See the simplicity that is in Christ!

Believers, our warfare that Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 isn't fought in some coven, church building or some mountaintop. The battleground is our minds and we overcome not through carnal means (human effort such as attempting to break generational curses or curses of lack, sickness, stress, depression, etc, by 40 days' dry fast when Christ already hung on the tree to redeem us from the curse of the Law;) we overcome by bringing the weapons of the enemy (accusations of the Accuser) into captivity to the obedience of Christ, according to the same passage -

“3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,"

But what is the obedience of Christ? Who better to interpret the Word than the Word Himself! Romans 5:19 tells us all about the obedience of Christ and who we are because of His obedience-

"For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."

Believers, because of the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are made righteous; justified from all things from which we could not be justified by the Law of Moses (Acts 13:39)

Imagine that you are in a court of law (your mind) where our Lord God is the Judge. The Accuser/Satan is the prosecutor. By the way, did you know that in Israel today, the Hebrew word for "prosecutor at law" is "Ha Satan?" If you believe that your law-keeping and good deeds is what makes you right with God and not what Christ has done, you become your own advocate having rejected Christ as your Advocate. You say "My law-keeping will speak for me." You are your own righteousness so no Holy Spirit to witness to your righteousness in Christ. See what Christ says of His Spirit in John 16: 8-11 (MSG)

“When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted."

Because you are guilty of what the Accuser is accusing you of (all have sinned,) you are condemned and must face judgment (death preceded by its symptoms aka all of the curses in Deut 28.) And this court of law is no ordinary court. It is a court where committing just one sin makes you guilty of the rest (James 2:10) – “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

It doesn’t matter how much you say you are sorry and offer to make things right by doing good (our righteousnesses are like filthy rags to God). In fact, under the Law, you are required to do restitution and still face the hangman’s noose unless blood is shed! The wages of sin is death!

When The Accuser tells you of your guilt and you condemn yourself in your mind and start using your own efforts to set things right (giving to get from God when He gives us all things freely with Christ; trying to keep the Ten Commandments so that God will be for you "again"), you fall from grace. Galatians 5:4 says "For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

You fall under Law and become fair game for all of the curses in Deuteronomy 28 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse;" says Galatians 3:10. Once this state of condemnation is affirmed by you (when you present your works and not Christ as your Advocate/restitution), judgment follows – first fear of the judgment and worry, then stress, sickness, poverty, unsound mind, etc. On prison deathrow and eventually death. I believe that this is why many believers still suffer symptoms of the curse.

But thank God for His Grace that has appeared to us all in our Lord Jesus Christ. In the same court (our minds), when Satan the Accuser accuses us and tries to label us ‘still guilty’ with all sorts of accusations, in Christ’s perfect love for us, we stand boldly in the day of judgment, for as He (our Lord Jesus) is, so are we in this world! (1 John 4:17). 

We are not our own advocate/defense. Jesus is our Advocate! We are not our own righteousness. The Lord is our Righteousness! And the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth is in the witness box witnessing to our righteousness in Christ. This way, the Accuser has nothing on us! ALL of his accusations fall flat because Jesus has paid the price for ALL of our sins making us 100% righteous, totally blameless! He took our blame. He took our punishment. He died our death. But many of us still try to pay our way to deliverance and righteousness with law keeping, good works (filthy rags) and pointless activities!

Believers, believe right! When you do, you will not even want to sin! When you are under the law is when you sin more because the purpose of the Law is to point out our sin. Galatians 3:19 – “Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins.” 

"The strength of sin is the Law" says 1 Corinthians 15:56. Law-keeping to get right with God strengthens the grip of sin over one's life. But Christ (Grace) sets free indeed.

Ask our Heavenly Father to help you to today. Because Christ has fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law on your behalf, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN MADE RIGHTEOUS BY HIS OBEDIENCE, all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 are ours in Him!

Some of these thoughts emanate from our flesh too, but wherever they’re from – the flesh or fiery darts of the wicked one – we bring every one of them into captivity to the obedience of Christ - our righteousness in Him.

Believers, because of the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are made righteous. Whenever you get those niggling thoughts that tell you that you can be ‘better’ only if, like Adam and Eve, you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, a picture of the Law (the fruit of the tree is any “righteous” deed you do in order to be “better, delivered, healed, etc” aka the fruit of keeping the Law), bring these thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ - present our Lord Jesus as your Advocate; your Righteousness and the reason why God blesses you and answers your prayers.

It is only by our being the righteousness of God in Christ that we can quench the fiery darts of the enemy - those thoughts that remind you of your sins and tell you that you are not meeting the standard of holiness of God! No one can by themselves!

When the thoughts come, confess “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” In the middle of that sin that you are trying so hard to shake off, confess “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” When you have a dream that’s so terrible and hard to understand, confess your righteousness in Christ and leave the rest to Jesus.

Believers, in Christ, every blessing attached to the righteous in the bible applies to you; we reign in life not because of what we do or don’t do but because of what our Lord Jesus has done for us. Romans 5:17 - For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

Remember Proverbs 12:21 – “no harm befalls the righteous”? That’s you in Christ. Say it when you get scared. Keep confessing “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” Say it out loud. Mutter it under your breath. Everywhere you go. 

Remember, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” – Romans 10:10. Salvation here encompasses being saved from eternal damnation, sins and addictions, lawless deeds, sickness, stress, oppression and every earthly ill.

Confess that you are righteous as much as you have grace in Christ to and see your life set right and transformed to peace and rest that only Jesus can give! You will also not continue in sin because it is Grace that teaches us to reject ungodliness (Titus 2:12), not you, not your pastor, not finger-wagging condemnation and law-keeping, which kill.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit will teach you all things so don’t worry about how to get ahead in Christ or how many bible verses you know right now. Just follow! If you try to open a flower that is still in its budding stage, you will ruin the flower.

Believers, we are not saved by doing. John 3:16 says we are saved by believing! This is Grace - undeserved, unmerited favour. If you can stop sinning by your power, you don’t need Jesus. He did not come for those that are well (nobody is on their own, there is none righteous). He came for those that are sick! No wonder the ‘holy holy’ Pharisees could not receive from Him when He walked the earth as Man. Only He can put those worldly desires that you have away!

What’s more? Remember that Paul said “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal…”? This part is so exciting! – Paul described our righteousness in Christ as weapons in 2 Corinthians 6:7 Amplified Bible (AMP):

“in [speaking] the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand [like holding the sword to attack] and for the left [like holding the shield to defend],”

As the righteousness of God in Christ, standing in His Righteousness and not ours, we are able to pull down strongholds, cast down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring every thought to captivity by the obedience of Christ – our Righteousness in Him!

Praise the Lord that the battle is the Lord’s! For all those who believe, this warfare was won when our Lord Jesus cried “Finished!” when He took our place on the cross so that we can be the righteousness of God in Christ.

Believers, let’s not just have zeal for God. I pray that He reveals Himself to us in Christ more and more as our Abba, Father. Our Daddy who loves us soooooooooooooo much that He gave His Son to die for us so that we might have everlasting life - starting here on earth! We love because He first loved us:)

It took God’s grace for you to read this far:) He's working in you!

Believe Right and you will Live Right.