Two Crosses affect your entire future. The Cross of Salvation is the first you must meet. Jesus Christ died upon this cross to save sinners. As a sinner, you realize this truth and place your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Your soul is saved and you are on the road to heaven.

Not far down this road you meet the second: the Cross of Dedication. It is you, not Christ, who must hang upon this cross. It is a cross of death to self. As a Believer, you realize this truth and place yourself upon this cross, believing

that by dying to self you will be spiritually alive to serve Jesus Christ. Your life is saved and your works of faith will produce rewards in Heaven.

Dedication is the voluntary act and decision on the part of the Believer to yield his whole life to the Lord Jesus Christ by allowing God the Holy Spirit to control his life for sacred service.

The act of dedication is the normal desired spiritual decision which should follow your salvation.

As there is a day and time when you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, so there is a day and time when you dedicate your life (body and soul) to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The act of dedication is done once and for all. After you have made this decision, you simply renew your dedication daily. You never re-dedicate your life to God. What has been dedicated and given to God is His forever.

Before we move to the actual facts about dedication, one thing must be settled, You must KNOW that you have been saved and have complete assurance that if you died today, you KNOW you would go to heaven and be with your Saviour Jesus Christ. One who is not sure he belongs to God's family cannot dedicate his life to God. John 3:16 is God's record and promise to the Believer that he has everlasting life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

	Fact Number One	How?
	SINS	by FAITH
	You must be willing to confess all sins, known and unknown. Usually it is a particular sin or sins that keep one from fully yielding to God. Such sin must be acknowledged and confessed.

Claim I John 1:9 by faith for spiritual cleansing. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

	Fact Number Two	How?
	SURRENDER	by FAITH
	You must be willing to give your whole life to Jesus Christ as a living sacrifice. You must be willing to do and go as the Lord directs without any reservation. All rights, desires, and ambitions are surrendered to the will of the Lord. He becomes Lord of all.

Claim Romans 12:1 by faith for spiritual surrender: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

	Fact Number Three	How?
	SELF SACRIFICE	by FAITH
	You must willingly acknowledge the fact that on the cross self (1) was crucified with Jesus Christ. You can say with the Apostle Paul, "Nevertheless I live, yet not I (Paul), but Christ liveth in me." Self is reckoned crucified by faith because God said so.

Claim Galatians 2:20 by faith for self -crucifixion: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me,"

	Fact Number Four	How?
	SPIRIT FILLED	by FAITH
	Now that you believe that self is crucified with Christ and that you are emptied of self, you are ready to ask God the Holy Spirit to fill and Control your life for Christ's glory and service.

Claim Ephesians 5:18 by faith as your command to be Spirit filled and controlled: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."

	Fact Number Five	How?
	SPECIAL THANKS	by FAITH
	Understanding what the will of the Lord is, give thanks to the Lord for leading you by faith into the act of dedication.

Claim Ephesians 5:17b and verse 20 by faith as you give thanks for knowing the will of God: "But understanding what the will of the Lord is . . . . Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Fact Number Six SPIRITUAL FRUIT Give thanks to Jesus Christ for what He is going to do through you. Jesus has promised spiritual fruit to those who abide in Him. By faith expect the Holy Spirit to produce spiritual fruit in your life. A primary work of the Holy Spirit is to empower the dedicated Believer to witness the Gospel so sinners can be converted. Soul-winning is a fruit of the dedicated-spirit-controlled Believer.

Claim John 15:16 by faith and be a fruit-producing Believer: "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name, He may give it you."

Believing these fundamental facts about dedication and being led by the Holy Spirit, you may now possess the assurance of true dedication to Christ for service by speaking from your heart this

"Dear Lord Jesus 1 love You. I believe that You died on the cross to save My soul. I know I'm saved because John 3:16 tells me so.

"I come to You, desiring to be filled with the Holy Spirit for service.

As honest as I can be, I confess all my sins (name the particular ones) known and unknown. Thank You for Your spiritual cleansing.

"I Present my body as a living sacrifice. All my rights I surrender to Thee. Thy will is my will.

My self was crucified with You. As I am emptied of self, I now ask the Holy Spirit to fill my life, take complete control for Christ's glory and service.

Thank you Lord Jesus for leading me through this prayer of dedication. By faith I believe my life is totally dedicated to You.

"I want to thank you Lord for what You are now going to do through my life. I expect to be a fruit-bearing Believer as the Holy Spirit empowers my witness to sinners.

"When sin severs the spirit of dedication, I will quickly confess that sin and renew this act of dedication I make today.

"In Jesus Name and for His glory I have prayed. Amen!"

This confession from an honest heart has produced peace beyond compare. The heart is free and full of joy. Confidence buoys the soul. Life's greatest change has now taken place. This is the most dramatic decision since you found Jesus Christ as your Saviour.

Today, ______________________, I ________________________________, have dedicated my life completely to Jesus Christ my Saviour for His glory and service. By His strength I purpose to recognize Jesus Christ as Lord of my life.

At conversion, God the Holy Spirit took up residence in your body. At dedication, God the Holy Spirit takes control of your body to work out those things that glorify Jesus Christ.

The Book of Acts is filled with examples of the outworking of the Spirit-filled Believer.

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the Gospel, and about three thousand souls were saved (Acts 2:41).

Believers prayed and were filled with the Holy Spirit. They preached in boldness, and multitudes were saved (Acts 4:31,32).

Stephen, a deacon filled with the Holy Spirit, preached to Saul of Tarsus, who was converted after Stephen's death (Acts 7:55).

The dedicated, Spirit-filled life will follow the pattern of Believers in the Book of Acts. It will involve much prayer and declaration of the Word of God in boldness and will result in many being saved. This is your pattern.

Self will resist daily crucifixion. Self will want to put Christ on the cross and self on the throne of your life.

Carnal Christians will misunderstand and criticize you.

Satan will tempt you through the lust of the eyes, lust of the world, and your pride.

Laziness; jealousy, neglect, indifference delay, compromise, rebellion, disobedience, poor attitudes, and bad habits will destroy the spirit of dedication.

Jesus gave a very simple and practical formula: "Abide in Me" (John 15:1-16). He gave four absolutes for abiding in Him. These must be observed daily through a personal early morning Quiet Time.

1. Abide in the Word, v. 3. God speaks to the Believer through the Word, which becomes his spiritual food. Read, study, memorize, and preach the Word.

2. Abide in Prayer, v. 7. The Believer speaks to God through prayer, his spiritual breath. The secret closet is the place to make personal confession of sin, renew your dedication, express your needs, and offer up your praise and thanksgiving.

3. Abide in Obedience. v. 10. The Believer must obey God's commands in order to find spiritual rest in His promises.

4. Abide in Witnessing, v. 16. The Believer must get spiritual exercise by telling others about his Saviour. Winning souls glorifies God the Father.

Follow the formula "Abide in Me," and you will be a fruitful Believer, a consistent Believer, and one who is continually glorifying Jesus Christ through a dedicated life.

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