Key Scripture
“May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely…” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23
There comes a moment in your walk with God when you realize: you don’t fit where you used to fit, and you can’t act how you used to act.
That’s not you “switching up.” That’s you being sanctified.
To be sanctified means God has set you apart and is making you whole—spirit, soul, and body. It’s not just about avoiding sin; it’s about being reshaped from the inside out so your mind, emotions, decisions, and relationships align with who God says you are.
As God works on you, your spiritual radar gets sharper. Things you used to tolerate now disturb your peace. Conversations that once entertained you now feel draining. Environments that used to feel normal now feel too small.
You’re not “too much”—you’re too called to stay stuck.
When Sanctification Collides with Church Hurt
For some of us, sanctification has looked like:
-
Walking away from cycles of drama
-
Releasing relationships that keep pulling us backwards
-
Saying “no” when we were trained to say “yes” just to be accepted
And sometimes, it even looks like stepping away from a church building.
There was a point where I stopped attending worship services—not because I stopped loving God, but because I was being attacked spiritually in church. The very place that was supposed to cover me became a place where people felt threatened by my light, my calling, and my ability to think for myself.
We say, “We the people are the church,” and that’s true. The building is not the church; the building is where the church meets. But when some see your light, your ordination, your potential, they feel intimidated. They don’t know what to do with someone who:
-
Hears from God
-
Has a mind of their own
-
Refuses to be controlled by fear, guilt, or titles
It is hard to follow hypocrites who preach freedom but practice oppression—leaders who are afraid that as you grow, you might come out from under their control.
Sanctification will put a spotlight on this tension. It will show you where you are truly being fed and where you are being silently diminished.
You Are God’s Temple
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16
In that season, God had to remind me: You are My temple. I live in you.
Stepping back from certain church spaces did not disconnect me from God. It gave me room to heal, to see clearly, and to remember:
-
My anointing does not depend on anyone else’s acceptance.
-
My calling is not canceled because someone feels threatened.
-
My relationship with God is not confined to a building.
Sometimes, sanctification means building your own temple with God:
-
Creating a personal altar in your home, car, or journal
-
Guarding your spirit from toxic teaching and spiritual manipulation
-
Studying Scripture for yourself, not just repeating what you were told
-
Finding smaller, healthier circles of believers instead of forcing yourself into systems that don’t honor your growth
You may feel the tension right now—between who you were and who you’re becoming. That tension is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It’s a sign that transformation is happening.
Emotional Stability in a “Set Apart” Season
Sanctification is not always pretty. It can be lonely. It can look like loss.
But underneath it all, God is building emotional stability in you.
He is teaching you:
-
Your worth is not up for negotiation.
-
Your peace is not a bargaining chip.
-
Your calling is not dependent on who approves of you.
Sanctification says,
“I belong to God now. My life is not random; it’s assigned.”
You may not fit in every room anymore, but you are being prepared for the rooms that match your assignment. The same God who separated you is the God who will establish you.
Sometimes, to honor God, you have to leave certain crowds and protect the temple He has made you to be.
Reflection Questions
Take time to journal and pray through these:
-
Where do you feel God quietly saying, “You can’t do that the way you used to anymore”?
-
What relationships, habits, or mindsets no longer fit who you are becoming?
-
Have you ever stayed in a church or community out of fear or guilt, even when your spirit was disturbed? What did that do to your emotional stability?
-
How has God used your story—rejection, family dynamics, broken church relationships—to make you wiser and more discerning?
-
What does “building your own temple with God” look like in this season of your life?
Write your answers down. Let your own life become a testimony of how God sanctifies in real time.
Prayer
Lord God, Thank You for setting me apart, even when I didn’t understand what You were doing. Sanctify me in my thoughts, my emotions, my words, and my choices. Teach me to honor the call on my life, even when it costs me old comforts and familiar spaces. Heal every wound from spiritual hypocrisy and church hurt. Sharpen my discernment so I recognize what is for me and what is not. Help me walk in emotional stability, clarity, and peace, knowing I am not an outcast—I am Yours, set apart on purpose.
Establish me in healthy places, with healthy people, and let my life reflect Your holiness, wisdom, and love.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X paved the way for Black people to be unified, courageous, and supportive of one another. They did not die because they were bad men—they died because their wisdom, boldness, and truth-telling exposed envy, jealousy, and hypocrisy in the systems around them.
Their legacy is a mirror and a warning: when we tear each other down, we help the very forces that tried to silence them.
Let us honor their sacrifice by changing the story in our generation. Let us choose unity over division, healing over hate, and collaboration over competition.
United we stand. Divided we fall.
Gift of Discernment (G.O.D.) LLC Where faith, emotional intelligence, and spiritual discernment meet for a purpose-driven life.
#ChurchHurtAndHealing #GiftOfDiscernment #GiftOfDiscernmentLLC #SpiritualDiscernment #EmotionalStability #EmotionalIntelligence #HealingFromReligion #FaithAfterChurchHurt #InnerHealingJourney #WholenessInChrist #youcannotbreakGod