatness that have been embedded in every life, before the foundation of the world, become activated. If the believer continues to pursue in building his house on this Sure Foundation by doing what is written in the covenant contract of His Word, his house will remain standing in times of adversity and in every storm. God declares, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock" (Matthew 7:24-25, KJV).

Failure to Heed God’s Deed

However, if the believer fails to properly care for and guard this Godly legacy of every good and perfect gift from above, he is liable to have spiritual uninvited occupants lure him away from his God-given inheritance, and they will attempt to huff and puff and blow his house down. In many cases, the deceitful and mendacious nemesis will entice believers to serve other gods by using the same old methods of deception.³ In a worst case scenario, these intruders can overpower these stewards of God’s property and imprison them causing havoc in their lives, causing their house to fall. God’s Word states, "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:26-29, KJV).

Until these malicious and spiritual swindlers are driven⁴ out by the serving of God’s authorized eviction papers, they will continue to unlawfully lodge on a property that is not their own. God’s Word states, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation" (Matthew 12:43-45, KJV).

The Vessels in God’s Great House

Again, the believer in Christ must safeguard all of the God-given assurances to which he has every right. By becoming knowledgeable of God’s Spiritual Title Deed, and in the keeping of His doctrinal documents of His Living Word, the believer in Christ becomes a true vessel of honor who is sanctified and well able to preserve and defend his celestial legacy. Regardless of the numerous foes that attempt to steal and destroy the believer’s inheritance of God’s chosen vessels, the foundation of God will surely stand. God’s Word declares, Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified⁵, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work" (II Timothy 2: 19-21, KJV).

Superficial Sanctification

According to Scripture, followers of Christ should arrive at a spiritual position in their walk with God where they live in total victory manifesting the fullness of God’s love and Holy Spirit power. Many superficially⁶ sanctified believers, however, have not laid the proper foundation in their lives. They outwardly appear genuine, but when examined more closely, their lives are formed only by touching the surface of God’s powerful Word. In the face of the frequent challenges of life, and when fronting all foes that attempt to abolish their little, or any faith they have acquired in God, they are not able to withstand the hard blows from wicked foes. They are easily moved by every wind of doctrine and, they are tossed to and fro like the waves of the ocean that crash and break at certain points. These are those who have built their houses on the foundation of sand that will not stand.

Furthermore, to comprehend the implication of believers who operate in a superficial sanctification, the characteristics and conduct are exposed and disclosed as follows: These are those that redden and blush in the face quite often when impressed upon to truly give God all the honor and all the glory. They are fearful and embarrassed at the disapproval of man, rather than the disapproval of God. These are those that effort themselves in portraying and in transforming into another truly anointed vessel of God. Their daily routine is standing in front of the mirror at least twice a day imitating that one person like whom they long to be. They strive to get their act as precisely, or, as meticulously as possible, as that of the anointed person whom they idolize. They dread every day of being exposed of their true identity of iniquity, which is their inner pride, for which they must improve their act backstage to prove that they are holy, humble and sanctified, not for God, but for the spotlight and the applause of men. These are those, who C. S. Lewis describes in his book entitled, Mere Christianity, (New York, Macmillan, 1943), pp. 110-111, as those filled with pride who dramatize a false religious humility only to be seen by men with no genuine relationship with God. He states:

"The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But Pride always means enmity—it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God.

In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that—and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison—you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

That raises a terrible question. How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people: that is, they pay a pennyworth of imaginary humility to Him and get out of it a pound’s worth of Pride towards their fellow-men. I suppose it was of those people Christ was thinking when He said that some would preach about Him and cast out devils in His name, only to be told at the end of the world that He had never known them. And any of us may at any moment be in this death-trap. Luckily, we have a test. Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good—above all, that we are better than someone else—I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil. The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether."

Depart From Iniquity

To reiterate, with the attention on God’s profound truth, and particularly regarding His own people as the different types of vessels which are in His house, some to honor and some to dishonor, He says, "… The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity…If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work" (2 Timothy 2:19, 21, KJV). He speaks of God’s people being purged⁷ of the spirit of iniquity. Pride is the spirit of iniquity that goes hand in hand, frolicking the starring role and cunningly endeavoring to extinguish the inheritance that embraces God’s vision, identity and purpose for all Christians. It is the same iniquity spoken of by the Prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah in referring to the anointed cherub who walked in the very presence of God, who at one time reflected the brilliance of his Creator. When God, at a prehistoric period in perpetual time, noticed that Lucifer no longer reflected Himself, He knew that His beautiful creation had turned his heart against Him. George Bloomer, author of the book, This is War, (New Kensington, Whitaker House, 2001), pp. 18-19, describes the iniquity of Satan. He states:

"All that happened at the throne of God, all that resulted in separation and war, was tied up in one word: influence. Lucifer, or Satan, was at the pinnacle of influence in Heaven. The purpose of Heaven was worship of God, and Lucifer was the instigator of worship. In a primordial instant, Lucifer turned away from God, and iniquity was born.

The Hebrew word for iniquity, avon, denotes a ‘crookedness,’ a perversity. It specifically indicates a turning or a deflection in another direction. In Heaven everything was flowing toward the throne of God in worship. There could be no other direction, no other object worthy of praise. Then came a change in course: Lucifer deflected his worship away from God and onto himself. As a result, the peace of Heaven was shattered. (Isaiah 26:3 says, ‘You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.’)

This diversion, this other, less worthy self-worship, is the very definition of iniquity. It is a diversion from God or the ways of God. Iniquity has been Satan’s nature and diversion, his strategy since creation. He uses whatever he can to influence us away from God."

Tired of Playing the Game of Fame

The good news is that those who have acquired the position of a truly sanctified vessel of honor, who now obtain the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment, finally realize their weaknesses; for when they are weak, HE (God) is strong⁸. Nonetheless, these now mature believers in Christ continue to love and pray for those who are still bound and require support to behold the truth. They who now discern these things in others, who once lived this same type of life, have arrived to the realization that all the frustrating and demanding arrangements of conducting their own brand of perfection is rather tiresome. The heavy-laden work they had once committed in order to gain the approval of man, was all in vain. The theatrical life of trying to be the greatest—the exasperating activities to be on top or to obtain selfish desires of the flesh—just to receive all the glory, fame and recognition of man is a life of total bondage. They finally become wearied of attempting to be perfect in man’s eyes; they now allow their Heavenly Father to be the true and living God of their entire life. They realize they can no longer play this game with God because they have been called and chosen before the foundation of the world to accomplish His purpose and walk in His divine destiny. These believers come to a conclusion that God cannot bless a sinful mess of iniquity, but that He can turn a mess into a message. They realize that God’s transformation and manifestation of true sanctification only arrives with His true purification. That is to say, in order for God’s followers to truly experience their God-given destiny in fulfilling the purpose He has placed in their life, they will be required to purposely put away the self-willed mind of carnality, and put on God’s renewing of the mind. For this reason, the great sin of pride and the removal of SELF is essential in experiencing the fullness of God’s inheritance.

In order to break the chains of any spiritual bondage, one must be purged of this iniquity. They must rid themselves of what so many Christians call, white lies, or from the pompous actions of superficial ways; they must be crushed in the area of their soul in order to die to the desires of the flesh and the desire to do his own will rather than the will of God. If not purged from this great sin, in spite of the divine gift of salvation that they assume will save them from all forms of foes, the access is not denied to the dangerous thieves that desire to destroy the path which leads towards the believers’ destiny in God. The engaging of warfare in the battlefield of their soul becomes too difficult at times and the fiery darts of thoughts that strike at the core of their being penetrates deeper and deeper. The wicked warden who is granted access gains control of their imprisoned soul; they are captivated by those that show no mercy, throwing them into a deep pit of gloom and doom darkness.

Justification—the Pathway to Sanctification

Justification is the right standing with God, when those who become believers in Christ receive His divine gift of salvation. It is the very precious and miraculous gift that is imputed to all those who accept His invitation. This attributed righteousness was not obtained by any work done or action committed, but it was freely given by faith because of belief in Him. In the same way, the Bible declares that Abraham received this righteousness because he chose to believe, and is the same way believers in Christ receive it too. The Word of God declares, "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was