1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

Overview:
The God who is the Author of peace will set you apart from the world so that your inner man (thoughts, intentions, motivations etc.) would remain pure, focused on God alone until Christ's return. The One who saved you is faithful and has the power to carry out His desires.
Pray for us. Greet our fellow believers for us. You must promise to read this letter to all the believers. May God's unmerited favor (grace) be with you all.
Application:
We often fall into the trap of thinking that we have to "do" something to make the Christian "walk" happen. As much as I try, I will never fake, or be able to force myself to live in complete obedience to Christ. It is only God's Holy Spirit who resides within me that makes it possible. After all, He is the one who called me out of the world and saved me - having done that, He is more than capable of sanctifying (setting me apart) for Him. It's about control - who is in control of my life? If it's me - I'll fail every time, and be frustrated as Paul expressed in Romans 7. It is only yielding my "rights" to the Holy Spirit when I get a glimpse of what God truly desires for me. I say glimpse, because all too often, I take the reigns of control back - knowing I'm setting myself up for failure.
"Chip away at me Lord, until I am like You. Give me the stamina to stay the course, because Your discipline and the removal of dearly guarded secret sins is painful - but so very necessary!"