Resting in His Righteousness
Do you think you let God down so He cannot possibly love you anymore? Be encouraged with today’s lesson on “The Forgiveness God Offers”
“Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13:5, AMP)
I remember a time when I was so paralyzed by fear I’d lay awake at night with thoughts of anxiety and loneliness. I had lost the ability to look at anything through a positive lens. I longed to be near the Lord, but I did not know how to reach Him.
How could I possibly be contented with my present circumstances? How could God tell me He would never let me down? How could He say that He will not in any degree leave me helpless or without support? My husband had left me, and so had all my friends. I was no longer able to work due to anxiety and depression and had extreme social phobia.
However, God does not lie. His words in Matthew11:28 were about to be demonstrated to me in a powerful way: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]
As I cried out to the Lord, asking Jesus for relief from my pain, He gave me an invitation to enter His rest by giving Him my anguish in exchange for a personal relationship with Him. He showed me that I could not come to Him with my hands filled with my own burdens and cares and attempt to receive from Him His goodness and rest. I had to empty my hands of all the worry first.
I realized that I did not need to worry and fear. Jesus cares about me and I have nothing to fear with His tender and all sufficient care of me. As it says is John 10, He is my Shepherd. “I am the Good Shepherd; and I know and recognize My own, and My own know and recognize Me– Even as [truly as] the Father knows Me and I also know the Father–and I am giving My [very own] life and laying it down on behalf of the sheep.” (John 10:14-15, AMP)
I began to consciously give Jesus my worries each time I found myself anxiously fretting over something. Each time I found myself worried and frightened, I refocused my mind on a favorite verse. I meditated on the verse or spoke it aloud, or both. After several weeks I began to feel significant relief from my anxiety. Within months the Lord had surpassed all expectations that I had had of Him! I discovered anticipation for the mornings and my time with the Lord.
Truly, my Shepherd has shown me that He has given His life for me, and His blood has paid the penalty for my wrongs past, present, and future.
I can come before Him in boldness, knowing that I need not fear punishment. I can joyfully celebrate that I am forgiven and victorious – righteous because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross for me. I do not have to live in fear, trying to measure up to an impossible standard of perfection. I can dwell in the safety of God’s loving arms, letting His righteousness and perfect love soak into me. I know that He is at work to transform me into His image and likeness as I glory in the truth that I am unconditionally loved and accepted! Amen!
Father, Quiet my heart before You that I might hear You when you speak. Amen
Question: Do you have difficulty coming before Your Heavenly Father? How can the words of Scripture help to ease your fears? Which verses bring you peace and teach you that Jesus loves you and accepts you unconditionally?
13 Responses to “Resting in His Righteousness”
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Thank you, Karen; I am so glad you enjoyed this devotional, and your favourite Scripture reading is also one of mine, for the Lord truly has put a new song in my heart, and I love to sing His praises! Amen.
Awesome reading Brenda. Thank you for sharing it. I too recieved great peace from repeating scripture readings. one of my favs. is “I will trust in the lord and not be afraid, for He is my strength and my song.”
Thank you, Gail. God’s goodness never ceases to amaze me, and He continues to work powerfully in my life. It is my prayer that anyone who reads this will keep putting their faith in Him and never give up hope, no matter how bleak things look. The old saying is true: Sometimes it really does look darkest before the brightest dawn! The glory of the Lord is truly worth waiting to see!
Brenda, what a beautiful testimony of victory!!
Lord Jesus, thank You for Em and for her deep faith in You alone! Thank You that You hold her tenderly close to Your heart, and that You hear her every prayer, loving her and accepting her unconditionally just as she is RIGHT NOW! O Lord Jesus, I praise Your holy name, because You are Em’s Provider, and because You promise Wm in Your Word in Philippians 4:19, that You, her God, “will meet all [her] needs according to [Your] glorious riches in Christ Jesus [NIV844].” I ask that You would guard Em’s heart and her mind, O Heavenly Father, with Your all-surpassing peace in Christ Jesus her Saviour and Lord, and that You would shelter her from all the fear, anxiety and worry of the enemy as she begins the exciting journey of life as a young adult, trusting her every step to You. As You draw her near to Your heart, please reveal the Truth of who You are to Em, as well as the Truth of who she is in You, and reveal to her any lies she may be believing about her identity. May Em “trust in [You, O Lord] with all [her] heart and lean not on [her] own understanding; [and] in all [of her ways may she] acknowledge [You],and [[You] will make [her] paths straight. [Let Em] not be wise in [her] own eyes; [but may she] fear [You, O Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to [her] body and nourishment to [her] bones. [Proverbs 3:5-8, NIV84] And as You heal her from all wounds by Your stripes, Lord Jesus, as a result of her accident, O Lord, I pray that You, the God of hope, will fill [Em] with all joy and peace as [she] trust in [You], so that [she] may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit [Romans 15:13, NIV84]. I ask these things in Your holy and precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Em, I will continue to pray for you, and I am so grateful that my words found a place in your heart and encouraged you in your life journey. If you ever want or need someone to talk with privately as you continue your walk, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our online mentors at the following link, and someone will respond to you confidentially:
http://powertochange.com/experience/talk-to-a-mentor/
May God richly bless you today and every day, Em, in every area of your life!
Thank you for this devotional… what a challenge, especially as a young adult starting out on her own for the first time – lots of worries, fears, concerns (especially after healing from an accident), concerns about being provided/ cared for… so what a challenged to remember God’s Word & Promises that He’ll provide, He’ll give us everything we need if we just trust in Him. If you happen to see this, please lift up a quick prayer for me that I would turn to God & no one/ nothing else but truly put my trust in Him & believe His Promises for me. Thanks!
Cecily, I am so very sorry for your loss; your pain is beyond measure, and I am grateful that my words are able to help you turn to the Lord for the solace and comfort that only He can provide. I will be praying that God fills your heart with His all-surpassing peace in Christ Jesus as you seek Him in His Word.
Carolyn, I am so glad that you found this article helpful; I want to assure you that there is tremendous hope in Christ Jesus to be a victor in Him over all of the things that you talk about: fear, anxiety, depression, and social phobia. I also want to give you a link to Bible Gateway. If you put in any word in the Keyword Search, you can look up every verse in the Bible on that topic for meditation to continue your study:
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/
Monique, I am grateful that my words gave you hope. Keep believing and meditating on the Word of God, and as you renew your mind in Christ, I believe you will see changes. I will be praying for each of you: Monique, Carolyn, and Cecily. If any one of you desires to speak privately with a mentor about the difficulties you are having, please fill out the form at the following link and one of our online mentors will contact you confidentially:
http://powertochange.com/experience/talk-to-a-mentor/
May God bless each one of you richly through His abundant grace.
Have the same problem, this is a good message and give
Hope I can over all things through Christ.
I want to thank you for publishing this article. I struggle with all of the same things you talked about having (anxiety, depression, mild social phobia). With Gods help, and the help of medication, I have been able to fight it all. Some days are worse than others, but all in all it is a victory over what it use to be like. I have saved your article so that I may go back and view the verses when I am feeling down and troubled! Thank you again for reaching out to those of us who are so often forgotten by others, the mentally challenged!!! God bless you!!! :)
Thank you to whoever wrote this. My husband passed away at the age of 29, on April 20th. It is difficult everyday to feel comforted at all. I have peace knowing that he is in heaven but I struggle every moment of every day.
I thank you for the reminder to meditate on God’s word. To repeat it over and over has washed my soul before and I have faith it will do so again.
God bless you His servant.
Sandra, I can so very deeply relate to that need for perfectionism. I am grateful that my words were able to touch you on a deep level, and I will be praying that the Lord works in your heart to bring you lasting peace.
Rosie, it is a wonderful invitation that the Lord offers us, isn’t it? And it is amazing when we are transformed through the power of His love and walk out of darkness into the brilliant Light of His glory!
Thank you both for your responses to this devotional. I appreciate your comments.
I have been living for so long trying to be perfect in all walks of my life. God spoke to my heart this morning through your testimony and the scripture. Thank you
i love when you said .. He gave me an invitation….. for He does give an invitation, sometimes we don’t TAKE that invitation. And also you put in BOLD i don’t NEED. it is amazing how many times if we look at what we say and how we react we are NEEDING fear and anxiety. We can change that, and through the power of His love KEEP IT CHANGED.
ty Brenda