I am justified and sanctified - I am loved - Daily Devotional for Women by Anna Szabo of Online Discipleship for Women

Have you been overwhelmed by your mistakes? Have you been feeling like a sinner for whom there’s no hope? I know the feeling. I am a sex addict and an alcoholic in recovery. I’ve made many mistakes. Yet, God’s grace conquered my sins and failures. I am justified and sanctified. Let’s talk about justification sanctification glorification and the grace of God.

This daily devotional will reveal to you that no matter your past mistakes, failures, disappointments, or sins, you are justified and sanctified through Christ by faith if you’ve accepted Him as your lord and savior. Also, I’ll help you understand the controversy of “I am justified by works and not by faith alone.

READ: What is Faith?

The format of this devotional is “self-examination.” I’ll be sharing my personal story of how I failed and sinned and made many mistakes, yet, was justified and sanctified by the grace of God through my faith in Christ. I discovered what God says about me: made whole and blameless through my faith in Jesus.

READ: Who is Jesus?

The reason why I chose the self-examination format for my devotionals is that whenever people tell me how I should think, I feel preached to, but whenever they share about their own faith journey and breakthroughs, I feel touched by their story. God uses their experiences to transform me.

READ: My Testimony

I trust that sharing my failures, doubts, burdens, blessing, and spiritual breakthroughs with you in this Biblical devotional will encourage and empower you. I pray that you’ll be moved and inspired by my story of accepting God’s everlasting grace, stepping into His unconditional love, and giving Him all the glory. I pray that you may do the same thing.

God’s grace is available to you as a free gift.

I am Sanctified  #52Devotionals Devotions for Women  by Anna Szabo

Daily Devotional for Women: “I Am Justified and Sanctified

I made many mistakes n my life. This is a story about one of them. Before I tell you what happened, I want to know that this is a practical demonstration of how God uses all things together for His good. Though at the time when I was going though all the pain and adversity, I couldn’t see God’s goodness.

Here’s my story.

I remember my wedding day with Michel in 2016 and our four-day long divorce jury trial in 2017 as if both of those events happened just yesterday. We loved each other one moment, and the next moment we were picking each other apart pointing out every mistake each of us ever made in a courtroom in front of 14 jurors, two attorneys, the judge, and the general public, including the very friends who just a few months ago were in our wedding.

I remember the courtroom in Forsyth county. Fourteen jurors on the left. Judge Dickinson upfront. And the back divided into two parts for the public to watch our divorce jury trial, depending on whose side they chose.

Our premarital counseling mentors were there the entire time. Just a few months prior to this drama, they were the ones who issued us a certificate of marriage readiness at Perimeter Church through its premarital counseling program called “Right Start.” Every day, they came there to pray with me. One day, Michel’s friend Robert joined us. He was in our wedding. We all held hands and prayed for Michel.

Michel filed for divorce twice in our first eight months of marriage and said he wasn’t interested in being married to me anymore but wanted to be an IronMan instead and compete in Kona. His friends called me an IronWidow and told me I was married to a dead man. I was, yes, they were right. Our marriage counselors said that I was married to a single man. That, too, was true. It was so bizarre and confusing. I described my experience of narcissistic abuse in great detail on this Christian blog.

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I was traded in for an IronMan bicycle. I was rejected every day. I was abused with cruelty. I wept every day experiencing deep sorrow for Michel’s actions. I loved him and prayed that God would take hold of him and redeem him. But God gave Michel free will. We were divorced shortly after our divorce jury trial had ended.

Divorce Jury Trial in Forsyth County with Judge Dickinson 

Court documents are public records. You can access them by providing the following case numbers for the two divorces Michel filed in our first few months of marriage: Michel Szabo vs Anna Szabo 16CV-1802-2 and Michel Szabo vs Anna Szabo 17CV-0058-2 in Forsyth County.

Our divorce jury trial in Forsyth county was a rare occurrence. Judge Dickinson’s first divorce jury trial in 15 years. It was the most impactful experience of my adult life, though I’ve lived through quite a few unusual experiences, such as domestic violence and homelessness in a foreign country without speaking aby English.

The divorce jury trial was very difficult for me as I had to recall every instance of mental cruelty and narcissistic abuse examples endured from Michel. By the time of the trial, I had already been suffering from severely suicidal depression for many months. My brain was exhausted.

READ: Psychomotor Retardation as a Depression Scar

My heart was shattered. The man I loved chose a bicycle over our marriage… It was incomprehensible. I was devastated, disoriented, and dispirited.

The divorce jury trial was painful but also healing.

How come?

Well…

I saw God-given free will in action.

I was empowered by the community prayer that took place daily there in the courthouse with our friends who traveled far to be there. It was sad in the natural, but God was at work every second, in the spiritual realm.

I felt crucified every day and was able to have an even better life after the death of the person I was in that devastating marriage with Michel. I died, and God resurrected me to a new life.

One more thing I’m grateful for, and it’s Judge Dickinson who had to hear all of that nonsense for four days straight and keep calm. I observed his face: no anger, no disappointment, no frustration. Just peace. Some people call his face a poker face, in fact, he plays poker. But I felt peace coming from him. And a few times, when my depleted by depression brain was giving up on me and I was just crying unable to testify, I saw compassion on his otherwise “poker” face.

Having watched Judge Dickinson keep so calm in the midst of so much chaos, even when Michel’s attorney yelled in his face throwing arms in the air and being excessively dramatic, the experience taught me that truly our mind controls our brain and behavior and that we can choose to allow or not allow the world to affect us with its negativity. It has to do only with our own thoughts. Judge Dickinson was amazing for me to watch.

I never had calm parents, family members, friends, or anyone who could mentor me about calm demeanor and stress management growing up. I lived in a drama-filled world for most of my life. People around me were dramatic and impatient. My family members were anger-filled raging alcoholics, and anger was all I new. Anger and abuse.

READ: Narcissistic Mother-Daughter Relationship

Being in that divorce jury trial with Judge Dickinson was the first-ever real-life experience of someone peaceful and patient in the midst of dramatic chaos and haze. I was in awe from observing his calm face, presence, and demeanor for four days. It was an experience like no other.

Through that observation of Judge Dickinson, God taught me many lessons about thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors. I remember those four days as if it were all just yesterday. I appreciate lessons learned about staying calm and maintaining peace for prolonged periods of time in the midst of chaos, drama, yelling, etc. Judge Dickinson is the positive figure of a judge in my mind.

Now, let me tell you about God as a judge.

Judgement-Free Pass with God


As I was growing up in Russia during the reign and crush of the USSR, every book started with the sentence “there’s no God in our country.” We didn’t know God. Post-USSR, when someone tried to talk to me about God, they would paint a picture of a serious, focused, ready-to-condemn me judge who kept my every mistake on record.

The picture of God as the judge in my mind was negative.

This was the picture with which I entered a Starting Point group program at Buckhead Church in 2013, which was an eight-week Bible study and a forum for questions and answers. I moved to America in 2008 and began to attend Buckhead Church in 2011. During the Starting Point, I shared my view of God and how I thought He thought of my mistakes when He thought of me. 

READ: What Does God Say About Me?

I was guided through the Bible to learn about God’s character and His unconditional love for me. I realized that God is a kind, loving, patient Father. I’ve learned that by accepting Jesus into my heart, I’d join God’s royal family and be one with Christ. I discovered that with God, through Christ, we get a judgment-free pass.

Accepting Jesus as a savior makes us pure and blameless in God’s eyes. He sees us through the blood of Jesus who paid for our sins with His life.
The picture of God was changed for me from an angry judge to a loving father. And in 2014, I accepted Jesus into my heart as my personal lord and savior, which changed my life. I was baptized with the Spirit and water on October 19th, 2014 at Buckhead Church in front of 3000 witnesses.

Coming to The End of Myself 

I remember January 31st of 2016, a beautiful cool last day of a special month. Michel was my boyfriend at the time. I wanted to help him feel special, so I prepared a picnic for us that day. Homemade food and a beautiful view of a fountain on a small lake. The scenery was breath-taking. It all took place at Perimeter Church late Sunday afternoon.

Why was I with my boyfriend at church picnicking late Sunday afternoon? We were getting ready to go to the pre-engagement counseling class at Perimeter Church called “Right Start.” Michel signed us up for that class because he had told me he wanted to marry me a few weeks after we began dating. I said I’d consider it only if we went to pre-engagement counseling.

Michel chose Perimeter Church because he graduated from Metro Atlanta Seminary there (according to him). I said I would need pre-engagement counseling before I could respond to that idea of marriage. That’s how we got into the “Right Start” class. A picnic on a Sunday afternoon seemed to be the best way to spend our time together while waiting for the pre-engagement counseling training. I thought it would make Michel feel very special.

The weather was cool that day, so I brought a blanket. I was wearing a black jacket with a leather belt from H&M to stay warm. I was setting up the picnic, turned around, and there was Michel kneeling before me with a ring. Are you curious to know my response? First I yelled from shock: “What the hell?!”

No, I’m not kidding…

I actually responded with those very words.

Really.

After that, I looked at Michel and saw our future together.

I saw the man I respected and loved.

Michel Szabo with Anna Stevens (Anna Szabo) - Engagement Pictures

Seeing Michel humble himself and kneel before me with the ring, not only did I say “YES” to his marriage proposal but I also said this: “Michel, you are the most Christ-like man I’ve ever met. With your behaviors, actions, and interactions with me and others, you’ve exhibited the Fruit of the Spirit” – and I named the nine – “I’ll be honored to spend the rest of my life with you.”

I had no idea that Michel had a well-thought-through agenda of shortening the rest of my life

Michel worked at a mega-church in Alpharetta at the time called North Point Church. He portrayed himself as a seminary graduate who loved Jesus. It seemed as if God was Michel’s priority. All the qualities I listed verbally as his own, he truly exhibited in our dating relationship. Most of the time when I thought about Michel, I thought “Christ-like.” We were married on May 14th, 2016 in front of family and friends.

Michel Szabo and Anna Stevens' wedding May 14th 2016 at Verdi in Norcross

I remember Michel’s aunt and uncle bringing me and my bridesmaids to the wedding venue, a Russian restaurant VERDI in Norcross, GA, in their beautiful large white auto. Apparently, we were a few minutes late but I didn’t know the time as everyone wanted me to be relaxed, so they took all devices indicating time away from me.

I remember seeing the relief on people’s faces when I arrived because they were worried that I got cold feet all of a sudden. Nope, I didn’t. Actually, I had nothing but joy when my mentor Mike walked me down the aisle and gave me away to Michel. As I walked closer, I saw Michel standing there in tears. I was confident that those were the tears of joy about our unity, togetherness, and future.

Not actually. Michel shared with me that those were the tears about him finally having his first wedding and feeling accomplished. I found that out the morning after our wedding, and cold blood was running through my veins. It appeared as if I were a trophy to Michel.

Michel Szabo and Anna Stevens Perimeter Church

After Michel and I got into our newlyweds’ suite at the Buckhead Intercontinental hotel, he got on the phone, sat in the corner of the room in a chair staring into his device texting with a friend about shoes, and became distant.

As I stood there, in front of my beloved husband, in my wedding dress, waiting for his attention, Michel was busy texting with friends sitting in a chair alone in the right corner of our newlyweds’ suite. It was bizarre and so confusing. I was puzzled and partly disillusioned. It was the strangest scenery I had ever encountered.

I waited and waited as Michel had told me that his dream was to have a wedding he never had (he was divorced) and to help his bride take the wedding dress off. Out of respect for his dream, I didn’t want to take the dress off by myself and rob him of the experience he considered special, yet Michel was busy texting in his corner chair. I waited…

That night turned into a painful and dramatic experience which caused some trauma, and my OBGYN had to place me on antibiotics for a while. It was the most terrible and traumatizing sexual experience of my life, and I actually had been raped twice in my early years in Russia.

At the breakfast with my bridesmaid the next morning, Michel informed me that, now that the wedding was checked off his list, life was going to be about his IronMan priorities. I was puzzled…

Michel started disappearing every evening and weekend saying that he wanted to be an IronMan and complete in Kona. He called his IronMan bicycle “My other wife I cheat on you with” and rejected me sexually saying that he needed to save himself for his IronMan training.

Prior to our wedding, Michel asked me to honor him by taking his last name. That’s how I became Anna Szabo (my name was Anna Stevens). He also asked me to deposit my paycheck into our joint checking account he created with USAA. I honored his wish and direct-deposited my paycheck into our join checking account.

Now, my paycheck was spent and I was left with a balance of below zero dollars three times. I remember being at work and walking to get lunch… only to discover no money in our checking account.

I confronted Michel about his lifestyle. He filed for divorce.

Four months after our wedding, a private server Jerry served me with Michel’s divorce papers at a Christian conference “Harvest.” I was already depressed and severely suicidal by then from all the mental manipulation and cruel treatment I endured. My confusion and despair were captured in a series of spoken word poems about depression.

Poems About My Suicidal Depression

I was weak, confused, devastated, and hopeless. I was tired physically and exhausted emotionally. I didn’t want to open my eyes another time and wake up to another day of misery Michel lured me into so cleverly.

READ: The Narcissist is a Chief Deceiver and Liar

The narcissistic abuse I was enduring in our marriage left me disoriented and desperate. I wrote poetry about everything I was exposed to at home: projection, gaslighting, discarding, and other narcissistic abuse techniques he exercised on me.

I was manipulated into complete hopelessness, and it was not an accident. He planned everything very well, and he deceived me and others to an unimaginable degree. When David McNeely, who blessed our marriage while he was working at Perimeter Church teaching our premarital counseling classes, found out about all this, he paused and said calmly: “Satan can deceive anyone…”

READ: How Satan Disguises Himself as an Angel of Light

On my own, I was done.

There was nothing left in me.

No light. No fight. No might.

I came to the end of myself.

I began turning to Jesus for strength. I refocused completely from what Michel said about me to what God said about me. I started searching the Bible to find out who God says I am and what He says about my life, purpose, and direction.

Who Does God Say I Am?

I searched the sacred book of ancient wisdom, the Bible. I was in Biblical counseling at the time to help me cope with my abusive marriage and survive Michel’s cruelty. My Biblical counselor was Tammy, and we met at 5 pm on Wednesdays via FaceTime. She encouraged me to seek God’s wisdom and switch my focus from Michel to Jesus.

The searching and seeking were fruitful. Below are the 52 Biblical truths I discovered. I grouped them into four categories based on the aspect of my identity they impacted the most. Each I Am affirmation you see below is a clickable link to the full devotional with scriptures.

Fundamentals of God’s Grace


  1. I am forgiven1 John 1:9 | Ephesians 1:7
  2. I am acceptedRomans 14:3 | Romans 15:7
  3. I am  lovedJohn 3:16 | Romans 5:8
  4. I am healedIsaiah 53:5 | Psalm 103:2-5
  5. I am blessed: Psalm 32:1-2 |Ephesians 1:3
  6. I am special and chosenGenesis 2:7 | John 15:16 | 1 Peter 2:9
  7. I am justified and sanctifiedGalatians 2:19-20 | Galatians 3:13-14
  8. I am alive1 John 5:12 | Ephesians 2:4-5
  9. I’m new and transformed2 Corinthians 5:17 | Ephesians 4:22-24
  10. I am noble and lovelyColossians 3:12 | Psalm 16:3
  11. I am beautiful: Ephesians 2:10 | Isaiah 62:3
  12. I am holy1 Corinthians 6:11 | Ephesians 4:22-24
  13. I am worthyGalatians 2:20 | 1 Corinthians 6:11
  14. I am righteousRomans 3:21 | Romans 5:19 | Isaiah 61:10
  15. I am valuableLuke 12:7  | Matthew 5:16
  16. I am anointed1 John 2:27 | Ephesians 1:13-14
  17. I am freeRomans 6:18 | Romans 8:1-2 Galatians 5:1
  18. I am renewedEzekiel 36:26 | Galatians 5:22-23
  19. I am not aloneIsaiah 41:10 | Romans 8:28

New Identity In Christ

  1. I am a princessGalatians 4:7 | Galatians 3:26
  2. I am fearfully and wonderfully madePsalm 139:14|2 Corinthians 5:17
  3. I am a disciple of JesusJohn 8:31-32 | John 12:26 | 1 John 2:3-6
  4. I am a child of GodGalatians 3:26 | John 7:38
  5. I am a citizen of HeavenPhilippians 3:20 | Philippians 4:11-12
  6. I am God’s glory on displayJohn 13:31-32 | Ephesians 1:3-14
  7. I am God’s masterpieceEphesians 2:10 | 1 John 3:2
  8. I am a difference-makerEphesians 2:10 | Jeremiah 1:5
  9. I am lightMatthew 5:14-16 | Jeremiah 1:5
  10. I am a peacemaker Colossians 3:15 | Matthew 28:19-20

Christ-Like Character Qualities

  1. I am wise1 Corinthians 1:30 | Isaiah 11:2
  2. I am clear and focused2 Timothy 1-7 | 1 Peter 1:13
  3. I am intentionalJeremiah 1:5 | 1 Corinthians 7:17
  4. I am decisiveProverbs 3:5-6 | Isaiah 30:21 | James 1:5
  5. I am powerful2 Timothy 1-7  | Philippians 4:13  | Acts 1:8
  6. I am disciplined2 Timothy 1-7 | Proverbs 3:11-12
  7. I am thoughtful: Romans 12:2 | Psalm 119:66
  8. I am prudent: Proverbs 14:8 | Proverbs 14:15 |Proverbs 22:3
  9. I am confidentPhilippians 1:6 | Philippians 4:13
  10. I am courageousJoshua 1:9 | 1 Corinthians 15:58
  11. I am victoriousRomans 8:28 | Romans 8:37

Biblical Outlook on Life

  1. I am kindEphesians 4:31-32 | Isaiah 54:8
  2. I am loving1 John 4:7-8 | John 13:34-35 1 Corinthians 16:14
  3. I am hopefulRomans 12:12 | Romans 15:13 |Proverbs 24:14
  4. I am joyfulRomans 15:13 Psalm 28:7
  5. I am gratefulColossians 2:6-7 | Colossians 3:17
  6. I am strongDeuteronomy 31:6 | Ephesians 6:10
  7. I am protectedIsaiah 41:10 | Isaiah 54:17 | 2 Timothy 4:18
  8. I am peaceful2 Thessalonians 3:16 John 16:33 | Philippians 4:6-7
  9. I am patient: Matthew 7:7 | Proverbs 14:29 Ephesians 4:2
  10. I am faith-filledIsaiah 43:1-3 Galatians 3:22
  11. I am gifted1 Corinthians 12:4 | 1 Peter 4:10-11
  12. I am creative: Exodus 35:31-32 | 1 Peter 4:10-11

“Whoever Brings Blessing Will be Enriched” Proverbs 11:25

Bless Online Discipleship For Women

Creating a Joyful Life by Embracing God’s Word 

I learned so much on my journey! I learned that I am justified and sanctified. That brought divine peace into my life. God called me to share everything with you, so I wrote #52Devotionals book with all the above Biblical affirmations. I made a free devotionals download available on my website so that every woman could access the 52 devotionals which God gave me for comfort and as the truth to set me free. God asked me to share His comfort with you and to tell you the truth about your identity in Christ to set you free.

God revealed that you are justified and sanctified.

As God did His divine work in my heart, I was able to accept my story, Michel’s free will, our destroyed marriage, my broken-heartedness, and my identity as a child of God: blameless, justified, purified, and sanctified (set apart for God’s divine purpose).

And I finally felt liberated and able to move on.

I created a new, joyful life by embracing God’s word.

The Bible is clear that in this world, we will have trouble. We are asked to persevere and grow in faith, then, share ope with others. The Bible says that no one is righteous, except Christ. Yet, it gives us a clear understanding of God’s grace – the foundation of our journey of justification, sanctification, and glorification.

Christ died for us on the cross not when we were all perfect and blameless. Instead, He died for us when we were fallen, broken, and sinful. Jesus paid all the debt for our sins: my sins and your sins.

God is not an angry judge with a book of sins to hold us accountable for our mistakes and failures, nor is He Judge Dickinson with a peaceful face waiting to judge in a courtroom. No. God is a loving father.

God is waiting for us to accept His grace, run into His arms for love, protection, and validation, and repent from our old ways of living. He is patiently waiting for our repentance. He’s preparing a feast for us for when we decide to come home to Him.

I discovered that I am justified as a child of God. Many wrong things happened to me, and I’ve done many wrong things myself as well. Yet, there’s nothing I owe: Jesus redeemed me at the price of His blood. I’m free, completely free. I’ve learned that when God looks at me through the blood of Jesus, He sees me perfect and blameless.

I am justified and sanctified.

When I got on a witness stand on Thursday afternoon, the final day of our divorce jury trial with Judge Dickinson, I was asked what I wanted out of that trial. I said: “I have peace.”

I loved Michel. I forgave him. I had peace about everything. I had acceptance of his free will. God loves us. He forgives us. He makes peace with us. He accepts us.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians ‪2:20

I’ve learned that when I placed my faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit moved into my body. I gained the ability to die to my flesh, sin, temptations, wrong choices, bad decisions, impulsive behaviors, and, instead, I can now choose to walk in the Spirit.

I use my free will to choose.

So, I chose to forgive Michel and have peace.

I am able to choose forgiveness and God’s peace not in my own power but by the grace of God. My old self was crucified with Jesus. I’m new. My flesh doesn’t live anymore but instead, Christ lives out through me. I can do all things with Christ. I choose to live out my life in accordance with what God says about me: I am justified and sanctified.

That’s why I have peace. Gd’s divine peace is my gift.

Justification, Sanctification, Glorification

I want to say a few words about the process of justification sanctification glorification. It’s important to understand our justification is its entirety, and there’s a lot of confusion out there about being justify by faith vs being justified by works and not bey faith alone. I will clarify this confusion so that you can be certain in your justification if you are in Christ.

Christ is loving and peaceful, He is forgiving and kind.

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Romans 4:25

I was justified when Jesus was crucified. My sin was washed as white as snow. That book of life with the records of sins that the post-USSR Russians described to me trying to portray an angry judge-God… It doesn’t exist.

Nothing I’ve done actually counts against me because my sins were all forgiven when I placed my faith in Christ. Jesus paid it all. I am sinless. I am justified and sanctified.

Justification means complete redemption from past sins. Sanctification means being set apart for God’s divine purpose.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1

And that’s the point I want to convey: the peace of God that passes all understanding is a choice. It comes from God, and we choose it with our free will.

When on Wednesday before our last day of divorce jury trial I shared with my attorney about my peace, she advised me to think it through. But when I got on a witness stand the next day, the truth was what I shared: “I had peace.”

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Cor 6:11

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are justified. He also taught us that He will fight our battles and make all things right when it comes to our offenders. So, it’s our choice to also choose to live a life of peace for which Jesus died. We must leave t up to Him to make the wrong things right. Keeping my eyes on eternity allows me to forgive people and focus on my salvation with gratitude.

Here and now, I am already justified and sanctified. Now, let’s take a moment to understand the justification sanctification glorification process.

I Am Justified in Christ

Justification is described with real-life examples in my article about Becoming Pure and Holy (Justification). Here, I just want to mention the following. Justification is an event. It occurred when I placed my faith in Christ, believed in my heart, and professed my faith by mouth.

I Am Justified by Faith

I was justified by placing my faith in Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I didn’t bribe God, I didn’t perform anything extraordinary, I didn’t receive justification based on my deeds, just my faith. In fact, there is nothing I could ever do to justify myself in the eyes of God with my own actions, apart from Christ, because I am a sinful and fallen human being who messes up all the time. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” – Ephesians 2:8

I Am Justified by Works

Now, that I was justified by faith in Christ, I am in Christ. So, I am new. Being new means having a new heart of flesh instead of the old heart of stone, having a renewed mind that is not conformed to the pattern of this world but transformed, having a new identity as a royal and precious child of God, and having God’s spirit living in my body. So, if I truly am in Christ, I am new, with all those new things in me and about me, and that means that I show new behaviors and have new habits and my lifestyle changes… That is the works I now do because of my justification. And those works showcase that I am in Christ, that I’ve been saved by the grace of God. If there’s no fruit of my salvation and justification and I am old with the same heart of stone and the same old identity, that means I haven’t actually placed my faith in Christ. “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” – James 2:24

If I have experienced justification indeed, now, I was sanctified, which means being set apart for God’s divine purpose AND refers to the lifelong journey of Becoming Christ-Like (Sanctification). That journey is about working out my salvation. How? With my works done in faith, which I placed in Christ. Those are the works by which I am justified and sanctified in Christ, which help me become more like Christ.

Now, that I have experienced justification and I am on the journey of sanctification, it’s all about Living a Guilt-Free Life for God’s Glory (Glorification). How? By accepting and embracing God’s grace and the price Jesus paid to make me new and give me a new life.

I am justified and sanctified.

The Grace of God

So… What happened to you? Jesus died on the cross for you. You placed your faith in Christ, and you are now sinless, all your faults were washed as white as snow, you have been justified by the blood of Jesus, and when He took His last breath on the cross, you were sanctified by the Spirit of our God. You are a new creation in Christ

You are pure. 

You are justified and sanctified.

Read: Prayer to Hear God’s Voice

Keep your eyes on eternity and not the world.

Stay focused on Jesus and your salvation.

Reach out for God’s wisdom and act out of love.

Live in accordance with your identity in Christ and God’s grace.

Do you believe God’s truth about being justified and sanctified through Christ? If you do, memorize the Biblical affirmation below and practice it often to remember that you are justified and sanctified.

I Am Justified and Sanctified 

"I Am Justified and Sanctified" #52Devotionals

When Jesus on the cross was crucified,
Through His sacrifice, I became justified and sanctified.
It is by faith that I received this expensive redemption.
My heart melts in gratitude for my eternal salvation.  

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How does it make you feel to know that you are seen by God as blameless and pure, justified and sanctified? Share with me in the comments below so I can rejoice with you. If this devotional was helpful, download all #52Devotionals now.

Read 52 Devotionals

Summary

I shared with you about my journey from feeling condemned and having a view of God as an angry judge in a courtroom to understanding my salvation, justification, sanctification, and glorification, as well as getting to know God intimately and embracing a more accurate view of Him as my loving heavenly father.

I explained to you how discovering that I am justified and sanctified transformed my identity, heart, thoughts, behaviors, and actions by giving me peace and contentment. I learned to see myself the way God sees me. It’s been the most valuable discovery of my lifetime: who God says I am in Christ and what He thinks about when He thinks about me.

Today, I help women see themselves the way God sees them. I’ve specifically been focusing on identity in Christ. From the Bible, I discovered 52 incredibly-positive things God says about us as His daughters. Those 52 precious discoveries turned into 52 Biblical affirmations I created to encourage and empower Christian women. 

To help share this life-changing information with you, I created an ebook called #52Devotionals. Download it now for free

My free ebook helps you understand who God says you are. Don’t be vulnerable to identity attacks from the mainstream media, relatives, coworkers, your boss, society, culture, and the voices in your head. 

Stand firm and know what God says about you.

52 things God says about you and your identity in Christ

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