We read in Isaiah 54:15 (Amplified) that fear, oppression, terror or even the thought of these things cannot defeat us if we will establish ourselves in righteousness. Verse 15 says, "Behold, they may gather together and stir up strife, but it is not from Me."
The thing giving us victory over strife, fear, terror or oppression is the establishing of ourselves in righteousness. God says in Isaiah 54:14 (Amplified), "You shall establish yourself in righteousness." This means we need to believe, by faith in Jesus, that we are now righteous. This is such a vital part of the child of God's life, that it prevents the enemy's ability to terrorize, oppress and scare us. If he can convince us we're not "really righteous," then we're still in the hands of deception.
Our ability to "Come boldly to God's throne of grace" found in Hebrews 4:16 is based on our faith in His righteousness in our lives. If for any reason, we don't believe we're righteous, then we can't come in clear conscience into the presence of a righteous God or Father. So much of life with God depends on this understanding. The world, the enemy and our own unrenewed mind, will try convincing us otherwise. We must establish ourselves in righteousness. God has already done it. The enemy knows it. God knows it. All of heaven knows it. Now, the question is...do we know it?
Are we still trying to become righteous or in right standing with God by some other means or do we accept by faith that fact we're righteous in Jesus. If we attempt becoming righteous by any other means, then it is not grace we're depending on, but our own works and our own deeds. This kind of righteousness is not acceptable to God and will only bring condemnation to us because we will always fail to achieve this righteousness in our lives.
Nothing we could ever do will make us righteous and nothing we could ever do can make us acceptable to the Father. We must simply believe that Jesus has done what we could never do. He bridged the gap between us and the Father. Now, by faith, we've become everything the Father requires us to be, in Jesus.
If God says we're now made righteous, then we simply accept that as true. It doesn't depend upon our performance or ability, but on our faith in Jesus. As a righteous Church, we're now to believe in the sacrifice God has provided in Jesus and that His sacrifice has accomplished everything needful to bring us to where God wants us to be.
2Timothy 3:16-17 (Amplified) says that, "Every scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience (and) for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work."
God's Word is our road map on how to live our lives. He will show us, through His Word, how to live a life in right standing with Him and how to live righteous now that we're in right standing with Him. We learn how to live in this new life God has given us from His Word. We don't learn to become righteous, but how righteous people live.
We've already been made righteous in Jesus and now we must walk out this right standing by His Word. No baby understands how to walk when they're born. It's something they learn as they grow.
As new babes in Christ, we must learn how to walk and talk like any other baby would. Just because a baby hasn't learned to walk yet, doesn't mean he's not human. It only means that he's still a baby human. Just because a baby Christian doesn't know how to walk in right standing with the Father, doesn't mean he isn't a Christian. It just means he's a baby Christian. The Word will teach him how to act as he grows in the spirit.
You would think that after awhile, we'd learn to depend on Jesus for our righteousness like we depend on Him to carry our sin. We've depended more on our feelings or righteousness (which will never come into conformity without the Spirit) instead of Jesus.
We aren't to walk by feelings, but by faith in God's Word. As we grow, we will put feelings aside and learn to walk by His Word. Every time we make a mistake, the enemy will try convincing us we're not righteous. We're not supposed to base our righteousness on our performance, but on Jesus' righteousness. This right standing with God is a gift of His grace and not our obedience to the Law or any law, but the law of faith.
There is one Law we're to walk in according to Romans 8:2 (Amplified) which says, "The law of the Spirit of life (which is) in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being) has freed me from the Law of sin and death." This is the law we're to walk in today. This Law is put in place by God when He raised Jesus from the dead. And, now in Jesus, this Law is above every other law. It's the Law of the Spirit of Life. We're no longer dead in sin, but dead to sin by Christ.
Romans 8:10 (Amplified) says, "But if Christ lives in you, (then although) your (natural) body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the Spirit is alive because of (the) righteousness (that He imputes to you)." This righteousness is the life of God Himself Who now lives in and through us by the Holy Spirit.
The power of right standing with God is what man has always inspired to do, but could not. Man always knew that if he could find a way to be righteous, then he could walk in and live in the favor of God. Not being able to produce this righteousness, man set about to establish his own way of being righteous. It satisfied the natural pride and nature of the fallen man, but could never satisfy the spiritual claims of justice. Romans 10:3 (Amplified) says, "For being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes (which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed) and seeking to establish a righteousness (a means of salvation) of their own, they did not obey or submit themselves to God's righteousness."
In this last day, we need to be watchful that we don't get caught up in trying to establish our own righteousness like in Romans. But, we must accept by faith that we're already counted as righteous because of Jesus. This doesn't mean that we live any way we want, but that we learn how to walk by the Word and the Holy Spirit in right standing with the Father. We need to take full advantage of this right standing with God to come to the throne of grace, to learn, to grow and to receive God's favor in every portion of our lives.
To understand our new and great righteousness in Jesus, is a vital part of our assurance in prayer, fellowship, faith and lack of fear or torment from the enemy. Our righteousness doesn't depend on our being good, but on His being good. We gained our righteousness when we received Jesus as our Lord. It's His righteousness that we have and not our own. We didn't earn or deserve it. It's not based on us, but on Him. If it is His righteousness that we're walking in, then you cannot improve upon it. You can't be any more righteous than Jesus is no matter how good you try to be or how hard you might work at it. You've been made the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus. Trust in and receive it by faith.
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