For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Did you know if you have been born again and made Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, your Lord and Savior, you are righteous? How can that be? How can sinful mankind become righteous?

The word "righteous" means "in right standing." If you are born again and daily walking under His Lordship, you are in right standing with God. All your past sins are gone. Jesus took them to the cross with Him. You are covered by the precious blood of Jesus.

While in prayer one day, I saw myself kneeling at the throne of Grace. Only, I couldn't see me. I saw my whole body covered by a large vail. When the Father looks at us, all He sees is the Blood of His Son, Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us Jesus has become our righteousness. No matter what you have done in the past, it is covered by the His Blood. Regardless of your background, where you came from, or what church you attend, Father God does not see your faults or shortcomings. He sees the Blood.

Our enemy, the devil, may try to discourage us, reminding us of our sins of the past. Pay no attention to him. The Bible says he is the accuser of the brethren. 

I read an account of Smith Wigglesworth years ago. He woke up in the middle of the night and heard a noise in the other room. Getting up, Smith walked into the living room and found Satan standing beside a large tag board. On it was a list of sins he had committed before he received Jesus as his Savior. Wigglesworth looked through the list, smiled, and said, "Oh, its you." Sauntering over to the list, and giving a little snicker, he wrote across the entire board in huge letters, "THE BLOOD." Smith then returned to bed, for a good night sleep.

Friend, you don't have to worry when the enemy brings up your past. You are covered by the Blood of Jesus. When you blow it, make a mistake, or fall short of biblical expectations, take courage. We all make mistakes. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

When we do blow it, simply come to Daddy God with a repentant heart. Ask His forgiveness and walk in the righteousness Jesus provided.

God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

With school shootings, home invasions, terrorism, and other violent crimes on the rise, it’s no wonder fear grips the hearts of many around the world. We also face an uncertain economic future. What if the stock market crashes? What if all my investments take a nosedive? What if I lose my job? What if I get cancer? How will my family pay the medical bills?

Fear seeks to control our hearts so powerfully, it will manipulate our thinking process, the way we view situations, and even our very lives. Dwelling on the “what ifs” can eventually cause physical and mental problems.

But, I have good news for you today. Notice the opening scripture, “God has not given us the SPIRIT of fear.” It is a spirit and did NOT come from God. Fear comes from the enemy of our soul, the devil.

So, how do we deal with it? How do we overcome it? Look at the second part of verse 7, “but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Abba Father, Daddy God, has given us all the power, love, and sound mind we require to overcome any fear that my try to attach itself to us.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18

God’s love toward us is perfect. When we learn to trust His perfect love implicitly, fear will no longer keep us bound. It will lose its power and control. Psalm 56:11 declares, “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do to me.”

What fear has you dominated today? Give it over to a loving, caring Daddy God and watch Him begin to wash that fear away. Fear no longer has jurisdiction over you. You are a born again, blood bought child of the Most High God! 

FEAR, BE GONE IN JESUS NAME!

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well."

Psalm 139:14

WE ARE SO BLESSED! I'm extremely thankful our precious Heavenly Father, Daddy God, knows how to get our attention. He created us all unique, gave us our individual personalities, quirks, and idiosyncrasies. 

Therefore, He must deal with each one of us differently. If God dealt with me the way He dealt with my husband, I would inevitably walk away in tears because of His seemingly harsh corrections. Likewise, if the Lord dealt with my husband the way He dealt with me, Corbett probably wouldn't listen. He needs more direct, stern correction and I learn best with a more tender direction.

However, one day I ranted and raved to God about all the things which went wrong that day. "Can't you see what they're doing to me? YOU need to do something about this! YOU need to take care of this!"

Instantly, the Lord opened my spiritual eyes and I saw Him laughing hysterically. He was laughing at me and definitely got my attention!

You'll have to read Adventures with Abba to hear the rest of the story. However, the lesson I desire to bring out today is Daddy God loves you and made you unique. He knows how to deal with each of us individually to get our attention. He understands our makeup and what it will take to lead and guide us in the way we should go. After all HE CREATED YOU!

He knew you before the foundation of the world was made. Psalm 139:13 declares, "You formed my inward parts. You covered me in my mother's womb."

Daddy God formed every fiber of your being in your mother's womb. You were fearfully and wonderfully made, and He loves you. He knows you better than you know yourself.

We don't always appreciate His correction when it seems all hell has broken loose on us. But don't be afraid, our precious, loving Heavenly Father knows how to get our attention. And He will walk you through every trial and situation which comes our way.

Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a Name which is above every Name. That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

When you were born again you confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You became a new creature in Christ Jesus. But what have you done with your relationship with Him ever since? It takes more than simply a one time confession of Jesus being our Lord and Savior. Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God. Then again, in Galatians 2:20 it says we have been crucified with Christ, and it's Jesus living in this body of flesh.

This sounds to me like an ongoing practice. We are to daily walk as if Jesus, the Son of the Living God has taken up residence inside us. The only way this comes about is if we habitually yield or humble ourselves to the Lordship or Ownership of Jesus Christ. "You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:20

You are not your own any longer. As a slave is the sole property of his master, so you have been purchased with the precious blood of Jesus. You belong to Him.

I hear many people say they have the right to do what they want with their own bodies. They can live and act the way they want. They say it's their right and freedom. They are actually enslaved by their own desires. When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit fills and lives in us. Therefore, we no longer own our bodies. Jesus' death freed us from sin, but also obligates us to His service. 

If you live in a rental house or in someone else's home, you must abide by the rules of the house. If you agreed to keep the house clean and take care of all yard work, you try not to violate the house rules. Because you belong to Almighty God, you are not to violate His standards, or commandments. Not that we don't make mistakes. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. When we do blow it, and we will, His love, mercy, and grace are there for us. However, we are to strive to allow Jesus to live BIG in us on a daily basis.

Romans 6:14 tells us, "Neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin; but yield yourselves to God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."

I encourager you today to humble yourself to His Ownership. Jesus is your Savior, now allow Him to be your LORD.