RefinedforChrist

On Thursday, we talked about what Jesus did in order to remain righteous. Just a quick recap, He obeyed and listened to God, He knew the Word, and He fasted and prayed. Those are all things that will help you stay righteous as each of those things keep you away from sin. Sin is the thing that makes us unrighteous as it makes us indulge in the world and not in God. It separates us from God and makes us unclean, and when are separated from God and deemed unrighteous through sin, there is no way you’ll accomplish your divine purpose. This is why righteousness is important, not because God tells us to, even though that’s important, but also so we can do what God created us to do! And why is doing what God created us for important? Because your divine purpose is tied to bringing souls into the Kingdom, leading them away from Hell and to God! So many people in this world need Jesus, and God created you to share Him with others! So, don’t neglect your purpose, and don’t neglect righteousness, because it is pivotal to God’s plan! Without further delay, let’s get into today’s post!

Jesus Did Not Engage in Sin

Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Deny himself means deny his fleshly desires and go after God. If anyone did that, it was certainly Jesus. In Matthew 24:39, Jesus prays,“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
‭‭In His flesh, Jesus did not want to go to the cross, but because it was God’s will for Him, He did it anyways. Because not going to the cross would’ve been sin, so Jesus, being sinless, obeyed God and went anyways. Disobedience is sin, because sin goes against what God told us in His Word. If you aren’t obeying God then what are you doing? For example, if you aren’t saving yourself for marriage like God commanded us, then what are you doing? Having premarital sex, which is what? A sin. So, see how this goes, disobedience to God is sin, and Jesus never disobeyed God, and He wants us to do likewise.

Jesus was not a hypocrite, He denied himself and His fleshly desires, so He expects us to do the same! Otherwise, we can never achieve our purpose! Imagine if Jesus listened to His flesh, we would all be going to hell! But thank God that He resisted sin and listened to God! If it was that important for Jesus to obey, wouldn’t it be the same for you? We are followers of Christ, and we are suppose to imitate Him. There are people going to hell behind you not fulfilling your purpose, all because you won’t deny your flesh! Imagine all the people that can get to know Christ because of you! Righteousness is so much more than just abstaining from sin, it is so we can get where God wants us to be! So, start denying your flesh, like Jesus did and pick up your cross so you can fulfill your God given purpose and live righteously.

Jesus Had Faith in God

Faith is so important when it comes to righteousness and your purpose. Without faith, it is hard to do anything that Jesus did, because Jesus did it all with faith! If Jesus didn’t have faith that God was going to fulfill His promise to Him, do you think Jesus would’ve denied His flesh? No! But Jesus had faith in God, that His purpose was going to abound and in the end would end up blessed with all glory and power! Our faith is what gives us the strength to obey God and be righteous, therefore fulfill our purpose. In Matthew 8:26, when there was a storm happening, Jesus rebuked the disciples saying, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” To me, this verse is saying, why are you afraid? Don’t you trust that God is going to make things right? That God has your back? That God will provide, heal, and protect you? Why do you trust God so little? Because that’s what faith is, trust in God and His Word. How much do you trust God to help you achieve your God-given purpose? How much do you trust God to give you the strength to withstand sin? How much do you trust God to give you the strength to remain righteous? Do you have faith?

Jesus never doubted God, which is why He was able to live a righteous, blameless life, because He knew it was going to pay off and help Him achieve His purpose. You have to do the same, you have to trust God, have faith! Having faith makes all of these steps towards righteousness easier! So evaluate how much you trust God!

Jesus Knew of His Authority

This is actually huge when it comes to righteousness because when you know of your authority, you aren’t going to allow the devil to entice you to sin. You have the knowledge that devil is beneath you and that you don’t have to fall into his traps. In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” You can’t give authority if you don’t have it, so Jesus was clearly aware of His power and authority. That’s why He was able to be righteous His entire life without any mess ups. He knew that He had power over the enemy and we have that same power and authority! So, when the enemy tempts you to heed your flesh, and forsake your purpose, you have the authority to tell him to LEAVE!! You don’t have to give in, God has given us this authority and power and we can remain righteous in Christ! This is so important when it comes to being righteous and being led by the Spirit, because if the devil can convince us we don’t have power over him, he will run our entire lives. And obviously a life run by the devil is not a righteous life.

It is so important to remember and know you have power and authority over the devil because that is what will keep you from sin. Which is what will keep you righteous!

So, with today’s quick blog, remember, in order to be righteous, which is following the leading of the Holy Spirit and abstaining from sin; you must not engage in sin and deny your flesh daily! Have faith and trust in God, and use and know of your authority! With all of those coupled together, you are headed towards a righteous life! I hope this helped and God bless!