“you were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
Ephesians 4:22-24
On this journey of life, it is vital to remember Ephesians 4:22-24, “you were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Putting on the new self is an active process. It must be done intentionally and continually. Sometimes we get stuck in the thinking that, “Well, I have renewed my mind this week. I should be good for a while.” Caution! One of the easiest points of attack for the devil is the complacent Christian. We must remain sober and awake. We must realize that we have been created in the image of God in true righteousness and holiness. Take hold of the revelation of your righteousness!
Think about this. God chose to destroy the wisdom of the wise with the message of the cross. “The intelligence of the intelligent, I will frustrate,” He declares in Isaiah 29:14. It is foolishness to claim God's righteousness in the thoughts of the world. In the wisdom of God, we claim the ability to boast of Jesus Christ only for our holiness, righteousness and redemption! It is not us! It is Him!
Now, if you have been on this journey for many steps or if you are at the beginning of your walk with Jesus, there will be times when you may not be walking in your new identity of righteousness. When there is compromise in our lives, the Lord in His mercy, does not grant us access to deeper revelation of Him because we are not at a capacity to carry it. I can remember living life on ‘the fence’, one foot in the world and one foot in the church. There are things that the Lord could not show me because the wineskin of my life was not ready to carry it because of compromise. When you repent of your compromise and sin, and “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” Matthew 6:33, you then re-align yourself with His will and His presence. There is safety in His presence; allow Him to be your strength! We must be grounded in the Word of God so that we can see Him rightly —
Do not allow the devil to tell you that you have been disqualified by your failures, Don't quit! I cannot stress to you enough the value in claiming your identity as the righteousness of God. Isaiah 61:10-11 says, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” Righteousness is our inheritance in Jesus! As we long for His appearing, as we keep our eyes on Him, our hearts burn inside of us to walk in the righteousness for which He has paid! He is worthy, Church! No matter how many times you fall, GET UP! We must finish well — fight for your righteousness. With everything you have, fight.
As Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:8, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” I can hear the fatigue in Paul's voice. With everything the man of God went through — every trial, every persecution, every failure — he is able to confidently say that he ran the race, he fought the good fight, he claimed his righteousness, he receives the crown. But he not only claims this for himself, but for all of us who long for the appearing of Jesus. That is powerful! Long for His appearing, Church. Desire to see His return, when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Amen!
