[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus. ROMANS 3 : 24 THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE !! .. AND THE TRUTH IS .. YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS !! When God Declares Something Over You .. You Are Definitely Not In A Position To Argue With Him !! So .. If You Have Accepted Jesus Christ As Your Personal Lord And Savior AND You Have Faith In Jesus Christ .. It Has Been Declared That YOU ARE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD !! Now this declaration of your righteousness was not made by any Teacher, Pastor or Preacher .. OH NO !! .. This declaration was made by none other than God Himself !! .. So who do you think you are to doubt or argue ? Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction .. Romans 3 : 22 TRUTH .. If You Love And Have Faith In Jesus Christ .. YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS !! FACT .. Once Again It Is Decision Time .. Righteousness Has To Be Believed And Then Received !! .. And .. That Is A Choice Only You Can Make For Yourself !! WILL YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT !! Knowing that you are not a perfect individual, you are bound to make mistakes and step into sin occasionally. Now .. When you realize that you have sinned .. What do you do to make it right with God ? If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought and action] .. 1 John 1 : 9 That’s Right !! .. If God’s Word has the final authority in your life .. Then .. Your response to your sin will naturally be based on the above. You go to God and you confess and repent of your sin .. And .. When you do this God is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Alright .. So you go to God and you ask Him to forgive you .. How Do You Know That You Have Received God’s Forgiveness ? .. You can not see anything .. You can not feel anything .. How Do You Know ? Well .. You Believe, Don’t You ? .. God says if you repent, He will forgive .. And .. You simply believe Him and you receive His gift of forgiveness. Now, although the above is how it should be .. On the odd occasion, do you still perhaps find yourself toiling with the idea that you are expected to “Do” something more than just simply believe and act upon what God’s Word says in order for you to be truly forgiven. You seem to have a very hard time accepting that if you repent of your mistakes, God has a genuine desire and willingness to forgive you .. Your human nature tells you that forgiveness couldn't possibly be that easy. You have allowed your natural mind to be deceived by thoughts that make it difficult for you to believe that your sins can be erased, allowing you to stand boldly and guiltless before God. Sadly, you have lied to yourself for so long that you actually now believe that in order for you to receive full forgiveness, you first have to experience your fair share of pain and suffering. Well Here Is A Little Reality Check !! .. Forgiveness Is Based On God’s Promises .. It Has Absolutely Nothing To Do With Your Human Feelings !! As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us .. Psalms 103 : 12 For I will be merciful and gracious towards their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more .. Hebrews 8 : 12 Do You See That !! .. When your prayer for forgiveness reach God .. He takes that mistake, rips it out of your journal, then He scatters it as far as the east is from the west .. And .. He remembers them no more !! Because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. Hallelujah! If you were to sit with God one day, and you tried to talk to Him about all the sins you have ever committed .. God would choose to not even acknowledge them .. Because .. He truly is a God of “forgive and forget” !! Choices !! .. Choices !! .. Choices !! Now, of course you can choose to carry on believing that you must first endure your pain and suffering .. However The Reality Is This .. After you have suffered, you will be no more forgiven than if you actually choose to believe in God’s forgiveness and start acting as though you have received your forgiveness !! O.K. .. So we have now spent some time looking at Forgiveness .. And You May Well Be Wondering .. Why so much about forgiveness in a message that is actually about your Righteousness ? Well, God’s forgiveness was an important example to illustrate to you .. BECAUSE .. The way you receive God’s forgiveness is exactly the same way that you receive your righteousness !! You Must Believe That You Have Received It .. And Then .. Start Behaving As If It Is So !! Your Righteousness Gives You The Ability To Stand Before God With No Sense Of Guilt And No Sense Of Inferiority !! Your righteousness allows you the ability to boldly and confidently stand before God and speak to Him, as a child to your Father .. Expecting His response .. And .. Knowing that you have the right to receive what you ask because of what God has declared over you !! If you do not believe that you receive your forgiveness by faith, the unfortunate thing for you is that the next time you stand before God in prayer, you might well be saying to yourself “I believe that I am forgiven” .. However .. If you are carrying a guilty conscience about something or you find yourself returning to ponder over this mistake or that .. Then .. Unfortunately you have not faithfully received God’s promise of forgiveness. And .. If you are unable to believe that you are forgiven .. Then .. Sadly you will also be unable to believe the Truth that you are the righteousness of God !! There Is No Magic Formula To This !! .. There Is No Secret To This !! .. The truth is that you already hold the very key that you require, however the choice remains .. Will You Use It Or Not ? God Has Given You His Word .. He Has Also Given You Faith .. The Choice Is Yours !! Faith And Nothing Else !! .. It Takes Faith To Believe God’s Word !! Every Truth you will ever require lies protected in the treasure of God’s Word. However .. If your faith is not ignited to believe that Every Word, Every Promise, Every Blessing, Every Prayer and Every Declaration made by God, was made to you .. Then .. You are putting yourself at risk of being unable to believe the Word enough to receive God’s gifts .. And .. Yes, that includes your righteousness !! GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS YOURS .. DO YOU HAVE THE FAITH TO RECEIVE IT ? Your Gift Of Righteousness Has Been Paid For By Jesus Christ !! .. Take It Off Lay-Bye !! .. And .. Receive It Into Your Life !! You Are Righteous !! .. You Cannot Work For It !! .. You Cannot Be Good To Get It !! .. You Can Not Earn It !! .. IT IS A GIFT !! .. And .. It Has Been Paid For By The Precious Blood Shed By Jesus !! You cannot, cannot, cannot make yourself righteous by your good deeds .. However .. You can choose to believe God enough to receive His declaration .. And Then .. You can thank and honor God by giving all the praise and glory to Jesus Christ !! God says .. I will declare as righteous everyone who receives my Son, Jesus Christ, by faith .. This means that from the very moment you became a born-again child of God’s, His declaration became active in your life !! So The Bottom Line Is This .. You Are Righteous Because You Accepted The Free Gift Of Salvation Through Jesus Christ !! God Has Declared You Righteous !! .. So Who Are You To Argue !! Stop Trying To Fight It .. Stop Trying To Debate It .. Stop Trying To Earn It .. Stop Trying To Work For It .. Stop Trying To See It .. Stop Trying To Feel It. YOU LOVE AND HAVE FAITH IN JESUS .. RIGHT ? .. Then you Believe Him .. And .. You Receive your righteousness into your life !! You step out with your head held high and you confidently show this lost world what a blessing it is to have Jesus Christ as the lover of your soul !! WHEN GOD GAVE YOU HIS SON .. HE GAVE YOU HIS BEST WHEN GOD GAVE YOU HIS HOLY SPIRIT .. HE GAVE YOU HIS ALL The Bible Definition of righteousness is: - the acceptable state before God - being approved of God - God's integrity - God's virtue - God's purity of life - rightness before God - correctness of thinking, feeling and acting like God John 10:27
'My sheep respond to (listen and hear) My voice, and I know who they are. They follow Me!' - God wants to come and lead and guide you. - Be sensitive to His voice and His leading in your life. - Don't forget to do what He tells you to do. - Remember, He knows you Andre. PRAYER: Lord, lead me and guide me today and always. I am Your child and it is my heart's desire to follow You. Amen. Why do many Christians fail to experience real joy, which is listed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22?
In his book Laugh Again, Charles Swindoll suggests three common “joy stealers”—worry, stress, and fear. He defines worry as “an inordinate anxiety about something that may or may not occur.” (And it usually doesn’t.) Stress, says the author, is “intense strain over a situation we can’t change or control.” (But God can.) And fear, according to Swindoll, is a “dreadful uneasiness over danger, evil, or pain.” (And it magnifies our problems.) Swindoll says that to resist these “joy stealers” we must embrace the same confidence that Paul expressed in his letter to the Philippians. After giving thanks for the Philippian believers (1:3-5), the apostle assured them “that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (v.6). Whatever causes you worry, stress, and fear cannot ultimately keep God from continuing His work in you. With this confidence we can begin each day knowing that He is in control. We can leave everything in His hands. Resist those “joy stealers” by renewing your confidence in God each morning. Then relax and rejoice. Although our joy will wane at times From worry, stress, and fear, God keeps on working in our heart And tells us He is near. —D. De Haan Happiness depends on happenings; joy depends on Jesus. Seuntjie sit in wiskunde klas en skryf:
2+10 = Jesus 8+5 = Jesus... Meneer roep seuntjie nader en vra hom hoekom is al sy antwoorde "Jesus"? Hy se toe: "Meneel, ons was Sondag inni kelk en toe se die Oom da vool.... Jesus is die antwoold tot al jou vlae." And He said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3
Key to a Good Relationship My aunt recently told me the most important quality in a marriage partner: “Amy, look for someone who is teachable, who doesn’t think they know everything.” This surprised me, but then I remembered the words of Jesus: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” What is it that kids have that is so important? Untainted by Doubt and Pride Kids just believe. They haven’t yet set up boundaries in their mind about what is or isn’t possible; what they will or won’t do because they’re “too mature.” When Jesus told His disciples (who were young men),“Follow Me,” they didn’t first ask, “Well where are we going?” —they just went. This childlike humility is exactly what Jesus loves and is the key to getting into God’s kingdom. Older, but Not Necessarily Wiser… When I first became a Christian, everything was so new and exciting to me. I knew that I didn’t know much, and so I sought out trusted teachers, devoured the Bible, and was so hungry to hear and talk to God. But as I began to get “older” in my faith, I began to think I knew it all and got prideful. This hindered my growth greatly and cut off what once was my fresh, new relationship with God. Now I want to become like I once was: trusting and believing. Become a Kid Again Remember as a kid, how you would play on your hands and knees all them time? Now imagine Jesus’ kingdom had an entry gate that was just a little shorter than you, and you have to kneel to get in. The adult in you says, “I don’t get on my hands and knees!” But that childlike faith is all that God asks of us. The Bible says, “’Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’ He was even called the friend of God” (James 2:23). It just starts with believing. To start the process, just pray from your heart, “God, I want to believe You whole-heartedly, like a trusting child. I am sorry for doubting You. Please help me follow You anywhere.” I am in this with you! God will praise each one of them. 1 Co 4:5
What an incredible sentence. God will praise each one of them. Not "the best of them" nor "a few of them" nor "the achievers among them," but "God will praise each one of them." You won't be left out. God will see to that. In fact, God himself will give the praise. When it comes to giving recognition, God does not delegate the job. Michael doesn't hand out the crowns. Gabriel doesn't speak on behalf of the throne. God himself does the honours. God himself will praise his children. And what's more, the praise is personal! … Awards aren't given a nation at a time, a church at a time, or a generation at a time. The crowns are given one at a time. God himself will look you in the eye and bless you with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Mat 25:23 NIV). When Christ Comes (Max Lucado) But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God... For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:12,14
As a born again, God sees you with now flaw, spot or imperfection, so honor His Word and the finished work of His Son by saying, “Amen!” Don’t doubt your perfection in Christ. To see yourself as being far from perfect is not modesty, but a failure to understand the perfect sacrifice that Jesus has made for you. The Bible tells us, “For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” You have not only been sanctified, that is, made holy, but by the same offering of His body, you have been perfected. You are both holy and perfect in God’s eyes! Your sins have been purged perfectly. Today, Jesus is seated at His Father’s right hand not because He is the Son of God (although that is true), but because His work of purging your sins is completely finished and perfect! So instead of being conscious of your sins, which is to have an evil conscience (Heb 10:22), you can have a perfect conscience, a conscience that is free from the guilt and condemnation of sins. When you find yourself conscious of your sins, just say, “Thank You Lord Jesus, for Your wonderful work at the cross. It is a perfect work that has removed all my sins completely.” “Holy Spirit, thank You for convicting me of righteousness, not my own, but God’s righteousness given to me as a gift. Keep on convicting me in the days to come, reminding me especially when I fail that I am still the righteousness of God in Christ.” God sees you perfect without any spot of sin. He sees you covered in the beautiful white robes of His own righteousness. He treats you as a righteous man because that is what He has made you. So expect good things to happen to you because blessings are on the head of the righteous! (Proverbs 10:6) “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels...”(2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV)
You have many treasures buried deep inside of you. Gifts, talents, abilities that you don’t even know about yet. But as a believer in Jesus, the greatest treasure within you is the Spirit of God. You carry the treasure of God in an earthen vessel! He’s also deposited treasures on the inside of you that are tied to your purpose. By His Spirit, you will discover that God has fully equipped you for everything you need in this life. We have to draw out those treasures inside of us by what we speak and what we believe. We stir up the gifts by praying in the Spirit. Don’t let those treasures lie dormant. Seek God and follow His leading. Dig deep, stir it up and move forward in the destiny God has in store for you! Father, thank You for choosing to live inside of me. Show me the treasures You have deposited within me so that I can fulfill Your purposes for me all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen |
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