We want to sanctify ourselves because we are unsure whether God has noticed us sufficiently to sanctify us or Jesus has His eye on us to ask God to do so. But to be part of God's circle of those He sanctifies we can believe through the testimony of the apostles Jesus sent because He prayed for such people forseeing them. And we can persist in doing good because Peter told Cornelius that his kindness to the poor and constant prayers had come up as a remebrance before God so Peter had been sent to him (even though Peter was an apostle to go to Jews but Cornelius was a Gentile) to preach so that Cornelius could be justified and sanctified by God through the Holy Spirit. How will we know God has noticed us? Because like with Cornelius, God lets us not just hear good preaching of the true gospel but opens our hearts to it and lets it do its work in our hearts to sanctify us then gives us ongoing sanctification a growth in faith by giving us the Holy Spirit to seal us. Want God to sanctify you? Keep looking out for the poor and praying and in your praying ask for good preaching and an open heart and the Holy Spirit.
