“He (God) accounted it to him (Abraham) as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

It was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6)

This morning God took me on a spiritual journey to teach me how to seek His righteousness. 

He began by reminding me that Abram, later named Abraham, who is considered the father of faith was considered by God as righteous because Abraham believed God.(He took God at His word.)

“Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6 MEV)

Next the Lord took me to Genesis 3:1 where the old serpent asked Eve, “Has God said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” 

Here God showed me that Adam’s fall was because he and Eve made the choice to not believe what God’s had told them.  Hence, Adam became unrighteous.

Also, the name Adam means mankind. This is where we too become unrighteous when we make the choice not to take God at His word.

Righteousness means faith, or believing every word God says. However; faith must have action or it is dead. (James 2:17) “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Who and what we believe and act on determines where we place our faith.Where we place our faith makes either righteous or unrighteous.

Matthew 6:33 tells us to, “… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (The benefits of Psalm 103:3)

Colossians 1:13 says the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior, God takes us out of the kingdom of darkness and places us unto the Kingdom of Jesus. However; just as the Children of Israel struggled in the dessert learning to listen, trust and act on what God said, we too fall into this very problem. 

When I say “believe His word”, I mean you come to the place you really believe He will do exactly what He says He will do, whether you see it or not, and we act on what He has told us to do. Acting in faith is what makes our faith alive.

God never reacts to our whines, cries or the desperation of our circumstances. He acts on our faith (trust and belief) in His word. 

When God inspired John to write 3 John 2, God calls us His beloved, He means it. He goes on to say, “I wish, above all things, that you prosper, be in health as your soul prospers,” He really means it. He is pulling for us to come to Him, believe and receive.

Our soul consists of our mind, our will and our emotions. Our emotions need healing. This comes through forgiveness and changing our old ways of thinking to having the mind of Christ. Having His mind is thinking the way Jesus thinks. It only comes from knowing, in an intimate way, God’s deep love for us and listening for His directions. 

We see this love through Christ on the cross. Jesus took on His body every sickness, every disease, hurt, heartache, pain and sorrow we will ever experience so that, if we desire, we can give them to Him in faith.

Jesus took the chastisement (severe criticism; rebuke or strong reprimand, corporal punishment; and beatings) whether deserved or not, so that we can receive His peace.

He took my poverty away and has given me access to His riches- all the cattle on a thousand hills, all the silver and all the gold is mine to access through faith, if I can trust Him to be my Jehovah-jireh (the Lord who provides our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus), He will show us where to cast our nets even if we’ve fished there before and found nothing.

Jesus also took my sins, both known and unknown, and paid the price.

Sin is high treason against the Crown. It is punishable by death. He took the death sentence in my place.

As you search the scriptures, you will find more of this divine exchange in the covenant we have entered into with Christ.

The New Testament puts it this way, “. . . For they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers” (John 10: 4b-5). When we hear, believe and act on the voice of Jesus we become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

As Jesus' sheep we will not follow the steps of the first Adam when we make this most important decision to believe and live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. They are written in the Holy Bible. 

This is living Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Mostly, He tells us to walk in love and forgiveness, being kind to one another, knowing we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Salvation comes to each of us through our belief and acceptance of Christ's love on the cross, and asking Him to forgive us of our sin.

As you take time to commune with the Lord today, meditate on all that He has done for you because He loves you with His whole heart. 

Search the scriptures to find out what He has to say about your situation. Believe Him and stand on His word. It takes practice to hear the spoken word of God in your heart. Open your heart and listen. He still speaks today. He has not changed. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen

“Decree a thing and it shall come to pass.” (Job 22:18)

Have you made your New Years resolutions? I have found them to be a total waste of time because it is something we try to do in our own effort. Then fail.

However; when we delight ourselves in the Lord God Almighty, according to Job 22:28, we can declare a thing and it will be established!

“You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways.” (NKJV)

So, in light of the Word of God, why not find scripture promises that meet your goals and decree them in the name of Jesus. He has promised to shine His light on the path to make it happen.

For example: If I need finances I will choose scriptures like Genesis 22:14 or Philippians 4:19 (NIV) which says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”  Or I may choose Proverbs 10:22 (NKJV) which promises, “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.”

After finding these promises, then declare out loud each day something like: I declare that God will provide everything I need according to His riches in Glory. The Lord is my provider. He is my source. It does not matter what things look like in the natural, I am standing on the Word of God and He can’t lie. So I decree that my debt is paid in full by Jesus on the cross. I claim the promises of God in Christ Jesus because I am a blood-bought child of the Living God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells me to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Sometimes following God can seem like the most illogical thing ever. That is why He calls it faith.

What changes do you want to happen in your life this year? Is this a promise in the Word? If so, find it and decree it over your life in the mighty name of Jesus and it will be established according to His Word.

Spend time with the Lord each day seeking His direction for this path. This is communion. 

I heard Kenneth Copland once say to the Lord, “I am Yours to command. Sir!”

Give God full reign. Listen to His instructions and then obey Him no matter how strange it may sound. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen

Jesus calmed the storm (Matthew 8:23-27)

Have you ever noticed storms never bothered Jesus?

(Matthew 8:23-26 AMP) “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping. And the disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us, we are going to die!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?”

Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was [at once] a great and wonderful calm [a perfect peacefulness]. The men wondered in amazement, saying, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Then another time (Matthew 14: 22-27 AMP):“Immediately He (Jesus) directed the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee], while He sent the crowds away.  After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was there alone.  But the boat [by this time] was already a long distance from land, tossed and battered by the waves; for the wind was against them.  And in the fourth watch of the night (3:00-6:00 a.m.) Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.”

Jesus is never surprised or intimidated about our storms. He just spoke to storms and walked on them.

However; we do seem to allow them to bother us. Let’s continue with Matthew 14: 27-33. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately He spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!”

Peter replied to Him, “Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water.” 

He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those in the boat worshiped Him [with awe-inspired reverence], saying, “Truly, You are the Son of God!”

We all go through storms. The question is; when the storms come, where is our focus? As long as Peter kept his focus on Jesus he remained safe. The moment Peter looked at the storm he began to sink.

I found a key change over the Christmas holidays for Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP) which says, “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].”

Learning to trust Jesus in our storms can be difficult because we continually focus on the storm, the verdict, the diagnosis, another person causing the problem, etc. I want to encourage you to keep your focus on Jesus, not your situation. Call out to Him as Peter did. Hear Him say, "Come!" Then trust Him to take your hand and walk with you through the storm.

He loves you and He is trustworthy.

It is a good idea to seek Him before you run into storms. Then your relationship of trust will have begun growing and you will know where to turn.  Otherwise it’s like trying to catch the boat in the middle of the storm not knowing where to look.

Blessings on your day!

Karen