How To Be Righteous

Love you all, praying for you. 
 
I just love God’s Word.  It tells you how to be righteous…  Why would anyone care about that?  First, only the righteous will ever be in heaven with God for eternity.  No wickedness will ever be found there, only righteousness will get you in.  God is light – light and darkness don’t mix, like oil and water.  If you are not righteous, you won’t live there – you’re disqualified.  So how do you be righteous?  You might as well know up front.  You can’t.  You need some help.  God says we were born sinners, because of Adam and Eve the tables turned, now everyone at birth is stained with sin.  That’s why you don’t have to teach a child to disobey you, they do it naturally.  Even at 2 years old, they’ll look right at you and still reach for that cookie that you just told them not to touch.  It comes naturally, because Adam’s sin became human nature.  What is righteous?  Right Standing and Right Doing. Right Standing (you have to change what you were born as and born with – and get reborn in righteousness, not sinfulness).  And Right Doing.  Once you are made righteous – then you have to do it, walk in it, and He gives you grace (power) to do it.  The blood of Jesus cleanses sin, it’s what gives you a new birth so you are righteous by nature, not sinful by nature.  The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.  That means, once you receive His gift of Salvation, and commit the rest of your life to Him, now… He’s the bossa you, not that old nature that sins naturally.  Once you are made righteous by putting your faith in Jesus – to cover your sins, forgive them forever, and make you righteous… Then be filled with the Holy Spirit – that God promised.  So you can walk in righteousness.  Both the Blood and the Spirit are power.  The blood of Jesus makes you righteous by nature, and the Holy Spirit makes you righteous by action – He’s the power to walk in it.  You need help to be righteous, and to walk in righteousness.   Let no one deceive you, whoever does what is right is righteous (I John 3:7).  You do what you are.  That’s why those in Christ, who are filled with the Holy Spirit – do what is right.  They can choose not to, but they have power to, if they want to.  And the Holy Spirit even gives you the power to want to (you even need help with that).  Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you both to will and act according to his good purpose.   God sees you as righteous if you have put your faith in His Son Jesus.  He who has the Son has life, but He who does not have the son does not have life. (I John 5:12) If your sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus, just because you did something that wasn’t righteous, doesn’t mean your aren’t righteous by nature anymore.  You still are the new you, with God’s forgiveness available.  Just don’t continue in sin, you don’t have to.  You have power to walk in the righteousness that you are in Christ Jesus.  So how do you keep walking in it?  How do you do what’s right – rather than what seems right, or what other people think is right.   #1  Pray in the Spirit and you’ll walk in the Spirit.  First you have to be baptized in the Holy Spirit to get your language to pray in the Spirit.  Be sure you obey the first thing Jesus said when He left – and receive the Holy Spirit – Luke 11:13)  #2 Soak in God’s Word – His Word is truth.  It’s how you keep yourself from going back to your old ways, stay in His Word – it’s living and active and powerful… it will separate even the motives and intents of the heart.  And finally #3  Obey – the first thing He tells you to do today – do it.  PiVAT before dinner will ask Him what He wants you to do today, if you ask He’ll tell you.  Obey immediately, just do what He tells you - and you will get on a roll, your location will change – obedience is a path, not a list, you’ll be in a different place, which will help you get to the next place!  You will end up in an entirely different destination.  Where God can give you the good He has stored up for you.   Praying that you will walk in the righteousness that you are in Christ.  Praying that you will know that God sees you as righteous because of Jesus, and gives you the power to walk in it – where all of His goodness and blessing chases you down.  He promised that goodness and mercy that will follow you all the days of your life.  Not absent from trials but always present in victory!  He has victory for the upright – those who walk in the righteousness that they are in Christ Jesus.  Praying that you’ll know who you are, the righteousness of God in Christ, and that you’ll walk in the power to live it!
 
Love you all,
dad