Daily Discipleship - Day 326: This Is the Will of God: Your Sanctification

May 3, 2026

Daily Discipleship • Day 326 • Monday, March 22, 2027

This Is the Will of God: Your Sanctification

1 Thessalonians 4:3

Pleasant Springs Church • ps-church.com

Scripture
1 Thessalonians 4:3 (Greek NT / ESV) τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor.
Author & Audience

Dallas Willard — philosopher at USC and author of Renovation of the Heart, whose teaching on spiritual transformation makes sanctification not a burden but the most natural and joyful direction of a Spirit-indwelt life.

Word Study

ἁγιασμός

hagiasmos · Greek NT

“sanctification / holiness / being set apart”

hagiasmos is the process of being made hagios (holy, set apart). It is not merely moral improvement but transformation into the likeness of God's own character. Paul places it front and center as the clear, declared will of God—removing any uncertainty about what God wants for believers.

Reflection

From the writers we read together

Dallas Willard

Philosopher, USC; author of Renovation of the Heart; 1935–2013

“Spiritual formation is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ.” — Renovation of the Heart, chapter 1

People often pray with uncertainty: 'Lord, what is Your will for my life?' Paul answers part of that question here with unusual directness: this is the will of God—your sanctification. God's primary agenda for your life is not your career path or your comfort but your transformation into holiness.

Willard taught that sanctification is not passive waiting for God to zap us into holiness but active participation in the Spirit's work—training the body, the mind, and the will toward Christ's character. What specific area of your life has resisted sanctification? Name it, and bring it into the process today.

Continue your study: Discipleship School — Discover the path of sanctification and spiritual formation in our Discipleship School curriculum.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, King of the Universe, Lord, this is Your will—my sanctification. I yield to Your transforming work today. Where I have been resisting Your holiness, soften me and make me willing. Amen.

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