The power of righteousness

A while back as I was praying, out of the blue a thought invaded my quiet time. This thought—straight from the enemy himself—began to remind me about a recent prolonged attack I’d gone through and all of the time I had wasted while agonizing through it all. Without realizing it, I started stepping right back into oppression as I prayed, “Lord, show me how much of my life I’ve wasted…if I can handle it!” The devil was busy at work, weaving a new web of condemnation, hoping to ensnare me.

Well, I didn’t see it at all until the Lord spoke up in my spirit. He said, “You’re wasting time right now!”

“What?!” I wondered.

“You’re wasting time by focusing on how much time you’ve wasted!”

This  jerked my thoughts to a screeching halt and brought me back to reality: I am loved! I am forgiven! I am cleansed! His mercies are new every morning! He isn’t counting that against me!

As I soaked it in, a familiar song floated up from my spirit. I sang, “I worship You, Almighty God. There is none like You. I worship You, oh Prince of Peace—that is what I want to do…”

I knew He was helping me. I kept singing.

“I give You praise, for You are my righteousness…”

And then in a flash, I saw it. All of my concern over my time use, my fruit, my impact, my output, my results—all of it—was allowing the enemy to sneak in to set up shop in my mind all over again. And I realized that every bit of “my, my, my” was simply dust and rubbish in the grand scheme of things. “My, my, my” good stuff was never really mine in the first place (apart from Him I can do nothing); “my, my, my” bad stuff (including wasted time!) was nailed to the cross! What really matters here and now—and on into Eternity—is one simple truth: Jesus is my righteousness. Upon Him alone rests my right-standing with God.

As I meditated on that phrase in the song—“for You are my righteousness”—I sensed again His cleansing, lifting presence surrounding me, soothing me, comforting me, and refilling me with hope and grace and strength.

I knew this truth about righteousness. I had walked in this truth. But I almost allowed the devil to rob me of that truth again despite the fact that I’ve walked with the Lord most of my life. Never—not even if I walk with the Lord for a hundred years of wonderfully fruitful service to God on this earth—will I ever be able to rely on my own righteousness, my own fruitfulness, my own impact, my own output, or my own results. The only truth worthy of reliance is this: Jesus Christ willingly died for me and because of that, I am free to lay aside my own feeble attempts at producing righteousness, fruit, impact, output, and results. I have received—free of charge—His righteousness, and therefore, as I humbly follow Him, I can leave whatever good that may come out of my life—and every bit of wasted time, as well—in His hands.

And that’s an offer I refuse to refuse!

Dorothy

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21