PREPARE YOURSELF

 

BELIEVE RIGHT AND BE BLESSED!

I want to ask you to prepare yourself.

Now, I'm aware that when someone says, “prepare yourself,” many assume bad news is coming. They believe they must brace themselves for the worst.

But, friend, I have good news for you today!

Because of the finished work of Jesus on your behalf, you never again have to expect the worst. You can believe for the best!

So prepare yourself today...

Prepare to receive the abundant, overwhelming blessings of God.

Blessings that will affect every area of your life—your career, your relationships, your marriage,
your health and your finances...everything!

Notice I said, prepare to receive the blessings of God—I didn't say prepare to earn the blessings of God. We are never blessed because of our own efforts or our own merits.

We are blessed because we are righteous before God in Christ Jesus!

It is because of this righteousness that you and I can simply receive every good thing God has in store.

Sadly, there are many people in the body of Christ today who do not really believe they are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). They are focused on their failures and shortcomings rather than on Jesus, and they are not living in the fullness of God's grace for their lives.

Righteousness must be received by faith, believing God's Word is true. Romans 1:17 says, “...the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.'”

The foundation for every blessing God wants to give comes through an understanding of the gospel—the good news—in our lives. And that good news reveals the righteousness of God, not the sinfulness of man.

You might ask, “Pastor, what must I do to attain this righteousness?”

My friend, right believing always leads to right living. When you believe right, you will live right.
When you believe that you are righteous before God in Christ Jesus, you will receive every good thing God has in store for the righteous, and this includes healing, provision, peace, joy and good success.

Let us take a look at the life of Abraham. How did Abraham receive the blessings of God in his life?
The Bible tells us that Abraham believed in the Lord, and the Lord accounted it to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

Beloved, there is nothing for you to do in order to be righteous. There is only something for you to believe.

If you see righteousness as a performance rather than a gift, you're always going to be frustrated. You're going to feel like you're coming up short. Your circumstances are going to overwhelm you. You'll believe there is something you did wrong or something you didn't do right.

It is this performance-based attitude that causes people to believe, “When I don't do well, when I fail, God must be mad at me.”

Beloved, that is not the case.

God is fully pleased with Jesus. And you are in Christ Jesus; therefore, God is pleased with you. That is the foundation for everything in your life!
• God gives you righteousness, not because of your worship, not because you serve Him, not because of your great sacrifices. He gives you righteousness because of Jesus (2 Corinthians5:21). That is the foundation!
• Jesus took your sins on the cross. He took the guilt and punishment for you. And in exchange, He gave you His righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).That is the foundation!
• Sin has been taken care of by the blood of Jesus. He has made you righteous...forever righteous(Romans 3:25–26). That is the foundation!

God wants you to wake up every morning ready to receive His grace. He wants you to believe and rest in His love. He is able and willing to give you EVERYTHING you need.

God wants to bless you, not because you are perfect, but because Jesus is perfect.

The great evangelist and preacher Charles Spurgeon said, “If you believe the right doctrine, there will be right results.” I like to say it this way: Right believing produces right living. Believe you are righteous by faith, and the result will be the fruit of the Spirit in your life.

If you'll begin to believe and receive who you are in Christ Jesus, you'll experience new levels of blessings in your life!

You don't have to chase provision. You have Jesus...the Provider.
You don't have to chase healing. You have Jesus...the Healer.
You don't have to chase the gift of righteousness. You have Jesus...your Righteousness.

As you look to Jesus, He will bless you with every good thing. Believe it, receive it and rest in that truth today.

Let Jesus be your righteousness. Let Jesus be your strength. Let Jesus be your victory!