Tag: #Romans2:13

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Justice: Legend & Legacy – Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, God highlighted that living justly is to live wise-heartedly, intelligently, skillfully and artfully and that doing so releases fresh beauty (chakam – Strong’s #2450).

Part 2 focuses on the faith factor.

Our key scripture is Hebrews 10:38 NKJV, which says that “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

The Word “just” (dikaios – Strong’s #1342) in this scripture means those who are approved and acceptable by faith, according to God. It means believers, whose faith is in God’s entirety—His identity, character and actions.

God’s standard is justice, to which we are transformed by faith and grace (Ro 12:2). In so doing, we build wholeness in our souls that will be expressed outwardly.

We will know this by God’s revealed wisdom.

Romans 1:17 TPT tells us that “This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith…”

So, faith in God empowers us to live a just life, which is a wise—intelligent, skillful and beautiful life—in agreement with Him.

This faith in us is God’s faith in us, not something we conjure up. It is the substance of things hoped for, the title deed of what will surely come to pass as our inheritance. A guarantee.

Proverbs 1:23 TPT expresses this by asking us, “…Don’t you know that I’m ready to pour out my spirit of wisdom upon you and bring to you the revelation of my words that will make your heart wise?”

God has wisdom to release to us to help us live out our high purposes. So, it’s important to invest dedicated time with Him. God has tangible forms of justice, such as rewards, recompenses and restoration to give to us. So, it’s important to process all the way through what is necessary with God and not waste our growing pains.

Even though the process can feel long and difficult to our flesh, every time we move forward, we build justice into our souls and plant seeds of justice for generations.

Every time we move forward, we come up higher. We are lifted as we grow in grace and wisdom and faith as God reveals both a legend and a legacy of powerful blessing that honors Him, honors us and honors others. We are being strengthened in our Lord, which pleases Him and makes us more useful for greater exploits.

God calls us to go live in His light and sing His praises, not be confined under a bush. We are to blaze a trail with Him, touching others as He leads to set captives free so they, too, can live a captivating life and pass it on. This is freedom. This is true justice expressed as divine inheritance for those whose faith is in God.

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your gift of Justice, who is Your Son Himself and for life that comes by active faith in You (Ga 3:11).

Have mercy on us, Lord (Ps 86:3).

We desire to live a life of shalom wholeness, full of love, power and soundness of mind (2 Ti 1:7).

Your Word says that if we keep trusting in You, do what is right in Your eyes and fix our hearts on Your promises, we will dwell in the land and feast on Your faithfulness” (Ps 37:3 TPT).

So, help us discern truth from falsehood (1 Jn 4:6).

Help us to listen to Your Word of Truth and respond to it, so that it will always become like poetry written and fulfilled by our lives (Ja 1:22, Ro 2:13).

Open our eyes even more to see the benefits of Your ways (Ps 103:2, Mt 5:8).

Help us to live a just life by faith, where we experience Your blessings of justice in every area of our lives (He 10:38).

Help us to trust You as our Source, the One who brings it to pass (Ps 37:5).

Help us remember that Your burden is light and to remain in the light, leaving the heavy lifting to You (Mt 11:30, Ps 55:22).

Help us to not stray from Your will but remain in our lanes with our eyes fixed on You, the Perfecter of our faith (He 12:2).

Help us to remain confident that we will experience Your goodness in the land of the living (Ps 27:13, 116:9).

Help us to please You above all else by choosing Your righteousness and justice always (He 11:6).

Thank You, Lord, that You are the Rewarder of those who diligently seek You (He 11:6).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

“Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope” (Ro 15:13 TPT)!

To God be the glory.

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Faith Believing

This Thursday, May 13, 2021, marks Ascension Day—the fortieth day from Jesus’ resurrection, when He ascended to Heaven to be seated at the right hand of our Heavenly Father (Lk 22:69). 

Although many scriptures describe what this means for us, my favorite illustration is found in Isaiah 25:6-12 of the TPT version, which is subtitled “The Rich Feast of the Lord.” It says: 

The Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, will host a rich feast on this mountain for all peoples—a feast with plenty of meat and well-aged wine, with an abundance of food and the finest of wine. And on this mountain, he will destroy the shroud wrapped around all the people, the veil spread over all nations. It is the gloom of death! He will swallow it up in victory forever! And God, Lord Yahweh, will wipe away every tear from every face. He will remove every trace of disgrace that his people have suffered throughout the world, for the Lord Yahweh has promised it! In that day they will say, ‘Behold! This is our God! We’ve waited for him, and he saved us! This one, the Lord Yahweh—he is worth the wait! We will keep shouting with joy as we find our bliss in his salvation-kiss!’

The mighty, gracious hand of the Lord Yahweh will rest upon this mountain, but the Moabites will be trampled under his feet as straw gets trampled into the manure. They will stretch out their arms in it like a swimmer stretches out his arms to swim, yet God will bring down their pride, and they will thrash and sink despite their struggle. He will tear down the high walls of Moab’s fortresses and flatten them into the dust.

So, friends, in these verses, we see what is available to us as we live an ascended life with Jesus, which is in the true high place, where our enemies become our footstool and we rise above pain to a protective place, full of provision. Believing this, we can apprehend it in our lives on earth, as our eyes are fixed on Him, no matter what. 

It’s the abundant life of God revealed to us in John 10:10 above the enemy’s false parallel to kill, steal and destroy.

It’s the goodness of God revealed in Philippians 4:19 AMPC, which says, “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

It’s where we can “be supernaturally infused with strength through” our “life-union with the Lord Jesus,” according to Ephesians 6:10 TPT. Where we can “stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through” us.  

It’s the place of true power and authority, where we can remain as God releases judgment on unrepentant evildoers—both on the person and on the spirit behind the person, according to Isaiah 24:21 TPT.

This begs the question: Since we determine where we are seated—the mountaintop or the pit—by our behavior, as seen through grace, do we have the active faith that is required to gain and sustain rich mountaintop abundance? 

The answer is that we do if we are patiently obedient—if we continue to choose to be faithful to God’s instructions—all the way through the tribulation of the climb to completion.

Our Lord as salvation will protect us inwardly and outwardly along the way (Is 26:1).

Isaiah 26:2-3 describe this journey of victory by saying, “Open the gates and let a righteous, faith-filled people enter in. Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you; they confidently trust in you.”

We can also find encouragement in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NIV, which say, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

So, our living faith (with works) pleases God and brings honor to Him. Isaiah 1:17 TPT reminds us to “Learn what it means to do what is good by seeking righteousness and justice! Rescue the oppressed. Uphold the rights of the fatherless and defend the widow’s cause.”

Our behavior—meaning our faithful obedience and works—sets the standard and expectation by which we will be judged by God (Ro 2:6, 9, 16). So, let’s not take the “riches of his extraordinary kindness…for granted” but choose His higher ways above our limited ways.

Let’s keep believing for God’s best and behave accordingly. It’s easier when we remain in worship to Him alone—in His Word, in prayer and in praise. It’s easier when we embrace His vision as our own.

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for Your very best for me. Help me to receive it by Your grace. Don’t let me stray from your clear path of victory. Help me. Keep me on track. Help me be a doer of Your Word—all the way to and on top of the mountain (Ro 2:13, Ps 72:3). Open my eyes to see more of Your goodness and Your ways. Help me to be faithful to You, Lord, above all else. You alone are my King.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.