Understanding Your Season of Separation

Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. Ephesians 1.4

The season of separation is a season God calls us into to prepare for the life, the blessing, and all He has for us. Separation is a calling to preparation for purpose. It could be separation from family and friends, separation from your former job into a new business or entrepreneurship, separation from your former environment into a whole new place you are unfamiliar with. Separation is a calling to build something new, something different, to build the character for purpose, to test and strengthen your faith and trust in God.

Sometimes, God has to pull you away from your comfort zone, the people, places, and situations you are familiar with to get you focused on what He wants to do in you, through you, and with you. Jesus occasionally separated himself from his disciples and the crowd to be with the Father, to get strength, clarity, direction for the work He was doing, and most importantly because He had a relationship with the Father. Even at the age of 12, Jesus got separated from His parents when he got lost but was found at the temple with the scribes and teachers doing His Father’s business.

Most times, God has to separate us to prepare us for our calling, to prepare us for the things and places He would take us to. You have to be separated, consecrated to work in your calling, and fulfill your purpose. God will not leave you with the crowd if He has something special He wants to do in you and through you. He will set you apart and consecrate you to prepare you for the next seasons of your life and everything He wants to do in you and through you.

Separation for your calling involves setting boundaries- strict boundaries in some relationships, and for some others, it is complete detachment. 2 Timothy 2.21 says, “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from these things [which are dishonorable—disobedient, sinful], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified [set apart for a special purpose and], useful to the Master, prepared for every good work”. Being consecrated for your purpose involves an intentional decision to leave behind the things, people, places, and lifestyles that do not align with the purposes God has called you into.

God can choose you, but He will not use you until you are ready. He will not go against your will and choice to serve Him or not. He needs you to be surrendered and willing, and both are decisions that come with intentionality and personal convictions.

Consecration, sanctification, being set apart. You not only get separated to work in your calling, but you become sanctified. Sanctification is cleansing, purification, but not just- it is also a decision to stay away from lifestyles, people, and places that make you unclean or go back to your dirty ways of living.

Sanctification takes you away from the lifestyle to please yourself in self-will into a lifestyle to please God and do His will. God has to separate you from people, places, and lifestyles to set you apart for your purpose.

Separate yourself from who you think you are and be who God says you are. Separate yourself from the identity that friends, family, and society has given you and walk in the identity Christ gave you on the cross. Separate yourself from who people say you are and walk in the calling of who God wants you to be.

Separate yourself from that identity, that mentality, that perception of who and what people think you are, and embrace the calling of God upon your life. until you are separated and sanctified, you will never fulfill your purpose.

Separate your before from your after. Separate your past from your present, and your present from your future. Separate what was before God spoke from what came after He spoke. Separate your realities that do not align with God’s word from the realities created from God’s word. Separate your fears from faith.

Separate your worries from God’s truth. Separate your anxiety from God’s peace. Separate your passion from your purpose. Separate your wants from God’s will. Separate God’s declaration from your desires. Separate your doubts and dysfunction from the identity God has given you.

2 Corinthians 5.17 says God has separated you through the finished work of Christ on the cross, therefore, by being in Christ, you have become a new creation. Separate your past experiences from God’s truth.

The season of separation is not about how fast you get out of it, but how well you walk through it. What you do in that season and the lessons you get to learn if you pay attention determines how well you will achieve your purpose. Separation is not to give you anxiety, depression, or mental health issues.

Separation teaches you to put your faith in God and trust Him completely, because, at that moment, you really cannot count on the people you used to know or the things you were familiar with to help you out of situations. You can only trust God and count on Him to see you through.

God separates to distinguish. God sanctifies to anoint for use. God does not separate you from familiar because He hates you. He separates you because He has put so much inside you to let you slide. If you are currently in your season of separation, wondering where next to go and what to do, look to Jesus.

Psalm 121 says, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, the Lord who made Heaven and earth.” In your season of separation, fix your gaze on Jesus, fix your gaze on God. He is on that journey with you and you are not alone.